A/N: Be careful….Ratigan shows some of hi true intentions…evil laughter
Exasperated, the three girls went off stage to the dressing room, panting and getting ready for their last numbers. Actually, Elizabeth and Lauren didn't do anything, for hey already did their shows. Annette needed to do a gypsy number, and then as planned…they would run away.
Lauren and Elizabeth already snuck to the crowd, sitting in the dark at a table. As soon as Anette was done, she would run back stage, put on her shawl, and quietly go to them where they would slip out during the next number.
Elizabeth was trembling slightly. She constantly looked at Ratigan, who was smoking as usual in the far corner, looking intently to the stage. Mickey was doing drinks at the bar. Kitty was still backstage. Sheila, the fat mouse was serving drinks. All did not look suspicious. None seemed, at least, to know that three girls would start running for their very lives. They at least got their pay so they had some money to scrape some living on after they escaped. But if they were caught…Anette told them for sure that there would be very, very bad consequences.
They were willing to risk their minds, pain and even their virginities to get the hell out of there. If they stayed any longer they would lose everything anyways.
Anette was ready. She slowly walked on stage as the gypsy music started playing. However, her head hung low and she was not dancing. The band slowly stopped playing, staring in wonderment at why she wasn't dancing at all. The crowd was silent, staring and getting angry.
"Today, I will not dance. Instead, I'll sing a song called "Poet and the Pendulum." She said quietly.
Lauren watched with fear as Ratigan's grip on a wine glass made it shatter in his hand. Mickey's eyes bugged out.
And then Anette began her song.
It was sad, mournful and different, a strange sort of song she was singing. Here at the bar she only danced, silently with her tambourine as her voice. But here was her voice, a beautiful voice so sorrowful, so passionate and lonely. She was singing of torture, death, rape, depression and sorrow. There was no need for music to enhance the message. Everyone had rapt attention to her, listening and utterly sucked in to the message. It was chilling that such a song was being sung in a place of sin like this. This song was definitely not something that people here would like to listen too. This song was condemning them for their terrible sins simply by spending money here at the bar, drinking and smoking and staring at women kicking up their skirts. Everyone listening was feeling guilt for what they were doing, and what they had done. A cloud of depression was in the air over everyone's heads.
Finally, she finished, and slowly walked offstage. No one dared to breathe almost, save to puff out some cigarette smoke. As soon as she was offstage se ran past the gathered dance girls that were watching, grabbed her shawl and started to stalk softly to Lauren and Elizabeth, who were seated and getting ready to get up and go to the door. The crowd was in a buzz of angry talk and confusion as to what exactly they heard.
Professor Ratigan was not amused. He immediately locked his eyes to her as she huddled with the golden rat and the white mouse. Immediately, he knew exactly what they were doing. As the girls immediately ran through the door and started running down the street, her stood up and started stalking over to Mickey.
Mickey already was surrounded by some of the member's of the gang here.
"I already know. I had the same feeling when she was singing that wretched song." Said Mickey with his cigar clenched in his teeth. Some of the mice thugs were holding bars of wood and crowbars. One had some rope. They were all tough and ready to run and capture, beating as they went.
"Let's go Mickey. Perhaps I too can be of assistance in the hunt." Ratigan said with anger in his voice. Mickey was himself surprised that the professor would come out to get the three runaways. But, there were three instead of the usual one…and a bout of fresh air would be healthy.
Now, the girls were running for their lives down Dunham St. It was dark, dreary, foreboding and wet from yesterday's rains. They could only hear the blood pounding in their ears as they ran on the cobblestones and around the puddles. They had their small purses holding what little they own. There was nothing that could stop them from getting as far away as possible from the place.
After a bit, they ran, breathless into an alley. Not caring how wet the walls were, they collapsed exhausted against the wall panting and sweaty.
It was several seconds before they said anything.
"I don't know if they're close or not. We must hide. It is lucky that we have run this far." Anette heaved.
"I'm already getting stitches." Said Lauren as she hugged her sides.
Elizabeth was still gasping…except she stopped as her ears twitched.
"They're here! Run!" Elizabeth squeaked as she ran deeper into the alley.
Anette and Lauren only started running after Elizabeth when they saw that several mice, working for Mickey, came from behind the corner and started chase!
They were running once more frightened, going down the alley to the back of buildings, going down more and more alleyways. More mice thugs were appearing yelling and taunting and panting as they ran ready to grab them. Anette even had to resort to running on all fours for a few moments, scampering and close to actually screaming in panic. There seemed to be more and more of them running out of the darkness at ever moment, swarming and coming from the shadows with their hands and blocks of wood. They swung and punched and pounced at them, all landing to the ground scowling as they still ran and ran.
Unfortunately, as they thought they were ahead of the gang behind them they ran into someone they didn't expect.
Out of the darkness, at a fork of two alleys, one to a dead end and the other to a street, was the loud thunk of Ratigan hammering his cane as a weapon to the ground. It almost hit Lauren, but it was enough to scatter them. Anette and Lauren screamed and leaped, scampering down to the right to the street as it started to rain. Some of the thugs followed. Elizabeth had tripped and got up, running from Ratigan who was roaring and swinging his cane at her.
The direction she ran was to the left, down the long alleyway to a dead end.
She, a rat, was moving slower than the scamper mouse. Rats more or less bound. They are capable of enduring speed, but they lack the extra bursts of energy of the mouse. They are more powerful jumpers, ill tempered, armed and stronger. A cornered rat was more dangerous than a cornered mouse.
Now, in the pouring rain, Elizabeth was a cornered rat. Her dress was ruined by the mud that splashed from her last step into a puddle, and she could hardly stop running till she ran into the brick wall, gasping and completely shocked. Anette's words when she recounted what happened to her when she was captured. Getting raped, whipped by a riding crop, forced into sexual slavery, beatings and more…
She shivered and whimpered as she turned. Her mind was wild as an animal. There was the towering figure of the cloaked Ratigan, mice men at his side with some weapons and angry glares. The rain dripped from the rim of Ratigan's top hat and only his piercing, lusting eyes were looking at her. They were a frightening yellow, beady, and looking at her with evil intent.
Elizabeth was screaming for help in her head, hoping to God that she wouldn't faint. Her heart was going so fast it could burst from her chest. Her body instinctively pressed herself against the brick with her hands splayed out. Her fur was matted with sweat and rain, her eyes wide as Ratigan in the darkness took slow steps forward. Elizabeth saw how tiny his feet were, but inside the small shoe she was sure that he had vicious claws. For the first time she saw how large and a bulk he was. His suit wasn't baggy at all; it was just fitting his arms. There was muscle, strength, sharp teeth, and a heavy cane clenched in his gloved spidery hand. He was entirely shrouded in darkness from the lack of light. The only things to illuminate was the gas lamp down the alley with its yellow light making the rain glitter and create a pale version of illumination.
He stepped again. And again, getting closer and closer to Elizabeth. His angry lips that were in a snarl turned into a cold tight lipped glare. Soon he now stood tall above her looking down at her. She shrank down and locked eyes with him.
She had always feared him. Since she met him, the large figure of a rat so corrupted and twisted was threatening. She worked for him. Tonight she hoped to run, but her friends were far away by now and she was left alone here, with Professor Ratigan three inches away from her.
Finally she broke her gaze and started to look around. She looked to his sides where if she ran he could grab her. Looking up and down she got unnecessary detail of his wet clothes, and watched as he moved his cane to position above her head. He still looked menacing.
"P-please don't hurt m-me." She stuttered, her eyes trained to the heavy metal tip of the cane. It showed blood stains.
"Hurt you? No, I'm not going to hurt you…if you don't cause me to, that is." His cold lips turned into a toothed smile. The cane looked ready to beat her on the head, bash her jaw, whack at her and in no time kill her if he dared.
She had no answer. Her mouth was open so she could get enough air and stop herself from going unconscious. She had never been in such a situation that made her become the weaker, the woman cowering in fear under his power. It was frightening how she couldn't fight back. The instinct to scratch and squirm that a normal rat woman had was suppressed with her moral upbringing in an orphanage. There were no terrifying rats there. Here was one.
The cane was cold against her forehead.
She closed her eyes and gulped, swallowing and sucking in air, her body shuddered as her body surrendered into instinctual submission. He chuckled and smirked, watching as she was becoming light headed. Withdrawing his ominous cane he moved in and quickly grasped her. Immediately she opened her eyes and started as he pulled her in close to his chest.
"Don't touch me!" She squeaked. She had never felt more disgusted feeling his wet gloved hands grab around her waist and back. She was tucked rather awkwardly in his arms with his cape wrapped around her.
"Be quiet you little troublemaker." He said with obvious innuendo behind it. She was now being carried and wrapped with his cape and protected from the rain as he turned around, carrying his run away pet.
The gang was sniggering as they laughed and stayed nervously from Ratigan. If Elizabeth was a mouse, they would have been licking their lips and couldn't wait to get back to the bar to have a gangbang.
But she was a rat, an ugly creature. She was even taller than them!
However they were sure the Professor would punish her properly. Usually by now he would be beating her with that cane of his, but this wasn't a normal mouse. To him…obviously she was a beautiful woman who was something more than a mouse whore. It was a rat lady in his clutches.
Her fear made her silent save for her whimpers, she was carried back to her ill longed-for home, with a dangerous rat plotting his next move.
A/N: Back from granparent's house! And…with some chapters! Yay!
Anyone bothered by my version of Ratigan? It's not very Disney-ish at all…if you hadn't noticed…
Shoys.
