Johnny Merrimon

Johnny is the undisputed hero of this tale. Basically a good young man who faces a tough life, Johnny grows through these pages into a man of whom his missing father could be proud. Johnny has become his mother's 'de facto' caretaker as she slides deeper into her addiction. Johnny painfully misses his father and deeply resents and fears Ken Holloway, the man who sleeps with his mother, provides her drugs and abuses her. These conflicting feelings drive Johnny's antisocial behavior, such as skipping school. He also is obsessed with finding out the fate of his missing sister, Alyssa.

Clyde Lafayette Hunt

Clyde Lafayette Hunt, otherwise known as Detective Hunt, is a kindhearted cop who tries to act as a surrogate father for Johnny, and who has a romantic interest in his mother, Katherine. The appropriately-named Hunt is also the spearhead of the local police department's investigation...