TW/PSA: this chapter contains descriptions of wounds, blood, etc.
(Ponyboy's POV)
My big brother had come out of nowhere, sprinting and tackling just as well as he did back in his football days. I didn't know it at first because the movement was so sudden and my head wasn't working right, but I realized the moment Darry hit the Soc was the same moment the Soc pulled the trigger. The guy must've missed his mark because even though he was pointing the gun right at me, I was still breathing fine. I watched him and Darry fight on the ground in front of me, and just like before, it felt like something was weighing me down, disabling me from helping my brother. He has a gun. I need to help Darry!
Darry punched the Soc square in the face, and he looked like he was going to do it again-
BANG! BANG!
Darry's movements ceased, then his body went limp.
"DARRY!" I screeched. No no no, this can't be happening.
I heard Soda's voice shouting something too, but my heart was pounding so loudly in my head that I couldn't hear anything clearly enough to know what he was screaming. The Soc shoved Darry off of him and to the side, which was no easy feat since my brother is so muscular and heavy. With Darry out of the way, the Soc started moving like he was about to stand up.
He still has the gun; he can keep shooting. If Darry's not dead yet, he will be, and so will the rest of us.
My body finally moved under my command, and before the Soc made it to his feet, I lunged at him.
(Steve's POV)
It was just supposed to be a typical rumble: fair fight, skin only. That was the way our gang preferred it, it was the only way Darry allowed Ponyboy to tag along, and luckily, everyone else involved had agreed… or at least that's what we thought going into it.
"Pony!" I heard Soda shout from somewhere nearby.
I had already saved Ponyboy's ass once during the rumble, and from the sound of Soda's worried voice, there was a chance I'd have to help the kid again. After kicking a Soc's head in, I looked around to see what the fuss was all about, but when I spotted the two youngest Curtis brothers, it felt like my eyes bulged out of my head in surprise.
There was a Soc going after the kid with a blade, and Soda was obviously running towards them to try and help his brother. I tried to move towards them, but I had to fight off more Socs as they tried to pick a fight with me. None of them lasted long though; I was on a mission, and I didn't care what happened to the no-good westsiders that wanted to mess with me.
The next time I saw Soda and Pony, they were standing by the fountain, and it seemed liked everything was going to be okay. Sure, there was blood falling from Ponyboy's arm, but at least the rest of him looked fine, and the Soc that tried to attack him was lying on the ground.
Until he wasn't.
Shit.
Since I wasn't too far away, I heard Ponyboy say his brother's name the moment he realized the Soc wasn't done with them. I continued making my way towards them, and I unfortunately had a front-row seat to witness what happened next.
Soda turned around just in time to see the Soc with the knife come after them again. Like the good brother everyone knew he was, Soda shoved his little brother out of harm's way, but that left his torso vulnerable, and the Soc drove his knife in my best friend's stomach.
Oh my God. He just fucking stabbed Soda!
As the kid screamed my best friend's name, I watched Soda slowly look down at the knife sticking out of him before staggering a bit and dropping to his knees. With the knife no longer in the Soc's hand and my best friend's life on the life, I made a beeline to Soda.
The second I made it to him, I dropped to the ground. "Soda? Hey bud, look at me," I ordered. If he's looking at me, then he's awake and alive. Soda glanced at me, but my heart sank as Soda fell sideways. I barely caught him before he hit the ground too hard. Once I got Soda lying on the ground, I put my hands around the knife, being careful not to touch it, to try to slow the bleeding. Having my best friend's warm blood underneath my hands made me instantly nauseous, but I didn't have another option. I can't believe this is happening right now.
Soda was watching me, but his eyes were unfocused and his eyelids were drooping. "C'mon Soda, eyes on me," I said as I pressed down harder, hoping to keep more blood in my friend's body. Soda let out a cry in pain, and even though I hated hearing it, I was glad because it meant he was still conscious.
I saw movement nearby, and I internally cursed myself for not paying attention to my surroundings because I didn't know if the Soc had another blade and was planning on finishing Soda off or going after Ponyboy again. Pay attention, Steve. To my surprise, the movement was actually Ponyboy tackling the Soc and beating the shit out of him. I hadn't seen the kid look so angry before, and there was a weird moment that I knew Ponyboy and I both felt the exact same way about his brother getting hurt; we were pissed and wanted revenge.
Soda started squirming and groaning in pain, and I had to peel my eyes away from Ponyboy and the Soc to focus on my buddy. "Quit movin' Soda, you're gonna make it worse."
"It hurts," he said through gritted teeth. His eyes were squeezed shut and tears were streaming down his cheeks.
"I know it hurts, but-"
"Heater!" someone shouted, effectively cutting me off.
I had an awful feeling I knew what I was going to see even before my eyes shifted from Soda back to Pony. Still, when I saw the Soc standing over the kid and pointing a gun at him, my stomach dropped.
Holy shit.
Despite the immense amount of pain he must've been in, Soda struggled to fight against me as he yelled his brother's name. "Pony!"
"Jesus Christ," I muttered, still not able to comprehend how a fair fight turned into such a mess. It was supposed to be skin only, what the hell happened?
"Don't hurt him!" Soda shouted as he kept fighting against me. I knew he wanted to save his brother, but he still had a knife sticking out of him and I wasn't about to let my best friend hurt himself more than he already was.
"Stay down, Soda," I said harshly. You'll end up killing yourself from blood loss before you could even reach them. I wanted to help Ponyboy too, but there wasn't a way I could do that without letting Soda bleed out, and I wasn't about to let that happen.
Soda wasn't happy about staying in place, but he wasn't strong enough to fight me off, so he looked towards the Soc and Ponyboy and started pleading. "Please, don't shoot."
It was hard to hear him sound like that. Sodapop Curtis was a tough greaser, and he shouldn't ever sound scared or beg for anything, but that Soc found Soda's weak spot: Ponyboy. The kid was everything to Soda, and for him to see his kid brother looking up the barrel of a gun must've been his literal worst nightmare coming to life.
Suddenly, a large figure came sprinting and ran into the blonde Soc holding the gun. At the moment of impact, the gun went off, and the two large figures hit the ground. The fact Ponyboy didn't just drop dead was a relief, especially considering how close the gun was to him when the bullet was fired. It took a moment to realize Ponyboy's savior was none other than Darry. Of course Superman would save his kid brother from getting shot point-blank.
Darry was pummeling the Soc, but when two more gunshots rang out, he went rigid for a split second before his entire body went slack. No. There's no way that just happened, right?
"DARRY!" Ponyboy screamed, and I knew that Muscles really had been shot.
Soda fought against me with more strength than I expected from someone who had been stabbed not five minutes before. "Darry!" Soda hollered, echoing Ponyboy's voice. "DARRY!"
I struggled to keep Sodapop down, and every one of his movements caused more blood to leave his abdomen. "Soda, you gotta stop," I said, although my voice was hoarse and didn't sound like me at all. I couldn't take my eyes off Darry as the Soc pushed him away like the big guy didn't weigh more than Johnny or Ponyboy.
The next thing I knew, Ponyboy lunged at the Soc who had just stabbed one of his brothers and shot the other. Not only that, but the Soc still had the gun. What the hell is Ponyboy doing?!
"Pony," Soda said. I had a feeling he was trying to yell, but his voice was getting softer.
I kept watching Ponyboy and the Soc, but I could tell just by his voice that Soda's energy was leaking out of his body with every drop of blood he lost. He's slipping away. He needs to go to the hospital right now.
Ponyboy kept whaling on the Soc, and I wondered where the gun was and how long it would be before I heard another shot go off, potentially killing the youngest Curtis brother. The Soc knocked Ponyboy on the side of the head, making the kid recoil. I thought for sure he was a goner, but luckily, two large greasers showed up and tackled the Soc before anything else happened. I saw one of the greasers toss the gun to the side while the other one pinned the blonde Soc to the ground and beat the tar out of him.
Once the immediate danger was gone, I realized the greasers that came to the kid's rescue were Dally and Tim. While Tim continued to pummel the Soc on the ground, chaos ensued all around us.
Johnny ran to Ponyboy's side and started talking gently to him. I couldn't hear what he said to Ponyboy, but if anyone knew what to say to him in that moment, it was Johnny. Two-Bit suddenly showed up, and he and Dally both went to Darry's side, whispering either to Superman or to each other. Two-Bit immediately ripped his leather jacket off and pressed it against Darry's chest while Dally did the same thing with his jacket and pressed it onto Darry's leg. I could hear Darry's choked gasps from where Soda and I were, and after each one, I worried it would be his last.
Soda's quiet voice caught my attention. "Steve." I looked down at my buddy, and I had a terrible, sick feeling that he was about to die on me. Keep your eyes open, Soda. "Take it out. The blade. It don't hurt no more."
I looked at him, knowing that he was clearly not in the right state of mind, but I still couldn't believe what I heard. "No Soda, I can't take it out." I pressed down into his abdomen even more, and he didn't even flinch.
"Don't you dare take that knife out," Dally spat in my direction while keeping his focus on Darry. "He'll bleed out in two seconds if you do."
He'll bleed out anyway if he just stays here. "We gotta get them to the hospital, Dally," I shot back.
He spared a glance in my direction, then he looked at Two-Bit seriously. "Run to the house and get the truck."
Two-Bit nodded, and once Dally completely took over for pressing down into Darry's wounds, Two-Bit sprinted away. He was fast, but I couldn't help but think he wasn't fast enough.
"Couldn't send the track star?" I said loudly at Dally. He would get to the house the quickest out of all of us.
Dally kept looking down at Darry, but he still responded. "You really think the kid's able to function right now, dumbass?"
I glanced at Ponyboy, and I immediately knew Dally was right. The kid was in complete shock; he was sitting, staring at Darry with wide eyes, and his mouth was open slightly. Johnny was talking to him, but it looked like Ponyboy didn't even know his friend was there. The kid was breathing heavy and shaking, and I couldn't blame him one bit. He just watched his brothers get stabbed and shot.
"Darry," Soda mumbled, bringing my attention back to him. His eyes were slowly closing, but I was glad he was still awake and alive, even if he was only hanging on by a thread. "How's Darry?" Soda slurred.
What am I even supposed to say? I can't tell him the truth, but I can't lie to him either. I decided to settle for something in the middle. "He's hurt, you both are. We're gonna get you both to the hospital."
"Pony?" Soda mumbled.
"He's alright Soda," I said, trying to sound convincing. "You and Darry both made sure of that." Soda grinned at me tiredly, but he didn't say anything else. I looked around, feeling like I was lost and had no idea what to do next. Where the hell is Two-Bit with the truck?
(Dally's POV)
In New York, it wasn't uncommon to hear about someone you know getting stabbed, but it was rare in Tulsa, and for one of your buddies to get shot in Tulsa… that was practically unheard of.
Ponyboy was screaming his big brother's name, and I could see Soda struggling against Steve, but the middle Curtis had been stabbed and was too weak to get out of Steve's hold. The blonde Soc that shot Darry was on the ground from being tackled, and he shoved the oldest Curtis brother away from him. A moment later, Ponyboy attacked the guy like a wild animal. I had never seen the kid so vicious; I was proud of him for finally finding his inner greaser.
As I rushed towards them to stop the Soc from shooting anyone else, I saw that Tim was also beelining it to them. I guess he really does like the Curtis brothers.
The Soc hit Ponyboy in the head right before Tim and I got there, but before the guy had a chance to shoot Ponyboy, Tim and I tackled the Soc at the same time. While Tim immediately started throwing punches, I looked for the gun. First thing's first: get the gun away from the Soc. Once I spotted the pistol, I ripped it away from the Soc and tossed it to the side and out of arm's reach.
I saw Johnny run to Ponyboy's side and start comforting him, and while that was good for him, I had other priorities. Tim dealt with the Soc and I moved to kneel on the ground next to Darry, with Two-Bit suddenly joining me. The second I looked down at Darry, I knew he was in real trouble.
Darry was lying on his back and his eyes were open as he stared at the dark sky. One of his hands looked like he had tried to move it, but it fell and laid limp and helpless on his stomach. There were two bloody gunshot wounds; one in his chest, and one in his leg. As if all of that wasn't bad enough, he was choking and struggling to get any air in his lungs during his quick panting. Basically, it looked like he was dying right in front of us.
Two-Bit spoke first, and for once in his life, he wasn't joking around. "Hey man, we're here," he said as he took his jacket off and pressed it into Darry's chest, making our friend let out a gasp of pain. "You'll be okay, Darry. We ain't gonna let nothin' happen to you." I copied Two-Bit's movements and took my own jacket off to press it against the wound in Darry's leg.
"Pony," Darry managed to mumble between breaths.
"He's alright," I said. "Johnny's with him."
"Soda," he muttered next.
"Worry about yourself for once, man" I said angrily. You're dying and wasting your breath worrying about other people. "You got shot. That's plenty to worry about already."
"Dally," Two-But snapped at me, then he looked at Darry. "They'll both be fine, Dar. Just keep breathin' for us, okay?"
At least I didn't lie to him. I didn't know if Soda would be fine or not, and I wasn't going to promise something like that. What if he doesn't make it?
Only a few yards away, I could hear Soda's voice telling Steve to take the knife out of him. It sounded like Steve had the sense to tell Soda that it wasn't going to happen, but I had to make sure nobody was going to do something stupid. In New York, I saw people die from blood loss after they took the sharp object that stabbed them out of their body. I'm not about to let that happen again. "Don't you dare take that knife out. He'll bleed out in two seconds if you do," I said, but I didn't bother to look at anyone except Darry.
In the background, I could hear Johnny trying to talk to Ponyboy, but the kid must've not been responding. "Pony? Hey, Pony. C'mon man, talk to me. Say something."
"We gotta get them to the hospital, Dally," Steve said to me, obviously talking about the two people who were probably dying as we sat there.
I know, I thought as I reluctantly glanced at Steve, who was still pressing down around the knife in Soda's stomach. Then I decided what we were going to do, and I looked up at Two-Bit. "Run to the house and get the truck." We're going to break every speed limit on this damn planet to get them to the hospital. We repositioned quickly so I was pressing down on both of Darry's wounds so Two-Bit could run to the house.
"Couldn't send the track star?" Steve questioned once Two-Bit was gone.
Are you really that stupid? The kid is fast, but this ain't a good time to test his driving skills, even if he didn't just see his brothers get hurt. "You really think the kid's able to function right now, dumbass?" Thankfully, Steve stayed quiet after that.
I kept pressing down into Darry's gunshot wounds, and suddenly, Tim knelt across from me. "What can I do?"
I glanced at the spot where he was pummeling the Soc, and I found two of his guys pinning the Soc down, which apparently allowed Tim to come help me with Darry. Good, we don't need that guy finding his gun and shooting more people. I looked at Tim and started telling him what to do. "Use your belt and tie it around his leg, above my hand." Tim stayed quiet and did what I said, and when I told him to tighten the belt as much as he could, Darry's back arched off the ground and he grunted in pain. I had to use all of my strength to keep him down. "I know, man. I know it fucking hurts, but you gotta deal with it." I wasn't sure he could hear me over the painful noises he was making, but as long as he lived, I really didn't care if we were hurting him.
It seemed like forever before the Curtis truck sped towards us in the park. Two-Bit slammed on the brakes only feet away from us, threw the truck into park, and jumped out.
"Get Darry in the back first, then Soda. Two-Bit, you're driving," I ordered.
Tim, Two-Bit, and I lifted Darry off the ground and onto the bed of the truck. The amount of blood we all got on our arms and clothing was surprising since Darry was still somehow alive, but I knew we were running out of time. With Darry lying down, I pressed the jackets back onto his wounds and tightened the belt around his leg as the guys put Soda next to his older brother. Soda's eyes were closed, and I didn't want to look at him close enough to see if he was conscious or not. It didn't really matter in the moment anyway. Steve resumed his position and put pressure on Soda's wound, then Steve and I exchanged a look. This is bad. This is really bad.
"Let's go, Two-Bit!" I shouted.
I looked down at both of the Curtis brothers, and I noticed they both looked extremely pale under the moonlight. I felt a wave of fear wash over me. We're gonna lose them.
