Free The Rat Collector: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 1) by Chris Yee

tree. The warmth. The adrenaline. The overwhelming sense of power. The idea of an even greater sensation was intriguing, but he still held reservations. “Are you sure this is okay? It doesn’t feel right.”
    “Why not?”
    “You’re killing living creatures.”
    “Don’t you realize? This is the key to living forever. We’ve been handed the gift of immortality. We can’t just throw that away. It’s like the man said; hunting. We already kill animals to survive. Your father runs a meat shop for Christ’s sake. He does this kind of thing every day. Draining this rabbit is the same thing. And look,” he held the dangling body up to Vince’s face, “now we can eat it. We can take it back to you father to sell. Nothing goes to waste.”
    Vince listened carefully. Maybe Saul was right. Perhaps he was overreacting. They should use this ability instead of wasting it. It was a gift after all, not a curse. “Okay, show me.”
    “Yes!” Saul yelled, jumping up with excitement. “Let’s get to it then. First, we need to find an animal for you to drain. There are tons of rabbits around. They’re just tough to catch. Here, I’ll help you.”
    “I’ve hunted rabbit before. I know what I’m doing.”
    “That’s what I thought, but there’s a catch. Draining doesn’t work if the rabbit’s dead. You need to catch a live one.”
    Saul’s hunting skills were impressive. He had been practicing all day. When he captured the rabbit, he held it up by the throat. It frantically twisted and turned, trying to escape the tight grasp. Saul wrapped his other hand around the rabbit’s hind legs and twisted his wrist. There was a loud snap as the nimble bones in its legs broke. He released his grip and let it fall to the ground. The rabbit wriggled in pain, dragging its legs and rolling from side to side until finally, it went limp. Its chest still puffed in and out and its ear occasionally twitched. Passed out, but still alive.
    Saul pointed. “Go on. What are you waiting for?”
    Vince picked up the body. He cradled the ball of fur and gently brushed its head with his fingertips.
    “Come on Vince! It’s not your pet. Go on and drain it already.”
    Vince did as commanded. He drained the wounded rabbit, and in an instant, understood what Saul meant. It was not necessarily stronger, just different. It was better. From that moment on he was hooked. All of his doubts, fears, hesitations. Gone.

SEVENTEEN
    VINCE WAS INTERRUPTED when Horace entered the room. Rupert stood to escort the old man out, but Horace remained calm. There was no yelling or nonsense babbling. He stumbled in and sat in the corner, quiet as a mouse.
    “Horace, are you okay?” Rupert asked. “You should be in bed?”
    “I want to listen,” he whispered.
    “Okay,” Rupert said, shrugging as he took his seat.
    “So, what I saw,” Carl said. “That was you draining the horse.”
    Vince nodded. “That is correct. And I am very sorry you had to see that. It was not my intention.”
    “What was your intention?” Ella asked. “Why did you drain the horse in the first place? That was our only one.”
    “It was certainly not the ideal outcome. You must understand, I thought Saul was coming. If he was, you would all be dead. I needed to warn you. Protect you. But I was useless in that wheelchair. Draining helps me heal, and I made a difficult decision. I’m afraid it was the wrong one. I hope you can forgive me.”
    Rupert stared into Vince’s eyes. Could he be trusted? “That is quite some story.”
    Carl nodded. “I liked the story with the turtle.”
    Turtle.
    “The giant tortoise can live for over two hundred years,” Ella blurted out. She was not sure why she quoted The Wonderful World of Animals: Volume 5 — Reptiles ; and now, with everyone staring, her cheeks grew red hot. “I found that quote from a book in the library. I’m not sure why it came to mind.”
    Rupert patted her shoulder. “No worries, dear.”
    “I do have one