Dead Dawn

Part 1 Chapter one: The way things should be

It's always a normal day at first and that is why you never expect it when little miss fortune decides to make you her favorite toy. She's a merciless entity whose only concern is her own entertainment.

"We're headed off Kazumi!"

"Don't open the door for anyone while we're gone," said my parents, closing the door before the words "I love you" could be said. My parents were always busy, so I never blamed them. As long as I knew how I felt it wasn't necessary to put it into words. Still, I couldn't help missing the way things used to be.

Since they just left for work, I knew it was 12 pm, and they almost always came home at 10 pm, meaning I had 10 hours until they came home, 10 hours to surprise them with a clean house. So, I went to the bathroom to get the hardest room out of my way first. I swept, mopped, cleaned the sink, toilet, and then the bath. Cleaning the bath always felt different though. It was pleasant?

Then I took a break, I was halfway done so I went to eat breakfast, I was far too tired to do anything else on an empty stomach. I walked down the stairs excited to start the day on a good note, I made my way to the kitchen, and opened the fridge only to see that it was empty. I guess it was grocery day.

"Shit." I heard myself mutter as I closed the fridge.

I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and made my way to the nearby corner store since we were out of food until my parents got paid at the end of the week. So, I had to survive off of the sandwiches and pastries they sell there, but it wasn't all bad because it all tasted really good and since I was a regular there the workers and even the manager were all familiar and nice to me and so I made my way to the corner store still convinced that this would be a good day.

After about a five-minute walk I finally entered through the automatic glass doors and got hit with the usual sudden gust of frigid air, and on my way to the refrigerated back of the store, where they kept all the pre-made food, I waved to my favorite employee Angel. I can't remember his real name, but he had a very popular nickname that fit him well, so everyone just called him Angel, true to his name he was always incredibly kind to me and sometimes we would eat cheap pizza slices together during his lunch break. He was a pale tall man in his last year of school, with messy light brown hair, carrying a heavy looking box.

He was a nice person who didn't seem to have many arguments with other people, and I feel like he would've won most of his theoretical arguments, due to his calm and patient nature that made me respect and admire him so much that I tried to be just like him growing up. Honestly, I think he might have influenced who I am today.

"What's in the box?" I curiously asked him, temporarily forgetting my manners.

"Just some food that's past its sell by date, it's my job to get rid of it if it's been here long enough. But between us I'll let you take it off of my hands for free"

"But won't it be too old to eat, won't I get sick?" I said naively concerned.

"No, you're thinking of the expiration date, the sell by date is when the food is past its prime but still edible and safe."

"So, when will it expire?"

He looked in the box and moved some stuff, paused for a second then turned back to me.

"I'd say about a week before it starts to expire, so do you want it?"

I had to think about it for a few seconds, is he allowed to give food away? If this were a normal thing stores did, then why didn't I ever hear about it before. I was happy that I was being offered a gift, and I knew that it was rude to decline a gift offered by a family friend. I didn't feel right doing it because of the risk of such a nice person losing his job for me, I guess I could've asked him if it was okay, but I was a kid at the time and I know that if there was risk, he wouldn't tell me anyway, especially considering my family's condition.