The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (11 page)

“What kind of outcome would you have preferred?”

“I suppose if Law Chief Darren arrived earlier, they could have arrested Roger before any of it happened. That would have been ideal.”

“So you are saying what happened with Roger was not ideal.”

“Of course it wasn’t ideal. A seventeen-year-old boy died. When is that ever ideal?”

“If that is the case, how do you feel about how your son handled the situation?”

She leaned her head back to stop the tears, but they came anyway. “He is a good boy.”

“Are you sure? Everyone else is frightened of him.”

“They’re wrong.” Her voice wavered. “He is a good boy.”

“Then why would he kill another child?”

“It was self-defense! You said it yourself! That’s not what this trial is about! So why are you asking me these questions?”

Judge Porplin bowed his head. “I apologize, Mrs. Shepherd. You are completely right. Let me approach this from a different angle. Your son’s actions were justified, without a doubt. How did you feel when Mr. Ramsey passed?”

“I already told you. No one should face such a death.”

“You misunderstand my question. I know how you feel
now
, but how
did
you feel, at that very moment. How did you react?”

“I don’t know. I froze…and then I panicked, just like everyone else.”

“Why do you suppose you and everyone else panicked?”

“Because we had just seen the impossible. There was no explanation for what had happened.”

“So you would say that people were frightened.”

“Yes,” she said. “I suppose you could say that.”

“They were frightened of your son.”

Her tears began to pool again. “Yes, they were frightened of my son.”

“Were
you
frightened of your son?”

She did not answer the question. Instead, she stared at her hands and remained silent. Snot ran from her nose and over her lips, but she did not wipe it away. Silence lingered as they waited for an answer.

“Mrs. Shepherd. Please answer the question.”

“…yes…”

“I’m sorry. Please repeat that louder.”

Her head burst up in a fiery red as she turned towards the judge and screamed at his face. “Yes! I was frightened of my son!” Tears, snot, and spit sprayed from her mouth as she sobbed uncontrollably. “I am still frightened of my son! Are you happy? Is that what you want?”

They all watched as she lost control. Her screams devolved into meaningless gibberish. The judge signaled to Law Chief Darren, who came forward to escort her out. Her arms flailed and accidentally struck the Law Chief in the face. She rambled nonsense as he dragged her out of the room.

Judge Porplin watched them leave. Once they were gone, he continued with the trial. “All of our speakers have spoken. The accused party will now have a chance to make one final statement. Go ahead Mr. Shepherd.”

Saul was haunted by his mother’s reaction. To see her break down like that. To hear she was
frightened
of him. After that horrible scene, he could not speak. He had no words. He kept his eyes down and shook his head.

“Very well. Before I make my final decision, I will need some time to myself.” He stood from his seat and entered a room in the back.

A rumble of conversation began to build. They were eager to hear his decision. Was Saul really dangerous? Many knew him as the boy Ms. Martin described. A good, hardworking boy. A bright student with a promising future. They had carried friendly conversations with him. He made very good company.

But on the night of the party, they saw a different side of him. His powers were mysterious and frightening. To suck the life from a person with the touch of the hand. To induce agonizing pain as the victim drops like a pile of dead meat. These were chilling thoughts.

Conversation stopped when Judge Porplin emerged and took a seat. “I have given this matter some considerable thought. Mr. Saul Shepherd is obviously a bright boy with good character. It is clear that he killed Mr. Ramsey in self-defense. However, this deadly power he possesses. It is unnatural. Unsafe. For this reason, I am afraid I must deem Mr. Saul Shepherd a danger to the public. He poses a constant threat to every person in Rodin. A threat to all who live in the Pugg. He cannot stay here. Therefore, Mr. Saul Shepherd, I sentence you to banishment.”

TWENTY-FIVE

THE VASSOR KIDNAPPINGS began nine days after the trial. Men and women were plucked away from their loved ones in the middle of the night. The wealthy people of Vassor mysteriously disappeared, one by one. No clues. No evidence. It was like they vanished into thin air. News of the kidnappings quickly spread across all regions of the Pugg, and although there was only one reported murder, the others were presumed dead as well.

When the news reached Rodin, Vince made nothing of it. Vassor rarely saw any crime, but these things were common in the lower parts of Rodin. As far as he was concerned, it was none of his business. But when he heard the troubling details of the one reported murder, he was horrified. According to reports, the man had died of old age. But he was not old. He was twenty-eight and had just married his wife. Officials immediately linked the murder to Saul, and within a day, a widespread manhunt was underway.

Vince knew without a doubt that Saul was responsible for the kidnappings, and was likely draining his victims. He had to stop him, or at least try. He snuck out of the house, stole his father’s horse, and headed to Vassor.

*****

Everything was a mess when he arrived. Crowds gathered outside, shouting with anger and fear. Troops of lawmen patrolled the streets. Trash littered the ground, tumbling in the breeze. It was not the glamorous town he remembered. The marketplace, which was once a spot for traders and craftsmen, was now populated with lawmen, who marched up and down the perimeter.

Vince tethered his horse and reached down to grab the poster at his feet. It was one of many that were scattered throughout the streets. The top half displayed a rough sketch of Saul’s face:

“WANTED:
SAUL SHEPHERD
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
REWARD OFFERED
DEAD OR ALIVE”

He flipped it over:

“CURFEW IN EFFECT:
NO PERSONS SHALL POPULATE THE STREETS AFTER SUNDOWN
ALL VIOLATORS WILL BE FINED”

They were plastered on every wall.

He wandered the streets and came across a large crowd surrounding a house. They stood behind barriers as lawmen held them back. He approached a young lady near the back of the crowd. “What’s going on? Why is this house blocked off?”

She answered without turning. “You haven’t heard? There was another kidnapping last night. A man was taken. Five kidnappings in five nights. You know, there are some messed up people out there.” She finally turned to peered at Vince. “Should you be out here alone, kid? How old are you? Where are your parents?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m seventeen.”

“Seventeen, really? You don’t look it.”

“I get that a lot,” he said. And he would get that a lot in the future, as well. People would begin to question his age once he reached thirty and still looked like a teenager. “Five kidnappings in five nights, huh?”

“Yes. It started after that murder. Now someone goes missing every night. They say it’s a kid doing all of this. A boy about your age. I hear he has demonic powers. I don’t know if I believe that, but you never know. I’ve heard some weird things about how that man died. Things that only a demon could do.”

“Demonic powers?” He tried to act surprised but sounded less convincing than he had hoped. “That’s nonsense.”

“That’s what I thought until I heard what happened in Rodin. The boy killed one of his classmates, just by touching him. No weapons. No nothing. Just the touch of his hand. It sounds crazy, but with all of these stories floating around, it’s starting to sound more plausible.”

The lawmen waved their hands at the crowd. “Okay people. Clear the area. Nothing to see here.” The crowd dispersed.

The lady looked at the lawmen and then back at Vince. “I should get home anyway. Later, kid.” She walked off with the rest of the crowd.

She had confirmed what he had feared. Saul was responsible. Now he just needed to find him. He had to be somewhere close, in order to keep returning every night. And nobody had found him yet, so it was somewhere well-hidden. A place no one knew about. A place that was remote and quiet. The cave he told Saul about, the one he used to get away from people. That was the one place that made sense.

He walked along the streets until he found the lawmen horse stables, and snuck around the back. There was the same strange tree he remembered from before, it’s trunk split down the middle three ways, almost symmetrically. He examined the twisting roots that burrowed deep into the ground and then continued past the tree where he found the hanging moss. He pushed through the spongy curtain and entered the hidden cave.

He stood by the entrance, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Dripping water echoed off the damp cave walls. The scent of murky water filled his nose and conjured up pleasant memories of his time spent in the cave. He stepped forward, quietly placing his feet on the muddy rocks. He slowly turned his head to sweep the area. The cave was vast, but there was no one in sight. No sign of Saul.

Pathways and chambers branched off from the main route, creating an intricate underground maze. He carefully examined each path when he noticed faint streaks on the ground. Someone was dragged through the mud. He followed the streaks as they twisted around a large pool, and entered a new open area. As he approached a sharp turn in the path ahead, he heard a voice around the corner. He pressed his back against the damp wall and slid closer. His knife hung from his belt, readily available should violence be necessary. He inched towards the corner and stuck his head out. What he saw was frightening.

Five people were bound and gagged. They were slouched over on their knees. They were shaking, from either cold or fear, and they all stared at the ground in front of them. Behind the prisoners was another figure, hidden in shadows, facing away.

Vince stepped out. “Hey!” he called. His voice echoed off the walls and amplified through the cave.

The figure turned around and stepped into the light. A huge smile stretched across his face. “Vince,” Saul said. “It’s good to see you.”

Vince drew his knife and held it out in front of him. “What’s going on? Why are you doing this?” He glanced down at the people, who grunted and groaned at the sight of their rescuer. “
What
are you doing?”

“I’m living, Vince. I’m surviving. Simple as that. People don’t want me living in the Pugg? Well, the fact is, there’s nothing out there for me. If I leave the Pugg, I die. Banishment is a death sentence, and they know it. They’re just too scared to admit that they’re sending a kid to his death.”

“So you kidnap innocent people? How is that going to help?”

“You said yourself. The people in Vassor are snobs. After spending some time with them, I would tend to agree. They think they’re better than us. Why? Because they have a little more money? Because they live in Vassor? Someone needs to show them they’re just as pathetic as the rest of us.” He glanced down at his victims. As his voice rose, his echo carried beyond the cave entrance, disturbing the horses of the lawmen stables. “These five know. They’ve had everything taken from them. Their home. Their money. Their family. Now they can see that they’re nothing more than scum.”

Vince moved forward, his knife still drawn. “Saul, I know you. You’re not the monster they say you are, but how is
this
going to convince them that they’re wrong? Kidnapping innocent people? Draining them? What you did to Roger was self-defense, but this…this is murder.”

“No!” This time, his screams echoed far past the horse stables and reached the main house. A full troop of lawmen prepared to deploy. “I told you! It’s survival!”

“Okay,” he whispered. “It’s not murder. It’s survival. So what’s your plan now?”

“I’m going to leave. But I need enough energy to survive the flatlands. These five should do. Although I don’t know how long I’ll be out there. I might need more.

Vince looked at the five terrified faces. “You can’t drain them. They’re innocent people. It’s not right.”

“You were right about one thing, Vince. I should have paced myself. I’ve drained two people so far, and Roger was young. Plants and animals just don’t do it for me anymore. If I am going to survive out there, I need humans.”

“You can’t keep draining people. When will it stop? It’s getting out of hand.”

Saul grinned. “Vince, things got out of hand a long time ago. Now I’m just along for the ride. This immortal thing is only possible with people. No more rabbits. No more deer. If I have to, I will drain to stay alive.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“And what are you going to do about it, follow me into the flatlands? You won’t survive out there. You’ve got a good thing going at home. You have a loving family. My time here is over, but you have so many reasons to stay.”

“Then I’ll keep you from leaving. Then I—”

“Then I’ll die,” Saul said. “Don’t you understand? If I stay, they’ll kill me.”

“Where will you go?”

“East. I’ll follow Harry Hedcrown’s footsteps. It’s as good a bet as any, right?”

Vince clawed his thoughts for another solution, but every one led to Saul’s death. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t.”

The soft pitter-patter of feet echoed behind Vince. “Quick!” a distant voice called. “It came from over here!”

Saul’s head popped up. “They found me.” One of the victims groaned as loud as he could through the gag. Saul jumped down and hit him across the head. “Quiet, you idiot.” The other four heard the footsteps and started groaning as well. “Shut up, all of you.” He panicked, shuffling back and forth. There was not enough time. He placed his hands on two the heads in front of him.

Vince saw what he was doing. “No! Don’t!” But it was too late. Saul drained the two at the same time. They screamed through their gags, writhing in agony.