ÜÜß ßÜÜThe rats. The rats were everyw here. They whispered to ܲ±ßÜ°±²Üß±²Ü h im. He heard them. They were calling to him. Calling... Û²±ßÜ °±²Üß±²Û "Look at us..." they called, "we starve. Feed us..." Û²±°ÛÛ °±²°±²Û They called out to him. Calling, chanting... Û²±° Û °±²Û°±²Û His chains rattled, as he shifted to hear them better. Û²±° ÜßßßÜÛ°±²Û"What the  Hell?!" The sound of a key turning in a lock ß²±°ÛÛÛÛÛ°±²ß merged with the cr eak of an oaken portal bearing it's bulky ÛÜßßÛÛÛÛÛßßÜÛassets -  a man. "I'm talkin' to you, boy! What was that Û²±°ÜÜßÜÜ°±²Ûnoise?! " Üß²±°ÛÛÛ°±²ßÜHe looked  up, spitting the bile which had been building ²±ÜÜßßßßßÜܱ²up in his  stale mouth over the last week at the jailkeep's ß²±°ÛÛÛÛÛ°±²ß festering fe et. "The rats." ÛÜßßÛÛÛÛÛßßÜÛ"Rat's don't be m akin' sounds like chains, boy! What Û²±°ÜÜÜÜÜ°±²Ûwere ya doin'? T ryin' to escape?! Eh?!" Üß²±°ÛÛÛ°±²ßÜ"If I was  trying to escape, I'd be sure not to MAKE a ²±ÜÜßßßßßÜܱ²sound." ß²±°ÛÛÛÛÛ°±²ß"Hmmm...  you're smooth, boy. Guess that's why they ÛÜßßÛÛÛÛÛßßÜÛcall you Smooth.   Well, you ain't escapein' THIS cell any Û²±°ÜÜÜÜÜ°±²Ûtime soon. Rot  s'more, boy..." ܲÜß²±°ÛÛÛ°± ²ß ²Ü With that, the hulk lumbe red back towards the steel ²±ÛÛÛÜÜßßßßßÜ ±²Ü bound door, and before closing it beh ind his filthy ±ÛÛÛÛ²±°ÛÛÛ²±° ±²²ÛÜÜ face, laughed at Smooth. °ÜßÛÛ²±°ÛÛÛÛÛ²±° Ü °±±²²²²ÛÜÜÜ"I WILL escape from this place,"  He ÛÛÜßÛÛ²±°ÛÛÛ²±° ÜÛÛ°°±±±±²²²²²² ÛÜÜÜÜ vowed..... ÛÛ °Üßß²±°Û²±° Ü °ÛÛÛÛÛ°°°°±±±±±±²²²²²ÛÜÜÜ Û °±°° ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ °°±°ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ °°°°°°±±±±±²ÛÜ úúßß²±° Ü Ü°±²ßß. . °°±²²±°°ÛÛÛÛÛ°°±²²±°°ßßßßßÛÛ °°°°°±²Ûú ú Üßß²²±° ÛÛ°±²²ßßÜßÛÛÛ °°°±²ÛThe rats never criticized him. ÞÛ²ÜÜßß°Û°ßßÜÜ ²ÛÝ They just ßÛÛÛÛ°±²Û begg ed. Begged for food. For Û²²²±±Üßܱ±²²²Û freedom. All ßÛÛ °±²Û the things he wanted. In a way, Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Ûthey wereÛ °±²Ûß torturous. They tormented him. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û RemindingÛ °±²Ûß him of what he yearned for most. If Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û not for °±²Ûß them, he could sleep. Sleep, and Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û forgetÜ ±²ßß all this. Sleep his life away, hoping Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û forÜßßdeath.  But the rats reminded him. He Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û staredat one o f them. A large one. It seemed Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û look back at him   with interest. With intellegence. He Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û was infatuated wit h this rat. This rat of rats. He Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û squinted, trying to  imagine what it would be like to see Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û the world as a roden t.. .úú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"It's Hell at times. "úúþ þ Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Wuh? Who said th at?" Smooth mumbled. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"I did. You were  wondering. Well, it's Hell. .. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û Sometimes it's alright, but  it's filthy. Scurrying around Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û in this cesspool,  scavenging for grains of nonexistant Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û food. It's tough." ... . Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"You... you read my mind? "ú ú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Most people wou ld say 'You're a rat, and you can Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Ûtalk?'... interesting.  But yes, I can pick up your Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û thoughts. You've d one nothing to veil them." Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Oh. Well... why  are you talking to me?" Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Because, Smooth.   We want freedom. We want out. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û Out of this place.   We're prisoners as you are." Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Yes, I notice you  don't leave this cell much." úú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Much? We DON'T. W ere too big, and the jailkeep Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û would surley kill u s." Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"I... I don't know  what to do. I don't even remember Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û why I'm here. Eve rything is so confusing. I don't..." Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Help us. We will  help you... but you must help us. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û Feed us. Feed us." úú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"I..."Ü   ÜÜÜ Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û"Feed us..."þ þ  ßß²±°Ü Ü°±²ßß Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û.. ÜÜ úú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û ú úßß ²±°Ü Ü°±²ßßú ú Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û. ... Û²²²±±°°±±²²²ÛHe awoke suddenly,   drenched in his own persperation. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²ÛHe sniffed the air.   It smelled of rat. Not like it Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û normally did. It   was different. It wasn't the rats Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û themselves that he  smelled. It was the atmosphere. Û²²² ±±°°±±²²²Û Adrenalized. But he didn't   understand it. And then he Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û fell. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²ÛHe had been chain ed to that wall for over ten years. Û²²²±±°°±±²²²Û Ten years in this   hole. In this den of death. He had Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û seen two peop le rot here, and was waiting for his own Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û death, but he   always seemed to drag on. Barely alive. Û²²²±±°±°±±²²²Û And he had fa llen. Fallen from the wall to which he had Û²²²±±°±°±±²²²Û been chained.   Fixed to a wall for over ten years. And Û²²²±±°²°±±²²²Û now he was f ree. He rubbed his wrists. His crimson Û²²²±±°²°±±²²²Û stained wrists . Stained with his blood, drawn from him Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û by the chains  in which he now kicked across the cold, Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û grimy floor. T he noise. Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û"You causin'  trouble A GAIN, boy?! Yer gonna' learn Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û HARD this time !" The Door opened, cleansing the darkness Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û in which the c hamber dwelled with dim torchlight. "Where Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û are ya?!" the  guard growled, alarmed to see that Smooth Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û was no longer  at one with the wall. He heard rattling Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û chains behind  him. He turned sluggisly, and turned right Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û into the face o f Smooth. He then fell... Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û... . ÜÜ Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û. .. . ßß²±°Ü Ü°±²ßß Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û. ... Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²ÛSmooth stood  over the huge man's body. A smirk Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û crossed his pa rched lips. He dropped the freshly bloodied Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û chains at his   feet, thanking them. And then they came. Û²²²±±°Û°±±²²²Û The rats. Out  of the darkness they scurried. Out of Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û holes and crevi ces. They moved as one body, and then Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û enveloped the j ailkeep. They pounced as one, and as they Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û did, he became  animated, coming to, and realizing that he Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û was about to be  eaten alive. But his struggling did Û²²²±±°°°±±²²²Û nothing. His fr uitless attempts in freeing himself only    Û²²²±±°± °±±²²²Û let to further fatigue.   And so all he could do, was lay ²²²±±°±°±±²² ²there, watching as Smooth stood over h im, laughing ÜÜßÝß²²±±°²° ±±²²ß hysterically, chanting to the rats . Cheering them on. ÝÝ ²²±±²²°±±²² And then, ove the jailkeep was consumed, they turned  to ÝÝ °²±² °°±²²him. þ ²±²°°±² "Thank you. We have eaten... we are free... we thank ÝÝ ²°°±± ÛÜßß you." ÝÝ Þß°ßÜ °ÝBut one rat seemed to stand out.   He couldn't figure ÝÛ ÜÝ ß°² it out, but there was intelligence in his gaze. Smooth Ý°ß Ý ÝÞ± Ü  just nodded, and then he opened the door. The door to Ý±Ý Þ Þ ° ß   freedom. And he and the rats ran. They ran, and th ey Ýß Þ ±Ýescaped, and  Smooth looked back. Back upon... 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