Sour Dreams

Begin writing your story here...Isaac awoke to the warmth of a roaring fire, the comforting smells of his mother’s cooking and the sound of hearty, joyful laughter. As his vision focused, he saw an elderly man with silver hair and a bushy beard sitting beside a younger, well-built gentleman who was in the midst of fixing a hunting rifle. The two men, his father and brother, looked his way as they noticed him waking up. “Ah, you’re finally awake. You fell asleep right in the middle of those stories you were telling us.” said the older man. “We thought you’d never wake up, it’d be a shame if we had to bury you so soon after you came back,” his brother said with a chuckle. After what felt like eternity, Isaac was home again and welcomed with open arms, something he could only hope to dream of. With a smile on his face and all his worries gone, Isaac told the stories of his travels away from home, the things he learned and the people he met. He told a few of the tales of the Wandercrew and all the people they’ve helped, the problems they’ve solved, and a few of the problems they caused. Isaac shared with his family a wellspring of laughs as he and his brother traded tales with each other.
 
Suddenly, Isaac’s father began coughing harshly and the room grew cold and dark with each inhale of air. His face turned gray and began to crack as he coughed over and over, each cough harsher and more ragged than the last. The old man’s hands started to fall apart into ash, as the rest of the family looked on in horror, too shocked to even react. In the midst of his coughing fit, he tried to stand and reach out for help, only to fall over into a pile of dust and bones. Standing over the remains, Isaac’s brother turned to face him. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!” he shouted as his form began to mutate and he approached Isaac. The flames with the fireplace proceeded to grow wildly, violently consuming the walls of the cabin and blocking any exits. The sounds of his mother’s crying began to fill his ears in chorus with the shouting from the beast that was once his brother, the sounds only becoming louder and louder with every curse and swear thrown his way. ‘YOU CAUSED THIS!!! YOU RUINED OUR FAMILY!!! IT’S YOUR FAULT HE’S GONE!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU STAY, WHY DID YOU LEAVE!!!! WE’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THI-”
 
And then he woke up, eyes snapping open to meet a night sky.