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His pinkie finger on his three-fingered hand was broken. His fingernails were becoming cracked and bloody as his hands scrabbled over the concrete, struggling to find some kind of purchase to pull himself away. A small foot came down on one of his hands and he screamed as he felt the crunch of fingers breaking under an unyielding heel.

Earl let out a desperate shout of fear as he lost his grip, finding himself unable to fight back as he was dragged away by the mute children, his heart pounding in his chest as his vision was soon swallowed up by darkness and nothing.

Roger was woken up by his father’s screaming. The eleven year old pushed himself up and out of bed and he walked across the hall into his father’s bedroom, turning the light on before approaching the bed. He was careful to move as slowly as possible, mindful not to attract too much attention and end up getting attacked by his father.

Earl had kicked the sheets off in a fit, lashing out at the air with his limbs with his eye firmly closed. He was panting between short bursts of screams, sobbing as his body soon went limp, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to breathe.

His son took this as his chance. He reached out, pressing the palm of his hand against Earl’s sweaty forehead. He watched as Earl tensed up before suddenly relaxing, moaning as he opened his eye to look up at him with his cloudy eye. The boy offered him a sad smile, holding up a hand to sign, “you were having a bad dream.”

He blushed, licking his lips before sitting up, clearing his throat in an attempt to try and reclaim some of his decorum. “Did I wake you up?” he asked.

Roger shook his head in a lie as he picked up the sheets and blankets, placing them back onto Earl’s bed before climbing in afterwards. He sat down beside him, hugging him around his middle in comfort.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” Earl apologized. His son just placed his head on his shoulder and Earl allowed himself to relax, hugging his son close in silent apology. “I’m trying not to…have these dreams so often,” he confessed.

“I love you, dad,” Roger signed to him and Earl smiled sadly, gently bumping his forehead against Roger’s in affection.