The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) (13 page)

“And that’s when Patrick woke up. The man took one last scan of the woods and turned around to put Patrick in the cage. He yelled at the prisoners to stay back and shoved Patrick inside. He locked the door, sat in the front seat, and tinkered with the controls. The cage moved forward atop the six giant wheels. I watched from the bush as they disappeared into the snow plains.

“Once they were gone, I rolled out and tried to sit up. I rubbed my wrists against a tree and managed to free my hands, although the bark scratched them up pretty good.” He held up his wrists to show streaks of red across his skin. “I freed my ankles and walked into the dark woods. I found myself lost in the woods for a good day, but eventually, I made it back.”

“What did this man look like?” Rupert asked.

“I didn’t get a good look. He wore a hood which kept his face hidden. He was a large man. Tall and built. I know that’s not much.”

“It is still helpful,” Rupert said. “But there’s something more important. Do you remember how to get to this cage?”

Alan nodded and pointed east. “That way. I can show you.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Are you sure you’re ready to go back out?”

“Yes,” he answered, without hesitation. “If it means rescuing Patrick, I’m happy to help.”

Rupert patted Alan on the shoulder. “Very well. We will leave this afternoon. And Alan, it truly is good to have you back.”

THIRTY

AS THE OTHERS gathered equipment, Vince sat on a bench and peered up at the metal box in the tree. The precise edges. The smooth, shiny surface. The circular glass which was pointed in their direction, as if it were watching them.

Rupert walked by with his arms full and saw Vince staring into the trees. He placed the bags down and took a seat. Fred, who was still scared of Vince, hopped over to his opposite shoulder. Rupert peered up at the box. “That thing really has you curious, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

“It is strange, no doubt. Never seen a thing like it.”

“I have seen many, but none this close. They are always far out of reach. But this one…”

“You mean to retrieve it?”

“Perhaps.” Vince turned to look at Rupert. “Do you think it’s possible? To climb that tree?”

Rupert studied the tree from top to bottom. “It is a tall one. The branches are scarce, just like the ones around it. It would be difficult. Perhaps impossible. But you climbed up the side of that cliff, something I also would have called impossible.”

“You’re right about the branches. It would be a challenge.” He looked up again. “Could Fred fly up there? Get it down for us?”

Without responding, Rupert stood from the bench and raised up his arm. Fred jumped from his shoulder to his hand. “Go ahead girl. See what that thing is.”

She let out a shriek and launched from Rupert’s arm. She dashed towards the tree with her talons ready. The wind frizzled her feathers as she soared through the air. Once she was close, she slowed her speed and hovered over the box. She tilted her head to examine the object and grabbed the metal with her talon. A loud crack echoed through the air. Pain shot up her leg and through her body. Her wings stiffened, and she plummeted down like a rock, spinning through leaves and branches. She gained control fluttered her wings to slow her fall, but it was not enough. She slammed to the ground with a solid thud.

“Fred!” Rupert screamed. He sprinted to the base of the tree and Vince following closely behind. Fred got to her feet when she saw Rupert, and let out a reassuring chirp. “You’re okay?” Rupert whispered. He stroked her head. “Don’t scare me like that.”

When Vince caught up and saw that Fred was okay, he tilted his head upward. “That’s weird. I don’t feel any energy from this tree. Like it’s not alive. Not real.”

Rupert brought his face an inch away from the trunk. “It sure looks real to me.”

“It is convincing,” he said as he touched the bark, “but it’s not like the other trees. It’s different. Artificial.”

“You mean someone built this tree and placed it here?”

“I have no idea. It makes no sense.” He turned to Rupert. “I’m going to climb up.”

Rupert shook his head. “Back there I thought it might be possible, but from here, it’s just too tall. There are no branches up near the top. And once you get up there…if you get up there, it will shock you just like it shocked Fred.”

“Not if I don’t touch it. You don’t understand. I have traveled the world for longer than I can keep track of, and everywhere I go, I see these things, these boxes. They’re hidden. They’re out of reach. But I see them. And now I have a chance to get up close. I need to know what they are.”

“How do you plan to get up there?”

“The same way I got up that cliff.” He unsheathed the knife and grabbed another from his bag. “With these.” Rupert looked unsure. “Trust me. I was weak on that cliff. But now I’m rested. Well fed. I’m stronger than I was back then.” He approached the trunk. “I’ll be fine.”

He secured his bag, tucked a knife into his belt, and gripped the other with his teeth. He hopped up to grab a low branch and pulled himself up. He carefully placed his feet as he scaled the base of the tree, the branches becoming more scarce the higher he went.

He was up higher when a branch snapped from under his feet, and he quickly grabbed another one overhead. He dangled, looking up at the branch that he gripped. The base was slowly bending, beginning to crack. The lower branches were sturdy, but up here they could not hold his weight.

With his free hand, he grabbed the knife from his mouth. He stretched his arm back and thrust forward, fixing the blade in place. The branch snapped off and slipped out of his hand. He held the handle of the knife as his body swung down and slammed into the bark. He grabbed the other knife from his belt and climbed up the tree, just like he had climbed up the cliff.

The rest of the climb was no trouble. When he reached the top, he waved down to Rupert, who waved back. Fred let out a triumphant call. She must have been rooting for him despite her earlier reservations.

He turned to the box and admired the ornate craftsmanship. There was a faint humming noise. He tilted his ear and inched closer. The humming was coming from inside the box. He pulled his head back and stared for a moment. The glass piece in front was large and circular. He leaned over to look through the glass but saw only darkness. It was tempting to grab it, but he knew it would shock him. If he could grip it long enough to tear it off its post, he could drop it from the tree and examine it more closely once he was back down.

He toyed with the thought when he noticed wires sticking out from the back, feeding into the tree. With the tip of his knife, he tapped the metal surface. Sparks flew, and a loud crack echoed. He flinched but kept his balance.

He looked at the wires again and placed his knife on the rubber lining. With one quick slice, he cut through the wires. The low hum silenced. He tapped the blade to the surface again and…this time nothing happened. No sparks. No loud crack. He stored away his knives and inched his hand forward, carefully running his fingertips along the metal surface. Nothing happened. No pain. No shock.

He grabbed the box with both hands and pulled, but it would not budge. The base was mounted to the tree. He rubbed his palms together, and grabbed the box again, this time pulling with great force. The bark splintered, and the box broke free. He held it out, staring with wide eyes. He looked down at Rupert. “I got it! I’m coming down!” He threw the device in his bag and began his descent.

When he reached the bottom, Rupert peeked into his bag. “How did you manage that?”

“There was a wire.” Vince pulled it out to show him. “Right here. It was powering a security system of some sort. It should be safe now.” As he said this, Fred hopped up and pecked at the box.

Rupert examined the strange artifact. “What is it? It looks just as foreign down here as it did up there.”

“I don’t know, but it must be important. Someone didn’t want us to find it.”

“We should take it apart. Figure out what it is. What it does.”

Vince nodded. “Yes, I agree, but not until after we catch Saul. This box can wait, but Saul is getting farther away.”

“I agree. Let’s finish packing. The day’s almost half gone.”

Vince stuffed the box in his bag and went inside to help the others pack.

THIRTY-ONE

ELLA AND ALAN sorted through the village supply shed, stuffing their bags with equipment. Melinda stood in the corner folding her husband’s spare clothes. “Do you really have to go out again? You just got back. Surely you can spend a few days to rest first.”

“No honey,” Alan said. He continued sorting without looking up. “Patrick is still out there. This Saul guy still has him locked up in that cage, and every minute we wait they get farther away. We need to leave now.” He lifted his eyes and looked into hers. “I hope you understand?”

“Of course, I do. It’s just, that morning when I woke up and you were gone, that was the worst day of my life. I don’t want that to happen again.”

Ella walked over to Melinda and rubbed her back. “Don’t worry. Your husband is in good hands. We’ll all be there to look out for him.”

“I know, Ella, but still… Saul sounds really dangerous. We have no idea what he’s capable of. And this Vince fellow. Do you really think we can trust him? Do we know anything about him? He’s a stranger, nothing more.”

“He is a stranger. That’s true, but I do trust him. He knows Saul. He grew up with him. Maybe he can reason with him.”

“And what if he’s lying to you?” Melinda said, shaking her head. “What if he’s leading you into a trap? What then?”

“I honestly believe we can trust him. Rupert agrees, his story sounds genuine. But I suppose only time will tell.”

Alan took his wife by the hand. “We must find Patrick.” He held her in his arms, and whispered, “Rupert will be there. He’ll look after us. We’ll be fine.”

“Just be careful, okay?” She wrapped her arms around his head and pulled in closer to hug him.

“Ella,” Alan said. “Have you told your mother you’re leaving? I can’t imagine Tamara will take this news well.”

She sighed. “Not yet. I’m sure that will be fun. I’ll go tell her now.” She grabbed her bag and left.

A minute later Rupert, Fred, and Vince entered the room. “Are you ready Alan?” Rupert said in his jovial voice. “It’s time to go. Where’s Ella?”

Alan, who had just finished packing, lifted his bag over his shoulder. “She went to say bye to her mother. But I’m all set and ready to go.”

“Very good. We can wait for Ella outside.”

THIRTY-TWO

VINCE WATCHED THE others say goodbye to their loved ones. Alan to his wife, Ella to her mother, and Rupert to all the others. There was a strong sense of community in Snow Peak, something Vince had given up the day he left Rodin. All his family and loved ones had perished long ago, and now he was tracking down his best friend, to kill him.

When goodbyes were done, they turned their backs to Snow Peak and entered the woods. They carried large bags on their shoulders. Rupert led at the front of the group. “So Alan,” he said, “which way do we go?”

Alan pointed straight out. “You’ve got it. Just keep going straight.” He looked to Ella. “How did your mother take the news? Was she upset?”

“Of course she was. You know how my mother is.”

“You’ve always been there to look after her. It’s hard for her to let you go.”

“She was upset, but she understands how important this is.”

“Melinda is the same way. She hates that I’m leaving so soon, but she supports my decision. I guess that’s all we can ask.”

“I suppose so,” Ella replied softly.

“What about you, Vince? Have anyone waiting for you back home?”

“Alan, don’t…”

Vince raised a hand, “It’s okay, Ella. He doesn’t know. Home for me is far away. I haven’t been there in a long time. My family has passed. Friends too. Really all I have is Saul…” They stopped walking. A somber silence filled the air. Then Vince looked up and smiled. “And of course, I have all of you.” They chuckled and started walking again. “It’s true there aren’t many people in my life, but it’s nice in its own way. It’s peaceful.”

“You must have met other people in your travels,” Ella said. “I can’t imagine we’re the first ones you’ve come across.”

“There were others, but only in passing. I never stayed in one place too long. No more than a day. I’m constantly moving to keep up with Saul. He moves fast.”

“And then you found us,” Alan said.

“Yes, I found Snow Peak.”

“Why did you stick around so long?”

“My feet were torn up. I couldn’t walk. If I could, I would have left right away.”

“And when you catch him, what are you going to do? Kill him?”

The question rang in his ears. Would he kill him? Could he bring himself to kill his only friend?

Rupert interrupted before he could answer. “We’ll worry about that later. Let’s focus on getting there first. Alan, would you lead the way?”

“Yes sir,” He jogged to the front, with Ella walking by his side.

Rupert fell back to speak with Vince. “The two of you must have been close. You and Saul I mean.”

Vince nodded. “Yes. Very close.” He raised his eyes to look at Rupert. “He’s not going to stop. He will resist, and given the opportunity, I believe he’ll kill me.” His eyes dropped down again. “But I don’t know if I can kill him.”

THIRTY-THREE

AFTER HOURS OF walking, they reached the edge of the woods. The terrain opened up to a vast field of snow. The snow plains. Alan looked around. “It was somewhere around here.”

Rupert walked up beside him. “Let’s sweep the area and see if we can find anything.”

They all walked off in different directions to search for clues. Fred flew up high to get a better view. It did not take long for her to spot the trail in the snow. She shrieked and flew towards the tracks. The others looked up and followed her lead.

Rupert crouched beside the lines in the snow, leading out towards the snow plains. “Well, it looks like he made it easy for us.” He pointed his finger out. “He went that way. We’ll follow, but first, we need some rest. The sun is low and the night will get dangerously cold. We shouldn’t be outside for that. When the sun rises, we can follow these tracks.”