Morning Routine

The sound of gunfire and screams filled Alex's nightmares as he tossed and turned in his bed. His nights were plagued by a giant version of himself replacing his true form as he stomped on the police attempting to stop him. Waking would bring momentary relief before sleep's embrace dragged him back into the grotesque scene.

Morning came in a hurry, and before he knew it, he found himself being tormented still.

"Get up! You'll be late for school if you keep sleeping," Jimmy yelled, likely in an attempt to wake up the neighborhood!

The groggy boy stirred as he glanced at a clock on the wall, "are you kidding me? I don't have to be there for three hours! What could I possibly do at 5:00 in the morning?" He laid his head back on his pillow.

"Strength training!" The smiling man tossed a bottle of water to the child and limped out of the room, allowing time to change.

[Detected host is awake]

[Daily Quests: updating]

[Daily Quest: Run 5km]

[Daily Quest: Consume Flesh]

'Are you going to do this every time I wake up?' The thought of daily reminders began to feel excessive.

[Would you like to turn off daily reminders?]

'I can do that?' his inner monologue asked, relieved.

[No, but I can help make sure they come during better times.]

'I guess that will be best,' Alex sighed inwardly…

'Why do I have to run 5km? I'm not the best with conversions. Can you just list it in miles?'

[Sure thing Alexander!]

[Updating daily quests now!]

[Daily Quest: Run 5 Miles]

'Isn't 5 miles longer than 5km? How does that make sense?'

Alex knew he was bad at math, but he wasn't that bad!

[Ooh, I think your intelligence stat improved slightly in your sleep!]

[Alexander, you need physical exertion.]

[It will guarantee you don't lose control of your transformation.]

[I need you to trust me.]

The young were-rex just sighed and got prepared to start his day. He wasn't entirely sure what Jimmy had planned for him, but he hoped it included cardio. He wasn't in bad shape, so 5 miles over the course of a day shouldn't be that difficult.

He reached into his dresser and realized that he didn't have many options for clothing. He had brought all that he could carry on his single trip, but he hadn't considered his choices. He would have to talk to Jimmy about purchasing some extra workout clothes in the future. He quietly looked at the outfits he had for school before finally making a selection.

After changing into shorts and a hooded sweatshirt, he exited his room and followed the scent of fried bacon wafting from the kitchen. The old man enjoyed a cup of coffee while some eggs sizzled on a frying pan on the stove.

"Go ahead and take those milk jugs. I want you to fill them with dirt and jog for an hour. I'll get you some real weights while you're in school." Jimmy pointed his chin to two milk jugs sitting on the table.

"This sounds like some weird torture instead of a workout. Is this why you never have your kids visit, Jimmy?" He picked up the jugs and prepared to leave the room.

"Did you actually torture them to death?" The boy smarted off, still pissed that he was up so early.

"Watch your mouth, kid, or I'll have you mopping up the yard during the next rainstorm," Jimmy's expression turned serious.

Alex dropped the subject, not wanting to get himself in any trouble. The old man may have been strict with him, but he had also been fair. Not everyone would have just taken the boy in.

On the plus side, running for an hour should help him accomplish his daily quest!

He didn't have any particular destination, so he ran aimlessly around the city. He saw how quickly they were recovering from the damage he had caused and was amazed. It was almost as if only the memory would be what is left in just a week.

Only a few residential buildings had remained missing; other than that, you couldn't tell anything strange had occurred. Whether there was a conspiracy to control the city or not, he had to appreciate the efficiency!

After looking over the construction sites, he continued jogging and eventually found himself in his old neighborhood. It was too early in the day for him to run into anyone that he knew, so he just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the next.

…

Eventually, an hour had passed, and returning home was the only thing on his mind. He tossed his milk jugs directly in the trash when he made it back to the house, hopeful of getting real weights. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat but was hardly out of breath.

[Daily quest: Run 5 miles - Completed]

[Congratulations, Alexander!]

[You did it!]

'Obviously, I'm not about to dino-out at school... I could kill everyone!' he shuddered at the thought of ripping the few friends he had to pieces.

"Alex, is that you? Hit the shower, quick!" Jimmy's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Breakfast will be done soon!"

The clinking of pans sounded chaotic and contrary to the pleasant smell emitted.

Not sure what kind of breakfast required an hour to prepare, Alex couldn't complain. He headed to the bathroom in the hopes that it would be finished by the time he was out of the shower.

Glancing in the mirror in the bathroom, he couldn't believe what he saw. A part of himself was afraid to look at his reflection for fear a monster would be reflected. Instead, he wasn't able to understand how he had become so toned!

Other than his eyes, which were a bright yellow, his characteristics hadn't changed; they just became better. His thick brown hair was softer; his skin was smoother, and muscles were more defined. Heck, he even thought he grew taller. Admiring his new muscles in the mirror one last time, he jumped into the shower and sang happily.

Fresh from his shower, he stepped into the kitchen wearing a green polo and khaki shorts. He felt good and was ready to get to school and establish a whole new image.

For some reason, the old version of him never would have had the confidence to wear anything with color. He would have drowned himself in an oversized black shirt or a hooded sweatshirt.

Sitting at the table, he noticed dozens of eggs and at least 10lbs of bacon cooked up for him—along with multiple steaks!

"Jimmy, what is all this?!" The child was stunned! There's no way he could afford this every day!

"Honestly, we consume a lot of meat. It may not seem like it, but as soon as you start eating, your appetite will go crazy!" Jimmy sounded as if he was speaking from a matter of experience.

"Now that you've gone through your transformation, things are different." He handed the awestruck 12-year-old a plate as he explained.

"If you load up at breakfast, it becomes more manageable when you're out during the day." Jimmy sat down and continued drinking his coffee.

Alex wasn't sure he believed the old man until he started eating. It took him just 15 minutes to consume the entire meal that had taken over an hour to prepare!

[Daily Quest: Consume Flesh - Completed]

[Congratulations, Alexander!]

[You shouldn't have an issue accidentally slaughtering your friends today]

[Unless, you know, something happens.]

[But, you don't have a temper, right?]

'What do you mean?'

'You said I just have to complete my daily quests!' The boy felt lied to and furrowed his brows in frustration.

[Well, we'll cross that bridge if we get to it]