Herd

"You don't have to knock anymore. You live here now," Jimmy comforted Alex as he opened the door to his home.

The boy was nearly dragging his luggage at this point as his head hung low; thoughts of his parents plagued his return trip. Moving toward the spare room that would become his new bedroom, he sighed loudly. It would take time to adjust to his new surroundings. He hurriedly unpacked his belongings before returning to the kitchen.

Dinner time quickly approached.

Sitting at the dining table, the wary 12-year-old basked in the last light of the setting sun. He couldn't stop glancing out the window as his face became more and more ashen.

"Alex, remember, I'll keep you safe." Jimmy placed his hand on the young man's shoulder and put just a bit of pressure on it, causing the chair legs to buckle slightly.

"Thank you. I really don't think I could go through last night again." Staring at the ground, the child was struggling with a tough decision.

"If you need to hurt me to, stop it, do it. Please." He began to cry but couldn't stop his arms from bringing the food toward him.

Tears stained the hamburger bun as he brought it closer to his mouth.

Taking his first bite was the most ecstasy-inducing feeling the child had ever experienced. His body quivered and shivers were sent coursing down his spine as the sensation of the perfect flame-grilled patty passed over his tongue. Every portion seemed to be more delicious than the last, while each morsel flooded his mind with joy.

[Daily: Consume Flesh Completed]

[Congratulations, Alexander, you have completed today's daily quest!]

'What, you meant a hamburger?' He stopped momentarily, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A part of him was worried about his first quest, even though he attempted to ignore it. Now it was suddenly completed?

[You need to consume flesh to prevent your transformation.]

[I am here to assist and guide you, not bring you harm.]

'So, I don't have to worry about transforming!? Oh, thank god!' He was ecstatic and wanted to shout to Jimmy but couldn't find the words.

'The voices in my head said that I wouldn't turn into a dinosaur tonight? Yeah, that sounds fine,' he thought sarcastically.

Keeping it a secret seemed like the only option. He would do his best to complete quests moving forward, but he couldn't disclose the system.

"Is something wrong? Alex? Are you there?" The old man nudged the boy with his cane, concerned he would begin his terramorphosis.

"Yeah, Jimmy, this burger is just really fuckin' good!" He couldn't help but shove the rest of his meal into his face. It didn't look like he was chewing it but shoving it into his stomach instead.

"Language, young man! What would your mother think?" Jimmy didn't consider the circumstances as he reacted to the child's outburst.

"..."

The glasses on the table clattered as the rebellious pre-teen jumped to his feet, knocking his chair to the ground. The traces of ecstasy on his face vanished as his eyes narrowed.

"She doesn't think. She's dead!!" Alex wanted to feel sadness but could only find himself grasping onto rage. Throwing his plate at the old man, he stormed off toward his room.

As his new guardian, Jimmy intended on following him to ensure he was okay but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Answering the well-timed interruption, he was greeted by two police officers in impressive blue dress uniforms. He invited them into the home and prepared to listen to their excuses.

They had been expecting the police to arrive but were unsure as to when it would happen. The fact that his parents were missing but calling emergency services all night shouldn't have gone unnoticed during the cover-up.

Alex dove into his bed and stared at his current menu as he feigned sleep. He had no intention of interacting with anyone right now. Instead, the boy chose to lose himself in his system.

[Status]

[Quests]

[Herd] - Locked

[Log] - Locked

[Knowledge Center] - Locked

'So, how do I unlock this stuff?' he thought to himself.

'I'm going to need more than this if I'm going to rebuild an entire group, right?' Remembering that it wanted to guide him, he began to question the system.

[Pretty simple, really, To unlock [Herd], you just need to establish a herd.]

'That's helpful…' Immediately, his thoughts changed.

He was under the impression the herd function would help him get established, not that he'd need one to use it!

[You've already unlocked the [Quests] and [Status] functions.]

[Congratulations!]

'Are you making fun of me?' Alexander wasn't sure if the system could understand emotions, but it definitely wasn't using them in this instance.

[Not at all. I'm offering sincere congratulations.]

[Imagine what would have happened if you had died.]

[You wouldn't have them.]

[The [Log] can officially be unlocked now that you have completed a quest.]

[It will keep track of quests you've completed.]

'So, it's effectively useless?' He didn't overthink the [Log]. What benefit could he get from quests that have already passed? 'Why couldn't I just use a notebook?'

[It's not useless at all, what if you forget something important?]

'...'

'What about the knowledge center? Get to that, please.' Alexander was beginning to get impatient. It felt like the system was avoiding useful information.

[To unlock [Knowledge Center], you must raise your [Intelligence] status to 5.]

'and, how does one raise their intelligence level?' He couldn't help but be frustrated at the half-answer..

[Alexander, the attitude is unnecessary.]

'and, how does one raise their intelligence level?' he repeated in his mind, using a slightly less irritated tone.

[Well, the easiest method would be continuing your education, of course.]

'...'

'So there's nothing I can do but wait?' he sighed as he rolled over and tried to sleep.

Meanwhile, the police had disclosed to Jimmy that the Jackson couple was dead, and the boy was nowhere to be found but was presumed dead.

After speaking to the man, the police were informed about the illness that plagued Alex the night prior. Jimmy let them know that the parents had left the boy with him to go prepare the boat. They had never returned, and the emergency lines had been busy all day, which he figured must have been due to the explosion.

The police didn't show much concern and seemed to be checking off a box to say they did their job.

Because Jimmy was a close friend to the Jacksons, and the police didn't want to deal with any extraneous paperwork, it was decided that the child would remain with him.

This was the best-case scenario playing out.

There were plans to move closer to his leader if necessary, even if it would have been an annoyance. However, he was grateful that he wouldn't have to go through the hassle. Breaking the child out of foster care wasn't the type of publicity the reforming faction needed right now!

[Congratulations, Alexander, You have gained a family member and unlocked the [Herd] function!]