Johnny pulled himself through the dirt with his hands. He couldn't see very well, he could only see by the light of the moon. He was breathing hard due to the physical effort, and tended to hold his breath whenever he started to pull himself further.

He wasn't sure what he was doing. Was he looking for something? Or trying to get away? He had to get back to his room soon, either way. His friends were coming by, and they always went to his room. Plus, he couldn't let them see him like this.

Johnny saw a light come on over the fence and assumed it was his father. He didn't know what he wanted, maybe another pack of beer.

He continued to pull himself through the dirt and heard something behind him. He stopped and listened and heard the jingle of collar tags. His dad had let loose the attack dogs on his own son.

"No! Dammit," Johnny muttered desperately.

He couldn't stand up because his dad would see him. But if he stayed down, he'd get mauled by the Rottweilers.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered, his voice pitching. He looked around like he thought he was going to see something to help him but there was nothing.

He started to crawl through the dirt as fast as he could. But the dogs caught up to him.

The four dogs took positions so that he was circled by them. One was at his face, the others at his sides and the last behind him.

"No," he said to them. "No no no no."

And they attacked him. They tore at him and bit him and clawed him.

Johnny shouted in pain and shoved his face into the dirt, waiting for it to end. Maybe if he got lucky, it would kill him.

Then there was a whistle and the dogs stopped. Johnny opened his eyes and looked up at his father.

"Shut up boy," he said viciously. He turned from the fence, and the dogs ran back the way they had come.

Johnny couldn't move. He was bloody, and bitten, and in unreal pain. He stayed with his eyes squeezed closed, and he was whimpering slightly.

Jared, Sam, Judas and Caden rode their bikes down the dirt path down to Johnny's house.

"I wonder what he wanted us to come over for," Judas muttered to the other three boys.

"Who knows, who cares," Caden smirked. "Anything to get out of the house."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Maybe he just got bored."

"Is Johnny the only one that doesn't have problems like us?" Jared asked.

"Not sure," said Sam. "He doesn't talk about it. We know his mom died though."

"Oh," was all Jared said.

The four of them rode in silence for the rest of the way down the dusty trail and turned the corner where Johnny was still lying.

"Johnny?" exclaimed Caden.

Johnny opened his eyes at his friend's voice but didn't move or say anything for a moment.

"What happened to you, man!" Judas said, jumping off his bike.

"Nothing," Johnny told him. He stood up, using the fence. His head still hung down and blood dripped from his face. "I'm fine."

"What the hell are you talking about?" snapped Sam. "Look at you!"

"What did that to you?"

Johnny still didn't say anything. He just stared hatefully at the ground. There was no talking his way out of this one.

Then the back door opened again and someone walked out.

Johnny dropped himself down to the ground and said, "Get down dammit! Don't let him see you!"

The four boys got down and Johnny looked through the fence. His father was stumbling around, which meant he was good and drunk. He was just getting another case of beer.

Johnny sighed in relief. If his father was drunk, he probably wouldn't notice them. He leaned his head back against the fence, breathing deeply.

"What the hell?" Sam said again.

The four boys just stared at their friend.