Gahhhh. Bat shit. I wasn't the sharpest tool in the box at times, but even I knew what was happening. I wanted to clap my hand to my head

in frustration. How could I have forgotten to fill up my truck with gas?

I had pulled to the side of the road as best as I was able to. Steering wasn't so easy when you were out of gas. I sat there for a couple of

minutes, thinking. And considering. I figured that I was closer to town than I was to where I'd dropped Kristen off at. I mentally calculated,

how many houses had I seen between where I sat at now and Murphys? Two, maybe? This wasn't an area that I traveled much at all, so I wasn't

that familiar.

This was going to make me late getting back to the building. Late helping Daniel like I'd promised. Like I'd told the guys at home. Late then getting home after

my allotted hour, and getting to my homework and chores. Late, late, late.

I sifted thru the stuff in my truck seat, seeing nothing that would need taking at the moment. Other than my license, which I had in

my jeans pocket. And my keys. I pocketed them, too, and got out, and stood, staring down the road, and preparing to walk.

I would go to the first house I came to, and ask to use the telephone. My first preference was to call Daniel. He would find a gas

can and bring me some gas. He wouldn't be overly critical about my forgetfulness. Still-Daniel hadn't had the telephone installed at the building

as yet. He saw no point to that until he was closer to opening. So-my choice was to find another way to get hold of Daniel at the building, or to

call home. And those at home wouldn't be as patient as Daniel would be with me.

I began walking, thinking I would figure it out as I walked.

It was longer to a house than I'd remembered. I was used to walking and hiking around the ranch, but I was still getting tired by the

time I reached the first house. The name on the dented mailbox said H. Forbes. I tried to think of who that was and did I know them?

Murphys is such a small town, mostly everybody knows everybody. Still-the name of H. Forbes didn't ring a bell.

I hesitated in the road, wondering whether to risk going to a stranger's house. Then, as I stood there, two large, very very large

dogs came around the corner of the house. German Shepherds. Now, I love all dogs, that's been proven, but I still have a healthy

respect for dogs who I don't know, and who don't know me. Especially very large ones. Like those standing by the house, surveying me.

I looked to my back, the way that I'd walked. If the dogs decided to charge me, and attack, there was no way I could reach the safety of

my truck.

I knew better than to run. I tried speaking to the dogs, in a calm tone, standing in the middle of the road. Hopefully they were well trained, and

taught to only stay on their own property. I was feeling scared. No doubt about it.

"I'm not gonna bother you," I said, trying to sound calm and soothing. The dogs took a few steps closer to me and I felt my chest

tighten. Those two could do serious damage to me. I've been bitten by dogs before, mostly in my younger days because I would approach

any dog, anywhere, to try and pet them. Once, on the street in Angels Camp, when I was about five, I had my hand out to pet a big black

dog of mixed breed, when the dog began snarling at me, and Brian, who was in charge of me that day, yanked me back so fast I lost my footing,

and whirled like a hula hoop for a split second. Brian had done his own snarling and growling at me then, giving me a talking to that scared

me worse than the big, black snarling dog had.

"Are you good boys?" I continued, still trying to sound confident but not threatening to them.

One of the dogs began to warn me off, with a low growl. Bat shit...

I began to back slowly away, in the direction I'd come in, but the dogs began advancing towards me.

I couldn't help myself-I felt out and out terror take over my entire body. I kept backing but they kept coming closer, and when, while I was

backing up, I nearly tripped on a big rock, and caught myself, with a jerking motion, well-that seemed to further aggravate the dogs.

Especially the one in front. Any other time I would have admired how beautiful of a German Shepherd that he was, with black on his face-

Now he began to growl louder, and I wondered if there was someone inside the house who would hear me if I yelled for help. Yelling like that

might cause the dogs to charge me, though, so I held my tongue. I kept talking quietly to the dogs, though much later, when I thought it all over, I

couldn't remember anything that I had said to them at all.

By now, I was trembling, and panicking in the worst way...The front door of the house opened and out of the corner of my

eye I saw someone step out. A man's voice called out to the dogs.

"King! Come on back here!"

I prayed the dogs were obedient, but it didn't seem so, as they kept coming towards me. One stood in front of me, the one who was doing the

growling, and the other one went behind me, and I felt surrounded.

"Call off your dogs, please!" I told the man. "Please!" I begged.

"They won't hurt ya," he said, walking towards me. I had my eye on the dogs, so I didn't really take in his appearance.

"It seems like they're going to-"

The man appeared at my side, and gripped the collar of the male Shepherd. The most aggressive one.

"Hold up, King!" he ordered.

The dog seemed to be glaring at me, still. I looked towards the second dog, who seemed to follow the other, and went back

into the yard. And away from me.

I felt a relief wash over me, and as the terror abated somewhat, I still felt my heart pounding thru my chest.

The man was nearly at my side. Now I could see him. And smell him.

He had hair that was long and looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks. He wore overalls that were torn in places. One of those places

was in the center of his chest, exposing chest hair and his nipple. Ugh.

When I took in his face, he gave me a smile, showing some missing teeth on the bottom.

"Haven't seen ya round here before," he said.

"No-" I hesitated, thinking fast. There was something about this man...not that being dirty or rough looking made him not a good person,

but I was getting a vibe, an instinct that I wanted to avoid him. I decided not to ask to use his telephone.

"I'm just out walking," I said, vaguely. "Will you hold your dogs-I need to head back-"

I would, I decided, swiftly, walk back to my truck. From there I would figure out what to do. Maybe I would go to Dean's grandma's house,

where Kristen was...

"Where you headin' to?" the man asked, stepping a little too close for my comfort.

"Back to my boyfriend's house," I said, making up a fast story.

"Who's your boyfriend? Not many houses on this road-" he began.

"Dean. His grandma lives just back there a ways," I said, my story growing.

"You can come in. Sit awhile. Call somebody," the man offered. It seemed like a nice enough offer, but I was still getting that

weird warning vibe...

"No. Dean's waiting," I said. "Will your hold your dog until I'm gone?"

At his nod, I turned around and started walking fast-back towards my truck. Right now, I just wanted to get to it, and get inside, and lock

the doors. After the dogs, and then this guy...I thought just being inside the safety of my truck cab would be like heaven right now.

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