Updated August 14, 2020. This story is discontinued.

New Story is called a Motion of Space

Darry had been dozing off, thinking about work and Ponyboy and about the bills, when Johnny burst through the door. He'd come with wide eyes and short gasping breaths and Darry snapped out of his tired state in a second.

"Johnny, are you okay?" he asked. Quick on his feet, Darry was ready to retrieve a first aid kit and anything else that was at hand. But he stopped when Johnny didn't say anything.

Sucking in a deep breath himself, Darry allowed himself to relax a bit. His eyes scanned Johnny, looking him up and down. After assessing that there was no visible bruises, all except for his mud stained shoes, Darry let out a sigh of relief. But that didn't mean he was sporting some underneath his clothes.

Johnny was still wheezing. He coughed roughly and tried to suck in a breath, waving a hand in the process.

"Johnny, are you okay?" Darry repeated, his fingers itching to do something.

Johnny nodded. He managed out a soft, "Been running."

Darry nodded and relaxed.

But not too much, because who would Johnny be running (away? from someone?) at half past midnight? Waiting as patiently as he could, Darry couldn't help but let his foot tap. He allowed his fingers to drum themselves in his arm, until Johnny was able to suck in more calmer breaths.

He closed his eyes and let out a small whisper, saying, "It's Ponyboy."

Darry stared at him, confused and worried. He was still tapping his foot when he asked, "What about Pony?"

Johnny looked conflicted now. He was fumbling with his hands, who Darry guessed were shaky from the running. "He's-" another cough. "He's in trouble."

Darry remained silent, his face contorted into a pensive appearance. In, truth, he didn't know what to say, or what to think. "Yeah, I've noticed that," he finally said, trying to sound . . . like he knew something.

Johnny narrowed his eyes in confusion. "No, Darry. You don't understand-"

Darry shook his head and held his hands out. "No, no, Johnny. I understand. He's been trying to hide it, but everyone knows how jumpy he is now-"

"He went to the park to get some air," Johnny said suddenly, throwing up his hands. He sucked in another breath; it was unsteady and nervous. "He just went to the park and . . . and the Soc's came. He told me to get you. I told him I didn't want to go, and that we could make a run for it together, or stay together but he didn't listen."

Still baffled, Darry let his eyes travel down the hall. "Pony's sleeping," he said.

Johnny looked pained. "No, he isn't."

There was a deafening silence that filled the house. It lasted seconds, but of course to Johnny, it lasted more than two. He swallowed. "Were wasting time. Pony needs our help."

Darry nodded, crossed his arms over his chest and turned abruptly. He practically sprinted to Pony's room. Johnny followed close behind, his footsteps quick and quiet.

The knock itself was swift, and hard."Ponyboy!" Darry called out impatiently. He gave him no time to answer before calling his name again. "Pony!"

Darry turned and saw that Johnny held a pleading look. He counted to three when he sucked in a breath and said in a higher voice, "Ponyboy!"

When there was no response, Johnny started to get fidgety again behind him. Darry could feel the vibrations of Johnny's movement through the floorboard. And it made him nervous, too. Millions of reasonable thoughts started to fly through his head. He blinked quickly, and tried to sort them out. The most important question came first.

Why would Ponyboy go by himself near Soc territory? Not to mention, in the middle of night, when he hadn't gotten Darry's permission to set one foot off the property. Darry ran a hand roughly through his hair, remembering seeing Ponyboy's bruises. He'd been acting strange ever since then. He was in no condition to go by himself to the park when he couldn't as much think for himself.

"Ponyboy! Open the door!" Darry called out.

Johnny started to breath quickly, despite the fact that he was not doing any exercise. "Pony is at the park, Darry." It was notivable he was getting impatient, desperate. "We have to go, now."

Soda came out of his room then. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he asked, "What's happening Darry?" His eyes were small slits. "What's going on?"

Darry knocked again, harder this time. "Ponyboy!"

Soda was standing awkwardly in the hall. His eyes kept moving back and forth from Darry and Johnny. "Hiya Johnny," he said finally, his voice held no laziness or signs that he'd ever been asleep. He was wide awake now. "What happened?"

"Didn't you listen to me Darry?" Johnny insisted, his fists curled up tightly. "He's. At. The. Park."

Darry felt his heart beat feverishly in his chest. He turned to fully face Johnny, and in a serious voice, he asked, "He's in the park now?"

Johnny nodded and started to head downstairs. "He needs help now, right now. I didn't get to see how many of there were."

Soda was looking at them frantically now. "What happened?" he asked again.

"Why did you leave?" Darry asked as he went down the stairs. There was a hint, a tone that sounded like an accusation. "You should've stayed with him, he's just a kid, and with you there might've been a better chance-"

"Darry," Sodapop said harshly, behind to where both he and Johnny were. "Where's Ponyboy?"

Johnny was looking guilty, but he answered anyways. "We were at the park, Soda," he said opening the door. "The Soc's came and he told me to run. I didn't want to, but he didn't leave any rooms for arguments."

Soda's face crumpled. "What?" Then he turned to Darry quickly. "Why are you even blaming him?" Soda asked, his voice quickly and snappy. "If it was me and Pony in that situation, I would've sent Pony to come get you too! I would've stayed behind, you know that. And you know Ponyboy. He aint like the rest of us."

Darry's mouth dried up. The sudden burst of anger and frustration he'd felt at Johnny suddenly disappeared. He opened his mouth, and closed it. And then he opened it again. "Johnny, I'm so … so sorry- I, I didn't mean it."

Johnny shrugged and took one step outside "It doesn't matter," he said loudly. "We have to go right now. We have to go now."

Soda gave Darry a knowing look, and he ran back upstairs.

o-o-o

They were halfway there, passing the speed limit by over 15 miles, when Johnny finally broke the unnerving silence that drowned the car.

"Where did Sodapop go?" he asked, his leg jumping (twitching in Darry's eyes).

"Soda will get the rest," Darry told Johnny as he turned on the car. "I know he will."

Johnny said nothing, keeping his eyes straight ahead, he tried not to think what the Socs would do to Ponyboy. He only prayed that they wouldn't hurt him too badly.

o-o-o

After shakily accepting a large cup of water, sitting down, only to get up again Soda began finally to speak.

It took a sentence or less to summarize what had happened to Pony.

"Oh, damn." Steve whistled and looked at Two-Bit once Soda had explained in angry huffs of breath of what he knew happened. "Then where's the kid?" he asked.

"I didn't know at first. Why would he even leave? Without Darry's permission? Anyways, I woke up because Darry was knocking on Ponyboy's door-"

"Wait, does that mean he wasn't sleeping with you?" Two-Bit asked, and then he smirked to himself. He sobered up quickly when he saw the deadly look Steve gave him. "Okay, I'm sorry. Then what happened? Did he like give you an explanation of why you didn't share a bed?"

Soda became more stricken and Steve knocked Two-Bit on the back of his head. "He refused to sleep with me," he answered, "and I don't know why..."

"Maybe it's because he isn't having nightmares?" Steve tried, as he kept shooting looks to Two-Bit to keep his trap shut. "He is a growing kid. Maybe he wants some privacy?"

"Pony still has them. You know, the nightmares. The most recent one was last week." Soda looked at him in the eyes. "They dulled down, though, throughout this week, but I have no idea what happened to him in the span of one day. And Pony would tell me if he wanted some privacy."

"The socs messed him up," Steve said, finally.

"They knocked him in the back of the head where the smart part is. He is not the Ponyboy we know, only just a husk of a man," Two-Bit prophesied. He started to get up and move towards the door as if to signal something. "One look at his eyes and you-"

Steve slapped followed close behind, only to slap Two-Bit again, harder this time.

Soda bit his lip and got up, heading towards the door too. "Shut up Two-Bit. I don't know, but after the Socs beat him up, he hasn't been himself. Johnny said there was Socs at the park. We gotta go get Dally now."

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow. "Socs? Did he say how many?" He shook his head. "That Ponyboy, always getting himself into trouble. Maybe the Socs did mess him up."

"I think Dally is at Buck's," Steve answered, trying to make Soda's focus on him. He followed Soda out the door. "Wanna go get him?"

"Of course we're going to go get him," Two-Bit said. He shuffled outside.

They quickly hopped into a car that was laying around, the neighborhood's car.

It took less than three minutes. For Soda, too long. "Are you guys sure he's here?"

"Çourse he is," said Two-Bit. "He always stays here for a couple of days when he gets out of the cooler."

Everyone took a deep breath in and welcomed the blaring music. Flickering and flashing lights blinded them, for not long ago had they all been sleeping.

Dally was all the way in the back. He was talking to Sylvia, in what looked like a heated discussion that might break out in a fight if he was in the mood.

"Dally!" Soda yelled over the music, as he got closer. "Dally."

Dally was in the middle of a sneer but looked up to where they were calling him. He pushed Sylvia back a few steps, gave her the bird and sauntered over to them.

"Hello, boys," he said, running a hand over his hair. He squirted in Sodapop's direction. "Heya Soda. Does Darry know your here?"

"Yes he does," Soda said, waving at him to follow. "We need to talk to you."

Dally nodded at him, and did the same to greet Two-Bit and Steve. "So, what's got you so . . . " he waved at him. "Unsettled."

Two-Bit cracked a smile. "Man, you're gonna love this." Steve shot him a look. "Well, not love it, but it's pretty interesting."

Dally leaned his head on the wall and yawned. "Fire, Soda."

"We don't have enough time, and I'm not really sure what happened or what the full story is but-" he took a deep breath. "Johnny came to our house when I was sleeping," Soda continued and shoved his hands in his pockets. "He looked worried. And nervous."

That got Dally's attention. He sat sat closer to him and raised an eyebrow. "Is Johnny alright?" he asked. He looked up at Steve and Two-Bit who looked unsure.

"Johnny was as fine as I could tell. No visible marks . . . " Sighing, he leaned against a counter. His heartbeat was starting to pick up. "But it's Ponyboy."

Dally sighed and drank some beer that was lying around.

"He had a run in with the Socs-"

And suddenly he was up. Swearing in the process, he stumbled a bit from the alcohol that was still in his system. His voice though, was strong and confident. "That damn kid. Shoot, where is he now? Why'd he even leave the house?"

Two-Bit nodded. "That's what I said!"

"He's still in the park," Soda replied. "Darry and Johnny should be there. We just thought it'd be better if you were also there if things got bad with the Socs."

Dally cracked a smile. "So kind of you to think of me."

o-o-o

Darry wasn't usually someone who'd usually panic. He always thought up of things he could do, but now was one of those rare instances where nothing could be done.

"He was right here," Johnny said, his hands shaking. He shoved them into his pockets. "Their car was over there, if he was at least beaten up like I was, they would've left them but he isn't here, remember when they left me in the lot, do you think they took him that's impossible though, they would have done that-"

"Johnny calm down," Darry interjected. "Calm down, buddy. Calm down, okay? He probably ran off somewhere to distract them."

Johnny started to breath harder. "I dunno, Darry. I just don't know. "

Darry couldn't help but feel a large mass accumulate at the base of his heart. Seeing Johnny distressed dampened any high hopes he had of trying to find what happened to Pony.

"Hey!" someone called, suddenly. "That you Darry? Johnny?"

In one quick movement, Darry turned. The voice was familiar, but with all the thoughts that flew around in his head, not to count that his stomach churned with such intensity, he wasn't able to actually pinpoint the voice.

His eyesight adjusted to the darkness after a small bit. His eyes landed on a couple of shadows that lingered near the trees. But as they got closer, the lights from the street lamps illuminated the group that was heading towards their direction.

Soda was the first to come barreling towards him. Steve followed close behind, jogging slowly. Two-Bit and Dally were the last ones. They appeared to be talking, gestures and facial expression were included.

"Where is he?" Soda asked, his eyes wandering and looking. "Where is Ponyboy, Darry?"

Steve gave Darry a look that he knew all too well.

"Didya find him?" Soda asked. He crossed his arms and looked at Johnny. "Johnny?"

Johnny shook his head. "I'm so sorry Sodapop, I should've stayed with him."

Soda relaxed a bit, his eyes softened from the once serious look. "It's not your fault, Johnnycake. It's not anyone's fault but those damn Socs." he cursed under his breath and slumped. "He's not here, right?"

"He's not here at the park," Darry answered, his voice reassuring. "He could be around. He probably ran off."

"Yeah, that's right," Two-Bit interjected, nodding. "He's got long legs."

o-o-o

Steve leaned against a tree and eyed Darry and Soda. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the wrinkles of the nose, eyebrow shifts, or hand gestures probably meant something was going down in the works. Not to mention Darry kept shushing Soda when his voice got too high.

"So the kid got jumped, started strange, apparently gets jumped again and now he's gone?" Dally asked. "Johnny, whaddya think?"

"He didn't get jumped, we didn't get jumped. They were just coming towards us."

Dally nodded. "Huh," he said.

Steve shrugged. "That kid's been acting weird during and after he got jumped. Hugged all of ya like he hadn't seen you in hundreds of years." He paused. "He even hugged me!"

Dally nodded. "Yeah, he was acting weird the day he got jumped. And who the fuck grows two inches taller in one day and gets muscles?"

"Maybe Ponyboy was hiding them," Johnny tried. "Cause he didn't want you guy making fun of him for trying to get muscle. Or something." He turned to face then. "Just like you do now, you're making comment about him."

Two-Bit chuckled. "He might been packing some muscles to show off to some girl."

Dally pat him on the back. "Nah, Johnny. Just no."

"And you know what's fuckin' weird?" Steve began once Johnny silently deflated. "I heard him talking to someone the other day. I came in 'because I thought one of us was with him, and I was gonna bother him and all that. It almost sounded like he was arguing with someone too. But when I came in, there was no one and he looked jumpy."

Dally narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Drugs?" he offered. Then he straightened his back and snapped his fingers. "Steroids. It gotta be it."

"I just don't know." Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I just . . . dunno, but it would make sense. He grew, and the muscles too."

Johnny frowned. "He wouldn't take steroids. Or any type of drug."

"We know that kid, but what happened if someone slipped him something, and he didn't know it? He looked high, to be honest. Wide eyed, red eyes too, staring at you and me and everyone like we'd died." Dally said.

"I saw him," Johnny whispered. "I saw him last."

Dally looked down. "´Course we know Johnny, you were with him last-"

"No." Johnny said. "What I mean is that- . . . I didn't tell you something . . . something I saw in the park, right before the Socs came."

Steve and Dally shot each other looks. Two-Bit clapped Johnny on the back.

"Well, what did ya hear?"

"He was talking to someone. I heard him just before I called out to him." Johnny paused. "The Socs were there and-"

"And you just go and tell us this now?" Dally sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was quiet for a second before he started up again.

"The kid could have taken something, maybe. Maybe the effects were still going on. Maybe that's why he went out in the first place. The guilt, the anxiety in your stomach, the emptiness-"

"He would never take drugs," Johnny said, his own voice was rough. "And besides, if he had, I would've smelt something on him, but I didn't smell anything."

"Yeah, Dally," Two-Bit said. "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

Steve shrugged. "Unless he went somewhere like Buck's -which we're pretty sure he didn't go anywhere because he was with us the whole time- then there's no reason to believe he got spiked consuming something. Maybe he just got knocked on the head too hard."

Dally didn't seem convinced, but he stayed quiet and picked at his nails.

The silence that passed through the group was uncomfortable and heavy. Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets and Two-Bit shot him an reassuring look. Suddenly the hushed talking and whispers from Darry and Sodapop also quieted down. Taking the attention off of their conversation, everyone turned to them.

"Is anyone else interesting in beating up some socs?" Sodapop asked as he looked up Darry. He was slouching as he walked up to the group.

Dally smiled. "Of fucking course," he answered and cracked his knuckles. "I haven't beaten up some ass ugly looking sonuvagun socs in a long time."

"I have nothing better to do," Steve added. "So I might as well."

"Were gonna look around. Maybe he ran away and went home," Darry said, nodding to himself. "I'll wait at home, just in case he wanders by. Soda, Dally, Steve, Johnny, Two-Bit-" Darry crossed his arms and let out a long shaky sigh. "Please make sure that you find him."

Soda grabbed Steve's arm and started to loosley tug. "Come on, guys," he said. "We gotta get going before anything else happens."

Dally cracked his neck. "Johnny, you, me an' Two-Bit should group up."

And off they all went.

Two-Bit was in the middle of tripping himself as all of them were stopping by the Dingo, when it appeared. Johnny was looking at the ground. Dally was showing off his blade and Two-Bit was hopping.

In one of those moments when Dally was about to sock Two-Bit in the stomach so he could stop being so annoying, his attention was grabbed.

"Hey, look," Dally said, picking up his speed. "You said the car was red? Corvair?"

Johnny looked to where Dally had his attention focused at. "Thats it, Dal. That's the one."

Johnny recognized the guy who Pony had talked to. He had black hair and was handsome.

"That him, Johnny?" Two-Bit asked. "That him?"

"Yeah, that's him," Johnny whispered.

Dally walked right up to them. The black haired handsome guy and another one leaned on the hood of the car. Dally waited until one of them remained. "Hello, boys," Dally said and flicked out a cigarette.

They barely paid any attention to him. The handsome one nodded. "Hey."

The other guy cracked his knuckles.

Dally took a long drag and admired his blade. "You wouldn't have, oh, you know, happened to come across two boys. Dark skinned one and another kid with green eyes?"

The handsome one squinted, and looked around. "Isn't that the guy you talkin bout?" he asked pointing to Johnny.

"Yeah, that's him. You seen his friend?"

Sobering up, the handsome one stood up tall. "My name is Bob," he said suddenly like Dally cared. "Me and a couple of friends saw both of the kids at the park. Tanned one ran, but I didn't do nothing to the other kid. He was just there and he was cool about it."

Now that had been settled Two-Bit took a step up. "What were you even doing' in our territory, huh?" he coldy said. "How do we know your not lying, and how do we know that you dumbasses have him somewhere."

Bob's friend gave him a look, but Bob waved him off. "How do we know your not lying? You're always up to no good Winston, you too, redhead. This could be another of your no good lies to make us look bad."

Johnny stepped up. "I just wanna know what happened to him."

"Kid, we were drunk, giddy, and whatnot. He was cool as nails despite being outnumbered. We chatted a little -he didn't want a fight, and we didn't have one."

Bobs friend nodded. "Yep. We left, and we don't know anything about him."

Dally´s eye twitched. "Oh. Alright." He took another long drag and stomped the butt underneath his foot.

Dally suddenly calm demeanor mean bad news. Johnny knew that. "Dally," he warned. "I think they're telling the truth. Come on, let's go." Johnny shot a worried to Two-Bit, but he didn't make a move to stop him.

Cracking his knuckles and tucking his blade away, Dally said, "Well boys, goodnight. Thank you for your . . . cooperation."

Bob raised an eyebrow as Dally seemingly turned to walk away. Johnny sighed with relief as the coil in his stomach loosened. But he immediately broke into a cold sweat when Dally reared back and punched Bob square in the jaw and knocked him onto the ground.