2 The World Wants Me Dead?

'What an unreal dream,' Alex shifted in place as he stirred for the first time that morning.

Was it just his imagination, or had he really become a T-Rex and devoured his father?

He wasn't ready to begin his day due to an excruciating headache, but with no other choice, the groggy 12-year-old sat up gently. Taking note of his surroundings for the first time, he finally woke up enough to realize he wasn't in his home.

He stared directly at an elderly man sitting across from him. He had spent his childhood knowing Jimmy as his parent's friend but didn't spend much time alone with him. His parents only used him as a babysitter when desperate.

As he gained the courage to speak out and question the truth about last night, an orange digital "MWRS" symbol caught his attention in the corner of his vision. His breath quickened, and his entire body froze in place!

His vision refused to linger in a single spot, shifting between the distractions presented. The child's body felt faint as he was overwhelmed by recent memories, causing him to pass out.

"Damn it, that's the third time already!" Jimmy couldn't help but be frustrated. He stood up and shook the sleeping child, "Wake up, you've slept long enough!"

There was no response, so he tipped the couch over and released a deep, hissing growl. This threat triggered something primal in the unconscious child, and he immediately jumped off the ground.

This awoke an animalistic instinct in the youth as Alex gripped the throat of the old man and was ready to destroy him! He hadn't regained his senses until he had already tightened his grip applying all the pressure he could muster.

The young boy was staring wide-eyed at the frail-looking man as he exerted all of his body's strength.

The boys eyes widened as he realized what he had done and pulled back before quickly stuttering, " I- Im sorry I dont know what came over me." Although he had done this out of instinct, he was still surprised by how strong the man was.

"It took you long enough, boy!" Jimmy didn't flinch at the fact that his new companion tried to crush his throat. He stood proudly before the child and smiled, "I suppose such a reaction is expected of our leader!"

"Leader?" Alex shrunk his neck slightly and took a few steps away from the strange man. He averted his eyes and noticed the strange "MWRS" in the corner of his vision again and focused on it as he leerily avoided eye contact.

[Welcome to the Were-Rex System, Alexander!]

A bright orange line of text appeared in his vision.

"Why, yes, a leader! We've been searching for your lineage for quite some time..." Leaning on his cane, the elderly man began giving the new dino an important history lesson on his race while the latter stood with a blank expression on his face.

[This system is a collection of data stored by previous generations of Were-Rex users.It will aid you in the reconstruction of your family.]

"...The battle was so intense that the last king didn't return! Since then, the vampires and werewolves have ignored us completely, likely assuming we've died out..."

Multiple digital menu options appeared directly in Alex's line of sight. These menus were a mix of the vivid orange of his system text, as well as a dark gray.

[Status]

[Quests]

[Herd] - Locked

[Log] - Locked

[Knowledge Center] - Locked

Focusing his mind on the menu's first option, Alex watched as the menu quickly vanished. In an instant, new information had replaced it.

[Status]

[Name: Alexander Jackson]

[Race: Were-Rex]

[Strength:10]

[Dexterity: 5]

[Stamina: 6]

[Charisma: 3]

[Intelligence: 4]

'What do these numbers even mean?' Alex had no reference, but he knew these numbers indicated one thing...

He was strong but stupid!

[The number quantifies your attributes to a numerical value. In doing so, even you can comprehend it.]

"...the were-dinos were thought to be lost to the world. Even the fairy tales have failed to include us! But, in reality, we've been biding our time..." the enthusiastic teacher continued his lecture in the background.

Alexander had completely forgotten where he was at this point. He was showing as much expression as a mall mannequin, fully engrossed in his system. As second in command to the former leader, his new mentor was used to this expression. He assumed it meant he had the leader's full attention.

The fact that the young heir was already showing traits of the previous leader filled Jimmy with vigor and enthusiasm to continue the explanation!

'How do I go back?' Thinking the phrase allowed the menu to go back one page and let the next menu item be selected for inspection.

[Quests]

[Daily] - 1 Active

[Monthly]- None

[Annual] -None

[Lifetime] - 1 Active

"...the were-dino gene is suppressed in the majority of our clan. Only when the holders bond with the leader can their true powers be released..." his voice resonated with hope!

[Daily: Consume flesh]

'I'm not eating, people! Go back!' He recoiled in disgust!

Most people would be mournful in this situation. Finding new members under these circumstances would prove to be challenging. Yet, he noticed the revelation only caused Alex to recoil slightly and not protest.

Accepting everything up until this point was difficult for the 12-year-old, but he definitely was drawing the line on consuming people voluntarily. He was so adamant in his decision, he didn't even seek out the penalty for failure.

[Lifetime: Establish supremacy of the Were-Dinos and eliminate the Werewolf and Vampire factions!]

"...unfortunately, the father can only pass on the Were-Rex gene to the son."

"Everyone thought that the leader died, so we had no hope of returning to glory. You are proof that they were wrong!" Something finally caught his pupil's attention!

"Wait, are you telling me I'm adopted?!" Alexander stared at the old family friend with disbelief on his face. His mall mannequin image that had become his default was instantly shattered.

He had loved his parents, but the fact that they may have kept his adoption a secret hurt him. He felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest as the possible answer shook his mind.

"No, that's not possible." Jimmy's response was instant and didn't waver in the slightest.

"I've known your parents for a long time, and I saw how she looked at you as a baby. You are undoubtedly her child! I cannot say what happened between your mother and your father, but your parents loved you very much."

"So, my dad wasn't my dad? Awesome!" He said sarcastically. The color left Alex's face as he slouched onto the floor and placed his arms around his knees, pulling his body close to himself.

"I killed my parents, I'm a freakin' T-Rex, I'm supposed to lead some sort of world conquest, I killed hundreds of people last night—and dad wasn't even my dad…" the young boy began rocking back and forth, shaking his head as if he refused to believe it.

"What do you suggest I do?" He didn't even know what emotions he felt at the moment and looked to the only person he could for guidance.

"Well, the incident has been covered up by the twin gangs in charge…" Jimmy peeked towards the window. The sound of power tools and various heavy machines could be heard throughout the day as he was caring for his new ward.

"It's already getting to be pretty late, so I suppose we can ignore our responsibilities today." Reaching a hand out to the distraught child, he helped him off the floor..

"Still, you should probably get some of your things from your house and prepare to head back to school. It's not like you're saving the world tonight, right?" Jimmy had a half-laughing half-serious expression that made the boy sick!

How was he supposed to go back to school after this incident?

A nice, relaxing therapy session, perhaps with waterfalls and some essential oils, was what he needed. It may not clear his mind from the accursed images of squashing his mother, but it couldn't hurt! It seemed that he would have to wait to tell his therapist about the world's strangest case of PTSD.

"Seriously, the school wasn't closed after a T-rex attacked the city? Also, what was with that storm? I'm not going to turn into a dinosaur every time it sprinkles, am I?" Panic began to set in now that the thought of returning to normal entered the picture.

"Honestly, you know how stubborn they are with school. They covered the incident in the news as a chain of multiple gas leaks creating explosions in town. A tragedy for sure, but not a reason to interrupt education." Jimmy shook his head, ashamed that anyone would believe such a ridiculous cover-up.

"As far as your transformation? I'm not sure. Your predecessor didn't have that issue. I'll be here to assist you in whatever way I can, but it will be up to you." He gave his word to help, which Alex was thankful for, even if he didn't know how.

[Perhaps I can be of use.]

'You can hear my conversations?' The sudden voice startled him and nearly caused him to lose his balance. He didn't know if an unknown force keeping recordings in his mind would be a positive thing.

[Think of me as an advanced AI here to guide you. That's all.]

[Your transformation occurred because it marked the 13th year your existence became known to this world.]

[It's a coming of age ceremony for the Were-Rex.]

[The storm was simply the world trying to test you.]