Shannon Hannan

Living Under a "Rock" Shannon Hannan

Turning onto the gravel driveway, excitement wells up inside of me as I prepare to see my mom and two younger brothers, Tracy and Jason, whom I haven't seen in almost three months, and to be a family again after two years living with my father and older brother, Dana, since the divorce. But my father will not be staying with us in the "Red House" now that mom is remarried to her husband, Rocky. Just thinking of his name, "Rocky," makes me nervous and causes a shiver to travel down my spine. He is a large, powerful man with little patience for the weak and even less tolerance for those who don't respect him ... I climb out of the car with the "Red House" directly in front me, and the bark of the largest dog I have ever seen ringing in my left ear; the two-hundred-pound-Saint Bernard yanking on the chain attached to the collar around his neck, trying to break free to greet me with his large white fangs. The front door of the "Red House" is wide open, but completely void of any light, not even the bright rays of the sun are able to penetrate the darkness. Little did I know the evil hiding and waiting for me in the shadows on the other side of that door.