Awaken the Dragon

Chapter 7

The car ride took over two hours to get to the cabin. I honestly can say I had no idea the family even owned a cabin in the first place. When we got there I was shocked to see the size of it. It was a huge two story cabin with large windows in the front looking out into the woods surrounding it. As I pull up I notice my younger brother Nathan sitting on the front porch on a porch swing. I assume no one else is there because there were no other cars around. I did find it odd that Nathan, an eleven-year-old, was allowed to be here by himself. 

"Hey, I thought mom and dad were going to be here?" I pipe up as Emily puts the car in park. 

Jacob looks back at me and says, "They will be here soon. They don't know you will be here so brace yourself. You know how they are."

Oh, I know all too well how mom and dad are. With that thought, I start to get out of the car to find most of my pain gone and the side effects of the medicine gone. My shoulder blades were aching but that wasn't the strange part. The only other place that hurt was my hands. Did I fall on them or something in the accident?

With the assistance of Jacob, I was able to make my way to the porch. I found going up the few steps was difficult because my legs were stiff and the ache in my back. I felt a hand on my back in an effort to give support. I look to my side and find Emily is the one helping me.

"What's wrong, Liam?" She asks with a concerned look on her face. This is probably the most concerned for my wellbeing she has ever been.

"My legs are a bit sore and my shoulders hurt a bit," I reply as I make it up the rest of the stairs. Out of nowhere Nathan runs up to me and gives me a big hug. I can feel tears soaking through my shirt. I painfully bring my hand up to his head and hug him back.

"I'm so happy you are okay, brother," Nathan choaks out through tears. This is getting strange because they have never been this loving to me, ever. After the long hug is over I ask, "Can we go inside, please. My back is starting to hurt pretty bad." It is getting worse with every step I take and all I want to do is sit down.

Nathan then goes in front of us to open the door and guides me to the living room. "Here you go, the brown recliner will probably be the most comfortable." He points to a recliner on the other side of the living room. There were two other couches to chose from but I took his word for it. Once I was sitting, I was able to take in my surroundings. The living room was at least twice as big as the one back at home. There was much more sitting room as well as being very open. You could see the kitchen from where I was sitting and it was immaculate compared to the one I was used to. It had granite countertops and was very pleasing to look at. I bet it would be a great kitchen to cook in. I struggled to look behind me but I found a staircase going upstairs and several rooms connected to the living room. All the doors were shut which made it impossible to know what each room was. 

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard a faint sound of tires coming down the gravel road. Everyone looked at each other in that moment with very frightened expressions.