The Lost Outsiders

Get the Gang Together

Dally smiled at the boys, who were watching him intently. Placing the phone down, he walked back to them
"My gang's comin' over. Just don't be too freaky, Johnny has a bit of a, let's say... nervous disposition."
"Fine by me, bud," Paul smiled before turning to look around Dally, "Oh, hey Star. Hey Laddie."
Star lifted her head and smiled at him, before speeding past Dally and sitting down. Laddie quickly leapt onto her lap.

Darry pulled up to a curb, near a cliff with various warning signs dotted around. Five dirt bikes were lined up, hastily covered by some branches. The six climbed out of the car, making their way to the edge, where a rickety staircase spiralled down.
"Somethin' ain't right, Ponyboy." Johnny muttered.
"I don't like it either. C'mon, let's get this over with."
They began the steep decline to the abandoned hotel.

"Dally?" Johnny yelled into the dark chasm that faced them.
"Yeah? C'mon guys, it's nice in here!" Dally answered, hoping the echoes weren't his drunken imagination. Luckily, his six friends appeared from the darkness.
"What the hell is this place, Dal?" Darry whispered, not noticing the group of oddly dressed teens snickering in the shadows.
Marko tapped Steve's shoulder, almost getting punched by the startled boy.
"Well, I met some guys, and they brought me here. That's Marko, the one Steve almost battered." Dally laughed.
"Over there's Star and Laddie," Dally motioned towards the two sitting by the fire, "And-"
"I'm David. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Don't worry about Marko, he's harmless. Over there you'll see Dwayne, and the guy hanging off the chandelier is Paul. Dallas, why don't you introduce your friends?"
"Nah, man... I'll leave introductions to them." Dally shrugged off the confused stares and sat down by the fire. David motioned to the others to follow suite. Darry looked suspiciously at David, who held out his hand. He shook it firmly, before introducing himself and moving on. All the others followed; Steve, Two-Bit, Soda, Pony, and finally, Johnny. When he reached the end of the line, David frowned, noticing the scar on Johnny's head.
"Who did that to you?"
"Just some kids..." Johnny was taken aback by the sudden interest. All the others had scars as well.
"They have battle scars. These are... nevermind." David mumbled, as if he had read Johnny's thoughts. They joined the others, neither sure of what just happened.
"What the hell did you do to Dally?" Darry hissed, motioning to his friend, who was becoming to look quite sick.
"I changed him," David smirked, watching the boys confused faces, "Into one of us."
"Into one of you? What are you?" Steve growled. David just laughed in response.
"Well? What have you done to Dal?" Johnny mumbled. David's face softened slightly,
"I cannot answer that, but all you should know is that he can never leave Santa Carla. You can join us, if you wish."
"Okay... I'll stay here, with Dal."
"Johnny, what the hell? You don't know these people!" Ponyboy was the first to argue with Johnny's desicion.
"Pony, you could stay too! We could all stay! It can't be worse than going back to Tulsa... to my parents..."
David sighed softly. That's why he liked Johnny so much. He could always tell, when a kid got hurt by their parents. He always wanted to protect them from more harm.
"We won't hurt any of you." He whispered.
"How do we know that?" Darry questioned, still nervous of the boys.
"Because we're not like that," he looked of to Johnny, "You still staying?"
Johnny nodded as Marko slowly retrieved  the bottle. He open it slowly, before handing it to the younger boy with a gentle smile.
A soft chant filled the room. The four boys were chanting Johnny's name over and over, waiting for him to drink. Slowly, the boy took a sip, watching David nervously. As soon as he swallowed, an explosion of cheers erupted. David smiled at him kindly, before turning to the others.
"So what do you say? Are you going to join Johnny and Dally?"
All of the remaining boys nodded slightly, and Darry took the bottle off Johnny. They passed it around, grimacing at the metallic taste, and soaking up the cheers each time one took a sip.
"You should sleep here. It's your home now." David smiled, watching the new boys settle down.