My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter XIV

I stood up from the hard hospital chair. I had been visiting Johnny in the hospital while the boys were at a rumble, but I need to be home to play nurse for them. I really hated to leave—Johnnycake was on his last leg, the end of the line. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

"Johnny..." I wanted to say "goodbye" or something, but I knew it would be too hard on both of us. "Johnnycake, remember to smile." I gave a weak half-grin, and a small wave, before I exited the room.

I gave a sigh as I shut the door and started the long walk home in the dark. The roads were wet from recent rain, and the clouds threatened to pour again. I could see my breath in the cold air.

I stopped at the convenience store on the way back to the Curtis house to buy some first aid supplies. There wasn't much time after I got them and got to the house before the boys showed up. Steve, Darry, Soda, and Two-Bit stumbled in, exhausted and hurt.

I wasn't surprised at their condition—I'd seen what could happen in rumbles. I immediately distributed ice packs and started bandaging their cuts. "Where's Ponyboy?" I asked.

Darry was suddenly distraught. "Not again!"

I took a deep breath, and tried to be calm, hoping it would rub off on the others. "I'm sure he's alright. Where do think he went?"

Darry thought for a moment. "Maybe it's got something to do with Dallas being at the rumble."

"I'll bet he ran off with Dally," Soda piped up.

I continued to aid the boys. I had to give Two-Bit stitches, and they all needed a couple aspirins, especially Steve.

I ran into the other room to grab some towels, but I couldn't find any. I assumed they were all dirty or newly cleaned and located on the clothesline. I was right—the towels were outside, and damp from the evening's rain.

I brought them in, but the solemn mood in the room had taken a depressing turn, and I was too afraid to ask why. Pony, who had returned, was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Steve stood up and whispered quietly to me. "Johnny's dead."

It didn't come as a shock to me, but I suddenly couldn't breathe. Johnny couldn't be gone. Not yet at least. He was the only one we truly couldn't do without. I tried to still the pain coursing through my veins, the pain that accompanies grief.

Darry was on the phone with someone, and the boys all watched in pure anxiety. "Could you get some water for Pony?" Soda asked me.

I nodded and went into the kitchen to grab it. When I returned, everyone started running out the door. We ran faster than we ever had before, despite the boys' poor condition. "What's going on?" I asked while we ran, out of breath.

Darry, who was the least out of breath of all of us, tried to yell over the sound of rain and footsteps. "Dallas needs us!"

Miraculously, I was able to run faster. Not Dally. Please, not Dally. My tears mixed with the rain falling heavily, and my swift footsteps seemed to echo with the sound of thunder. My heart skipped a beat every time lightning flashed across the dark sky.

Through the mist, I saw five dark figures, who I could only assume were four police officers, and... Dallas. "Dally!" I screamed, my sobs making my voice waver.

I could hear the others beside me, screaming things like "He's just a kid!" or "The gun's not loaded!" I started running in a slightly different direction than the boys, taking a short cut the boys didn't know about.

My heart was beating faster than my desperate footsteps. I finally emerged from a clearing in the nearby trees and ran toward Dally. "Don't shoot!" I screamed, but it was too late—the lot echoed with the sounds of shots, and I felt a sharp pain in my side.

I ignored the pain and ran until I was in front of Dally. I stood in front of him like a shield, discouraging further shots. "Don't shoot!" I kept screaming. "He needs support more than jail or death!" My breathing became labored, and heavy. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I fell to my knees. "Please, don't shoot." I whispered.

I seemed stuck on my knees, the world a blur, until Dally gently laid me down on the wet grass. "Please, don't shoot," I kept whispering, staring at nothing in particular.

Dally gently moved my head so I could see him. "Look at me." His voice was stern, yet broken. "Penny, look at me."

The other boys made it to the lot, and dropped to their knees beside me. "Penny, no..." Steve whispered.

"Stay calm," someone else instructed.

I listened to the steady downpour of the rain, feeling it run down my face. It was cold, unlike the warm liquid that was seeping from my side. I couldn't see it—I couldn't hardly see anything that wasn't right in front of my eyes—but I could certainly feel it.

I took a shaky breath, and looked at Dallas, who began to whisper to me, soft and low. "You'll be alright, baby. Everything will be alright." There was a pause. "You took the bullet for me. Why?" Dally's voice started to waver.

"B-because I l-love you."

"Oh, Penny. I love you, too."

Darry's voice rose above the others'. "Pony, run to the nearest telephone and call Penny's parents. Don't bother calling 9-1-1, the police are already here."

I could hear Pony run off in the direction of the very convenience store Dallas had just robbed. I could feel everything become extra hazy, and I couldn't think straight.

"Dallas..."

Everything slowly faded to black.

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Author's note
*bows*
There you have it, folks. Another chapter, another plot twist, and I may or may not decide to be completely and totally evil. I have big, big plans that I might set in motion, unless anyone has the guts to stop me. Mwahahahaha

Your friendly neighborhood greaser, signing off...
Stay gold y'all ⭐️