A poem based on Rick Yancey's, The Infinite Sea
Because of the Rats
Addie was dead
Because of the Rats.
In the invested hotel with the squeaky floors
And the walls as strong as dust
It was a temporary home, Addie said,
Until I can find a safe place to stay.
But each passing moment my nerves stiffened, my blood curdled
Because of the Rats.
The Rats had a habit of scratching from inside the walls
They hardly left the nooks of their home,
But the scampering and gnawing at the walls indicated their presence
The Rats had become accustomed to their environment
The environment that they were ruining by living in it
The environment they were eating away
And when we runaways tried to live with them
A daring question arose
Should we live with the rats that are destroying their environment
And let them live because they are breathing, heart-beating creatures?
Or should we exterminate them, leave them dead
So as the environment might have a chance to survive?
Addie didn't think about it
Just a few more days, she said, and the rats will be gone
But the scampering in the walls pounded through my head
Clenching my teeth
And each time she told me not to think about it
I couldn't help but hate her more and more
Those retched rats clawing and biting away
While I banged my head on the floor, asking for release
Don't think about it. But it was all I could.
When we lay on the floor, begging for sleep
I dreamt of mousetraps and poison
And the prospect of skinning the beasts one by one
Don't think about it.
I hated her.
Don't think about it.
I wanted her dead.
Don't think about it, she said
And for a moment I didn't
A sheer moment of bliss
Until I saw my hands stained with her blood
The blood with her body slummed on the ground
Eyes clouded over
I had killed Addie
Because of the rats.