Chapter Ten: Discovery

Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry it took so long. I kind of got a lot on my hands, and lost track of time. I will try really hard to get the next chapter to you sooner, and hope you guys will be patient with me and keep reviewing.

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE HAVING SO MANY.

"How the hell can't there be anything here!" Two Bit shouted a few feet behind me. He straightened up and chucked a rock across the dirt road, where it landed with a clunk somewhere in the tall grass.

We had been searching Deserted Junction for the past three hours, and so far we had seen no sign of Pony, or anything else for that matter. Place was deserted for miles around, and I was beginning to wonder why they even put a road here.

"It may be a good thing he isn't here." Soda said hopefully as he came walking back, Steve at his shoulder.

"Yeah," Steve muttered. "No body." He quickly shut his mouth on the look on Soda's face.

"Soda's right," I said quickly. "If Pony isn't here that means he was well enough to get up and walk." I turned and looked in the direction we had driven, and then glanced the other way. "Pony has a good enough head to stick to the rode. But the question is, which way did he go?"

"We could split up." Two Bit said. "Soda and you could take the car and go that way, and Steve and I could start walking toward Tulsa."

We all thought that was the best idea, so Soda and I climbed back into the car and left those two on the side of the road, Steve gripping about having to walk all the way back.

We drove at a slow speed in silence for a while, both scanning the scenery for any sign of people. I could almost feel Soda become more and more desperate as time passed and we saw nothing. Finally, when I heard a choked sob from the seat next to me, I stopped the car and turned toward him.

Soda looked really small at that moment, like a child lost a sea of people. His hands were clasped in his lap, but I could tell that they were shaking. His skin was a sickly pale color, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He was pointing not looking at me, but I could tell by the way his shoulders were shaking that he was shaking.

"Sodapop…" I called softly. Soda only sniffed in reply. "Honey," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright."

"No its not!" Soda screamed, and tore out the door. I quickly stumbled out and followed him as he began to walk away from the car. "Who are we kidding ourselves? Pony's dead, that's all there is to it. He's dead, and died, lost and alone out in this godforsaken place, thinking his brother's would actually love him enough to save him."

I caught him as he crumpled to the ground, but he just shoved me away and knelt there in the ground, rubbing his eyes furiously to get rid of the tears. "I'm fine." He choked out.

"It's okay to be mad about all this." I told him quietly. "All of this sucks, big time. It may look like there is no hope, but if we give up on Ponyboy, we really have abandoned him." Soda glanced over his shoulder at me, and I gave him a gentle smile. "We'll find him; we'll take him home, lock him in his room, and never let him out, ever, EVER again."

Soda nodded his head, and he let me help him to his feet. "How can you keep this up?" Soda asked him as I led him to the car. "Doesn't it drive you insane?"

I laughed, and but my arm around Soda's shoulder. "I've lived with you most of my life. I chucked my sanity out the window years ago.

To tell you the truth, I really didn't know. All I really knew is that I didn't give up the last time Pony disappeared, and he came back. Maybe it would work this time.

We drove for at least a half and hour, before we came to a place where the road connected with another and it looked as if people had been here in the last century. Finally, we spotted houses up ahead, and what you would have to call a town came into view.

"Damn," Soda whistled from the passenger seat as we parked the car. "This place is tiny. What happened to the rest of it?"

"I think this is it." I said as I stepped out of the car.

"Pity the people that live here." Soda said.

We walked to the end of the town and back, but saw nothing that would help us out. There were a total of three people out and about, and they all ignored us. The only place that looked lively was a bar, which had voices drifting from an open door.

"A drink sounds really good right now." Soda said, wiping the sweat from his brow. I had to agree with him, it must have been over a hundred out here.

"Yeah, let's get a drink." I agreed. "We can ask if anyone has seen Pony too."

There were five people sitting at the bar, and two people serving. The woman behind the bar looked up the second we entered, and a frown appeared on her face as she studied us. "City folks, huh?" She said casually.

"Guess we don't exactly fit in around here." Soda said with a shrug, giving her a sly grin. It didn't work one bit.

"What are city rats doing around here?" She said quizzically, her tone making everyone look up. The sheriff, at the end of the bar, gave us an apprehensive look, the three men whispered amongst one another, and the teenager who had been talking to the woman gazed at us curiously from under his hat.

"Were looking for someone." I said quickly, putting a hand over Soda's mouth to cut off a retort. "A teenager, only fifteen. He answers to the name Ponyboy, and would have been through here a couple days ago. Have you seen him?"

The woman exchanged glances with the teenager, who put his drink down and shifted in his seat. "Depends." The woman said cautiously, folding her arms over her chest. "What do you want with him?"

"He's are brother." I said firmly, taking a step forward. "And we've been searching for him ever sense he was jumped by a bunch of Socs."

"Jumped?" The kid cut in quickly before the woman could respond. "What happened to him?"

Soda spit on my hand and I quickly withdrew it. "He got chassed down by some Socs and got a bottle chucked at his head. Would have had a big gash on his forehead."

"And a memory wipe." The teenager added. He stood up and walked over to us, taking off his hat as he did. "Name's Nick, and your brother Ponyboy has been staying with me and my brother for the last couple of days."

My heart stopped as it leapt into my throat, cutting off my air. Pony was alive, Pony was here! "Where is he?" Soda shouted, grabbing the kid by the arms and shaking him violently. "Is he alright, is he doing okay, is he-."

"Calm down." Nick shouted, grabbing Soda's hands and forcing him off. "Pony's fine. Got a nice gash on his head, and like I said no memory, but other then that he has been doing okay."

"No memory." I said quickly. "You mean it's completely gone."

Nick nodded, looking me up and down as if sizing me up. "And I thought Alan was huge." He muttered under his breath. "We found him unconscious on our front porch. When he woke, he knew his name, and that was about it."

I couldn't fathom not having any memories, and it must have been scaring the shit out of Ponyboy. "We have to see him." I said quickly. "Can you take us to him?"

"Of course." Nick said, and put his hat back on. "Put that beer on my tab." He called to the woman, and quickly ran out the door as the woman chucked the empty glass at him. Soda and I exchanged confused glances but followed him out the door without saying anything.

Nick lead us back toward the middle of the town again and made a sharp turn. He led us to a farm we hadn't spotted, and up to a small house tucked away there. "Alan." He called as he entered.

"Nick!" A voice called from outside, and we turned to see a large version of Nick running toward us from the barn. He skidded to a halt at the sight of us, his face hardening as he squared his shoulders.

"Where's Ponyboy." Nick asked quickly as he came back outside.

"Don't worry," Alan said, still glaring at us. "He already ran for it?"

"WHAT?"