The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (4 page)

Second, a guide to edible plants. For this, she picked out
Knowing Your Greens: How to Find Delicious Plants and Avoid the Dangerous Ones
.

To finish off the list, a book about herbs and spices. There were many books of the sort. Endless options to choose from. After a few minutes of searching, she picked up
Spice Up Your Life: Herbs and Spices That Will Change the Way You Cook
. Spice books were all the same, but this one had a fun cover.

With the last book in her bag, she headed towards the exit but stopped just short of the door. She turned around and slowly walked to the center shelf in the middle of the room. The book was in exactly the spot she knew it would be. She pulled it off the shelf and ran her fingers over the cover.
The Wonderful World of Animals: Volume 5 — Reptiles
.

She cracked open the cover and skipped directly to the index sliding her finger down the page, searching for G. When she found it, she eagerly flipped to the page and stared at the words:

Giant Tortoise

There are numerous species and subspecies of the giant tortoise, all spread throughout various parts of the world, but they are typically found in a tropical island setting. Their diet consists of various plants, including grass, flowers, and other greens. As their name suggests, these specimens are very large, weighing as much as 600 pounds, and growing up to 4 feet long. Once very prominent around the world, their population has significantly declined. In the days of pirates, many considered tortoise meat a delicacy. Their slow movement made them incredibly easy targets. Tortoise meat is highly resistant to spoiling and has a unique taste. Docked sailors would often capture these creatures in large quantities before setting out on long voyages. Nowadays, giant tortoise sightings are very rare. The giant tortoise can live for over two hundred years.

Again, this last sentence lingered in her mind.
The giant tortoise can live for over two hundred years
. Why did this fascinate her so much?

A bell rang from outside, and a man walked past the window. “Attention everyone! There will be a town meeting held this evening in the auditorium! Attendance is mandatory! I repeat! Attendance is mandatory!” The announcement faded as the man carried the message along. Ella stuffed
The Wonderful World of Animals
in her bag, along with the other books, and headed out the door.

NINE

THE AUDITORIUM WAS completely full. The seats were packed, and groups of people stood along the walls. Vince arrived early with Rupert and made his way up to the front row. His feet were better, if only slightly. There was still a stinging pain that would last for a while.

In front of the audience was a small elevated stage with a tall podium. Casual conversation rumbled through the room as people waited for the meeting to start.

The crowd died down as Rupert, with Fred perched on his shoulder, approached the podium. He placed both palms down on the wood surface and cleared his throat. “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to this meeting. I know these have been frequent, but this is important. I’m afraid I have some bad news. As you all know, Alan went missing yesterday morning.” People in the crowd nodded. “Well, I’m afraid it has happened again. This afternoon we discovered that Patrick is missing as well.”

A collective gasp filled the room, followed by panic. They rose up in a concerned uproar, all asking the same questions to different people. What does this mean? Will this happen again? Who will be next?

“Everyone!” Rupert yelled, “Please quiet down!” No one could hear him over the shouts of fear and frustration. Fred hopped onto the podium. She spread her wings out wide, opened her beak, and released a tremendous shriek. The chaos stopped in an instant. They all turned and looked to Rupert.

“Thank you, girl.” The obedient falcon returned to her spot on his shoulder. “Now, obviously, this is a tragedy. We must support Martha in her time of need. That goes without saying. However, we must also prepare for the future. With Alan and Patrick’s disappearance, I see a pattern forming. I can only assume that the same thing will happen tonight. We must ensure that everyone is safe in their beds. I propose a night watch. A team of people that can patrol the roads. We are going to need volunteers. Ten people. Two shifts of five. Fred and I will take the northeast corner for the first shift. Is anyone else interested? Please stand.”

A few whispers roamed the crowd. Fourteen people stood. Seven men, six women, and a little girl.

Rupert smiled at the child. “Thank you, darling. You are very brave, but I would feel better with you safe inside your home tonight.” She sat back down. “The rest of you, come see me once we’re done here. We can sort out the details and assign shifts.” The rest of them sat down as well. “Next, we must gather a search party. There is already a group searching for Alan, but I’d like to double our efforts. I will lead this new group. We will leave in the morning at eight o’clock. Volunteers?”

Five people stood, some of them the same as before.

“Thank you, especially to those who volunteered twice. However, I think it is important that the search party is well-rested, so I ask that nobody participates in both. Again, see me after the meeting and we can sort out the details. Lastly, I am trying to gather as much information as I can. I know it’s unlikely, but did anyone see anything out of the ordin…?”

The doors in the back burst open, and a screaming Horace stumbled in. He spouted out his usual gibberish.

Rupert stepped down from the podium and spoke softly to two men in the front row. They both stood up and escorted Horace out. Rupert returned to the podium. “Sorry about that. They will make sure Horace gets home safely. Now, where was I? Oh right. Did anyone see anything strange last night?”

A hand popped up near the back of the room. A red haired girl in her early twenties rose from her seat and spoke in a full voice. “I saw something.”

Rumbles in the crowd started building up again. “Okay everybody,” Rupert said. “Let the girl talk. Go ahead Ella.”

“As you all know, I live across from Martha and Patrick. I have a clear view of their cabin from my window. Last night, I awoke and saw a figure. It was too dark to see from a distance, but the figure was tall and slender. I could tell that much. He entered their cabin, and when he came back out, he was carrying a body.” She slowly dropped her head with sorrow, and then raised it up again. “I thought it was just a dream, so I didn’t think much of it, but now I know it was real. Dreams are never so vivid.”

“Thank you, Ella. I will speak with you later. Did anyone else see anything? It is extremely important that we have as much information as possible” There was no response. “If you do see anything, don’t hesitate to come find me. That concludes our meeting. You’re free to go. Volunteers come see me.”

The crowd cleared out. Rupert informed the volunteers and sent them home to rest before their shift. He then turned to Ella. “I hope you don’t mind helping us.”

“Not at all. I want to help.”

“Your mother doesn’t mind?

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine.”

“Good. To tell you the truth, we really have no information. There was nothing in either of the cabins. No footprints. Nothing. It looked like they just vaporized. But you can confirm that’s not true. They were taken, or at least Patrick was. I assume the same thing happened to Alan.”

Vince watched as Rupert and Ella discussed the details of the kidnapping or lack thereof. Neither of them had a clue what they were up against, but Vince did. People were beginning to panic, and the lack of answers only made things worse. He decided it was time they knew what he did. “Rupert, I have something important to tell you.”

Ella looked down at Vince. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Ella.”

He reached up and firmly shook her hand. “I’m Vince. Nice to meet you.”

“This is the man I found in the mountains,” Rupert said.

A look of excitement jumped across her face. “Oh yeah! The lucky survivor. You’re recovering well. From what I hear, you were in pretty bad condition.”

“Yes, I’m feeling much better. Thank you.”

“So what is it?” Rupert asked. “What do you want to tell me?”

“I know who’s kidnapping your people. His name is Saul. He is a very dangerous man.” Vince paused. “It’s quite a long story. Let’s go back to your cabin, and I’ll tell you from the beginning.”

They returned to Rupert’s cabin and dished out bowls of chili. Gathered around the fireplace, Vince began his story.

TEN

Many years ago…

THE WOODS NEAR Rodin were gorgeous. A hidden paradise. The sunlight peeked through the branches, creating a collage of light and shadow on the ground. Critters scurried about. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, birds. The woods were teeming with life.

Two boys, both twelve years old, stood on the branches of a tall tree. They raced to the top, hopping from one to another. One of the boys pushed off with his feet and soared through the air, arms extended forward. He stretched the tips of his fingers, ready to grab the next branch, but missed and plunged to the ground. He rolled onto his back and looked up with embarrassment. The other boy carefully stepped up to touch the top branch. He raised his arms up in the air to celebrate his victory. Vince had won the race.

They both heard a distant voice, “Vincent! Saul! Time to come in! Dinner’s ready!”

“Okay, Mother!” Vince yelled from the top of the tree. “We’ll be right there!” He climbed down and helped Saul to his feet. “Looks like I win again.”

“One of these days you’ll be the one lying on the ground.”

“Right, Saul. You keep saying that.”

“I say it because it’s true. You’ll see. One of these days.”

They walked towards Vince’s house, playfully pushing each other along the way. When they reached the top of the hill, Saul turned to look back at the woods. His eyes swept across the forest, a place where he and Vince could relax and have fun after school. In a shadowy crevice beneath a tree, a man stood, staring at them. He was tall and slender and wore a fitted black suit. Saul glanced at Vince, and then back to the woods, but the man was gone.

“Did you see that?” Saul yelled over to Vince, who was already making his way down the other side of the hill.

Vince turned around. “See what?”

“There was a man in the woods…just staring at us. And then he vanished. Come on, let’s go check it out.” He stepped back towards the woods.

“Saul, wait! My mother is waiting for us. We can’t just leave her.”

“Don’t you want to know who is watching us?”

“We can check it out tomorrow, but right now we need to go home.”

Saul swept his eyes across the woods once more.

“Come on Saul, my mother is going to get upset.”

“Fine, let’s go. I’m starving anyway.”

When they got to Vince’s house, his mother was waiting for them at the door. “Come on, boys. Clean up and set the table.” They did as she said.

With the table set, they sat down and joined Vince’s parents. His father placed a big bowl of stew in front of them. “Eat up. You boys must be hungry after all of that messing around.”

Vince inhaled the scent of slow-cooked beef rising up from the bowl. His stomach grumbled and his mouth filled with saliva. He grabbed his spoon and dug into the food. Saul did the same.

“Easy there,” his father said. “Eat like that and you’ll choke on your food.”

“Leave them alone,” his mother said. “They’re growing boys. They need to fatten up.”

“Don’t get too fat. You’re getting older, son. Soon you’ll be helping me out a lot more with the shop. I’ll take you out hunting, but you have to be in shape to keep up with me out there.”

Vince slowed his eating when his father mentioned hunting. It was something he had wanted to do for a long time. Go out to the woods and bring in the meat. Contribute to the family business. His father was right. He should stay in shape. He put down his spoon, leaving his bowl half full.

“Don’t listen to your father. He’ll take you out hunting no matter what. He’s just being a grouch.”

He shrugged and laughed. “Well, someone has to be grouchy around here. Everyone’s always so cheery.”

Vince looked at his mother, then at his father, and started shoveling the second half of the food into his mouth.

After dinner, the boys helped clean the dishes and then Saul left for home. Vince was exhausted as he got ready for bed. He lay down and placed his head on the soft pillow, quickly shutting his eyes and entering a deep slumber.

*****

A soft tapping noise woke Vince up. He looked around and saw Saul standing outside the window. He got out of bed and cracked the window open. “Saul, what are you doing here?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“So you came here?”

“Yeah. I’m going to find that man in the woods.”

“Can’t it wait until morning?”

Saul shook his head. “We have school in the morning. He’ll be long gone by the time we get out of school. We’re both awake right now, so let’s just go.”

“I’m awake because you woke me up,” Vince muttered. “Why do you need me anyway? Go on your own.”

“I want someone with me, in case something happens. I promise we’ll be back before sunrise. Your parents won’t even know you were gone.”

Vince looked into his eyes and saw he was determined to find this man. He would go whether Vince came or not. If something bad
did
happen, he would never forgive himself. Also, he was almost certain that this man was just a figment of Saul’s imagination. It was best for him to keep an eye on Saul, to make sure he did not get into any real trouble. “Okay, I’ll come. Just give me a minute.” He changed out of his pajamas and into warmer clothes. Saul helped him through the window, and they walked back towards the woods.

As they walked, Vince pulled out two hunting knives. “I brought these.” He unsheathed one of them and examined the blade. It was dull, but it would have to do. He clipped one to the side of his belt and handed the other to Saul. “If anything happens, we’ll be ready.”