Night of the Rats
by Luke Tebb
Article from The Layton Times entitled ‘Giant Rats Invading Homes in Rider Way’:
The usually quiet residential area has been host to reports of larger
than normal rats appearing in homes and attacking children and pets
have been increasing at an alarming rate in the past few weeks.
Pest control services have been kept busy with calls of monster sized
rats surfacing from the sewers or entering homes via pipes and cracks
in the wall. Sheila Cowen, who lives in a bungalow, saw what she
described as “the biggest, dirtiest, ugliest rodent” she’s ever seen
dart across her kitchen floor and through a hole in the skirting board.
She covered up the hole but more rats appeared. Her granddaughter came
to visit and got bitten while playing in the garden. She ended up in
hospital and is too scared to step inside her grandma’s house. Rats can
carry countless diseases, and a bite from one can result in vomiting,
fever, joint pain and even death if left untreated.
Mark Reynolds claims that his cat is too afraid to go out into the
neighbourhood to search for mice. “Most evenings she comes back with a
mouse in her mouth. For the past few weeks she’s been staying indoors,
refusing to step out the cat flap.” He thinks it’s because of the
sudden appearance of abnormally large rats. “There’s a turn up for the
books; the cat is scared of the rodents.”
The Wells family, who run a popular fish and chip shop, can’t even feel
safe in their own home. Mr. Wells has discovered a family of rats in
the attic, having built a nest out of the insulation and spare pieces
of wood and cardboard. “All the photos I saw of giant monster rats in
the area I was sure were fake,” he told the Times. “Now I’ve seen them
with my own eyes I feel very uneasy in my own home and am worried for
my family.”
An increase in waste and littering in recent years is believed to have
contributed to the pest problems. Empty cans and bottles, as well as
fast food containers and wrappers are being thrown out of cars and
items which could be recycled are being thrown in bins and overflowing
the landfills. Much of the packaging used for food is too big, such as
bags of crisps which are only half filled up, and boxes of sweets and
chocolate which contain more cardboard than food. Rodents become
attracted to landfill sites and recycling plants, and begin to build
their nests nearby so they always have access to food and shelter.
A recycling plant which was based on the outskirts of Layton has been
moved to the fields close to Rider Way, and workers at the plant
believe that the move has led to the rats spreading to urban areas.
Residents are advised to keep their windows and doors locked as much as
possible, especially at night. Children and pets should not be allowed
outside after 5pm. Poison used to kill rats is not to be used where
children and pets are likely to come in contact.
*****
Owen crossed the road to get a closer look at which animal two birds
were fighting over. He wasn’t interested in a morbid way, like people
who dissect animals or preserve their bodies to display at home. He was
just curious.
A gust of wind blew a discarded McDonald’s box onto the pavement. A few
nuggets and fries were still inside. Owen stepped around it and
approached the dead animal. Up close he still wasn’t sure exactly what
it was. If he had a gun to his head he would say it was a rat. It had
the body, eyes, ears, mouth and tail of one. The size, however, made
him think twice.
Owen produced a ruler from his school bag and measured the rat’s body.
The ruler was twelve inches long and he needed two to cover it. The
tail was another ruler long and looked like a snake. The eyes were
fully red. The whiskers looked like snippets of wire. The teeth looked
like tiny swords. The birds continued to peck at the flesh; there was
plenty of it. The body was thick and bulky. An obese rat? Owen chuckled
at the thought.
A jeep tore past, causing him to jump back and the birds to fly away.
The tyres flattened the rat’s body, spilling guts onto the pavement.
Owen carried on walking.
He was coming back from an after school book club. He’d been searching
for an activity outside of school hours which would mean spending less
time at home. The club was run by a kind and enthusiastic teacher and
he got on well with the other students there. Books were his only
source of escape. Getting lost in a good story and sharing in the
adventures of the characters was absolute bliss. His dad wouldn’t let
anyone else choose what to watch on TV in the evenings and said that
cinema ticket prices were a complete rip off. Owen thanked God for
books.
Just as he was about to walk through the narrow footpath towards Rider
Way, a car screamed past and he found his school jumper soaked in fizzy
drink. Someone in the car had chucked a Burger King meal out of the
window. The car had vanished before Owen could react. He cursed under
his breath, then bent down and picked up the wrappers and cartons. He
threw them in the nearest litter bin.
Rider Way was a quiet and well kept neighbourhood. The gardens were
pristine and the hedges always trimmed immaculately. There were no
noises during the night, save for the rustling of tree leaves and owls
hooting. Sirens were always heard far in the distance; the only
startling sound was that of a car alarm being set off by accident. Some
would say it was a boring place to live, but Owen didn’t mind.
The smell of melted cheese hit his nostrils as he stepped through the
door. The hall was swamped in a grey dullness. Owen kicked off his
shoes, shrugged his school bag off his shoulders and switched on the
light.
Mum was in the kitchen, cutting a giant pizza into four equal slices. “How was book club?” she asked when she saw Owen.
“A lot of fun,” Owen answered truthfully.
His older sister Charlotte and Dad were sat waiting in the dining room.
“Alright,” Dad greeted, loosening his tie. Charlotte gave him a smile.
Mum came in with the pizza. As soon as Dad saw the food he frowned. “I thought we were having steak and chips tonight.”
Mum set the plate in the middle of the table. “You said you still liked pizza.”
Dad rose out of his chair. “Don’t tell me what I said. I told you I
didn’t like pizza any more because the cheese gives me stomach cramp.”
Mum sat down. “I must not have heard you.”
Dad stared at her accusingly. “Why don’t you listen to me?”
“I didn’t not hear you on purpose,” Mum protested, scratching her cheek. “Maybe the TV was on and I couldn’t hear you.”
Dad’s nostrils flared. “No excuses; you were ignoring me. I’ve been at
work all week, getting up at six every morning, paying all the bills,
paying for your fancy clothes and ornaments, and this is how you repay
me?”
Mum didn’t say a word. Dad grabbed the plate. For a second Owen thought
he was going to throw it across the room. Instead he released his grip
and began to cut the pizza into slices.
“Saw the biggest rat ever on my way home,” Owen said. “It was the size of a cat.”
“I saw some enormous rats too,” Mum revealed, whipping out her phone.
“Took a video outside a restaurant of a group of them rummaging through
a pile of bin bags. I wouldn’t have noticed if they weren’t so big. It
was scary. I got away from there in a hurry.” She showed Owen and
Charlotte the video as Dad handed out the pizza slices. The rats looked
just like the one Owen saw earlier. Their eyes were red and hungry.
They scurried in and out of the bin bags through holes they’d made as
fast as lightning.
“Turn that off,” Dad said. “It’ll put you off your dinner.”
They settled down and ate.
Owen was woken by screaming, or at least he thought he was. There could
have been screaming in his dream. He sat up in bed and listened
closely. There were two distinctive screams. Mum and Charlotte.
Owen switched on his bedside lamp and walked out onto the landing. “Owen, get down here!” he heard Dad call.
He hurried downstairs to find Mum, Dad and Charlotte running
frantically around the kitchen. Dad was carrying a brush, Mum a rolling
pin and Charlotte a spatula. “There’s a rat in the house,” Mum
explained, eyes darting round the room. “It’s disappeared and we don’t
know where it’s gone.”
As Owen stepped into the kitchen he heard a growl. Sounded more like a
dog than a rat. Charlotte opened the utensil drawer and handed him
another spatula. “I’m pretty sure the noise came from behind the
fridge,” she said. “Please check Owen.”
Owen walked up to the fridge. Another growl, throaty and agitated.
After what felt like an age of hesitation, he knelt down and looked
behind the fridge. In the dark a pair of red alien eyes looked back.
Owen whacked the rat with the spatula, almost like a reflex action. The
rat dived towards him. He leapt up and jumped in the air. The rat
scurried under the kitchen table and into the hallway.
“Get after it,” Dad ordered.
Owen ran out into the hallway. There was a big bulge in the doormat.
Owen grabbed a chair from the kitchen and walked as quietly as he could
up to the mat. Then as fast as he could he dropped a leg of the chair
on top of the bulge. There was an agonised cry, then silence. Owen
removed the chair leg and lifted up the mat. The rat was dead, its
blood beginning to soak into the carpet. Mum, Charlotte and Dad were
delighted.
Dad told Owen to clean up the mess before he went back to bed. He got
rid of the rat’s body quickly, as the stench was like sewage. The rat
wasn’t as big as the one he saw earlier that day, but it was still very
big and chunky. It took ages to scrub the blood out of the carpet, and
he was very tired the next day at school.
A few days later Owen came home from school to find Charlotte lying on the sofa in the lounge, watching I’m Alan Partridge.
Whenever she had the comedy series on it meant there’d been a falling
out. It was riotously funny and silly, and always put her and Owen in a
good mood no matter how sour they were feeling.
Owen slung his school bag on the coat hook and went into the lounge.
“How was your day?” he asked, collapsing on the other end of the sofa.
“Okay,” she said monotonously. Her eyes were bloodshot and she hadn’t reapplied her make up.
“What’s happened?” Owen asked, taking his school jumper off.
Charlotte turned the TV down. “I had an argument with Mum over Dad. I told her I can’t take his behaviour any more.”
“What did she say?”
“Aargh; she just used to same old excuses. He has to work hard, he just has a bad temper, he always says he’s sorry.”
“Sometimes I think she’s just as bad as him,” Owen said.
Charlotte played with her hair. “I can’t live here for much longer. I think I might get my own flat.”
“Can you afford one?”
“I’ve put away a fair amount of money from working at the toy shop, plus there’s the savings Mum’s put away for me.”
“I thought you wanted to go to uni.”
“I do, I just can’t be here.”
“You’re gonna leave me on my own?”
Charlotte’s eyes held the faintest hint of hope. “You can come with me
if you want. It would help if you could earn a bit of money as well,
but it’s gotta be better than staying here for another three years.”
Owen didn’t like the thought of a job on top of his schoolwork. Then
again, Charlotte was right. “I’ll think about it,” he said.
“One more thing. I keep hearing noises coming from the attic at night. Keeps waking me up. Can you check up there?”
“If it’ll make you happy.”
Charlotte flashed a toothy smile. “It will.”
Owen went upstairs and deliberated on investigating the attic for
fifteen minutes. With a torch and a Swiss army knife he opened the
hatch and extended the ladder. The steel was icy cold to the touch.
When he reached the top of the ladder Owen shone the torch around the
attic. Nothing seemed out of ordinary. After another five minutes of
deliberation he decided to climb inside and search thoroughly.
The attic was empty save for a few cardboard boxes and discarded
camping gear. Owen searched through the boxes, coughing as dust began
to cloud the air. Nothing but board games and worn paperbacks.
He heard a growl. The same one the rat behind the fridge made. Owen
spun round but didn’t dare make a move. In the torch light a pair of
narrow red eyes stared at him, followed by another, and another.
Owen brought the torch up slowly to where the eyes were. There was a
circular pile of loft insulation and cardboard. In the middle were four
pairs of red eyes, less narrow and smaller than the others. Baby rats;
except they were the size of normal adult rats. They began scurrying
around the nest, presumably startled by the bright torch light.
Owen thought that if he crept to the hatch and went very slowly down
the ladder, as quietly as a mouse, he’d be fine. He envisioned himself
doing it, but he couldn’t move. His feet felt as if they were nailed to
the floorboards.
A rat scurrying towards him forced him into action. He scuttled to the
hatch, banging his head on the ceiling. He was in such a hurry he
missed the ladder and fell seven feet to the floor, landing with an
almighty thud.
Owen felt pain in his knees as he heard footsteps racing up the stairs. “What happened?” Charlotte asked.
“There’s a nest of rats up there,” Owen explained. “Loads of the little buggers.”
Charlotte closed the hatch and kneeled beside him. “Are you hurt?”
“I think I’m fine,” Owen said. He didn’t feel any severe pain.
“I feel bad for making you go up now,” Charlotte said.
“If you didn’t they could have spread and there could’ve been countless monster rats in the house,” Owen pointed out.
“How do they get that big?” Charlotte wondered aloud.
Later that evening Owen and Charlotte told Mum and Dad what they’d
found in the attic. Dad nearly choked on his beer when he heard about
Owen’s fall. “You muppet!” he said, pointing his finger at Owen.
Owen wanted to go up to Dad and break his finger in half. The urge was so strong he had to leave the room.
*****
Article from The Layton Times entitled ‘Rules for Dealing with Rat Problem in Rider Way’
Layton Council have issued a warning to residents living in and around
Rider Way in regards to dealing with the increasing problem of rat
infestations. A 7pm curfew has been issued to children and pets.
Notices have been placed on lamp posts, listing the items which will
harm the rats in case they decide to attack, as well as a warning not
to throw items such as food wrappers and fizzy drink cans onto the
pavement as the tastes will only attracts more rodents. Residents are
also advised not to eat or drink outdoors.
Sharon White, who runs the library in Layton, claims her pet cat has
been very sick since he was bitten by a giant rat in the garden one
evening. “He’s usually keen to go out and explore the garden and the
street; now he seems to want to stay inside. He’s not eating very much
and is throwing up a lot. There are these red marks on his back. I
thought they were just scratch marks, but they’re getting bigger.”
There has been an increase in calls to pest control services in the
area, though even they don’t seem to be of much help. Mr. Watkins, a
member of the Big Bugs, Slimy Slugs team, has been tackling the giant
rats in several houses. “Normal sized rats can chew through electrical
wires and lead pipes. These rats can chew through bricks and even
glass, no problem. I’ve advised homeowners not to apply any rodent
killing sprays outside, as children and pets could be harmed. My
warning has gone mostly unnoticed, though, with two young children
already in hospital.
“I’ve never seen a case in a neighbourhood this severe, affecting so
many households. Whether it’s a change in rats’ genetics or
environment, this new type of rat is proving a scary challenge.”
*****
Those red eyes again. Glaring, studying, learning. Those sword teeth,
glistening in the light of the sunset. Whiskers like wires, sprouting
from the snout in zig zag lines. Thick unruly hair. This one looked
like it had been in a fight. The tip of its garden hose tail was
missing. Its ears looked as if they’d been half chewed off.
Owen was on his way home when he saw the rat in the middle of the
narrow footpath, chewing on a big KFC container. He’d been at a
friend’s house that afternoon, and wanted to get back before dark. A
sensible decision, but pointless. He’d seen about three other giant
rats on his way home, though luckily they hadn’t spotted him.
Now he was frozen. If he ran, the rat would surely outrun him. They
were very fast; that was one of the reasons people were so scared of
them. He didn’t have any kind of weapon at hand. The hedges on either
side of the footpath were too high to jump over.
He wasn’t too far from the main road. If he could just make it there,
he could get the rat run over. It was rush hour so there was a good
chance.
There wasn’t any time to think of another escape. The rat stood up on
its hind legs and started making a kind of hissing sound. Owen feigned
indecision, then spun round and ran for the road.
He heard the rat continuing to hiss behind him. He listened for traffic
approaching, but the whoosh of the wind blowing through the hedge
leaves drowned out all other noise.
Owen stole a glance over his shoulder. The rat was right behind him. He
didn’t have time to check for traffic. He had to risk it. He ran across
the road as fast as he could. He heard several cars whizzing past. He
stopped and turned around.
The rat hadn’t crossed the road. It was coiled on the edge of the
pavement, its red eyes fixed on Owen’s. Owen didn’t wait to find out
what it was doing. He carried on running, taking as many twists and
turns as he could so that if the rodent was still following him it
would get lost. The sky was darkening quickly and he needed to get
indoors.
He was running so fast that he couldn’t stop in time for another rat
not to see him. It was in the middle of a playing field, munching on
the leg of a dead cyclist. The rat’s body was as big as a calf’s. Its
claws were like knives, its tail flailing like an eel. It chewed
through clothes and skin like bread. Owen hoped that it would be
satisfied with its current meal and he could slip away unscathed, but
no such luck.
The rat’s eyes locked onto him. It threw the leg on the grass and
scurried towards him. There was a high fence at the end of the field.
He raced towards it and just about managed to climb over.
He was about to carry on for home when he heard a violent crack of
wood. Splinters and nails went flying through the air as a wooden board
came loose. The rat’s snout appeared through the crack in the fence,
covered in soil and blades of grass. Another board came loose.
Owen ran for his life. There was no one else around. He crossed roads
without checking, just ran. He knew that the rat was right behind him.
He could smell it. Like out of date meat. The street lamps lit his
path, but he guessed there could be more rats in the shadows.
When he reached home Owen pounded on the front door. He screamed for
help. The rat was metres away. Before he could find an object to attack
it with the rodent clamped its jaws around his ankle and began to drag
him away.
Luckily it seemed to have overestimated its own strength. Owen was only
dragged for a couple of metres before the rat stopped. It released its
jaws, sending a river of pain through his ankle. While he had the
chance he limped back to the house and picked up a flowerpot. The rat’s
red eyes burned into his. As it raced towards him he brought the
flowerpot to shoulder height, then smashed it down on the rat’s body.
The rat squealed in pain and retreated into the dark. Owen banged on
the front door again. This time it opened. Dad stared at him, a puzzled
expression on his face.
“What’s the hurry?” he asked.
Owen explained what had just happened. “Sorry,” he said, “I was
watching the races. Didn’t want to miss the result. I dunno what’s
going on with these rats. It’s like an invasion. Charlotte’s been bit
by one. She’s been throwing up into a bucket.”
Dad returned to the TV. Owen limped to the kitchen, grabbed the first
aid kit and went to the bathroom. He rolled up his blood splattered
trouser leg and dipped his ankle in the shower. The pain was stinging
but it had to be done. The bite mark was flesh deep and he shuddered at
the thought of how his body was going to respond. He spread antiseptic
cream over the wound and wrapped it in a bandage.
He realised suddenly how dry his throat was. He drank a glass of water
greedily. His stomach felt hollow but he didn’t have any appetite.
“Hi Owen,” Mum said, wandering into the kitchen. “I was just about to cook dinner. What do you fancy?”
“I had dinner at Mark’s,” Owen lied. He told her about the rats. “At
least you did the right thing,” she replied, pointing to his ankle.
“Fat lot of good those pest control people did. I didn’t think rats
could get that big. I Googled what’s best for killing them, and
apparently baking soda does the trick.”
“How did Charlotte get bitten?” Owen asked.
“She went out to buy Dad a case of beer. He didn’t realise that he’d
run out. She went as fast as she could but one of them got her.”
Owen struggled upstairs and found Charlotte in her bedroom, lying in
bed. Her hair was sticking up and her face was deathly pale. It took
her a few seconds to realise Owen was in the room.
“Hi,” she said in a wheezy voice, before leaning over the side of her
bed and spewing out green and yellow vomit into a bucket.
Owen tried to lighten the mood. “Make sure to clean the bucket before using it to mop.”
Charlotte managed a half smile. “Those giant rats are everywhere in Rider Way. I wasn’t going to go outside but Dad–”
“I know,” Owen said, gritting his teeth. “Can I get you anything?”“Just some paracetamol. My forehead feels like it’s on fire.”
“I got bit too.”
“How do you feel?”
“Not too bad at the moment, but I’m probably gonna be joining you in the throwing up department soon.”
“Owen!” Mum shouted from downstairs. Owen found her in the kitchen,
horror written across her face. A rat had smashed the window and was
scurrying in. He grabbed the carving knife from the tabletop and
plunged it into the rodent’s skull. It squealed for a couple of
seconds, then dropped dead. Owen hurled it out of the window and said,
“We need to get all the windows boarded up.”
Owen and Mum used furniture and wood for the fire to cover all the
downstairs windows and doors. He could hear the rats trying to break
in. When he went into the lounge Dad was still glued to the TV, sipping
on his second beer. He asked him to help move the coffee table in front
of the window. As they began to lift it Dad shouted, “Rat!”
Before Owen knew what was happening another rat was on top of him,
baring a row of jagged teeth. Its whiskers brushed against his cheeks.
Dad had shoved him in front of the rat. He screamed for his help but
got no response. He held up his arm to push the rat away and the rat
bit down on his forearm. Its body was crushingly heavy and Owen didn’t
have the strength to keep fighting it off.
Mum burst through the door and copied what Owen did in the kitchen. The rat rolled off him and lay stiff on the carpet.
Mum asked Dad to help her get rid of the body. “I’m not touching it,”
he protested. “God knows how many diseases it’s carrying.”
Owen snapped. “Diseases which I’m now carrying because you used me as a human shield.”
“Did you?” Mum asked.
“It was just an accident,” Dad said. “I was trying to find a weapon to
kill the rat; I must have knocked into him in the panic.”
“Let me get you bandaged up,” Mum said, gesturing for Owen to come into the kitchen.
“You believe him?” Owen said. “Why do believe everything he says?”
“He wouldn’t hurt you,” Mum said.
Blood trickled down Owen’s forearm and splashed onto the rug. He glared
at Dad. “I’ve had enough of you.” Turning to Mum, he said slowly, “And
if you’re going to keep sticking up for this bully then I can’t love
you any more. As I keep telling told in school: laugh with a bully, you
are a bully.”
“Don’t you dare speak to your father–” Mum started, but he wasn’t
listening. He was sick of listening and never getting a chance to have
his say. He walked out of the lounge and boarded up the door, then ran
upstairs to Charlotte’s bedroom.
“The house isn’t safe,” he said, fetching her coat. “I know you’re
sick, but we have to go. If we stay here Dad’s gonna get us killed.”
Charlotte struggled out of bed and Owen helped her into her coat. He
took her hand and went downstairs. Mum and Dad were banging on the
lounge door. He grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table and ran
into the garage.
“You can’t drive,” Charlotte said.
“I’ve no choice,” Owen explained. If they tried walking to safety in their condition they’d be dead meat within seconds.
They got into the family car and Owen turned the key. He’d seen Mum drive hundreds of times; it didn’t look that difficult.
The garage door cranked open and in the headlights they saw countless
pairs of hungry red eyes. Owen wanted to ram them, but he decided to
start at a steady pace. He released the handbrake and struggled out of
the driveway. He kept stopping and starting. The rats scratched on the
windows. Charlotte made sure all of the doors were locked. He turned
right and headed out of Rider Way. “Where are you going?” Charlotte
asked.
“As far away from town as possible,” Owen said. “I don’t know where, but we’re dead if we stay here.”
Many of the other houses in the neighbourhood were boarded up and the
rats weren’t able to break in. Some of the posher houses had
sophisticated security systems and the homeowners didn’t need to worry
at all.
Owen was struggling to drive and avoid the rats scuttling across the road. In the distance flashing lights lit up the dark.
“Is this a nightmare?” Charlotte wondered. “Or a prank? I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“How could it be a prank?” Owen asked.
“The rats could be an experiment gone wrong and someone’s trying to get rid of them.”
“I doubt it.”
Crack! Owen found himself covered in tiny bits of glass. A rat had
smashed its snout through his window. It hissed and pushed its way
further in. Other rats must have heard and began to circle the car.
“I can’t find anything to hit it with,” Charlotte gasped. She searched frantically in the glove compartment and back seat.
Owen jerked his body to the left as the rat swiped at him. Its claws
ripped open his T-shirt and left four red lines across his chest.
“Unbuckle my belt,” Owen instructed.
Charlotte looked confused but did it anyway. Owen grabbed his belt and
tied it around the rat’s neck. He pulled as hard as he could, keeping
one hand on the steering wheel. The rat squealed deafeningly and
whacked its trail against the wind shield. A few cracks formed on the
glass. The rat kept whacking its tail. More and more cracks appeared.
Owen kept pulling until the rat wasn’t squealing any more. It made a
desperate gasp, then slid off the car.
It was now impossible to see out of the wind shield. Owen couldn’t stop
the car because countless rats were still circling them.
Charlotte screamed as a shudder was sent through the car, causing Owen’s hands and feet to vibrate.
He couldn’t move the car forward. He got out quickly to see what had happened.
He had hit a lamp post – hard. Smoke was billowing out of the engine. Owen knew nothing about car mechanics.
“We have to run,” he said to Charlotte.
“I can’t,” Charlotte said, tears streaming down her face. The rats were almost on them.
“Yes you can,” Owen said. He opened her door and took her by the hand.
They ran to the edge of Rider Way. The main road was empty. They
carried on alongside it. Owen prayed a car would come by. The rats were
so close he could feel their hot breath. He felt claws swiping at his
ankles.
A pair of headlights almost blinded him. A van pulled up beside them. “Get in!” the driver said, pointing to the back.
Owen took Charlotte to the back and lifted her inside. A woman closed
the doors. “Looks like we rescued you just in time,” she said.
Owen nearly jumped back out of the van. There were rats in cages,
nearly as big as the ones invading Rider Way. “Don’t worry,” the woman
said with a reassuring smile. “The cages are very secure. These rats
are all male, and they’ve been genetically mutated to make sure all
their offspring are male. Specialist pest control teams will deal with
the ones invading your homers for now. We’re here to ensure an outbreak
doesn’t happen again. Eventually the rat population in the area will
die out.”
“We’ve both been bitten,” Charlotte said. “Will we be fine?”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” the woman said, patting her on the shoulder. “We’ll take you to a doctor and get you sorted out.”
Owen felt relief like that of seeing daylight after a long dark night.
The rats were largely eliminated over the next few weeks, and
eventually the lives of the residents of Rider Way returned to normal.
Time would tell if the plan to eradicate the population completely
worked or not.
Owen and Charlotte found a flat in a new area, and just about managed
to support themselves. When choosing a flat they made certain there
wasn’t a history of rodent problems. Their injuries healed and the
incident faded from their memories, only coming back in dreams every
now and again.
THE END
© 2019 Luke Tebb
Bio: My name is Luke and I've been writing stories since around
the age of seven, and have always been attracted in particular to the
horror genre. I currently have fourteen short stories and one poem self
published on Amazon Kindle. I enjoy drawing and hope to illustrate my
stories some day. I've been attending adult creative writing courses
for the past year and a half. I also enjoy walking and attending comic
conventions dressed as Superman. I'm active on Twitter, where I promote
my stories and interact with fellow horror writers.
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