The next day Johnny was walking around in the woods near the school waiting for Pony to meet him. There was still about 20 minutes before the kids would exit the building and he was occupying himself with tossing rocks into a nearby puddle. He could see the school from where he was sitting, the woods weren't that thick. Usually he waited right outside the school, but the last couple days, some Socs had noticed him sitting outside and they'd come to the window and make faces or obscene gestures at him. That got annoying so he had started hanging out in the nearby woods. It was one of the few places around that actually felt "naturey" and he found he actually enjoyed sitting there. It was quiet and he could think.

But today, it was too quiet. He had noticed it right away. There were no birds singing or squirrels running around. After a few minutes, it started to make him a little nervous. He still had the jitters from that movie marathon and that stupid phone call. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end.

What is wrong with me? he thought angrily.

Just then, there was a soft cracking sound, as though someone had stepped on a branch. Johnny looked around, but didn't see anything. He looked towards the school and thought about walking a little closer to the building.

Out of the corner of his eye he detected a slight movement and he turned his head just in time to see something move behind a tree.

It looked like a person. It was definitely time to move closer to the building. At least he could go inside if he needed to.

He stood up, keeping his eye on where he'd seen the figure moving around. There were a lot of bushes and small trees and he couldn't see very well if there was anyone there or not.

And then someone stepped out from behind the trees.

It appeared to be a man of average height. He was wearing light colored pants and a black sweatshirt that appeared to be layered over more clothes.

And he was wearing a ski mask.

Johnny's insides froze, he literally could not move for a second. And then remembered Two-bit's prank.

He stood there for a moment because part of his brain was telling him, it's Two-bit, don't run off again and look like an idiot. It had to be Two-bit. He was doing it again. This time, Johnny thought, maybe he'd just let Dally go after him. This was too much.

But the guy was coming towards him quickly and something in the way the he moved told Johnny this was someone else. This was all happening in a split second and the part of his brain that was not telling him this was Two-bit was screaming, RUN!

Johnny tried to reach for his switchblade, keep his eyes on his pursuer and run at the same time which turned out to be a mistake.

He tripped over a root and fell. By the time he got up, he was being tackled to the ground again.

And now he really couldn't move. He'd been attacked by a whole group of Socs before, but this was scarier. If this guy was who he appeared to be, Johnny knew he wouldn't have to worry about Socs anymore.

The man had Johnny by the hair and was kneeling on his back and pressing the side of his face against the ground. Johnny could smell alcohol on the his breath, and he got a brief look at his eyes through the holes of the ski mask.

It seemed like an eternity before he spoke.

"They didn't catch the real killer, you know." he hissed in Johnny's ear.

Johnny squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember to breathe.

"Ever heard of a 'copy cat'? That guy in the cemetery, that's what he was. I wouldn't have made a mistake like that. That guy was a copy cat.....I'm the real killer."

Johnny didn't move. He could barely breath. He wasn't even trying to pretend that he wasn't scared.

"You shouldn't be out here... walking around like you can just go anywhere you want... You know where your kind belongs!"

Oh, man, Johnny thought. This is it.

"But you're lucky," the man continued. "I'm not after you. I have a plan to follow. I'm laying low right now. I tell you what... I really want to follow my original plan. I'm not after you. But I will be if you tell anyone I was here. And I mean that.... don't think I don't watch. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You tell anyone, and I'll know. And I'll kill you. And I'll kill your friend Ponyboy. I will make it my next goal."

Johnny's stomach turned.

"That's right, I know who your friends are. And I can get them. You're easy. You're alone most of the time. And do you think they can watch Ponyboy every second of the day? He runs right through here all the time during his track practice. I've seen him! He's all alone then.... because he's so fast... He's always the first one through. But he's not faster than me! And if you tell ANYONE that I was here..... I will kill him. Do you understand?"

By now, Johnny was feeling the onset of panic. He started to struggle. He felt a stabbing pain in his side as something sharp tore at his skin. The guy had a knife. Johnny cried out in pain.

"SHUT UP! Don't you move, or I swear I'll kill you right now!" the guy screamed. He actually sounded more nervous than threatening, Johnny noticed, but now was not the time to second guess him.

Johnny lay still, except for the fact that he was shaking.

"Don't you move," he said again. "Now, you remember what I said. I'm going to be leaving town when I finish my next job, but while I'm here, I'm watching your every move! I'm listening! You tell one person and I will kill you. And your friend."

And suddenly, the guy leaped up and took off, leaving Johnny lying there stunned.

When Johnny was sure he was gone, he sat up carefully. He was bleeding pretty bad from where the guy had cut him. He was shaking so much he didn't know if he could even walk, but school was about to let out and he had to get himself cleaned up before anyone saw him. He had to think about what he was going to do. He wanted to tell someone, but would that psycho really carry out his threat? Johnny's mind was racing. He tried to settle down. He took a few deep breaths and stood up. He headed back to the road going towards the school instead of back through the woods. He hoped he could get far enough away so that Ponyboy wouldn't see him when the final bell rang.

All the way home he thought about what the guy had said... He knew things. He must be watching all the time, Johnny thought.

When he got back to his own neighborhood, he headed for his house. His father would be gone, and with any luck, his mother would just ignore him as usual. And she did. Johnny walked right in the front door, dripping with blood and limping from when he had fallen. She never looked up from the TV.

He went up to his room and found a towel that he wet in the sink and pressed on the cut. He winced in pain, but he kept pressing. He had to stop the bleeding. He lay down on his bed and held tightly to the towel.

What am I going to do, he thought. Should I go to the police? Tell the guys? I can't... what about Ponyboy? Johnny thought about what might happen. He didn't want anything to happen to his friend. And Darry and Soda- how would they survive something happening to Ponyboy? Granted, Johnny didn't want to die either, but the threat on his friend's life was what was going to shut his mouth and keep it shut.

He made up his mind then to stay quiet. At least for a little while. Maybe the guy would leave. Johnny gritted his teeth as he pulled the towel away from his skin. It had been about a half hour and the bleeding had pretty much stopped, but the cut looked bad. He hoped it didn't need stitches. He wondered if the Curtises would have some bandages. His parents never had stuff like that.

Johnny's father would be home soon and he really wanted to be gone before he got there. So he changed his shirt, which was now drenched in blood on the one side, and he went back down stairs. He was still carrying the towel and he used it to mop the blood off the floor that he'd left there when he came in.

He breathed deeply again, trying to settle his nerves as he stepped outside. He had to pull himself together. The guys would know something was up. But he was so scared....

There were lights on at the Curtis house. By the time he climbed the steps of their porch, he had stopped shaking and the pain in his side had dulled enough so that he could walk without cringing.

"Hey, Johnny!" Ponyboy called as Johnny walked through the front door.

"Hey," Johnny replied, quietly.

"Just in time for dinner, kiddo." Darry yelled from the kitchen.

No one seemed to notice anything and Johnny sighed in relief. Eventually, he sneaked off to the bathroom and found some gauze that he was able to tape to his side. His cut had started bleeding a little again, but luckily, he'd thought to put on a dark shirt.

It was pretty late that night when Dally showed up. And it didn't take him long to start eyeing Johnny curiously. Johnny groaned inwardly. He hoped Dally wouldn't confront him.

"What's with him tonight?" Dally asked Darry quietly in the other room.

"Hmm?" Darry looked up from some paper work he was doing.

"Johnny... he's actin' funny.... like something happened, I don't know. Is he all right?"

"As far as I know. He didn't say anything, but I thought he seemed quieter than usual. He's probably got stuff going on at home again."

Dally looked at Johnny from across the room. Pony was lying on the floor and seemed engrossed in a TV show. Johnny looked like he was trying focus, but he was fidgety and he kept looking out the window.

Darry was probably right. Johnny's old man had probably worked him over again. It made Dally so angry. He hated that Johnny ever even went home. Why did he bother? Dally scowled and went to get a beer from the fridge.

He wandered into the livingroom and ruffled Johnny's hair as he walked by. "Hey, kid," he said casually. Dally sat down on the other side of the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. "What are you guys watchin'?"

"Nothing," they both replied in unison.

"Ahh... that's a good show." Dally replied.

They both looked up at him. Dally wasn't usually one for humor. It caught everyone off guard whenever he made even the slightest attempt at it.

Ponyboy grinned. So did Johnny, a little, but Dally caught the look in his eye. He was scared. Whatever his old man did this time, it really made an impact, Dally thought. He did his best not to show his anger. There wasn't much he could do now and Johnny certainly wouldn't talk about it.

"You going back out again tonight?" Johnny's voice broke into Dally's thoughts.

Dally had been considering it, but he wanted to keep an eye on Johnny, at least for a little while. "No, I think I'll probably call it a night and crash in the chair. Looks like a storms coming anyway."

Johnny looked visibly relieved.

"It's probably time we all call it a night," Darry said coming into the living room with blankets and pillows for Johnny and Dally. "All right, Ponyboy?"

Pony yawned and didn't argue. It was late. Even Soda had already gone to bed. "Goodnight guys," he called over his shoulder as he walked towards his room.