Title: Memories

Chapter Three: Little Town

Author's note: Just to let you all know we won't be hearing from Johnny and Darry for a few chapters. I want to get everything set up with Pony before we take a look at the rest of the gang. I hoped everyone liked the dream in the last chapter. I always loved Dally and Johnny and Dally, but there deaths are such a big part of Hinton's book, plus my own story.

Here's the next chapter, and please review.

Disclaimer: If you set the police on me for using Hinton's ideas I will send my army of giant rabbits to kick your butt! I am not getting anything out of this, okay!

Pony's POV

When I could trust my eyes again I slowly opened them, blinking several times to get used to the light. I was starring up at a clear blue sky, and was laying on a very hard, rocky ground. My brain was extremely foggy, and there was this dull throb that felt like someone was using my head for a drum.

I groaned and forced myself to sit up. My body protested this motion greatly but I told it to shut up. I was next to a large, dirt rode which was surrounded by tall grass with a few trees dotted here and there. For as far as my eyes could see there was nothing, no one. Not that it would really matter, because I still couldn't remember shit.

Well, that was no longer true. I now had the memories of that odd dream. I could picture the two guys I had talked to very vividly. But the only information I could recall about them was from what I had learned talking from them, and that wasn't much.

"It's Ponyboy Curtis, and make sure you don't forget it."

Ponyboy that was my name. It was an odd name, but I felt no hate attached to the word. I felt nothing about it. It was just another name and meant squat to me. But I had a feeling a name would come in handy, if I was ever going to see anyone ever again.

I forced myself to my feet, and after testing my weight on unsteady legs I started off. My head pounded with each step, but I knew if I didn't move I would die next to this road, and no one would find me till by bones had been bleached white by the sun.

That thought kept me moving for two hours, according to the watch I realized I had on my wrist about ten minutes after I had started walking. The scenery didn't change much as I ambled along, but when I reached a spot where the road connected with another I seemed to reach a place where people had been recently. The road looked more used at least.

My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted something up ahead that wasn't trees. As I got closer I figured out they were building scattered around the road up ahead. Good, a town meant people, and people meant pain killers.

When I reached the first building I quickly realized I shouldn't get my hopes to high. The place wasn't deserted, but it might as well have been. I spotted enough people to count them off on one hand as I walked along, and none of them even glanced up from what they were doing to look at me.

When I reached the center of the place I came to a halt and spun on in a circle, taking the place in. There was a diner, and inn, a store, a post office, a bar, five houses and ten parked cars. That was about it. Can you say 'middle of nowhere'?

I was just about to give up hope and keep on walking when I heard shouts coming from a farm out in the distance. The place was bordered by a wooden fence, and in the very center the large field was a barn house and a regular house. I hopped the fence, or more of fell over it because I was so tired, and went to take a look.

The noise that I head was singing, and was coming from the barn. It was a nice sound, one that made you want to tap your foot and dance to the music. But the last of my energy was leaving me and all I wanted to do was sit down. I spotted a rocking chair on the front porch, which was shaded by a roof built over it, and I sank into it gratefully.

I didn't really care that I had no clue where I was and whose farm I was on. I didn't care that some crazy ax murder could come out right now and chop me to bits. All that mattered was that I was sitting, and I was in the shade.

I closed my eyes, and as I heard the barn door swing open I drifted into dream land.

Nick's POV

My chores finally done, I decided I deserved a drink from Sarah's pub. I tossed my working gloves onto the table and leaned the pitchfork up against the wall before throwing the door open and walking outside.

The bright sunshine was a big contrast to the cool interior of the barn and for a moment I was blinded. But my eyesight returned quickly, and as it did I took off my cowboy hat (yeah, you heard me, cowboy hat!) and wiped my brow. Returning the hat to my head I turned toward the house to change out of my clothes before I went to town.

It was then I saw him.

He looked a real mess. His clothes were torn and really dirty. His skin was covered in dust and I could already tell he would have a nasty sunburn. From what I could see of his hair it was matted, and the rest of it was covered in blood, which was already beginning to dry. There was a large gash on his forehead and several smaller cuts on his face and neck. His head was slumped forward in a defeated sort of way, and if his chest wasn't rising and falling I would have sworn he would have been dead.

"Fuck." I swore aloud and raced over to him, lifting his head gently when I reached him. He let out a soft groan and opened his eyes slightly. His brown eyes looked up at me as if he really wasn't seeing me. Then he let out another groan and slumped forward, completely unconscious.

I frowned, and then called out. "Alan, get your ass out here!"

I heard the screen door bang and my brother appeared on the porch. My brother and I looked a lot alike. We had the same copper colored hair, the same hazel eyes, and the same cat like appearance. But Alan had more muscle then I would ever had, and also had a good three inches on me.

"Who's this?" He asked, spotting the kid in the rocking chair. His eyes got wide as he noticed the cut on his head.

"Don't know." I said simply. "Found him out here when I left the barn. Don't know how long he's been there." Alan and I exchanged confused looks, then I motioned to him with the hand that wasn't keeping the boy from falling face first out of the chair. "Come on, let's get him into the house and cleaned up."