(Ponyboy's POV)

I'm looking at the railroad tracks, observing how the sunlight reflects off of the metal. The tracks are shining a golden hue, and it's the first time I ever thought that railroad tracks look beautiful. I look down the tracks and notice a familiar car.

Why do I know that car?

I walk over to the sedan, and I think I recognize the couple that are sitting in the front seats. Right before I could think of their names, there's a clap of thunder, which is strange because it's so sunny and nice outside. The sound came from the other direction, so I turn my head to look down the other side of the tracks, and then I see Darry's truck. I run over to ask my brother why he parked on the tracks and if he knows the people in the other car, but when I get to the driver's door, nobody's there.

This is strange.

"Ponyboy!" I turn my head in the direction of the sedan, and the couple are getting out of the car, standing next to the open doors.

"Mom? Dad?" I ask, suddenly recognizing their faces.

I walk towards them, but when I get about halfway between the two vehicles, the sky suddenly darkens and rains pours down on me.

"Pony!"

I turn to look at the truck to see who else was yelling my name, but right when I spotted the truck, a train smashes into it, sending pieces of the truck flying everywhere. I start to panic, but my feet seem like they're frozen to the tracks. I turn to yell at my parents, warning them about the train, but when I look in the direction of their sedan, another train crashes into their car.

"NO! MOM! DAD!"

I'm bawling, not knowing what to do. There are two trains coming right at me, one from each direction, and I can't do anything except wait for death.

"Pony! Wake up!" My eyes shot open, and I immediately spotted Soda hovering over me, his bloodshot eyes wide and terrified. "It's a nightmare, Pony. You're okay."

"What's going on?" Darry asked the moment he ran into my room. "Pone, you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said instinctively.

"Fine" was a relative term these days. I had been home from the hospital for a couple weeks, and even though my body was healing just as the doctors expected, my mind was another story. I kept having nightmares, which made for long nights for my brothers. Steve and Two-Bit spent the night at our house less frequently, and even though they said they were giving us some space, part of me guessed it was because they didn't want to hear me wake up screaming at least once every night.

I turned over in bed so I was facing away from both of my brothers. I barely noticed the throbbing in my ribcage. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, honey," Soda said as he rubbed my back. I felt a dip in the bed, indicating Darry was sitting with us too. "Do you want to talk about it?"

My brothers asked me that question every time I woke them up from one of my nightmares, and every time I said "no" and they dropped it. I didn't want to relive the nightmare, but more than anything, I didn't want my brothers to have the terrifying images in their heads once I told them. No, I didn't want my brothers to be tortured any more than they already were.

"I can't," I whispered.

"Why not? We're your brothers, Pony," Soda said softly. I didn't miss the hint of hurt in his voice.

I felt a hand drop onto my knee and squeeze gently. "Is it about the crash?" Darry asked. He never pressed too much about my nightmares, not after I had the reoccurring one that I could never remember after our parents died, so it surprised me that not only he asked more questions, but he was right on the money.

I nodded, still not wanting to look at them. "Both of them."

"Both?" Soda asked quietly. Then I heard him take in a sharp breath. "Oh Pony."

Despite myself, I let out a sob. I didn't want to tell them, I tried so hard to keep them safe, but I felt myself breaking.

"Ponyboy, tell us," Darry said. "You don't need to protect us."

That did it. My big brother knew what I was up to, and I couldn't keep everything inside anymore. "I saw them, Mom and Dad. A train was moving towards them. And another one towards the truck. I was stuck in the middle. I couldn't move off the tracks."

Soda stopped rubbing circles on my back and put a hand on my shoulder instead. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You have enough to worry about," I said, still refusing to turn and look at my brothers. "I didn't want to add anything else. It's bad enough I don't let you sleep through the night."

I felt the bed shift, and before I knew what he was doing, Darry had walked around the bed and knelt in front of me, so I had no choice but to look at him. He took my hands in his, probably so I couldn't hide behind them. "Ponyboy, I don't want you worrying about us, alright?"

"Can't help it," I said plainly. "I didn't want to scare you."

Darry gave me a look. "Pone, nothing could scare me more than thinking we lost you." He let his statement set in for a moment before he took a breath and continued. "When I got the phone call about the accident, I thought I'd have to see you in the same state as I saw Mom and Dad, and kiddo, that scared me more than anything ever could."

I could see the terror in Darry's eyes. I had forgotten he had to see our parents after they died, and my heart broke for him. I can't even imagine what that would be like.

"From now on, I don't want you worrying about us, okay?" Darry said, his voice full with emotion. "Soda and I can handle it. We'll do anything to help you, little buddy."

I nodded, but I was unable to say the words in my head because I knew I would start bawling before any words came out of my mouth. Instead, I moved my hands away from his and wrapped my arms around Darry's neck. Immediately, he moved gingerly so he sat next to me on the bed and hugged me. Another pair of arms wrapped around us and I knew Soda had joined in the embrace.

"Glory kiddo, we love you so much," Darry muttered into my hair.

"I love you guys too."