Back to the Stone Age - Senkū

Prologue

Jyakugai

I opened my eyes, relieved to find myself awake after my slumber. One of the scariest things about the dark was never knowing if I would wake up the next day.

Another day never meant much to me other than the fact that I was breathing - I'm alive. I never left the house anyways.

Honestly, I don't know why - or even how - a person can like the outdoors. It's so wild and unpredictable, and you could die at any moment. If you're inside, away from it all, you can't get hurt.

"Jyakugai!" my dad called. "Are you awake now?"

"If I wasn't, I'd be now!" I called back. My dad's laughter followed.

My dad is probably the only person I have a positive opinion of. It's a sad thing to say, but I'm afraid it's true.

Actually, I'm afraid of a lot of things. That's one of the reasons I don't exactly like myself.

I mean, I don't hate myself either. My fear has saved me multiple times I'm sure - spider bites, car accidents, suffocation. They were all things I avoided because I was afraid.

I peer over the edge of my bed for any dangers there might be. I didn't see any bugs, there was no glass or other sharp objects, and there certainly wasn't a wild animal. So, I carefully lifted up my bedsheet, crawled out, and fixed the bed. It wasn't difficult since much didn't move - if something happened, I wanted to be able to easily recognize it.

Rinse and repeat the process and I'm finally downstairs. Everything so far has luckily been harmless.

My dad is seated at the table, and I can tell he just placed breakfast at the table. It just happens to be my favorites - an omelette, seasoned just to perfection, a bowl of rice, and water to drink. I fear that more complex drinks might make me sick or poison me.

"Good morning!" my dad greets with a smile. I pick up my spoon.

"Good morning," I reply quietly. Nothing can honestly beat my dad's cooking. It's my main inspiration to do things - live to eat something he's made, and maybe, one day, be on par with his skills. My dad always says I give him too much credit.

I mean, I can cook, too. Fears related to the kitchen are likely the only ones I've gotten over. Hot stoves, flying oil - you name it - they all scared me. Still, I got over it. Food is just that fundamental.

"Got any plans for today?" my dad asks between bites. I nod.

"I've been reading this one book, and I haven't quite yet finished yet. I'm thinking of finishing today."

"Oh really? Tell me how it ends, okay?"

"I will. Afterwards, I'll probably study a bit - who knows?"

"Mm. Just don't forget to take care of yourself, alright?"

"Of course. I got it."

We continued on talking about all sorts of things - food, books, just safe things in general - and it takes up the rest of breakfast. I finish first, and then I place the dishes in the sink.

I sit down in the living room and pull out Winter, a really great book that I'd been trying to finish for the past week now. It was the last book in the series, and I just had to know how it ended. I feared that the characters wouldn't get a happy ending.

As I flipped past pages, I suddenly noticed the room get brighter. I set down the book, having finished the last page anyways, and the approached the blinds. Peeking through, I noticed a bright green light.