Chapter 5: Death From Above

The wind on the roof was strong. It whipped Ren’s hair around his face. It smelled like burning plastic and gasoline.

Ren stood at the edge. He looked down at the city.

It was a nightmare.

Cars were piled up in the streets. Some were crushed flat. Others were on fire.

People were running. They looked like ants from this height.

Monsters were chasing them.

Ren saw a bus get flipped over. A creature the size of a tank rammed into it. The creature had grey skin and spikes on its back. It roared. The sound shook the glass in the windows below.

Ren felt a vibration in his chest.

His stomach growled.

“So much food,” he whispered.

Chloe was sitting on the gravel roof behind him. She was hugging her knees. She was rocking back and forth.

“We’re going to die,” she said. Her voice was flat. “Everyone is dead. My mom. My dad. They’re all dead.”

Ren turned around. He looked at her with his new Heat Vision.

She was a bright red blob in a blue world. Her body heat was spiking. She was hyperventilating.

“Stop it,” Ren said.

“Look at it!” Chloe screamed. She pointed at the dragon wrapped around the skyscraper in the distance. “How do we fight that? We can’t!”

Ren walked over to her. He grabbed her shoulder. His grip was hard.

“We don’t fight that,” Ren said calmly. “Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Chloe looked at him like he was crazy. “You think you can fight a dragon? You have a knife!”

“I have a system,” Ren corrected her. “And I’m hungry.”

He let go of her. He looked at the sky.

The smoke was thick. It blocked out the sun. Ash was falling like grey snow. It landed on his skin. It was warm.

“We need a base,” Ren said. “The cafeteria is bad. Too many glass windows. Too many doors. We need somewhere secure.”

“The basement,” Chloe said. She wiped her nose. “The Science Building has a basement. It’s a bunker. They keep chemicals down there.”

Ren nodded. “Good. We go there.”

He took a step toward the door.

Screech.

A sound cut through the wind.

It came from above.

Ren looked up.

Three black shapes were diving out of the smoke.

They were birds. Crows. But they were wrong. They were the size of motorcycles. Their beaks were jagged and made of metal. Their eyes glowed red.

[Mutated Carrion Crow (Lvl 3)]

“Get down!” Ren yelled.

He tackled Chloe. They hit the gravel hard.

Whoosh.

Giant claws raked the air where Chloe’s head had been a second ago.

One of the crows landed on the HVAC unit. It screamed. It sounded like metal grinding on metal.

It looked at them. It spread its wings. The feathers looked sharp. Like knives.

“Stay down,” Ren told Chloe.

He stood up. He held the bent boning knife.

The crow lunged.

It was fast. It flapped its wings and shot forward like a bullet.

Ren didn’t dodge. He used his skill.

[Dash Activated]

[Stamina: -5]

Ren vanished. He appeared on the side of the HVAC unit.

He swung the knife.

It hit the crow’s wing.

Snap.

The bone broke. The crow tumbled across the roof. It screeched in pain.

But there were two more.

They were circling. They saw their friend get hurt. They were angry.

They dove together.

Ren looked at his stamina bar.

[Stamina: 15/20]

He couldn’t dash forever. He had to be smart.

He looked around the roof. There were loose bricks from a broken chimney.

Ren grabbed a brick. It felt light in his hand. His Strength stat was working.

He waited.

The second crow came in low. It was aiming for his eyes.

Ren threw the brick.

It flew straight and fast.

Thud.

It hit the crow right in the chest. The bird crumpled in mid-air. It crashed onto the roof and rolled.

“Two down,” Ren counted.

The third crow was smarter. It didn’t dive. It hovered. It was waiting for an opening.

It looked at Chloe.

She was crawling toward the door. She was defenseless.

The crow folded its wings. It dropped like a stone toward her.

“No!” Ren yelled.

He ran. He didn’t have enough stamina to dash to her.

The crow opened its claws. It was going to grab her.

Ren jumped.

He didn’t aim for the bird. He aimed for Chloe.

He tackled her again. He covered her body with his.

Slash.

The crow’s talons raked across Ren’s back.

Ren gritted his teeth. Pain burned across his shoulders. It felt like fire.

[Warning: Health -10%]

[Bleeding Effect Active.]

The crow flapped its wings to climb back up.

Ren reached out. He grabbed its leg.

“Got you,” he growled.

The crow panicked. It tried to fly away. It pulled Ren up.

Ren was heavy. But the bird was strong. It lifted him off the ground. One foot. Two feet.

Ren didn’t let go. He swung his other hand. He stabbed the knife into the bird’s belly.

Black blood rained down on Chloe.

The bird shrieked. It pecked at Ren’s head. Its metal beak hit Ren’s skull.

Crack.

Ren saw stars. His vision blurred.

“Die!” Ren screamed.

He bit the bird’s leg.

He tore through the scales and the muscle.

[Gluttony Activated.]

[Consumed: Mutated Crow Flesh.]

Heat flooded his body. The pain in his back faded. The bleeding stopped.

Ren pulled harder. He dragged the bird down.

He slammed it onto the gravel roof.

He climbed on top of it. He pinned its wings with his knees.

The bird snapped at his face. Ren punched it.

His fist hit the metal beak. His knuckles split. But the beak cracked.

He punched again. And again.

The bird stopped moving.

[Target Neutralized: Mutated Carrion Crow (Lvl 3)]

[Experience Gained: 25]

Ren sat on the dead bird. He was breathing hard. His shirt was torn. His back was covered in blood.

He looked at the other two birds.

The one with the broken wing was trying to crawl away. The one hit by the brick was dead.

Ren felt the hunger. It was going crazy. The taste of the bird leg wasn’t enough. It wanted more.

He looked at the dead bird under him.

He ripped a handful of feathers out. He exposed the breast meat. It was dark purple.

He ate it raw.

It was tough. Stringy. But it tasted like power.

Ding.

[Gluttony Activated.]

[Agility +2]

[New Skill: Eagle Eye (Passive)]

[Description: You can see much further. Your accuracy is increased.]

Ren swallowed. He felt his eyes itch. He rubbed them.

When he opened them, the world was sharper.

He looked at the city again.

Before, the cars were just blobs. Now, he could read the license plates from the roof. He could see the individual scales on the dragon miles away.

” incredible,” Ren whispered.

He stood up. He walked over to the bird with the broken wing.

It hissed at him. It was scared.

Ren stomped on its head.

[Target Neutralized.]

[XP Gained: 25]

He didn’t eat that one. He was full for now.

He walked back to Chloe.

She was still on the ground. She was staring at him. Her face was white.

“You’re hurt,” she whispered. She pointed at his back.

Ren touched his shoulder. The skin was smooth. The claw marks were gone. The eating had healed him.

“I’m fine,” Ren said.

He offered her a hand. His hand was bloody.

Chloe hesitated. She looked at the dead birds. She looked at the blood on his mouth.

But she took his hand.

Ren pulled her up. She was light.

“The Science Building,” Ren said. “Lead the way.”

They went through the heavy metal door. They left the roof.

The stairwell was quiet. But Ren knew it wouldn’t stay that way.

The school was full of food.

And Ren was ready for the next course.

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