(Darry's POV)

It was just after sunset when I got home from work. Soda had made dinner, and when I started eating, he told me that Pony went to the library, which was completely normal for our younger brother. Johnny showed up after dinner and told us he was supposed to meet Pony at our house before they went to the drive-in, which was also normal for a Saturday night. However, when Johnny was waiting for over an hour, something seemed a little odd.

Soda and Johnny watched tv while I read the paper, all of us just waiting for Ponyboy to come home, but when Johnny had been at our house for two hours, I could tell I wasn't the only one getting a little antsy.

Sure, it was normal for Pony to lose track of time, especially at the library, but since our parents died, he seemed to be making an effort to keep track of time and not stay out past his curfew. I figured it was more to keep Soda from worrying than actually listening to me, but either way, I was glad Pony usually made it home by the time it got dark. It seemed like Ponyboy didn't realize why I wanted him home at a decent hour, which irritated me a bit, but Soda had talked me down a couple times when I started yelling, and it was likely because of him that our youngest brother usually followed the rules I put into place.

If I knew Ponyboy was with one of the guys, I wouldn't have been as worried, but as far as I knew, he was alone. I glanced over my paper, and I could tell I wasn't the only one that was anxious about my missing brother. Johnny was looking out the window, and Soda threw an arm over his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Johnnycakes, he probably couldn't leave until he finished whatever book he was reading. He'll be back soon, then you guys can go to the movies," Soda said. Johnny nodded and returned his attention to the tv, but Soda and I shared a look. He was worried.

More time passed, and I pretended to read the paper for the tenth time as I kept glancing at the clock. It was almost eleven o'clock, and I knew the library had been closed long enough that Ponyboy should've been home. Even though he had some time before his curfew, I couldn't sit in my recliner while waiting for him to show up anymore.

I stood up, drawing the attention of both Soda and Johnny. I didn't bother lying or acting like everything was fine. I just simply stated, "I'm going to go find him."

I went into the kitchen to grab my keys and wallet, preparing myself for a long night out looking for my kid brother. I had just opened the drawer when I heard a noise from outside. I stood there, waiting to hear the front door open, but nothing happened. Ponyboy knows the door's unlocked, so it can't be him. It was probably a raccoon or something. I reached into the drawer and grabbed my wallet, thinking about where I would start searching, when I heard the collective shouts of Johnny and Soda. "Ponyboy!"

They didn't sound excited. In fact, they sounded both surprised and scared. I snatched my keys and shut the drawer just as I heard Soda's terrified shout. "Darry!"

My blood turned to ice hearing Sodapop sound like that.

I sprinted to them, and I froze in the doorway, staring down at the scene on the porch.

Johnny and Soda were kneeling next to Ponyboy, both of them shaking him and muttering his name. Meanwhile, Ponyboy laid facedown, motionless. He looked like he was a ragdoll that someone picked up and dropped, and he stayed exactly where he landed. Even in the limited amount of light, I could see cuts and bruises littering his skin, the large cut still bleeding on his cheek, his limbs bent awkwardly in different directions, and large drops of blood next to him on the porch floorboards.

I bent down and lightly tapped Ponyboy's cheek. "Ponyboy? Hey Pone, wake up." I felt my heart start racing, and when Pony didn't even stir, I felt myself start breathing really fast. "Come on, Ponyboy. Open your eyes kiddo." He's alive, right? He has to be alive.

"C'mon Ponyboy," Johnny quietly pleaded, but Pony still didn't open his eyes.

"What happened to him?" Soda asked in a shaky voice. Then he raised his voice, obviously starting to panic. "Darry, he ain't moving. Darry-"

Pony's chest moved slightly, and I knew he was breathing. "He's breathing, Soda." At least for now. I mentally cursed myself for having such a dark thought, but Pony looked really bad. "I don't know what happened to him little buddy, but we'll take care of him."

I pushed Pony's shoulder and leg to turn him onto his back, and I flinched while Johnny and Soda both gasped at what we saw.

There was a huge blood stain on the front of Pony's shirt, and along with all of his other injuries, it seemed obvious that it was, in fact, Pony's blood. I lifted his shirt and almost vomited when I saw the gaping hole in my baby brother's skin. I swore under my breath, took off my jacket, and pressed it against Ponyboy's wound. Who did this to Ponyboy? Who stabbed my baby brother?

"We need to get him to the hospital," I said. I hoped that I sounded more in control than I felt, because not only was Ponyboy counting on me, but Soda and Johnny seemed frozen and unsure of what to do.

Just by looking at Ponyboy, I knew time wasn't on our side. He had to see a doctor fast, so I picked up my kid brother, quickly got to our truck, and I laid him in the bed of the truck. Once he was lying there, I made sure to keep my jacket on top of his wound as I looked over at Soda and Johnny. Both of them had followed me to the truck, but they looked dazed and scared as their eyes were trained onto my unconscious youngest brother.

I looked at Soda, hoping to knock him out of the state of panic that I could see was starting to take over. "Soda, you need to keep pressure on it. Keep pressing down on this, savy?" Soda looked at me and nodded wordlessly. He jumped into the bed of the truck and pushed down on my bloody jacket, grimacing as he did. Johnny immediately jumped in and sat next to Soda, watching Ponyboy. Within seconds, I was behind the wheel and speeding towards the hospital.