Johnny ran through the woods, every muscle tensed and prepared for someone to jump out and grab him at any given second. He had always felt so peaceful in the small forest, but now it was dark and forboding. Tree branches reached out and scratched him as he ran by. Dark shadows loomed around every corner.

He grew more and more nervous as he approached the school. He had told Dally everything. Everything from the phone calls to the guys in study hall talking about seeing the man in the woods. If the man's threats were true and any of what Johnny said had been overheard, Pony was in deep trouble. Just as he began to wonder if the track team had started their run yet, he saw them through the trees. Two things surprised him... one, that he'd reached the other side of the woods without incident, and two, the track team seemed to be dispersing. He saw the coach point to the sky and waving the kids off. Johnny looked up. He suddenly recognized the weather conditions and his stomach sank. The clouds, the heat, the heaviness in the air... this was classic tornado weather. The coach was canceling the practice and that was probably why. Now there was another reason to get Pony home as soon as possible.

Johnny ran down the hill and towards the group of boys that were picking up their water bottles and towels. "Ponyboy!" he yelled.

Ponyboy looked up. "Hey, Johnny! You feeling better?"

Some socs had noticed Johnny running towards the group. They were elbowing eachother and pointing at him. He felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he didn't have time to worry about them. They happened to be the same ones he'd over heard talking in study hall. He was really surprised they still came to track practice. Of course, the man in the mask had not actually attacked either of them and threatened them within and inch of their lives. They had just caught a glimpse of him. And, Johnny realized suddenly, they were part of the group of socs that had caught the man in the cemetery that was now in jail.... They had no reason to think that the guy in the woods was the real killer. As far as they knew, they were all still heros for catching a murderer and bringing him to justice.

Johnny grabbed Pony's arm and started dragging him off the field. "C'mon, we gotta go home!"

"Johnny! What's- why? I.." Ponyboy stammered in confusion. But he willingly followed Johnny. He saw the look in his eyes and knew something was up. "Is everybody ok?"

"For now... C'mon! I'll explain on the way."

Pony started heading off towards the woods. Johnny grabbed him again. "Pony, NO! ... This way..." Johnny steered him towards the field. He'd come through the woods fine once, but he wasn't going to risk it again. They would take the long way around this time.

He could hear the socs still on the field yelling "Greasers!" and then a few of them took off running towards their cars. Johnny saw the coach grab one of the boys and heard him growl, "You skip again you're off the team, you know that right?"

"It was study hall!" the boy griped and shook loose from the coach's grasp, jogging off to his car.

"Don't matter!" the coach called after him. "And don't I don't want to smell anything on your breath but chewing gum next time you're here! You got that?" But the soc was already busy rummaging around in his car, completely ignoring the coach.

Kicked off the team. Whatever, Johnny thought. One call from "Daddy-the lawyer/doctor/architect" and the guy would be back on the team even if he was skipping the actual track practices. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping the socs were just going to drive home. He didn't need to deal with one more thing today.

"Johnny, what's going on?" Ponyboy yelped, interrupting Johnny's thoughts.

Johnny groaned and began telling the story all over again. He figured it didn't make any difference now who he told.

They reached the school just in time to see the last of the track team leaving the field, but Ponyboy and Johnny were no where to be seen.

Dally swore. "Now what?!"

Darry had stopped the truck. He was beginning to feel the onset of panic. Keep cool, he told himself.

"There!!" Two-Bit screamed from the back of the truck. Darry turned to see where he was pointing.

In the distance, he could make out a figure entering the woods.