The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (10 page)

Saul grasped Roger’s elbow, trying to loosen his hold, but it only tightened. “Roger, you don’t want to do this,” He tried to keep his voice calm. “I know you’re confused, but think about what you’re doing.” Warm drops of blood dripped from the blade, its tip poking the skin of his throat.

“I am bringing justice. You’re the reason my parents are dead. You’re the reason my life is ruined. You must pay for everything you’ve done to me.”

“You really believe that? You think this is all my fault?”

“You stole my book. You provoked me and got me in trouble.” His grip got tighter as he spoke.

“I didn’t take your book, and I certainly didn’t provoke you. You got yourself in trouble.”

“Don’t lie! I know you despise me.”

“I don’t despise you.”

“Stop lying! Stop lying! Stop lying!”

There was no sense in talking to him. He had made up his mind about Saul. There was nothing he could say to calm him down. “You know what, Roger?” he whispered as he closed his eyes and moved his hand to Roger’s bare wrist. “You’re right. I do despise you. Always have.” His fingers rubbed against Roger’s oily skin. “Since the very first time I met you, I hated your guts.” The tendrils crept from his fingertips. “You are truly an awful person. Human scum.”

The front door opened, and Vince walked through.

“Scum die!” Saul shouted. Energy shot through his arms and into his heart.

“No!” Vince yelled, watching from the door.

Roger dropped the knife and writhed in pain. He shot out a piercing shriek as his limbs contorted beyond his control. Saul held the wriggling body tightly in his arms. Roger’s flesh shriveled into a dry crust. His face grew wrinkles, and his eyes rolled back. His hair lost color, turning a thin gray. His screams stretched out to his final breath, mouth wide open across an unfamiliar face. Movement had stopped. The body was just a lump of dead meat.

Saul lifted his hands, letting the body fall to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw the guests staring at him. No one spoke. No one moved. No one did a thing. They all just stared. And they all had the same expression on their face. Fear.

TWENTY-THREE

VINCE STOOD IN the doorway, shocked at what had happened. He looked deep into Saul’s face and saw unquestionable pleasure. When Saul opened his eyes, that pleasure was replaced with regret. He saw the ones he loved. Family. Friends. They cowered in fear.

He stepped forward, and the crowd backed away. “Wait,” he pleaded. “Don’t be afraid.” He took another step, and the crowd backed away further. “I’m not going to hurt you. Listen to me. Please.” He walked towards his mother, her face covered in tears. “Mother.” She shook her head and stepped back. Tears of his own began to run down. “You don’t have to be afraid. It’s just me.” She back into a wall and trembled as her son walked towards her. He reached out and held her arm, but she pulled away and stormed out sobbing. Saul watched her go. “Don’t run!” he yelled.

But his yells startled the crowd. They screamed and ran away in a panic. Some went for the front door, some for the back. Others climbed through windows. They did whatever they could to get out of the house, away from Saul.

Through the chaos, Vince and Saul met eyes, standing on opposite sides of the room. They stared at each other as the guests ran back and forth between them. Vince shook his head, and Saul averted his eyes, ashamed.

The room was nearly empty when six lawmen burst through the front door. Law Chief Darren led the squad. They charged in, a baton in one hand and a small shield in the other. They formed a tight circle around Saul and waited for the law chief’s orders.

“Men,” Darren called, “hold your positions!” He turned to Saul. “Saul Shepherd, you are considered a danger to the public. We must take you into custody. Please lie face down with your hands behind your back. I will only ask once. If you refuse, we will have to use force.” Saul did not respond. He stood stiff as a board. Darren raised his hand and pointed forward. They slowly closed in, keeping their batons and shields raised. Once he was close enough, Darren grabbed Saul’s arms, twisted them behind his back, and tied them together. Saul did not resist.

They dragged him out, leaving Vince alone in his house. Birthday decorations were scattered about, but there was no one left to celebrate. No friends. No family. They were all too scared of Saul. And that was the moment Vince decided he would never reveal his powers to anyone. The risks were too high.

TWENTY-FOUR

THE DAY OF Saul’s trial was a gloomy one. Clouds clustered overhead and the night drizzle grew to a steady downpour by dawn. Fields were muddied, and roads were drenched, but despite the bad weather, a large crowd had shown up to watch. The room was packed. They stood shoulder to shoulder, with no room to move. Vince had arrived early to claim a spot in the front row.

Saul entered the room, and the crowd went wild. His hands were bound as he pushed his way through the mob of people, escorted by Law Chief Darren and two other lawmen. When he reached Judge Porplin at the front of the room, he bowed his head and took a seat at the podium to the right. The lawmen stood against the wall behind him.

The room was thunderous with insults and obscenities. Judge Porplin sat down. His hands rested atop his plump belly, rising and falling with each breath. He watched the clock on the wall as the volume of the crowd grew.

When the hand struck ten, he cleared his throat. “Let us begin!” The room went silent, the people turning their attention to the judge. “Let us begin,” he repeated. “Mr. Saul Shepherd. Precisely six days, ten hours, and twelve minutes ago, in the Vigo residence, seventeen-year-old Roger Ramsey was killed. Today, we are here to determine the degree to which you are guilty. Do you understand?”

Saul nodded.

“Please respond verbally, Mr. Shepherd.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Very good.” He flipped through the papers on his desk, reading the details of the trial, and then looked back to Saul. “Would you like to begin with a statement?”

Saul rose to his feet. “I would like to make it clear that what I did that night was in self-defense. Many of you witnessed what happened. You know this is true. Roger had killed his own parents, and he was going to kill me. If I did not take action, I would be dead. It was life or death. I chose life. Any of you would have done the same.” He bowed his head to the judge and took his seat.

“Is that all you wish to say, Mr. Shepherd?”

Saul nodded.

“Please respond verbally, Mr. Shepherd.”

“Yes. That is all I wish to say.”

“Very good.” He flipped through the papers again, reading more carefully this time. “Mr. Shepherd. There is an extensive amount of evidence supporting what you say. Your teacher and many of your classmates confirm that Roger Ramsey exhibited signs of aggression towards you. We found the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey in their home, the same night of Roger’s death. And we have multiple witnesses that confirm the boy had a knife to your throat. There is no doubt that you acted in self-defense.

Saul sighed with relief.

“However, I would like to make it clear that the focus of this trial is not one of self-defense. We are not here to determine whether Roger Ramsey’s death was justified. We are here to sort out exactly how you killed the boy. Some say you strangled him. That there was nothing unusual at all. But most of our witnesses say you possess strange powers. That he dropped dead at the touch of your hand. Some say you’re a demon. That you used these powers to torture the boy. Today I intend to find out how much of this is true. We are here to determine if you are a danger to the public. Do you understand?”

“This is ridiculous!” Saul yelled, popping up from his seat. “I am not a danger—”

“Please answer the question so we may proceed with the trial, Mr. Shepherd. Do you understand?”

He sat back down, staring at his hands. “Yes. I understand.”

“Very good. Please keep your voice down and refrain from standing, unless you are asked otherwise. Now let us proceed with the trial. I will begin with the schedule. We have already heard a statement from the accused party. Next, we have the speakers. They will help persuade the trial. I have a list of the five speakers here today. Rodney Willis, a witness of the incident. Samara Martin, teacher of the accused party and a witness of the incident. Law Chief Lawrence Darren, the lawman who made the arrest. Doctor William Dillot, examiner of the victim’s body. And lastly, Deborah Shepherd, mother of the accused party. Once all have spoken, the accused party will make one final statement, and then I will make my final judgment. Are there any questions?” There was silence. “Okay. Then bring up the first speaker, Mr. Rodney Willis.”

The old man next to Vince stood up and shuffled over to the front. He stood in silence, looking up to Judge Porplin for permission to speak.

“Mr. Willis, please tell us what you witnessed on the night of the incident.”

The old man nodded. “It was a terrible sight. A terrifying thing to see.”

“What did you see?” the judge asked. “Please be specific.”

“He had a knife to the boy’s neck.”

“You mean Mr. Ramsey had a knife to Mr. Shepherd’s neck?”

“Correct.”

“Please use their names for the purpose of this trial.”

“Mr. Shepherd grabbed Mr. Ramsey’s hand. That’s all he did. Next thing I know, Mr. Ramsey is lying on the ground, dead as a board.”

“Is there anything else you recall from the incident?”

“Yes.” The man’s voice was much softer now. “The look on the boy’s face as he died. I’ll never forget that look. It was something I have seen only once before and hope to never see again. It was a look of pure agony.”

A low grumble spread through the crowd. “Okay everybody,” Judge Porplin said. “Quiet down. I would like to keep this trial moving. Mr. Willis, do you have anything else to say?”

The man turned around and raised his arm at Saul. “That boy, the boy you call Saul Shepherd, he’s a monster. He cannot live among us. He is too dangerous.”

“Thank you, Mr. Willis. You may take your seat. Our next speaker is Ms. Samara Martin.”

Ms. Martin filled the spot at the front of the room. She greeted the judge, smiled at Saul, and turned to the crowd. “I was there that night as well. It was truly a terrible night. There is no doubt that Roger’s death is tragic.” She gestured to Saul. “But are we really prepared to prosecute this young boy for defending himself? Saul is one of my students. I know him very well. I’ve taught him for over five years now. He is a good boy. A decent person. What he did may have been a little scary, but consider what would have happened if he hadn’t. Things would have turned out much worse. Roger was unstable. He had killed his own parents. There was no telling what he would do next. Saul is the reason we’re still breathing. He is a hero, not a monster. We should be thanking him, but instead, we are sitting here, condemning an act of heroism.”

“Is that all Ms. Martin?”

“Yes, that is all.”

“Thank you. Please take your seat. Our next speaker is Law Chief Lawrence Darren.”

Darren replaced Ms. Martin at the front. “Thank you, Judge Porplin.”

“Please tell the people what you witnessed on the night of the arrest.”

“Very well, though I don’t have much to report. Our squad arrived at approximately midnight. Mr. Shepherd was standing over Mr. Ramsey’s body. My squad placed Mr. Shepherd under arrest. He did not show any signs of resistance. Upon our investigation, we found nothing unusual about the scene. Doctor William Dillot will go into the specifics of the body.” His eyes searched the crowd. “Doctor Dillot,” he said, gesturing for him to come forward.

Doctor Dillot stood and took the Law Chief’s spot. “Thank you for the introduction. Let me begin by saying, I am quite old. My hair is thinning, and my knees ache far too often. I have practiced medicine my entire life, which, for me, is a long time. I think it goes without saying, that I am very experienced. I have seen some unusual things throughout my career. But this.” He held up a folder with Roger’s file.” This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It is something I cannot explain. So I won’t. I will only report what I found.”

He opened the folder and glanced over the file before continuing. “I have done some extensive analysis on Mr. Ramsey’s body and what I found baffles me. This young boy has accelerated in age. This is not the body of a seventeen-year-old. When he died, he was an eighty-year-old man. Older than myself. I have examined the body multiple times. My colleagues have as well. We all agree, while this may seem impossible, Mr. Ramsey died of natural causes. Of old age.”

“Natural causes?” Judge Porplin asked. “A seventeen-year-old boy dies of old age, and you call that natural?”

“Perhaps natural was the wrong word. Please understand, this case is very unusual. But I stand by these results. Natural or unnatural, this is what happened.”

“Thank you, Doctor Dillot. You may take your seat.” The doctor bowed and returned to his seat. “Now for our final speaker. Mrs. Deborah Shepherd.”

Saul’s mother made her way up, arms huddled around her body, and stood in front of the judge. “What do I say?”

“Whatever you wish to say, Mrs. Shepherd. This is your time to speak. Tell us about your boy.”

She nodded. “In that case, I would like to say that my son is just like any other boy. He plays in the woods, does his chores, goes to school. He excels in school. Isn’t that right, Samara?”

Ms. Martin nodded. “One of the brightest students in my class.”

“He is a good boy,” she continued. “Never causes any trouble. Anyone who truly knows Saul knows that he would never hurt a living soul.”

“You were present that night,” Judge Porplin said in his stern voice. “Am I correct?”

She began to shiver. “Yes. That is correct. I was there.”

“Would you please tell us how you feel about what happened?”

She inhaled deep and let it out slowly. Her shivering grew more intense. Her voice was turbulent. “Obviously, I don’t feel good about it.”

“Would you please elaborate?”

“That boy, Roger. His life was taken. I know he was holding a knife to my son’s throat, but he was still only a child.” Her eyes began to water. “No child should suffer a death like that.”