The Bigass Bird

Daniels was sure that he had finally cracked the cheat codes and he was playing in easy mode. Even Fenrir had stopped slaughtering zombies and just watched as he used his hand to cut them in half then tendrils would shoot out of his body, latch onto the halves and then his body would devour them in just microseconds. Everything from the cutting to the devouring was happening in a second!

"I feel very powerful, like I have been reborn," Daniels said as he devoured the last zombie. Fenrir wasn't even trying to show his dissatisfaction as he just gave a small growl then walked to his pile as if he was telling Daniels not to touch it. Daniels gave him a cold shoulder as he sat down in a broken down cab's roof and started thinking of what to do.

He knew that the surviving humans must have build communities in order to survive because humans tend to be social beings. They try to seek the comfort of other humans in order to feel safe. He was different, all he needed was a few weapons and he can devour zombies in order to survive. But, he also knew that being in contact with humans was inevitable. Why? Because he wanted to know how humans might evolve during this time.

He had seen enough anime to know that humans can be quite unpredictable to anyone underestimating them. Even though he knew it might not be so in this world, zombies are real and who knows what else. He had a theory about why Fenrir keeps eating zombie hearts and he does not change. First is because he was genetically engineered not to. Second, the virus or whatever only affects humans but to animals, it is the same to a tonic. He wanted to know just how much animals had changed in the possibly safety among humans.

"That seems like a reasonable idea. But how do I find a community?" he asked himself. He then got up and whistled, making Fenrir follow him. They went back to the demolished store and Daniels squatted next to the charred buses.

"I don't suppose you know how to track a vehicle using its exhaust fumes?" he asked Fenrir who started sniffing around then just sat down on his hunches. "I'll take that as a no." He started looking around trying to find anything that would help him track the buses back to their community. At last, he gave up and decided to sleep on it, Fenrir was happy to comply.

The following day, they were both awoken by the usual sound of growling zombies. Daniels took his sniper rifle and started his shooting, each shot creating a crater on the road and a few dozen zombies disappeared from this world. This went on for half an hour till there was no zombies left.

"Hell of an alarm m clock," Daniels said as he rubbed his eyes, slunching on the ground. Suddenly, they both looked at the sky, their eyes filled with vigilance. An eardrum shattering shriek made them cover their ears as an enormous figure broke through the clouds, diving towards them.

"Shit!" Daniels said as he got hold of Fenrir and jumped from the roof. The figure smashed into the building, reducing it to rubble as Daniels landed, on his feet. He put Fenrir down and aimed the sniper rifle towards the rubble as the dust settled. Daniels amazing eyesight got sight of something heading their way so he kicked Fenrir as he himself did a side flipped as his eyes captured the wing that was passing below him. He landed with a roll then fired at the dust once. A shriek of pain blew the dust away, showing off hat they were fighting. It was a crow about four storeys big! It's feathers gleamed in the sun like knives stacked on each other, giving the already terrifying bird another look that caused terror.

"Guess that shows me what kind of world I am in," Daniels told himself. He looked at the gaping hole on the bird's left wing and smiled to himself. "Way to go insightful me."

The crow shrieked at him then hopped towards him. Yes, hopped because even with the mutation changing its physiology, it didn't change its behavior. Daniels shot out his arms and got hold of the huge beak, his feet dragging on the ground creating a small trench. The crow was surprised by this for it hadn't met any human that was able to take on its strength head on. It tried pushing back but it felt like it was pushing against a mountain.

"Guess you are not that strong!" Daniels said as he threw the head to the side then let go with his left hand, clenched a fist and fell it on top of the crow's head, sending it flying into another building. Daniels laughed when he saw that.

"Holy shit, this kind of strength is terrifying!" he said. Fenrir came next to him, the fur on his neck having risen, fangs bared and he was ready to tear the crow to pieces. But the bird had other ideas. That punch showed it that it was terribly outclassed so it spread its wings as it turned and started flapping them as it run, ignoring the pain.

"Son of white is trying to run away!" Daniels cried out then bolted. The ground beneath his feet broke as the tarmac was sent flying as if they were fired from a high caliber firearm. In seconds, he was next to the bird and was about to throw a punch at it when it flapped its wings, sending a gust of wind that sent it to the air and Daniels temporarily blinded due to the dust. He looked up in anger and saw the bird flying to the sky albeit slowly.

"No you don't!" Daniels said then jumped, reaching the fifth storey in a single bound. His feet caused the glass to crack but he didn't fall as he started running up the building, his speed making the building look like something was trying to split it in half. When he reached the roof, he used it as a launching pad, making it shake in trepidation as he speared the bird into the next building amidst its shrieks of protest.

"Where I come from, even cowards finish their fights," Daniels shouted and dropped his fist onto its chest, making the bird shriek out as its rip cage was shattered. "You think you can just swoop down from the sky and just go back when you think it's convenient?" Another punch landed on its head, shattering the skull and causing brain hemorrhage. He continued raining punch after punch till it was at its last breath thanks to its terrifying vitality. Suddenly, black tendrils shot out of his body and latched onto the carcass, devouring it to nothing but its heart.

Daniels felt his body heating up as he staggered backwards, his body disfiguring into white tendrils all over his body. He then started having strange memories where he was flying and he could see the ground even from five kilometres in the sky. He sifted through the memories and as if he had the MC aura luck, he saw a compound filled with humans and more buses like the ones from the other day. He then came back to reality as he went to his knees. From his back, two protrusions came out, breaking through the skin as his suit gave way and out spread 3m long wings each with feathers as sharp as knives. Daniels got up as he looked at the wings in admiration. He felt like he has been flying all his life, like it was pure muscle memory and even how to fight using the wings! He could swing them, letting them cut through everything or a send the knives flying out, hitting any target accurately on any part he want. He also knew he could fly at Mach 3! Fenrir's bark brought him back to reality, making him look at the big dog that was staring at the huge heart.

"Go on ahead, heart loving freak," Daniels gave him permission and Fenrir pounced on it like a child that was seeing it's Christmas present. As Fenrir was busy eating, Daniels turned his sight towards their home, now a rubble. A zombie was crawling its way out, being lucky it was not crushed to a pulp already which was quite a surprise. Around its waist hang the snapped chain that was stopping him from eating the pesky fleshy human and his dog. It was determined to eat Daniels even if it would crawl through hell fire itself. Too bad it would be used as a stepping stone.

"Guess I needed to test my wings," Daniels said as both wings furled backwards then he flapped them, sending himself flying backwards as countless feathers that gleamed in the rising sun skewered the zombie into nothing but chunks of flesh, the rubble behind it didn't come out unscathed either.

"Okay, that's so cool. Guess I have another secret move," Daniels smiled to himself then turned to look at Fenrir who had finished the heart. "Woah! Did you just become bigger!" Fenrir barked in excitement as he jumped around in joy. He then licked Daniels' face to show gratitude and satisfaction. "Okay, fine. Guess what, I just caught sight of the place we need to go. Since we have nothing to pack, let's go." Fenrir gave a small bark, picked up Daniels on his maw, put him on his back and started running. He was now a 2.5m tall would with a 5m long body!

"As much as I appreciate the gesture, you are going the wrong way," Daniels told Fenrir who stopped and growled at him. "I'm not to blame, you're the one who tried to look cool. Just go that way." Daniels pointed at a direction and Fenrir trotted off.

A huge rubble was lifted off by a huge claw that was covered with dirty but sharp 30cm long claws followed by another identical claw then finally, a creature that looked like a mile but as large as the current Fenrir broke out. It sniffed around roared, yes, roared to the sky. Once it did that, it used its claws and broke through the tarmac road like it was made of sand and disappeared as the whole it created filled itself.