Don't Trust the Knocking

Prologue

     Megan Thompson sighed as she finished packing up her belongings for Arizona. She could no longer stand being in Minnesota, not after her husband's death. She wiped away a tear and gave a halt-hearted smile as she ran her thumb alongside her and her husband's marriage pictures; she was ready to discard any reminder of him, his memory only brought her pain.

     Megan's son, Jason, was not as eager to leave as his mother. He had thrown all kinds of tantrums ever since he found out about the move 3 months earlier. He didn't want to move to Arizona; he had made amazing friends in school. There was nothing he could do as a 12 year old kid though, so he tried his best to suck it up. He looked around his room at the belongings he wasn't able to bring with him; childhood toys, pictures of his dad at the fire station, other items. He let out a quiet sigh and met his mom outside at the car.

     Megan smiled at her son, but deep down she was breaking. She knew how much the house meant to Jason. She felt terrible about doing this, but she knew if she stayed she would relapse. Before meeting her husband, Todd, she was a cocaine addict. She couldn't let that happen, not when Jason needed her. She helped him load his things into their station wagon, and kissed his head as she pulled him into a hug. "You ready, you handsome devil?" Jason simply nodded in response, letting her know that he wanted to be left alone. She grabbed Jason's MP3 player and handed it to him. "Listen to music until we get there, baby. I won't be offended." Jason took his MP3 player and got into the car, sighing as he started his classic rock playlist. Megan kissed his head softly before closing the door for him and getting into the driver's seat. She took one last, long regretful look at the house she had known for 16 years and pulled out of the driveway, looking back only once to wish peace upon her husband and shed a single tear.