Read The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) for Free Online Page B

washed over, and a thick cloud of fog rolled in. Chills crawled over Vince’s skin, and Saul was visibly trembling.
    “I give up,” Saul muttered. “Let’s go home.”
    “Finally!” Vince stood up, but quickly realized the fog had grown thick. They would get lost if they wandered off now. Saul was only a few feet away, but he could barely see him at all. He sat back down. “Let’s wait for the fog to pass.”
    Saul’s face was a mess. He turned to Vince. “This was a mistake. We never should have come out here.”
    Vince looked back with disdain “You’re the one who dragged me out here in the first place. I could be lying comfortably in my bed right now.”
    “Don’t blame me for being here. I didn’t force you to come. If you had said no, I would have left you alone.”
    “And then you would be stranded out here by yourself, hunting down some mystery man. Who knows what could have happened to you? You should be thanking me.” Saul’s lack of gratitude was getting under Vince’s skin.
    “Look, I don’t want to argue right now. Let’s just both shut up and wait for the fog to pass.”
    They waited, but the fog did not pass.

ELEVEN
    THE FIREPLACE CRACKLED, its warmth filling the air. Rupert, Fred, and Ella all huddled around Vince as he told his story. They had so many questions. Who was this man in the suit? Why was Saul so dangerous? But before he could answer these questions, his story was interrupted by the sound of screaming from outside. Rupert looked at the others curiously and got to his feet.
    When he opened the door, a crowd of people ran by, holding torches and shouting. Vince and Ella followed Rupert outside. They stood in the road while people passed by. Ella stopped one of them. “What’s happening? Where is everyone going?”
    “Someone’s coming out of the woods. It’s got to be that monster, here to take someone else. We have to stop him. Come on, this way.” The man ran off. Rupert and Ella followed.
    “No, wait,” Vince hollered. “He’ll kill you all!”
    But no one heard his yells. He pushed the wheels of his chair, but the thick snow and steep incline made it impossible to keep up. His arms cramped as he groaned in frustration. He could not let another town vanish. He could not let Saul win again. He jumped to his feet, but the burning pain was too much. He dropped to the ground and squirmed helplessly on the ground. There was no way he could stop Saul. Not like this.
    Behind him, he heard the dampened clop of large hooves in the snow. Rupert’s horse was still tied to the post in front of the cabin. Vince could ride it over to the others. He crawled over to the majestic beast, but there was no way for him to mount the thing from the ground. He could barely even stand. He looked into the creature’s gloomy face. “Sorry buddy, but I have to do this.” He pressed both hands into the horse’s warm stomach and closed his eyes.
    The creature turned from calm to agitated, shaking about with discomfort. Its white hide withered to a fiery crimson. Agitation turned to anger as it wildly kicked in all directions. Vince dodged the powerful blows, keeping his hands glued to the delirious animal. The horse jumped and threw its hind legs in the air, groaning loudly. Its amber hide darkened to a deep black. Its energy depleted as it slowed its kicks and finally stopped. It stumbled and fell to its knees. Vince moved his hands up to the creature’s back. It sat in the snow, wheezing and exhausted. It let out a final cry of agony and collapsed into a lifeless corpse. Its black hide faded to a pale gray.
    Adrenaline coursed through Vince’s veins. He stood up with ease and dug his feet into the snow. No more pain. No more exhaustion. He felt unstoppable.
    Carl was standing behind him, stiff as a board, eyes wide open. His whole body shook as Vince walked over. “Sorry you had to see that. I’m afraid I don’t have time to explain right now.” He walked past Carl and sprinted