Excerpt of Sins of the Father by Lisa Beth Darling

Hannah had been doing a very good job of keeping the storm off her mind even though it was growing more violent by the minute. The lamp and her good memories kept that wolf at bay. As she stood against the wall near the window admiring her work, the whole world suddenly shook below her feet as it lit up with electric purple fire. Hannah grabbed the curtain in an attempt to stay on her unsteady feet but when the thunder made its powerful presence known her grip tightened as her knees let go. She crashed to the floor hard and clasped her hands over her ears as she squenched her eyes shut tight. The heavy wooden curtain rod hit her in the head as it fell bringing the drapes down with it. Eyes closed and mind suddenly lost in frenzy, her mind believing the rod and curtain to be a person, she batted it away with one hand and then kicked at it with her feet. Hannah moved to press herself against the wall as much as she could with her hands over her ears and her knees drawn up to her chin. Trembling and rocking back and forth in place her feet started to twirl around each other. Forcing her eyes open, Hannah found herself in darkness and silence. The radio no longer kept her company there was no glow from the TV or the lamp on top of the piano. Looking up to the window it was dark out there, she should be able to see a streetlight or two but there was nothing other than the storm.

Get a grip! It's just rain!

Yes, yes, quite right. Just rain, that's all. I'm safe here in the house. Just rain. Just rain.

With an aching head that was dripping blood soaking the wig on the top of her head, she rose up to her knees to peek out of the window. The silhouettes of the trees bent wildly in the gusting winds.

CRACK!

"OH!" She ducked down again before the lightning could finish its strike and huddled close to the wall below the window listening to the driving rains beating against the house. Holding her hands to her head once more she felt something warm and sticky but in the dim light couldn't make it out as being her own blood. Wanting to be away from the sounds of the wind and rain, Hannah began to search for a way to get off the floor to go hide in the bedroom. The windowsill was the best bet and with blood soaked fingers, she grabbed it once more determined not to look through the glass as she got up. Pushing herself upward with her back half to the window another strike hit and this time something outside exploded in a shower of sparks that illuminated the whole street. Hannah turned to see the transformer on the power line across the street had been hit by lightning, it was on fire and belching sparks into the storm as it made the line hum in a loud low drone.

Rounding the corner up the street a car came toward the window with its high beams blasting through the storm.

"Oh, oh, no." Hannah cried out as the lights blinded her. "NO!" She held one arm against the oncoming lights and put other the other in a 'stop' motion. The hand went straight through both panes until it was soaked with rainwater. The shattered glass sliced into her arm.

From the deep recesses of her mind a memory gushed forth so powerful and fearful it out matched the storm raging outside.

"White," Hannah muttered through her screams, "It was white!"

She was on Winding Road, she saw the car coming at her, begged it to turn off and head in the other direction and just before it impacted with her everything seemed to slow down to one frame per second. Tick by agonizing tick the scene went by in her mind, the car inching closer and closer to her and the moment it would change her life forever.

It was white.

It was big.

It was oh so shiny.

It was old.

It was… Classic.

Helpless to stop the memory, in her mind she yanked the wheel as she let out a cry. In that instant milliseconds before the brutal impact her headlights lit up the interior of the oncoming car. It wasn't Frank behind the wheel. Betty wasn't next to him.

James Rice was behind the wheel of his prized El Dorado with his pipe clenched in his teeth.

In her fragile weary mind, just the cars crashed into each other, there was a loud banging sound from behind her but she barely heard it over the sound of her own screams. Turning away from the harsh sound of metal-on- metal ringing her mind, she pulled her arm back through the window only to have the jagged glass bite her again.

Above her screams, someone was shouting her name: "Hannah? Hannah!"

In front of the door burst open with great force sending the new alarm wailing. Someone stood on the other side. She couldn't make them out in the dark and she couldn't stop screaming.

"Hannah?"

A man's voice came to her above the loud siren. She saw his silhouette. He was very tall and looked very powerful as he sprinted toward her with his arms outstretched. In a blind panic Hannah reached out for the nearest object; the Tiffany lamp.

"Hannah?"

He came up next to her, he bent down as he went to grab her, and with all she could muster, Hannah smashed the lamp into the side of his head dropping him where he stood.

With the sound of shattering glass tinkling below the call of the siren and the howl of the wind and rain, Hannah bolted out the door and into the storm.