Disclaimer: Still don't own The Outsiders
Back at the barn, darkness was the only thing keeping the boys' company in their prison. The sky was just beginning to grow brighter as the night drew to a close. A cool autumn chill swept through the barn shivering the boys who were currently huddled together.
"D-did you see Mr. Glass?" Johnny asked with his voice quivering. "He killed him. He was with us in the hall and he just killed him!" he sobbed as thick tears rolled down his face. Ponyboy couldn't find any words to say back as tears also rolled down his face as he held on to Johnny tighter. Suddenly there was a commotion from outside the barn door.
"We're gonna die," Ponyboy got out before the barn door opened. Lynch walked inside carrying two more boxes.
"Rise and shine boys!" He said cheerfully. "It's time," he said setting the boxes down and once again opened the one at the top.
"Now, which to start with?" he said slowly. "Should I go for the whip? Maybe. I don't want to do the knives just yet. The bucket is for later. You know what? I think I'll start off easy," he said and pulled out a long belt with a big buckle on the end.
"N-no, get away from us!" Ponyboy shouted trying to scoot back further than the barn wall as Lynch walked towards them.
"Scared Ponyboy? I think I'll let you go first," Lynch said and before either Ponyboy or Johnny could react, he raised the belt and whipped it forward hitting Ponyboy's back.
"AHH!" Ponyboy shouted and Lynch hit him again.
"STOP IT!" Johnny ordered but was only hit with the belt that landed on his shoulder.
"I know you get punished like this every day Johnny-boy. So I'll come back to you later," he said and once again hit Ponyboy in the back. He arched his back as soon as it made contact screaming and Lynch hit him in the chest now causing him to fall to the ground on his back. Lynch went to stand over top of him and continued beating him.
"DARRY!" Ponyboy screamed.
"You're brother ain't here Ponyboy. It's just you, me, and Johnny-boy" he said and continued whipping him faster and harder. Ponyboy tried moving away as he continued to scream but Lynch put his boot on his chest and started stomping on him.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Johnny hollered and started crawling over to them as fast as he could but was kicked in the head with so much force that he fell backward, hitting his head on the ground.
"Aww," Johnny moaned as he lay on the ground not moving.
"Johnny," Ponyboy said through tears. His skin now felt like it was on fire as little red stains started to drip down his shirt and onto the hard ground.
At last, Lynch finally got off of Ponyboy after one last harsh whip and went over to the table placing the now caked in blood belt on it. Ponyboy just lay there holding his left hip still crying with his breath being nothing more but hiccups. Small puddles of blood droplets surrounded him but it was nothing compared to the stinging of his entire body.
"D…Darry. H-help me," he whimpered.
"You're already broken? Dammit, kid, I thought you'd last longer. Oh well. Just wait till you boys see just what I have in store for you in the coming weeks. It's going to be so much fun," he said and grinned like a cat. "Now as much fun it is to have multiple guests fight back, I'm afraid that there is only room for one person to fight back. Don't want you boys leaving ahead of schedule." With that, Lynch went over and dragged the battered Ponyboy further to the left where a shorter pair of wall shackles once again with faded blood marks. Ponyboy tried to move side to side to escape Lynch, but Lynch's grip just tightened. He then tightly fastened the 'new' shackles on Ponyboy's wrists.
"There we go! Now what should I do for Johnny-boy?" he asked going over to the bulletin board. He then grabbed the brown whip with dry bloodstains still on the end. Afterward, he started walking over to Johnny. Johnny saw this and tried moving but his head felt dizzying being unable to concentrate on an object for too long.
"Get away from me! NO!" Johnny screamed but the whip came down with a 'crack' landing right on Johnny's cheek near the mark on his face where he was jumped and a Soc's ring had cut him. Just like he did for Ponyboy, Lynch stood on either side of Johnny and continued whipping him each time harder than the last.
"AHH!" Johnny shrieked each time he was hit. Ponyboy meanwhile watched in horror flinching each time he heard the crack of the whip hit his best friend's flesh trying to find the strength to break the shackles off the wall, but they just held on.
After what felt like a millennium, Lynch stopped his whipping and left Johnny battered and broken on the floor just starting up at the ceiling with eyes that were barely open. His white t-shirt had large spots of red surrounding areas that had been completely ripped. Lynch now carefully started to wrap the whip in a circle before hanging it back up on the hook.
"I hope you don't mind, but I have to get ready for my second job. We'll finish this up later," Lynch said and left the room once again still leaving the candles still lit.
"Johnny?" Ponyboy moaned after he heard the 'click' of a padlock from outside.
"I'm here Pone," Johnny whispers still looking up at the ceiling. Pony boasted himself up with his arms and somewhat dragged himself back over to where Johnny lay as far as the shackles would allow him. It wasn't enough for the two to touch each other, but they weren't as far apart now.
"He fights harder than the Socs," Johnny cried not moving.
"We're gonna die," Pony said again with his voice cracking. "Darry, Soda, I wanna go home!" he sobbed as more tears started to roll down his face. Johnny tilted his head towards Pony's and at a snail's pace, crawled closer to Ponyboy. Johnny reached out his hand and managed to touch the tip of Ponyboy's pointer finger. He then moved his own pointer finger back and forth against Pony's as the two drifted off into a painful slumber.
Break*Break*Break
The boys hadn't been allowed to leave the station until around 1:00 am. Darry told the others to just go home for now and get some rest while he took Soda home. Soda continued to be in a daze like trance the entire ride home until at last they arrived home and Darry put a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on Pepsi-cola," Darry mumbled using his dad's old nickname for him. Soda continued to sit there with his eyes closed as a few stray tears finished rolling down his cheek. He finally looked up at Darry, now with matching blood-shot eyes and slowly started to get out of the car as did Darry but slightly faster. He ran over to the passenger side, putting his arm around Soda's shoulder as they walked back into the house together.
"A-are you hungry?" Darry asked.
"No," Soda got out.
"Okay. Why don't you just go to bed?" Darry suggested.
"What's the point?" Soda asked.
"Don't give me that. You need your rest. Come on," Darry said pushing him towards the bedroom. They went inside and Darry turned on the light guiding him over to the bed. Suddenly Soda jumped out of the embrace and collapsed to his knees to the floor crying again. Darry had no words to say to his distraught brother so just kneeled next to him holding him close just as he had done in the park.
"We promised…we promised we'd keep him safe," Soda whimpered as more tears were falling from his eyes.
"I know," Darry whispered. "I know."
"WHY DIDN'T WE DO ANYTHING?!" Soda screamed.
"Pepsi…," Darry begged in a fragile voice ready to crack any second and he gently and slowly slid down to the floor. He then rocked Soda back and forth never slacking on his grip while placing his head on top of Soda's.
"I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD HAVE WORRIED MORE ABOUT THIS! I TOLD YOU!" Soda shouted struggling to get free from Darry.
. "Soda…"
"Now he's gone!" Soda sobbed. "He's dead!"
"SHUT UP!" Darry snapped as a stray tear found its way past the dam and made its way down Darry's cheek but used Soda's hair to quickly rub it away. Soda pushed and pulled with all his might trying to get away from him.
"Pony," Soda sobbed as his already weakened strength continued to deteriorate.
Finally, Soda just tucked his head to his chest holding on tightly to the arms that were still securely wrapped around his chest allowing the last remaining tears to fall down.
"We can't lose him," Soda said his voice now becoming strained. "We can't lose him like mom and dad."
"Shhhhhhh," Darry hushed. The dam in Darry's eyes collapsed and thick, sloppy tears rolled straight down his cheek with no stops or pauses. His whole body started to shake as he took rapid breaths letting the hidden sobs roam free like a wild animal in a jungle. Memories of that awful week plagued his mind. Being unaware of where Ponyboy was. Not knowing if he'd ever see his brother again. The pain and guilt he had felt after he'd hit his baby brother. "We're never going to stop until we find our brother and bring him and Johnny home," Darry stated releasing Soda and making him look straight into his eyes allowing Soda to see his personal tears running down while cupping his face in his hands.
"W-what if he's…"
"He won't be!" Darry snapped unintentionally. "He can't be," he whispered this time. Soda took a deep inhale and slowly letting his anger and fear wash away before nodding his head. The two brothers quickly embraced one more time before Darry helped Soda back up and gently pushed him towards the bed. Soda went over to Pony's side of the bed lying on his side taking in the scent of Ponyboy on his pillow. Darry meanwhile turned out the light and crawled into bed right next to him once again putting his arms around his little brother.
Does anyone need any tissues and a hug? Anyone? Either way, sorry it's short, but I hope the wait was still somewhat worth it. Like I said, from here on out is when it'll start to get intense. Now excuse me because I need to hide from some certain overprotective older brothers and a friend who happens to be in jail right now.
Until next time,
LaurenHardy13