On The Outside (A The Outsiders FF) #Wattys2015

Chapter 5

Their struggling voices were encouraging me to get there quicker. But first I needed to find a way in. If I used the front door, I would come face to face with flames.

"We could use this big rock to smash through a window that hasn't been broken yet. If it hasn't been broken by the fire, then we know it hasn't reached there." Two-Bit pointed out. I was surprised at this coming out it his mouth.

"That's smart!" I praised, picking up the heavy rock he was talking about with both hands and carried it around to one side of the church. The rock made contact with a window, the glass shattering into a million pieces. We all ripped off pieces of wood surrounding the place where the window used to be, making a big enough hole for us to fit through.

"Johnny! Ponyboy!" Dally called, his voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

"In here!" Ponyboy shouted from the room next to us.

I guided everyone through the smoke and through the door that leads to the room they're trapped inside.

Through the smoke, I saw two figures at the back of the room. There were a few windows, which I knew would be our way of getting out.

"Girls, can you go back outside and smash one of these windows like what we did to get in so we could have a quicker way of getting out? Two-Bit, Dally, and I are gonna get Johnny and Ponyboy." I instructed. They nodded and ran back to where we came from while Dally, Two-Bit, and I stumbled over to Johnny and Ponyboy.

The sight of them shocked me - they looked so different. Ponyboy's hair was cut shorter and bleached blonde. Johnny's hair was just cut and had all the grease washed out. They looked really good, but I didn't let the shock stop me from doing what I came into this church to do.

The door we came through caught fire as one of the windows shattered, revealing Luna, Kimi, and Tiger's faces. They began pulling chunks of wood off.

Ponyboy and Johnny were unconscious now, making it more difficult to get them out quicker. The fire was entering the room, putting me under more pressure and stress.

"Two-Bit, go outside with the girls. Dally and I will carry Johnny and Ponyboy over to you. Carry them over to those ambulance trucks over there." I told him. He did as I instructed and waited for us.

Dally picked up Johnny and I picked up Ponyboy, both bridal style. We quickly but carefully hurried over to where the window used to be. Two-Bit took Johnny out of Dally's arms while Kimi took Ponyboy out of mine, carrying them over to the ambulance trucks a safe distance away.

I glared up into Dally's face, and for the first time, he looked helpless and weak, his eyes glossy with tears. He let a few roll down his face, but brushed them away quickly.

I could feel the heat of the fire breathing down my back, smoke being inhaled by my lungs.

Dally grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the church and over to Buck's truck, just as the roof collapsed. We were both coughing hysterically, getting into the truck where Two-Bit and the girls sat in the back.

We drove off and followed the ambulances, heading for the hospital.

"You really care about them, don't you?" I asked Dally softly once I knew nobody was listening, my voice raspy. He hesitated, drew in a breath, and nodded. It was nice to know that he actually did care about people, even if he didn't show it.

* * * * *
After arriving at the hospital, the nurses checked our conditions. For being in a fire for that long, it was nothing critical - we just inhaled a lot of smoke and had a few burns and bruises. As for Ponyboy and Johnny, they were fine. They were out of the church before the fire even reached the room they were in. Even though the burn marks stung like crazy, I was okay if they were okay.

We all sat in the lobby, waiting for the nurses to bring us back some ice packs and hopefully Aloe Vera.

Darry and Soda strolled into the hospital, causing Ponyboy to jump up out of his seat and give Soda a hug. I stood up and slowly made my way over to them, smiling at their small family reunion.

Darry joined in on the hugging, making it a group hug, managing to say, "I thought we lost you like we did Mom and Dad." He was crying. That statement nearly made me cry, too.

"You almost did if it weren't for these guys," Pomyboy gestured to all of us, "They weren't going to go in the burning building, but Dakota wasn't going to let us die, so they followed after her."

"Thank you so much, Dakota." Darry said.

"Hey, don't give me all the credit. It was Two-Bit, Dally, and the girls too. I guess we're even now," I chuckled. They looked at me with a confused expression. "What, you think I was going to let you guys continuously be nice to me and not do something in return? Besides, I just couldn't let them die. I couldn't live with myself if I did."

They smiled genuinely, then waved me over to join the group hug. Pretty soon, Two-Bit, Dally, and the girls joined too.

And for the first time since I got here, I felt like I was part of the gang. For the first time, I felt welcome. For the first time, I felt like I was part of the family.