The Tunnel!

I should preface this with a bit of info. Years ago I saw a special on the Discovery Channel. It was about pest in New York City. One of the people on the show was a super. The man made it his mission to fight the rats that were in and around his building. I liked that he had so much pride in his job. That show planted a seed in my mind. This story is that seed having grown.

This may not be the best short story ever written. In fact it probably isn't even the best I can or could write. But I am proud of it either way. There are probably a few grammatical and spelling errors. I am not that good at editing my work. Having said that I hope someone reads this and enjoys it. I would appreciate any comments, negative or positive. Thank You.

THE TUNNEL!

New Yorkers love to say that everything in New York is bigger and better. Being a proud New Yorker myself I find myself bragging just as much. Now while most of the bragging is pure conjecture, there is one thing that I know is true. Ask any New Yorker about rats and they’ll chew your ear off with tall tales. One common facet of those stories is how big the rats are in this city. The thing is while those stories may not be true the rats here can get just as big as those stories would have you believe.

    I know because this morning a carried an industrial garbage bag filled with about 15 rats. The bag was at least 100 pounds. Every night I see these monster rats. I spend my nights in a never ending battle against them. My name is Jason Reyes White and I own and maintain a four story residential building in Spanish Harlem.

    Recently things went to hell. Like every building in this city we had pest. But then something happened. A hole opened in the floor of the basement and from it spewed wave after wave of rats. That first night I was drawn to the basement by the sound of the scratching and screeching. What I saw haunts my dreams to this day a living breathing stinking wave of rodent flesh undulated at me as I opened the door. Somehow I was able to shut the door before the swarm could get through, but I could feel them pushing against the all too fragile barrier.

        A dozen thoughts ran through my head in an instant. Not a single one contained the word run. I pushed my body hard against the straining door. I frantically searched for something, anything to use against them. My eyes fell on a long handled broom. It wasn’t ideal but I needed something. And it had the added appeal of being within arms length. I pulled my weapon close to me and tried to steady myself.

    I failed miserably at that. But ran head first into a living swamp of teeth and claws. The maelstrom that followed was horrifying not only in its brutality but in the ease with which a sunk into it. I swung the head of the broom at the breathing carpet and felt a primal surge of importance. As a smashed the heads of rat after rat I became an essential part of something larger than myself. For once in my life I was necessary. I was pivotal. I felt like a part of something. Something larger than myself. It was comforting and exhilarating at the same time.

    Truthfully at the time my epiphany may have been overshadowed by a simple but savage bloodlust. Either way I was in a fight for my life. A fight I was loosing. As many rats as I swept away to their death a dozen more ripped into my legs and climbed up my body slashing at me all the way.

    The pain was tremendous. As horrid as the sensation was it was almost comforting in that it reassured me I was still alive. For all I knew this could have been some torturous hell. But pain like that had to be reserved for the living.

    As these disjointed thoughts flashed through my mind my body reacted on instinct, I crushed rats beneath my heels and ripped them off my torso with my left hand. All the while I raked at the vile onslaught with my broom. The sounds of little skulls shattering, bodies bursting and accusatory screeching created an unforgettable melody of death. A melody that I would spend the next five hours creating.

When the last rat had died under my heel I was reborn. It was as if I had been baptized in the blood and gore of my fallen foes. I stood over the legion of lifeless bodies with a feeling of pride. I had overcome a force of nature and set my place as the king of my domain. A domain I would do anything to protect. I was sure I had seen the worst my world had to offer. I was wrong.

    That was over a year ago. Every night since I have battled against the vile hordes that crawl from the hole. I have been noticing that while their numbers decrease their size increases. Every night I shed more blood then the night before, if this is a war of attrition than the rats have already one. Not that I plan on giving up. I’ve seen what they can do; the pain is burned in my mind, and engraved in my body.

    The escalation of aggression has to end. A build up like this can only lead to a final conflagration, an exclamation point at the end of a vulgar outcry. Unlike that first night I am armed as a warrior should be. My main weapon being an air powered pellet gun that fires solid steel BBs. It made short work of the first waves. Or it did before the rats started to grow. Now it leaves something to be desired. I’ve had to rely on my blade and hammer more and more.

    Luckily I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I pray that my wits may lead me to victory. But a nagging thought refuses to quiet itself. Every night they get bigger. When will it end? How large can these monsters get? Is there a limit to there growth. Last night I killed a hundred pounds of rat. But they number less than fifteen. There is only so much flesh I can give, so much blood I can lose.  As it is the only thing that keeps me moving is the fear of what they would do if I wasn’t there to stop them.

    But how long can one man fight nature. The more I think about it the worse the outcome appears. Luck is all that’s kept me standing. I can’t count on that to hold out. I know that. That’s why I have to take the fight to them. That means going in the hole and fighting them on their own ground.

    I’ve done all I could to prepare. Yet I know this will not end well. How could it? How could I truly prepare to walk into hell and face an army? There is no way to ready myself for that. I have relied on instinct in my battles. I don’t think instinct alone will see me through this safely but it will see me through to the end.

    I have decided to put an end to this war of attrition. An end that will either see me victorious or dead. I have decided to venture into their world. I do not know what awaits me. I do know that it will not be pleasant nor easy. But I must take the battle to them. They must know what it feels like to have your home invaded. I will make these creatures understand the violence that man is capable. No I will make them understand the violence that one man is capable of.

    I lowered myself through the hole at noon. I fell only a few feet but landed in another world. I was expecting utter darkness but was soon greeted with a haunting green glow, a glow that emanated from the waste which had engulfed my lower legs. I was happy that I did not have to rely on my flashlight.

    With each step I took I became aware of the life around me. Pest of all sizes scattered at my presence. Things I had never seen and others I would never have thought to see.

    It wasn’t long before the rats made their move. Beasts larger than any I had seen came at me teeth bared and hate burning in their red eyes. I shouldered my more powerful air gun and ripped into them. The steel BBs ripped into their bloated black bodies, hurting them badly. This gave me the opportunity to use my hammer and blade. It wasn’t quick nor clean. I expected that.

    What I did not expect was the still quit. There was no hiss as they attacked or squeal as they fell. I could say that they were prepared to die. That they were merely sent to slow me, but the possibilities that arise from such a thought frightens me too much to willingly accept it as truth.

    As I descended further down the tunnel I became aware of a loud thumping sound. I couldn’t be sure as to when the silence ended but the noise that seemed to reverberate around the walls of the pipe was omnipresent now. There was no escaping the rhythmic pounding. The passageway seemed to jump and shake to the pounding. My head was swimming from the vibrations that seemed to emanate from my very surroundings.

    I tried to steady my breath as the sound began to increase in pace. My hands sought the walls of the tunnel so as to steady myself. As I grasped at the sides with my palm I noticed that the walls were still. The pipe wasn’t reacting to the sound, I was. I grasped my chest in shock. In doing so I learned that I was the cause of the noise. My heart was beating so hard that my body shook from the force of it.

    My body was scared. I didn’t know that could happen. My mind was clear. I felt no fear. At least none that I was aware of. Maybe it was my subconscious. I can’t be sure. The only thing I was sure of was that I would not allow my body to betray me. I slowed my pace and forced myself to relax. I was concerned I would have to stop or even go back.

    It didn’t take long for my concern over this to wane. The arrival of yet another rat helped to expedite that. Once again the lowly creature made no noise. It just appeared before me. I doubt that even if my attention had not been elsewhere that I would have noticed its presence any sooner. The creature seemed to eye me with a malevolent interest. It was standing on its hind legs allowing its black head to come to my mid chest.

    The arrival of that foe was just what I needed. A shock to my system. As we examined each other my right hand crept along my waist desperately feeling for my hammer. I would have to dispatch this creature the old fashioned way. When I grasped my trusty claw headed friend the rat lunged forward. It had been waiting for that moment.

    It shouldn’t have waited. As it sunk its fangs into my shoulder I began to drive the hammer into its head and neck. Each impact brought a wet thud. I could feel the shock of each hit reverberate through its blood stained teeth. It pulled me to the floor of the tunnel trying to end my relentless onslaught. When that failed it sunk its teeth deeper into my shoulder, so deep that its teeth met with a resounding click.

    The bastard put its paws on my chest and began to pull its head away from my body. If it succeeded a large portion of my flesh would go with it. As badly injured as I was I could still continue but if the rat succeeded all would be for naught. The hammer spun in my grip and I brought the claw down and through its skull. I have no doubt that my pounding had shattered its skull allowing the claw easier access.

     The first strike probably killed it, but my bloodlust had taken over. I no longer wanted to kill the creature; no I wanted to annihilate it, to leave nothing but a bloody patch of fur on the tunnel floor. When I was done its head was beyond recognition. Part of its upper jaw remained in my shoulder while the lower jaw had slid out of my flesh and landed in the puddle that had been the rats head. I allowed myself to sit and rest for a few moments. The pain and excitement helped me focus. I was able to calm down.
  
    Once I had regained my composure I ripped the creature’s upper jaw from my shoulder and screamed. Screamed from the pain and from the dawning realization of what this war of mine could cost. I had accepted that I would die in the tunnel but at that moment the true meaning of that made itself clear. I wouldn’t just die; no I would be ripped to shreds and eaten like any other form of prey.  I would not let that happen.

     I had made peace with dying. In fact the more I thought about that the better I felt about being killed by these creatures.. The idea of becoming part of such an astoundingly different world seemed fitting. However I knew that I wouldn’t let myself die there. My death from this war was a foregone conclusion but I’d be damned if I took my last breath down there. I would die because I was a part of something but I would not let that something claim my remains. I was bigger than that. Better than that.

    I rode that thought for a while. It carried me through many more rats. Each one refilling the fire in my belly with their death. Eventually they slowed and finally stopped altogether. I knew I was getting close to the end. The further down those damned tunnels I went the larger the rats got.
      
    After a few moments all to quit limping I came upon a trio of openings. On instinct alone I chose the middle opening and entered an old stone aqua duct. Holes in the roof allowed natural light in. Light that was shed upon a mammoth figure. There standing before me was a rat of unequaled size. It stood on all fours and lowered its head to stare in my eyes. Even from a dozen feet away and in poor light I could see the intent carved on its face, its eyes screaming accusations of violence and murder at me. This beast was aware of what I had done. It knew me and it wanted me dead.

    We stood eyes locked for an eternity. After which the beast erupted in a hissing roar. This was not going to be another silent affair. What stood ahead of me was a life and death battle as old as time.

    I reached behind my back and felt the butt of my newly purchased revolver. All it would take was a few pulls of a trigger and all this would be over. But I couldn’t bring my self to end it in such a manner. Instead I pulled my blade. Baring the claws I had as the monster bared its own. This I thought would be a good end. One without regrets and beyond any I had a right to expect.

    With that thought I felt new energy enter my body. Primordial emotions welled up in my chest. I felt alive. No I felt more alive than I had ever thought possible. The fire in my belly burn hotter than ever before as smoke escaped my lips in the form of a scream. I stepped forward blade held high and urged the creature to attack.

    It eyed me with an upsetting calmness. This was nothing new to it. It had to fight everyday of its life. This sensation or whatever equivalent it felt was a common occurrence. Still it accepted my invitation and charged. Moving faster than any creature that large had a right to. The distance between us was covered in a fraction of a second. To fast to defend against before I could raise my hands to my face the beast was behind me with a piece of my ear hanging from one of its claws.

    The sight of not only blood but of my own flesh separated from my body propelled me forward. I slashed and hacked at the beast’s face and legs. Blood that was not my own came into view, it was a reward that I gladly accepted and craved more of. The beast reared up on its hind legs and screamed, showing me its belly. My blade flashed in the light as I pushed it in the creature. With all my strength a cut across it belly and then turned the blade downward. Using my entire body I slashed down the ground splitting the beast open.

    Even as its insides quickly became outsides it still fought, though it was slower than before it was fast enough to slash across my side. I fell over from the impact and was joined by the beast who was laboriously trying to breath. Its8 shallow and futile attempts striking at my heart. It had been a good opponent and deserved a quick death.

    I dragged myself towards the creatures head. I sat by its side slowly stroking its back. The animal closed it eyes in acceptance of what was to come. I took a breath and buried my knife in the back of its neck severing the spine. With that everything went quiet. I sat by the creature for a few scant moments and than began my journey back through the tunnel.

    The easy part was fighting my way down. Going back up was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. Something was pulling at me, a little voice in the back of my mind that spoke in deep harsh tones. Telling me to go back to die as the rat had. As right as that sounded I simply couldn’t. There was still work to do.

    When I finally made it back to the hole the voice seemed to plead with me to stop. It begged me not to go back through. For a moment I almost agreed but then I pulled myself up and out of the tunnel. The voice died and I could feel my body wasn’t far behind. I used the last strength I had to bolt a steel plate over the hole. It was the last thing I had to do. With that the work was done and blackness overcame me.

    I awoke in the same spot two days later. I considered simply going back to sleep but I was still alive and if I wanted to stay that way needed to bind my wounds. As it was I should have already been dead. Waiting any longer would gurantee it. I hobbled up the basement stairs and into my apartment. Immediately I stripped my clothes placing them in a garbage bag for disposal. I toyed with the idea of keeping them as a trophy to my triumph. The medley of smells coming off of them ended that possibility.

    As the hot water of the shower hit my skin I could fell the pain from each wound reawaken. What had been a dull ache became fiery agony. I bit my lip and scrubbed with antibiotic soap. Blood which had long since dried came back to life. It mixed with fresh blood that poured from my body and mixed with the shower water. Eventually I stepped heavily from the shower and began to patch myself up. When that was done I topped the experience of by swallowing an ungodly amount of antibiotics. Then I collapsed into my bed and slept for another two days.

    A loud knock at the door brought me out of my slumber. I wrapped the slightly blood stained blanket around my nude form and walked towards my front door. I was greeted by one of my tenants who was wondering when I would get around to taking out the garbage. That was quickly followed by a round of inquiries into my recent whereabouts and what had caused my injuries.

    I told the tenant that I would take the garbage out in a few minutes and shut the door in his face. I got dressed and did as I had said I would. As I carried the last garbage bag I heard that voice in the back of my head. Laughing at me, it made me wonder if I should have stayed in the tunnels.  

The End.