The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (12 page)

“Hurry!” the voice said. “The screams. They’re coming from over here.” The pitter-patter grew louder.

Vince watched, but could not move. He was paralyzed by the savagery. Saul released the bodies and grabbed the next two, but the lawmen were close. There was no time. He kicked them to the mud and looked at Vince. “You’ve always been a good friend. Goodbye.”

A full troop turned the corner, led by Vassor’s law chief. “Get on the ground!” Vince dropped to his stomach and placed his hands on his head. They ignored him and approached Saul. “We’re taking you in. Don’t even think about—” Saul dashed to the back of the cave and vanished into darkness. “Damn it!” He looked at the others. “Don’t just stand there! Go after him!” The troop marched past Vince and followed Saul into the shadows.

When they were gone, Vince stood up, wiped the mud from his face, and helped the three remaining victims. When he loosened their gags, he saw nothing but pure terror in their eyes. How could his best friend cause so much sorrow? What happened to the playful, carefree Saul he once knew? The moment they met the man in the suit, the moment they got these powers, Saul changed. The new Saul would continue to drain people. Kill them. His words to Vince were genuine. He would do whatever it took to survive. Vince could not allow that. He could not live his life knowing his friend was out there, spreading fear.

It was night when he got back to Rodin. He snuck into his house to gather some things. Sheets, blankets, dried meat from the shop, a flask of water, and his knife. He stood in the doorway of his parent’s bedroom and watched them sleep. “Good-bye,” he whispered. “I’ll miss you.” With that, he left for the flatlands, eastward.

TWENTY-SIX

THE FIREPLACE SIZZLED with dying embers. “So I followed him across the flatlands.” The room was captivated by his words. “I have walked for many years. Many lifetimes. Now I go wherever he goes. He has always been one step ahead of me. The night you found me, that was the closest I got, but instead, I found myself thrown off the side of a cliff. Fortunately, Rupert saved my life. But Saul is still out there. I believe he is the one kidnapping your people.”

A moment of silence passed.

“So, draining my horse,” Rupert hesitated, “that’s how you recovered so quickly, right? That’s why you can walk right now.”

Vince nodded. “Draining has its perks.”

Ella shrugged with sarcasm. “You mean other than eternal life.”

Vince nodded again. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but yes. I’ve gotten stronger. Faster. I don’t need a lot of sleep. These things developed slowly, but I’ve been around for a long time.”

“And exactly how long is a long time?”

“It’s hard to keep track.” He stroked his chin as he thought about the question. “I would say a little over two hundred years.”

The giant tortoise can live for over two hundred years
, Ella thought. She almost said it out loud again but stopped herself. “So, if you’ve lived for that long,” she said, “clearly you’re still draining regularly.”

“That is correct. I need to stop Saul. In order to do that, I need to survive. And to survive, I need to drain. I try not to drain too often. Unfortunately, plants don’t have much effect anymore, but I still stand firmly against draining humans. I drain animals. Rabbits. Deer. Birds.”

Fred screeched and flew to the opposite end of the room. She had seen the horse outside and refused to die like that.

Rupert studied Vince’s face very closely. Was he telling the truth? Could they trust him? He nodded. “Your story sounds genuine. We will need to discuss this again later, but for now, you have valuable information about our suspect. We need your help, and I think we can trust you. I have one rule, though. You must never use your powers in Snow Peak again. You are our guest, and you will abide by our rules. Understood?”

Vince nodded.

“Good.” He beckoned Fred back to his shoulder. She hesitated at first, and then returned, glaring at Vince with a cautious eye. “We can speak with Alan in the morning and decide what to do next. But for now, it’s getting late. Let’s get some rest.

TWENTY-SEVEN

ELLA STARED STRAIGHT ahead. The sand blew in the wind. She turned her head to see where she was. It was the middle of the desert. A vast land of nothing but sand. Why was she here? She spun around to examine her surroundings. She saw a giant tortoise off in the distance, sitting atop a large sand dune. The great desert creature inched forward, one foot at a time, leaving a trail of massive footprints.

She walked towards it, shielding her eyes from the sun. Up close, the creature was massive. The colossal shell towered over her. She pressed her hand against the rough skin of its leg. It ignored her and continued walking. She grabbed the edge of the shell and climbed to the top, where she sat down to rest. The shell bobbed up and down with each step the tortoise made. She gazed off into the horizon, dangling her feet off the side.

Up above she heard a seagull. She glanced up to watch as it flew by. When she looked back down, her feet were submerged in water, and she was sitting at the edge of a wooden raft. She remembered that she was not in the desert, but in the middle of the ocean. She saw nothing but crashing waves. The raft began to sway as the water roughened. She got to her feet and stood at the center.

From nowhere, she found herself surrounded by a crew of men. They wore brown vests, plain black shirts, and baggy trousers. They all held sharpened knives. In the distance was the distant sound of explosions. The man to her right held a flag that wavered in the ocean breeze. It showed a tortoise climbing a pyramid. “Live free forever,” he said with a blank stare. More distant explosions. The waves grew bigger. “Join us. Live free forever, Ella.” The raft shook violently, thrown about by the growing wind and water. The explosions grew louder. “Join us. Live free forever, Ella.” The waves became too much as she stumbled over. “Join us. Live free forever—”

“Ella…Ella…” Rupert sat at the side of her bed, nudging her from side to side. “Wake up, Ella.”

She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms. “I’m up. What’s going on?”

“Alan’s ready to talk. He’s waiting in the auditorium. Get ready. I’ll get Vince and meet you there.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

VINCE WOKE UP well-rested. No aches. No pain. It was like he had never tumbled over the cliff in the first place. As he sat up, legs still tucked beneath the covers, there was a knock at the door.

“Vince,” Rupert called from outside. “Alan’s ready to talk.”

“I’ll be right out.” He quickly changed and grabbed his bag.

Rupert and Fred, who were waiting outside, looked up and down at Vince’s new outfit. “You look good. Sure beats those bloody rags I found you in.”

“It’s a bit large,” he said holding out his arm and letting the sleeve hang loose.

“I suppose, but that’s expected. Those clothes are mine. I’m a big fellow.” He waved his hand and began walking. “Come on. They’re waiting for us.”

As they walked, Vince looked around. Snow Peak. A nice little village. Cozy. Small. Comfy cabins. Snow covered rooftops. Smoke puffing chimneys…and off in the distance, something caught his eye. Something strange, but familiar. Far off, way up in a tree, was a small metal box, much like the one he saw in Rodin as a child. He had seen these all over the place, and still had no clue what they were. They were always well hidden and just out of reach. This tree, however, looked climbable. It would be difficult, but perhaps he could reach it.

“Hey,” he called out, pointing at the box. “What is that? Do you know?”

Rupert stopped to follow his finger. “I don’t see anything. Just trees.”

“No, look closer. At the very tip. It’s a metal box.”

Rupert strained his eyes, sweeping the skyline until he saw it, and just barely. A speck in the distance. “Oh yeah, there it is. I have no idea? Never seen it there before.” He shrugged. “We can check it out later. Right now they’re waiting for us.”

When they arrived at the auditorium, the room was almost empty. It felt strange compared to the full house they had for the town meeting. Ella, Carl, Alan’s wife Melinda, and Alan himself stood across the room.

Rupert walked forward with open arms. “Alan, my good friend!” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better now that I’m rested.”

“I’m glad. We’re all so happy you’ve returned. Now let’s get to business.” He took a seat in the front row and invited the others to join him. “You have heard the news about Patrick, correct?”

Alan’s eyes lowered. “Yes. He was taken the day before I escaped. I saw him.”

“What?” Rupert exclaimed. “You saw Patrick?”

“Yes, in the most unfortunate of situations.”

“Is he okay?” Ella asked. “Was he hurt?”

“As far as I could tell he was fine, but that can change quickly. That man he’s with…he’s dangerous.”

“That is why we must find him as soon as possible,” Rupert said. “Did you see the man’s face? Can you tell us anything that will help?”

“I will tell you exactly what happened, from the moment he snatched me from my bed.”

TWENTY-NINE

ALAN WAS USUALLY fun and lighthearted, but now he spoke with a serious tone. “That night I awoke in fear, to a dark figure standing over me. His details were hidden in shadows. Melinda was still asleep. He had gagged me and bound my wrists and ankles. I tried to break free, to wake up Melinda, but it was no use.” He looked to his wife as they joined hands. “The man held me down and leaned in close to my ear. His voice was deep and raspy, and his words were chilling. ‘If she wakes up, she dies. Go ahead. Wake her up.’ After hearing those words, I stopped fighting. I tried not to move, but my body still trembled.

“The man picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He carried me out of my cabin and into the woods. The cold seeped through my clothes and numbed my skin. My head hung behind his back, and all I could see were his feet. He left no footprints. Special shoes I guess. The metal clang of keys jingled from his belt. He walked for a good while, until sunrise, and then finally placed me down in the snow. I turned my head to look around, and what I saw was frightening. We had passed the edge of the woods and entered the snow plains. The sight of white fields stretched for miles. Sitting in front of him, protruding from the flat ground, was a cage.”

“A cage?” Rupert interrupted. He turned to Vince with a questioning look. Vince shrugged. He was just as surprised to hear Saul had a cage.

“Yes,” Alan said. “A cage. Large with thick metal bars. It was about half the size of a cabin, and it sat on six wheels. At the front was a metal seat with controls on the side. It had only one door, slightly smaller than a normal door, that was secured with a hefty lock. Inside the cage were people, prisoners from other parts of the world.”

“How many were there?” Rupert asked.

“When I arrived, twelve. They all looked very weak.”

“Why would he keep them like that?” Ella asked.

“So he could drain them,” Vince answered. “He’s saving them for later.”

Alan furrowed his brow. “Drain? No, he was bringing us somewhere. A place called the City. He kept mentioning it. ‘They’ll take good care of you in the City,’ he would say.”

Vince tilted his head, confused. “The City? What’s the City?”

Alan shrugged. “I don’t know, but that’s where he was bringing us.”

“How did you escape?” Ella asked.

“I got lucky. The night after, I was sitting inside the cage with everyone else. The man was gone. He had come back here. It was dark and cold in that cage. A typical night around here I suppose, but I had no coat. There is something particularly eerie about the empty snow plains at night. Its vastness frightened me.” He looked at the faces in the room. They had all seen the snow plains at night, and they all agreed, even Fred. “We waited for him to return. We feared that he would leave us. That we would freeze to death.

“But he didn’t. As the moon rose, the man emerged from the woods, with another body upon his shoulder. It was Patrick. He was unconscious. The man dropped him in the snow and reached for the keys on his belt. He unlocked the cage door and bent down to pick Patrick up again. But as you all know, Patrick’s not the lightest guy around. The man struggled with his body. This opened a window of opportunity for me. I charged at the unlocked door and busted through. I fell to the ground, hands and feet still bound. Lying there, I had no idea what to do next. I had no escape plan. I was acting purely on impulse. When the man saw me, he jumped on top of me before I could wiggle away. I fought back, trying to shake free, but I was tired, and my body was weak. That’s when the cage door slammed open. The prisoners flooded through, but the opening was too small. They all pushed against each other, stuck in the opening as the door swung freely open.

“The man let go of me and ran to the door. While he fumbled with the cage, I got to my feet and hopped over to Patrick, who was lying in the snow. I nudged him, but he was out cold. There was no way I could carry him with my hands bound. I had no choice. I had to leave him. I glanced back at the cage to see the prisoners holding his keys. The man pushed against the door, trying to keep it shut.

“It was the perfect distraction as I hopped toward the woods. I dived behind a tree and glanced back towards the action. The man had his keys back on his belt, and the prisoners were now secured. He walked back to Patrick, turning in my direction. I tried not to move, but the cold snow made it difficult. I clenched my chattering teeth. My breath was short and erratic. The man came closer. I could hear him speaking to someone. Maybe just himself. ‘You lost him?’ he said. ‘How could you lose him?’ His words were filled with rage. I froze, praying he wouldn’t see me. He stopped at Patrick’s body and bent down to pick him up.

“As he carried him back to the cage, turned away from me, I crawled deeper into the woods. The dense branches blocked the sky, and the thick bushes hid the ground. I rolled into a bush. He must have heard the rustle because he placed Patrick down, turned around, and peered into the woods. His eyes darted from side to side, scanning the thick bushes. He wandered closer, his eyes searching through the dark. He walked right up to me, the tread of his shoe in front of my face. I held my breath.