Chapter Text
It’s funny how some things always seem to stay the same.
Even as the human race goes to hell, the world around them doesn't mimic the horror. The world didn’t ignite in flame, birds and small animals didn’t cease to exist. The earth wasn’t plunged into a permanent darkness.
And, to Ponyboy’s delight, the sunsets didn’t look any different.
The young boy leaned against the fence of his porch, staring up through the chicken wire into the orange sky. The wind blew softly through his brown-red hair, hitting gently against the windchimes, creating a gentle melody. He sighed, eyes barely skimming the undead beginning to wander about.
They weren’t dangerous. Not really at least.
Sure, at first they’d been a massive threat, killing thousands in a matter of days. But after a few months it was just…
normal.
It became routine after a while. If you get out just get home before dark and check for wounds. The apocalypse wasn’t like in the movies. Maybe if the zombies had been stronger the situation would’ve been more dire. But they weren’t. And it wasn’t.
“Ponyboy?”
The boy squeaked slightly as he’s drawn from his thoughts, standing up straight and turning to face the younger of his two brothers.
“Knew you’d be out here..” Soda said with a soft smile. “Man- You should’ve seen Darry’s face when he realized you weren’t next to him. Thought the old man was gonna have a heart attack.”
Pony laughed awkwardly, pulling away from the guarded fence. “I’m sorry Soda,” He said meekly as his brother came to ruffle his hair.
“He’ll be okay.”
The two boys made their way to the living room. Johnny and Dally sat practically attached at the hip, Dal’s arm wrapped loosely around his “friends” shoulders, a cig held up to his lips. With the collapse of the world (and the social norms that went with it) the rest of the gang suspected certain boundaries had long been lost between them. That they had grown into something far more close than friends. However, nothing was confirmed. No one really cared to ask. Steve stood idly by the table, waving at Soda as he noticed him.
“Oh- there you are..” Darry whispered, immediately pulling the young boy into his arms in a tight embrace, just to assure himself his little brother was in fact still with them. “Scared the life outa me Pony, where the hell did you go without lettin’ me know first?”
“Just on the porch…” Pony mumbles, trying and failing to pull himself out of his brother's hug.
“You know I don’t like you goin’ anywhere without tellin’ me.”
“I didn’t leave.”
“Still coulda gotten bit.”
Pony rolled his eyes.
“What’re they gonna do, Dar’? Unlock the gate? You and I both know they’re dumb as rocks. Pony ain’t an idiot, he ain’t gonna leave so close to dark.” Soda quipped, sitting down in tandem with Steve as he began to shuffle an old deck of cards.
Darry went quiet with a huff, patting Pony on the back as he finally pulled away.
An awkward silence fell over the room for a moment as the youngest of the group inched towards the fridge. He didn’t pay much attention to the news, as poor of a decision as that may be, but he was fairly aware that instead of cash, people were given food and other essentials in exchange for essential work like eclectic and farming. That’s what Darry did, and Soda. He thinks Steve and Dally might, Steve more than Dallas.
Either way, it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was the fact it still worked.
And weirdly enough, they’d been doing better than they really ever had. It made since when he thought about it, he probably had one of the best groups to have been stuck in this situation with. Darry was built like a brick wall, no one had the guts to try and screw him over in a trade. Not to mention his raw strength provided ample labor wherever it was he worked nowadays. Soda was charming as a movie star, barely needed to talk to make a deal. Dally’s reputation alone had him flooded with supplies as people would much rather lose an item or two than get on his bad side. And Two-Bit was a thief by nature.
“Hey, where is Two-bit?” Pony asked as the thought crossed his mind. Johnny, who was almost asleep in Dally’s arms, yawned a bit.
“He’s home tonight Pony,” Johnny mumbled, “He’s got family..”
“Ain’t it a friday?” The boy asked, glancing at the beat up calendar on the wall.
“His ma’ wanted him home for somethin’... Said somethin’ bout his sister and a bottle of whiskey.”
“Ah.” Pony nodded in understanding, closing the fridge upon deciding nothing looked appetizing at the moment. He instead shifted to the cabinet, pulling out a box of spaghetti. He moved to the sink, ignoring the sight of Steve beginning to throw cards at his brother as he filled a pot with warm water. He soon placed the water onto the stove, allowing it to begin a boil. He reached for the salt, shaking the glass container into the water.
“Don’t use too much of that,” Darry commented as he sat down on the couch. “A lady at my job said we can use it to preserve meat if things get worse.”
Ponyboy nodded absentmindedly, placing the seasoning back into the rack. “I ain’t usin’ much..”
Dally stretched a bit, mouth opening in a yawn to reveal his slightly pointed teeth. Johnny practically melted into the other, having fallen asleep long ago. “One of them hippie groups got the old drive in up again,” He said, stroking the younger's hair softly. “Me and Johnny were gonna catch a movie, thought the kid could come.”
Ponyboy perked up immediately. He hadn’t seen a movie in ages. Stations nowadays were almost exclusively reserved for news broadcasts. Maybe the occasional run of a children's show on certain channels.
Darry tensed up slightly, eyes darting to his little brother, then the blonde who had asked the question. “I dunno Dal.. How late you gonna be out with ‘im?”
“C’mon Darrel,” Dally said, “Johnny’s gonna be with us, you think I’d put him in danger?” He left out the “that we couldn’t get out of” part. “We basically live here now. He ain’t gonna be out any later than us, man.”
The eldest sighed, foot tapping against the floor. “It’s still risky..”
“Please Darry?” Pony asked. “I’ll stay right with Dally and Johnny, won’t leave their sight! I promise!”
“Yeah Dar’, let him go!” Soda quipped as he picked a card up from the floor and threw it at Steve. “He hasn’t left the house in months, let ‘em live a little!”
And Darrel could do nothing but sigh as he looked between his two brothers and friend.
“...Oh, alright.” He gives in, “Just be back before dark.”
And Ponyboy found himself over the moon.