The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (15 page)

*****

The next morning, it happened again. They marched through the snow when Vince stopped. “Oh no. Another one.”

Again, Fred fluttered in a panic. Rupert looked, but there was nothing to see. “Is it Patrick?”

Vince did not respond. Again, Ella and Alan ran ahead, while Vince and Rupert stayed back. Arriving at the scene, they found another hand. This time, written in blood,
LAST WARNING
.

Alan looked to the others. “We’re still going, right?”

They nodded without question.
Of course we’re still going,
Alan thought.
He couldn’t scare us off yesterday. What makes this any different?
But deep inside it felt different. It was stronger. Scarier. The idea that Patrick could die. Or was already dead. This unsettling thought festered down in his gut as he followed the others along a path of uncertainty.

THIRTY-SIX

THE FIFTH DAY was warm. Patches of yellow grass peeked through the melting snow. Their surroundings grew lively as they neared the edge of the snow plain. Birds. Rabbits. Shrubs. Trees. After days of nothing but snow, it was nice to see some change. But once the snow was gone, the tracks were gone as well. There was no more trail to follow.

After an hour of wandering in what they hoped was the right direction, they came across a cave, protruding from the face of a small mountain. They stood at the mouth, peering into the darkness. The walls stretched deep until shadow swallowed them whole.

Vince examined the cave, and memories from the past reappeared. He remembered that day in the cave. The day Saul had drained those innocent people. The day he left the Pugg. It was a long time ago, but the memories were still vivid. He remembered the dull cave walls, the moist smell, the hollow silence. This cave, the one that stood before him now, was just like the one from his past.

Alan gazed at the others. “What are we—”

Vince shushed him and cupped his hand behind his ear. “Listen,” he whispered.

They all leaned forward. There was almost nothing, almost complete silence. Almost. But from the deepest corner of the cave they could hear a faint sound. Voices echoing from the cave’s inner depths.

“Is that Saul’s voice?” Ella asked. “Do you recognize it?”

Vince listened a bit longer. “It’s hard to tell. It’s very soft, and I haven’t heard his voice in a long time. I need to get closer to be sure.”

“Okay, then,” Alan said. “Let’s go.” He began to walk forward.

Vince held him back. “I’ll go first. It could be dangerous.” He held a finger up to his lips. “Try to be quiet. If we’re lucky, we can sneak up on him.”

He entered the cave. The dark was overwhelming, but his eyes adjusted quickly. The sound of each step echoed off the jagged walls. The air grew warm and wet as they ventured further in. Puddles of murky water were scattered across the ground. They listened carefully as they walked, hoping to hear Saul’s voice again. They heard nothing but dripping water.

Up ahead, the cave split into three paths. They all stopped to look at Vince. He cupped his ear again and tilted it forward. This time, there were two voices. One was possibly Saul. The other was familiar, but hard to place. It was a voice he had heard before. He pointed down the middle path and led the group deeper.

The voices grew clearer as they walked. He was now certain of Saul’s voice. Torchlight bent around the corner ahead. The looming darkness lifted as they moved closer to the light. They approached slowly, anticipating what was around the corner. Both excitement and terror pounded in Vince’s heart.

Would Saul cooperate? Probably not. Vince was sure of this and was prepared to deal with such. It was the second voice that made him uneasy.

He pressed his hand against the cave wall and peeked his head around the corner. Saul held a torch above his head, facing the other direction. Across from him stood a dark figure, and behind the figure, a cage. A tarp was draped over the metal bars, hiding its prisoners. The figure was tall and well built. He wore a large hooded cloak which hid his face in shadow. Only his pale lips were revealed by the dim glow of Saul’s torch.

“I can’t let you leave!” Saul yelled. “You know that.”

“Sure you can,” the man responded. “It is a very simple task.” His voice was raspy, yet still familiar. “Saul, my friend, this is what I do.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your friend. We barely know each other.”

“On the contrary, you may not know much about me, but I know quite a lot about you. You are one of our specimens after all. We keep all of our subjects under close surveillance, especially those beyond the walls. It would be unprofessional otherwise.” He paused, as if a voice spoke to him in his head. His thin lips stretched into a wide grin. “I’m sure Vince knows what I mean. Don’t you Vince?” With no response, the man chuckled. “I know you’re there, Vince. You and your friends can come out.” Vince stepped around the corner, out of hiding. The others stood behind him. “It’s good to see you again, Vince. I heard you found one of our cameras. I’m impressed. That tree was a tall one. You’ve grown strong over the years.” He turned back to Saul. “I can’t say the same about you, Saul. It’s interesting how different the two of you have come along.”

Saul stared at Vince with wide eyes. “Vince…”

Vince glanced at him and then back to the hooded man. “Who are you? How do you know who I am?”

“Oh Vince, I’m disappointed. Don’t you recognize me? I suppose it has been a while. Maybe this will help.” He lifted his hood to reveal his face. A patch covered his left eye.

The sight of the eye patch instilled shock. It was the man from his past who changed his life forever. “You’re the man in the suit.”

“Ha! Is that what you called me back then? I suppose I did wear a lot of suits in those early days. I have to admit, I looked quite silly in those small suits. Fortunately, that name no longer fits me, as you can see,” he spread his arms to display his hooded cloak, “and I don’t think
man in the hood
is quite as catchy.” His posture was sturdy and strong. He was not the clumsy mess Vince remembered. “Please, call me Mr. Carbul. Or better yet, Barnabus. No need for formalities. We all know each other here.”

“You don’t know us,” Ella said.

“Of course I do, Ella.” She flinched at the sound of her name. “As I said, we keep
all
of our subjects under close surveillance. And as I’m sure you know by now, Alan here has caused me quite a bit of trouble.” He glared intensely into Alan’s eyes. “But all is well. I’m not one to hold grudges.”

“I don’t understand,” Vince said. “What’s going on?”

Saul shook his head. “I tried to tell you on the mountain, but you never gave me a chance to explain.”

“Explain what?”

“It’s not me you should be after.” His voice lowered. “He’s the one doing all of this.” He pointed to Barnabus.

“But those people you killed in Vassor. You—”

Barnabus chuckled. “Yes, I remember that day. I must admit, that was quite a surprising turn of events. Very amusing to watch. Unfortunately, he didn’t keep it up for long. It’s a shame. I was rooting for you, Saul. You embraced your power. You pushed it to its limits. None of this self-righteous mumbo jumbo like you,” He turned to Vince. “Saul realized that you were better than the others. He realized that I gave you a gift, and he showed appreciation for that gift, but you had to drag him down, question his morals. Do you know what morals are for? The weak. He stopped draining people and look at him now. A pathetic excuse for a man, withering away, a victim of time.”

Vince looked at Saul with hopeful eyes. “You stopped draining people?”

Saul nodded. “That’s a decision I made a long time ago. But not soon enough.” His head dropped in shame. “I attacked two towns after Vassor. That is something I’m not proud of.” He looked up and pointed to Barnabus. “Then I ran into him. He told me things. Things that you should know.”

Barnabus laughed again. “Frankly, I’m surprised you never figured it out on your own. They told us you were Rodin’s brightest. Perhaps even brighter than that Hedcrown fellow. I was honored to be your contact agent. But you were just a disappointment. Greene insisted that you had potential, but I knew right away you would let us down.”

Vince placed a hand on Saul’s shoulder. “Saul, what did he tell you?”

“He said we’re test subjects. Lab rats.”

“No,” Barnabus said, “you’re not lab rats. We have other subjects back in our lab. We let you roam free. You’re more like…field rats.”

Saul ignored him. “We were chosen as subjects, and that man was assigned to give us the formula. That day back in the woods, he
needed
us to take it. That’s why he was so persistent. They wanted to observe us. They’re still watching us right now.”

“Who are
they
?” Vince asked. Saul looked to Barnabus for an answer.

“
They
would be my superiors. Greene and all of his lab guys.” He smiled. “You know, they’re watching right now. That’s how I knew you were following me. I presume you saw my messages.”

Alan stepped forward. “We got your message, you bastard. You don’t scare us. Now hand over Patrick!”

“Ah yes. Patrick. Your friend from Snow Peak.” He began to pace back and forth. “You know, Snow Peak has caused me a lot of trouble. It was such a simple job. Collect the rats and go home. Bring the lab guys their new batch of subjects. I was so close too. Just across the water at the end of this cave. It’s important work you know, and I take it very seriously. Great things come out of our research. Technology, transportation, medicine.” He lifted his foot. “Even these snowshoes. You may find it hard to believe, but I consider myself a savior of lives. Hell, you two wouldn’t even be alive right now if it weren’t for me. It’s truly amazing, the steps we’ve taken towards everlasting life. People fear death. They think it’s the end, but that’s not true anymore. We are entering an age of
no
end, and you two were some of the lucky souls that got to taste it first.” His pacing was now faster, more anxious. “You know, I could be home right now, eating a nice hot meal with my family,” his raspy voice dropped lower, “but I had to deal with Snow Peak. It started with you, Alan. You had to break out of my cage and get the others riled up. I suppose it’s partly my fault. I got sloppy. I left the door unlocked. But after you escaped you sparked somewhat of a rebellion. They tried again and again to escape, led by your very own Patrick.”

“Where is he?” Alan insisted.

“I’ll get to that, but you must be patient.”

Alan walked forward. “I don’t have to be anything. You’re going to tell us where the hell Patrick is and—”

“Enough!” Barnabus commanded. He reached behind his back, pulled out a device, and pointed it at Alan. A loud thunderous echo shot from the object. A clump of dirt shot up from the ground and into Alan’s face. Alan froze in place. Fred fluttered about and shrieked in fear. The sound traveled throughout the empty cave, dying down until there was silence. “It’s time you all realize that I am the one in charge here. You will listen to what I say. No interruptions, otherwise, I’ll let this gun do the talking.”

They all stared at Barnabus. What was this gun device? It appeared to shoot thunder. It was a frightening thought; that thunder could be harnessed and used as a weapon.

Barnabus continued his speech, now with the gun pointed at Alan’s head. “As I was saying, Patrick, that hot-headed moron, decided to take charge and rally up the others. He slowed me down considerably. He was the reason this persistent little rat,” he gestured to Saul, “was able to catch me. He was a problem that needed to be dealt with. You saw my first attempts to silence him. Unfortunately, I underestimated his ability to endure a few dismemberments, so I took things a step further.

“You didn’t…” Ella started but stopped when she remembered the gun.

“Yes, Ella. You’ve got it right. I killed him. Beheaded to be exact. I don’t want to skimp on the details. Don’t hold it against me, though. He forced my hand. I had no choice.”

“Oh please,” Saul said, stepping in front of Alan, into the line of fire. “Don’t blame this on your prisoners. You enjoyed it because you’re sick.” He waved for the others to move back. Ella, Alan, and Rupert obeyed. Vince remained where he was. Saul took another step forward.

Barnabus steadied his arm. “Don’t come any closer. I don’t want to shoot you.”

Saul took another step. “I don’t buy that. I think nothing would make you happier than to shoot me right now. But you can’t, can you?” Another step. “Your boss, this Greene fellow, he needs us. They’re not done studying us.” Another step. “Every muscle in your body wants to kill me right now…but you’re not allowed to.”

Another thunderous bang crashed through the air. A warm red mist splattered into Vince’s face. Saul dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. A red splotch spread from under his hands. A gargle of blood filled his throat as he struggled to breathe. Fred let out another panicked shriek. Smoke danced around the hot barrel of the gun, in front of Barnabus’ angered face.

Vince ran to Saul and knelt down beside him, catching him in his arms before he hit the ground.

Barnabus flashed his deranged smile. “You’re wrong about two things, Saul. First, you overestimate your importance to our research. You two aren’t the only ones with the formula. We have plenty of other subjects that have abilities just like you.” He walked over to the tarp that was covering the cage, waving the gun carelessly as he spoke. “Second, no one tells me what to do. Greene doesn’t control me. He doesn’t even respect me. I know about Project Monika. I saw Trish sneaking around in the labs. If he’s not going to keep me in the loop, I don’t have to listen to him.” He raised his arms up and yelled at the walls. “You hear that? I don’t have to listen to you!” He lowered his arms back down and grabbed the tarp in his fist. “If I want to kill Patrick, I will. If I want to cut all of Greene’s subjects into tiny little pieces, no one can stop me.” His lips formed a grin. “See?”

He pulled the tarp off in one swift motion. The center of the cage held a bloody mess. Severed arms, legs, torsos, heads. Blood dripped from the pile of flesh, pooling around the metal floor of the cage. At the top of the pile, staring straight ahead with dead eyes, was Patrick’s head.