(Ponyboy's POV)

I was flying, then falling, then tumbling, and when I finally came to a stop, my entire body was enveloped in agonizing pain. It took me a minute to regain a steady breathing pattern, and even longer to figure out what had just happened.

The truck was stuck on the tracks, and a train hit it… does that mean the train hit me? No, if the train hit me, I'd be dead. So what happened, and how am I still alive? And where's the train?

I looked around, trying to gather as much information as I could without moving too much. I was lying on the cold, wet ground, surrounded by the woods. I was in pain, more pain than I ever remembered being in. But where's the train? From my position on the ground, I moved inch by inch until I could turn my head to look around. I realized that I was at the bottom of a hill, and at the top of it, I could hear some type of noise, but the rain distorted the sound, so I couldn't be sure what was going on. Still, I reasoned that the railroad tracks could be at the top of the hill, and I must've fallen down the hill through the woods.

Glory, no wonder everything hurts.

I gave myself a minute to breathe before slowly making myself sit up. It took a couple minutes, but eventually, I was sitting mostly upright. The rain was still falling, but it was either easing up or the trees helped shield me from it, either way I was thankful. I wasn't dressed for being outside and soaked to the bone, so I was shaking like a leaf. This brings back some bad memories… almost drowning in the fountain, then having to walk to Buck's place for Dally…

I shook my head to clear the thoughts from the past, then Darry's voice reappeared. Use your head, Ponyboy. I took another steadying breath, then my conscious sounded more like my voice. Right, what do I need to do right now? I knew I needed to get home, but I wasn't confident in my ability to move much, let alone walk the rest of the way. I'm gonna need help.

Accepting that I wasn't about to walk home, I had to think of something else. I decided that the tree closest to me looked like my best bet to get comfortable and get as much cover as possible from the rain until I could figure out something else that I could do. Despite the pain radiating throughout my body, mostly from my entire torso, I managed to crawl a couple feet until I could squeeze between a tree and a neighboring bush. I rested my back against the truck for support, and I was glad to find out that the shrub provided decent cover from the rain and wind. I crossed my arms across my chest, trying to conserve heat and get as comfortable as I could.

I closed my eyes and let my head tilt back until it was resting against the tree. I'll just rest for a little bit, then I'll figure something out.

My mind was going through the limited options I had, but between the pain and my exhaustion, I nodded off.

I woke up, and the first thing I noticed was that the rain hadn't stopped. The second thing was that I was sure that I wasn't going to be able to move from my position on my own.

I was cold, soaked, in pain, and even though I had just woken up, I was tired. My shivering just made my body ache even more that I was sure it would have if I could remain motionless. Still, I was glad I found a spot that provided some shelter from the elements, but I was pretty much stuck there, which cause my mind to spin. I can't get up, so I can't get home. What am I going to do? How will anyone find me? Is anyone even looking for me?

I remembered telling Darry I wouldn't be gone long, but I didn't have a way to know how long ago our conversation had been. It wasn't too dark out, so I knew it wasn't past my curfew yet, which only made my anxiety spike. It'll be hours before someone will notice I'm missing.

Again, Darry's voice appeared in my head. Ponyboy!

I know, Darry, I thought. I'm trying to use my head, but I don't know what to do.

I pulled my arms tighter to my chest, trying to get warm, but the action caused agony to explode in my ribcage. I groaned in pain, and reluctantly loosened my grip around my torso. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the tree trunk again. Maybe if I fall sleep again, I'll wake up warmer and in less pain. Maybe this is all just a bad dream.

Darry's voice once again rang through my head. Ponyboy!

I mentally rolled my eyes. Even when I'm not around him, I can still hear him. I grinned a little at that. I'm not even mad about Darry's voice being my conscious. He always tried to do what was best for me.

I kept hearing Darry's voice, and right when I was starting to think I was going crazy, I felt a weight on my shoulders.

"Ponyboy!"

I was confused. Darry's voice seemed so distant and contained in my head for the longest time, but suddenly, it was almost like he was there.

My shoulders were shaken, and Darry's voice reappeared. "Ponyboy, open your eyes."

I was confused. There was no way Darry could be with me in the woods and the rain after the truck stopped on the tracks. How could he be here right now? He wasn't with me when the train hit the truck… right?

Nothing was making sense, and while I was trying to figure out what was going on, the grip on my shoulders tightened and I was shaken more violently. "Ponyboy? Come on kiddo, open your eyes. Please."

The voice nearby sounded an awful lot like Darry, but I had never heard him sound so scared, let alone beg for something before, so I dared to open my eyes to confirm that I was hallucinating. With my eyes slowly opening, I saw a vision of my oldest brother crouching next to me. His eyes were wide, watery, and he looked terrified. I blinked a couple times, expecting the blue-green eyes staring at me to disappear, but they never did.

"Darry?"