Living on the Edge
Lily ran like there were a pack of wolves behind her, her heart thudding painfully and her stomach knotted in a thousand places. She could hear nothing behind her but what was worrying, was she could hear nothing at all. No cars, no voices, just silence-nothing.
A horrible feeling of familiarity had come across her at one point, and her worst fears were confirmed when she finally ran out of a cluster of trees and into a clearing. Off out in the distance was a breath taking view of a thousand twinkling lights-which made this the aptly named 'Look Out Point'.
Look out Point was a million miles from anywhere. She knew this because some jerk Helen used to date had left her stranded here once because she wouldn't put out. Poor Helen had walked six miles in the dark to a payphone before calling Lily who had somehow persuaded Clive to drive her to pick her friend up. He had bitched and moaned all the way and they'd ended up having a fight on the way back because of something derogatory Clive had said about Helen.
Jesus Christ, what was she gonna do? And where was the horny population of Tulsa tonight? Surely one couple could have ignored the stupid ghost stories about Look Out Point's suicidal ghost to get busy underneath the stars? But no…not a car in sight. Shit.
It was stupid to stay here. Out here in the open Daniels could spot her in a second. As much as it pained her, the best place to hide was back in the woods, amongst the trees and the darkness.
Lily threw a look back into the shadows, swallowing painfully. She ached all over and her face was smarting in more than one place. Damn, did she not want to go in those woods.
'Get it together, Parker', she told herself. 'You're too old to be afraid of the dark.'
So cautiously, and hesitantly, she made her way back to the edge of the trees. She stopped every few seconds to strain for any sign of noise or movement, but there was nothing. The darkness enveloped her as soon as she stepped under the first oak, a stark contrast from the open clearing lit up by the city lights below.
She had to find a hiding place, wait him out, then when she was sure he'd gone, she could find her way home. Where to hide, where to hide…Lily's eyes scanned the area but there were no fallen logs or natural caves like there would be in a movie. Out here, there was nothing but trees. Trees….
Lily glanced up into the thick branches of the live oak she was standing next to. Then she started to climb.
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Lily wasn't sure how long she hid up in that tree. She was freezing cold, her jacket was in the Chevy but she thanked God she was wearing jeans and sneakers and not a dress and heels. Screw tree climbing in six inch stilettos…
She heard an owl hooting not too far away and the scurry of animals below, badgers maybe or foxes, maybe deer, but it was too dark to see anything. She sat on a bulky bough, hugging the trunk of the tree with one arm and wishing she was holed up somewhere with Soda. She wasn't wearing a watch but she knew it must be late by now. Soda was probably thinking that she'd fallen asleep or had blown him off. She bet he'd been by her house, blowing his car horn and hoped he hadn't attracted Ronnie's attention. Christ, her brother was a thorn in her side.
After what had felt like hours shaking in the cold, Lily decided Daniels had to be gone by now. She hadn't even heard him pursue her. For all she knew, he could have got straight back in the Chevy and driven home. That seemed like something he'd do too. Steal her car and leave her up here stranded to teach her a lesson. What a creep.
Lily landed hard on her feet as she jumped down from her spot. She wasn't exactly feeling graceful but she was mad too. Mad that some moron had her hiding out in the cold and probably had marked her face in the process. It was definitely time to send Ronnie in to deal with Daniels. She wondered if they knew each other and decided they must but that they couldn't be that familiar since he'd never questioned her last name. Then again, Daniels was a moron.
"There you are, Parker. I thought you'd never come out of hiding." Daniel's face was suddenly illuminated by the lighter he was holding, his face shining like an apparition in the dark.
Lily gasped and screamed before racing out of the forest and back into the clearing. This time Daniels gave chase, and she knew seconds before it happened that he was going to catch her. She could feel the gravel from his boots hitting the back of her legs and hear his breathing as he closed the gap between them. He threw himself at her in the middle of the clearing and his weight knocked all the wind from her lungs.
She couldn't even scream for help although even if she had the breath, it was pointless out here, miles from nowhere. Daniels had planned this well.
"Thought I'd lost you for a while, Parker. But persistence beats resistance every time." His breath was hot as he turned her over, pinning her arms above her head with his left hand and tearing open her sweater with his right.
As his cheek came close to her, she turned and savagely sunk her teeth into it, biting through the flesh as though her life depended on it. She knew she was drawing blood but as he grunted loudly, he shifted positions and punched her in the jaw. Lily felt like an explosion had gone off in her head.
"You're gonna pay for that, bitch. You're gonna pay for all of it," Daniels snarled. "You think you're smarter than me, but I'm the smart one here. I was always the best hunter even from a little kid. My old man hated that about me, that I had patience. That every kind of victim thinks they're safe at some point."
Lily could only moan in response. Christ, he was going to get away with this. He was going to rape her. And just a minute ago, she'd thought she was home free. Lily stared up at his face twisted with so much fury and bitterness, making sure to burn it's memory into her brain. She'd make him pay for this. She'd make him regret every second of sick pleasure that he got from whatever he was about to do to her.
And just as her body was going limp, the only protest she could manage being mental protest, she heard the unmistaken rumble of a car's engine. At first she thought she'd imagined it but then the noise got louder, and in mere seconds, a pair of headlights blinded the pair of them.
Daniels paused and swore in annoyance as a familiar Buick skidded to a dangerous stop and somebody leapt out of the car. The figure broke into a run and when he was almost on top of them, Lily watched as Sodapop Curtis swung a furious fist and knocked Daniels clear of her and into the dirt.
'I must be dreaming', she decided, as Soda leapt over her and jumped onto Daniels, fists flailing and the most unmistakable fury she had ever seen in his expression. 'This is obviously what people do to block out traumatic experiences, they imagine stuff.'
Because how else could Soda be here? Nobody knew where she was, not Soda, not Ronnie, not Frankie or even The Tigers.
But either somehow Soda had found her or she had one hell of an imagination, because right now he was pounding the shit out of Daniels.
Lily tried to sit up but her head spun like she was drunk and she felt vomit rise in her stomach. Shit, she had to get up and do something. She couldn't lie here like some traumatised bimbo.
Daniels had somehow rolled out from underneath Soda now and the two of them were trading loud blows that made her skull hurt. She tried not to think about the fact that Daniels had about thirty pounds on Soda. Tim Shepard was as lean as a coyote and he fought like a champion. Ronnie wasn't the biggest guy either. It wasn't size, it was what you did with it. Ronnie had told her that her whole life.
But Lily didn't like the fact that they were so alone up here, nor did she like how close Soda and Daniels were to the cliffs edge. There was no safety railing up here, no need for it since nobody supposedly came up here anymore, but her heart was in her mouth every time that Soda went anywhere near the edge.
It was the sound of another vehicle that shook Daniels up, and as he paused and looked up from where he stood with his back to the cliff edge, Soda used the opportunity to throw himself at him.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Soda pounced, Daniels flinched then somehow sidestepped the attack, and before Lily even got the chance to scream, Sodapop Curtis went toppling over the edge and disappeared from view.
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"Soda!" Ponyboy didn't even know how he applied the brakes as he rounded the corner at Lookout Point just in time to see his brother fall over the precipice. He wrenched up the handbrake, leaping out of the car, not even looking to see where Frankie was.
The guy that Soda had been struggling with-Daniels, Ponyboy presumed- went closer to the cliff edge as if to see where Soda had gone and it was around that time that Lily, bloodied and bruised, threw herself at him. She scared the living shit out of Ponyboy, who hadn't even seen her lying on the ground, but as Daniels slapped her away, it didn't even seem to process normally in Ponyboy's mind.
Soda had gone over the edge. Jesus Christ, not Soda. Please, not Soda…
As Ponyboy moved closer to the cliff edge, he heard pounding feet behind him. He turned just as Frankie threw a punch at Daniels, knocking him off balance. But as the pair started to duke it out, the only thing on his mind was memories of his favourite brother-Him and Soda stealing too hot cookies from the kitchen as a four and six year old, him and Soda setting cling film under the toilet lid to prank Darry, aged six and eight.
Don't be dead, Soda, please don't be dead.
He remembered asking the same thing when Johnny had died, when Dallas was shot, and he had never got those wishes. What was the likelihood he would get one now?
But as Ponyboy peered over the sloping edge there, hanging desperately to the straining vines on the cliffs edge, was his brother's frightened face.
"Soda!" Ponyboy joyously threw himself down onto the ground and reached out his hand. "Gimme your hand. C'mon!"
Soda grabbed for his hand just as the vine broke under the strain of him. Soda was jerked away, almost pulling Pony with him, but Ponyboy clung on for all he was worth. He was not letting go, not even if it meant he was going down alongside his brother. A life without Soda would be no life at all.
"I got you, Soda. I got you, I swear." Ponyboy's voice was calm but he suddenly wondered about the irony of it all, him having to reassure Soda. Soda had reassured him about everything his whole life.
"Where's Lily?" Soda gasped, trying to find a foothold on the wall but then realizing there were none.
"She's up here, she's okay," Ponyboy said. Lily was in a lay down position being sick a few yards away. With torn clothes and huge welts on her face, she looked anything but okay, but he was damned if he was telling Soda that.
He just had to hold on until Frankie finished with Daniels, then he could help him pull Soda up to safety.
"Who's here?" Soda asked him but before Ponyboy could answer, the strain of Soda's weight pulled him a couple of inches across the ground. Soda's face became alarmed.
"Don't you fall down here, Ponyboy. Don't you dare do it, you hear me? If you can't hold me up, just let go, alright?"
Ponyboy could feel he was crying but he didn't give a shit.
"I'm not letting you go, you hear me? I'm not letting go!" He threw a glance back at Frankie who was grappling with Daniels now. Frankie looked tired and Ponyboy suddenly remembered that Ronnie had given him a beating earlier that night. Besides that fact, Daniels was a big guy. Like super big. He was almost Darry's build but was chubby along with the muscle.
Come on, Frankie, you can do it.
As if he could hear him, Frankie kicked Daniels in the knees, bringing him down before belting him in the face. Once he got astride him, he started yelling at his sister.
"Get in the truck, Lily. Get in the truck and lock the fucking doors. If you need to, drive it back into town."
That was when Ponyboy knew Frankie was worried. If he was telling Lily to get away, he wasn't sure he could beat Daniels.
"I'm not leaving you," Lily groaned, wretching again. Ponyboy didn't know what the matter was with this chick. Any other girl he knew would have been crawling for the truck without hesitation. Wasn't like she was much use, puking the way she was anyway.
"Will you listen to me for once in your fucking life, Lily?" Frankie was knocked onto his back and Ponyboy looked back down at Soda in desperation.
"What's going on?" Soda's hands were growing clammy and Ponyboy didn't know how much longer he could keep a firm grip on them.
"Frankie's fighting Daniels. Lily won't get in the truck." He didn't tell Soda that when Daniels was done with Frankie he was surely going to toss both he and Soda over the precipice but Soda knew alright. He wasn't book smart but he'd never been stupid.
"You gotta try and pull me up, Pony," Soda said. "Tell Lily to get her ass in the truck then pull me up. Okay?"
Ponyboy didn't know how to answer. He couldn't pull Soda all the way up here. His arms were killing him already and it felt like every tendon in his right arm was about to tear. He didn't even know how he was holding onto him.
"Pony!" Soda snapped. Ponyboy tried to shake his growing fear off.
"Lily!" He looked over his shoulder. "Soda says get in the truck."
"Soda?"
That was when Ponyboy knew she was really out of it. What the hell did she think he was doing at the side of the cliff?
Lily crawled over and bent down beside him to look at Soda.
"Soda! You're okay!"
Ponyboy watched his brother's changing expression as he noted every bruise and cut on Lily's face. He felt worse about how much it hurt his brother than he did about seeing a girl look like that, and that made him feel pretty bad all by itself.
"Get in the truck," Soda said.
"No! No, I can help." She leaned over and tried to take the arm Pony was holding but Soda's harsh voice stopped her.
"Don't be so stupid, Lily! You'll end up killing us all. Just get in the truck, dammit. If you love me, if you really fucking love me, just get in the truck and lock the doors. Now!"
She had the audacity to hesitate before she whispered;
"I love you."
Ponyboy breathed a sigh of relief as she got unsteadily to her feet and staggered towards the truck. Both the doors were still wide open and the engine was still running. The headlights were giving them just enough light to see by.
Soda waited for the sound of both doors slamming shut before he nodded at his brother.
"Alright, Pony. Come on, buddy, you can do it."
Ponyboy took a breath and nodded back. He wasn't so sure but he would die trying.
"Try and give me your other arm," he told his brother.
Soda tried to reach up but their fingertips only brushed before missing each other. Soda kicked away from the wall in an attempt to swing closer but the act dragged Ponyboy even further over the edge.
"Dig your feet in, man. Try and get some grip," Soda's voice rose an octave and Ponyboy felt sick in hearing it. Soda didn't get scared. He rammed his toes into the soft ground while reciting every prayer he knew in his head.
"Alright, again." Soda kicked off and swung closer and this time, Ponyboy managed to stay still. Their hands brushed on the first swing but connected on the second. Ponyboy closed his palm around his brother's rough hand, feeling a surge of hope. All he had to do now was pull Soda onto the clifftop.
"After three," Soda instructed. "Loosen up for a second, take a big breath and then pull hard, okay?"
Ponyboy nodded miserably.
"One,two-three!"
Ponyboy pulled with all his might. He thought of his parents, he thought of Johnny, he thought of Dallas being shot under that streetlight, and he remembered the helplessness in each death- because he hadn't been able to do a thing. This time though-this time- he could help.
He pulled Soda at least six inches higher, crawling back onto the clifftop before he collapsed, out of breath but still clinging to Soda's hands.
"That's good, Pony, nearly there. One more pull and I'm up, buddy."
Behind him, Ponyboy could hear Daniels slugging Frankie furiously. They didn't have long. Not long at all, but he was all out of energy.
"Come on, Ponyboy. You can do it. Get up, buddy, get up!"
Soda's voice gave him the last kick he needed to scramble off the grass and onto his knees.
"One, two-three!"
When Ponyboy heaved, he prayed to Johnny and Dallas wherever they were to give a buddy a hand, and somehow, when he finally let go, when his hands slid from his brothers, they were both safely on top of the cliff edge.
He glanced over at Soda who was panting even more heavily than he was. Now looking at him up close, he could see his brother was hurt-there was a gash on the side of his face and his ragged breathing looked almost painful.
"You okay?"
Soda squinted across at him and clutched his side.
"I am now, Muscles."
While Ponyboy grinned back, his body suddenly gave into the shock and he started to shake violently.
"Hold on, buddy." Soda slapped Ponyboy on the back and hurried over to where Daniels was just climbing off of Frankie.
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Frankie Parker was a tough kid. He'd been beaten to a pulp by the oversized Daniels but just as Daniels moved away, Frankie would deal a blow or grab hold of him to keep his attention. This time he kicked Daniels in the stomach.
"You got a death wish or what, kid?" Daniels drew back his fist to deal another blow but Soda caught his arm and dragged him backwards.
"Do you?"
Caught by surprise, Daniels forgot all about Frankie and squared up to Soda menacingly.
"How many times have I gotta kill you, Curtis?"
"I got nine lives so you got your work cut out." Soda threw a brief glance at the truck to make sure Lily was still in it. Check.
"I got the time." Daniels steeled himself and then swung. Soda ducked, danced under his arm and socked him in the back of the head. The blow both stunned and angered Daniels who spun around, disorientated. He shook his head as if to clear it.
"You know only one of us is gonna walk away from this, don't you, Curtis?" Daniels glare became deadly.
Soda cleared his throat and spat out the bile that had formed there.
"I kinda figured that was how this was gonna go."
Daniels flew at him. Soda blocked the first oncoming fist, the second he almost ducked but it glanced off the side of his head. He threw a combination of his own, a blow to the chest and then a punch in the jaw. Daniels head rolled back then snapped back to attention. He moved around Soda, backing him towards the cliff edge again, and Soda knew just what he was trying to do.
Not this time, buddy, he thought, but he made a point of not looking behind him and focused instead on getting in as many punches as he could. He was sick with nerves as he was backed up further and further, desperate to turn around and check how close he was to the edge but Daniels eyes said it all. He could tell just by looking at him that he was stupidly close, and when Daniels reached out to give him a shove, Soda ducked around him and punched him hard in the back.
He hadn't planned on knocking him off balance, it wasn't a premeditated homicide. But even so, the blow that Sodapop Curtis delivered sent Fred Daniels screaming to his death.
Soda stood there motionless long after the inevitable crack of broken bones echoed up to them. He turned to see an aghast Ponyboy and a limping Frankie standing behind him.
He opened his mouth to say something but not finding any words, he shook his head instead.
"Well, shit," Frankie said.
Well, shit indeed.
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