Chapter 5
The Rats of the Rhine
The Finale
Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Warning: none.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.
A/N: As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future. Again not much to say, except that now its Allen's turn. This is also the end, I hope that it was an enjoyable read (even if only slightly). Now, for the story's conclusion.
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"Well, have you heard the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin? He rid the German town of Hamelin of rats. Then when he wasn't paid for his services he led the children of the city away as well." Allen paused to make sure that everyone knew what he was talking about.
"You're going to tell us a story about rats?" Kanda asked incredulously.
Allen nodded his head affirmatively, "today rats are a nuisance, and sometimes worse. But in medieval Europe rats were a constant and very serious threat."
"Yeah, they spread disease and they destroyed food. When food stocks were already low, rats could bring on a famine." Lavi tried to defend Allen by giving a little more detail for Kanda's sake.
"That's why there are many legends about the nearly supernatural power of rats. Here is one of the grimmest of them." Allen began his story a little too enthusiastically in his desire to create the same eerie mood that the others had created with theirs.
"One year the usually rich provinces of the Rhine Valley in Germany were struck by terrible rain and hailstorms. The wheat in the fields, which was ready for harvest, was broken and rotted quickly on the damp earth. Soon the poor had exhausted their limited reserves of food and faced starvation.
"The most powerful and richest man in the stricken region was Bishop Leverrier. Despite his title the bishop was a far from godly man. He ruled the region like a tyrant, acquiring not only great power but great wealth. He was cruel and arrogant. While the poor went hungry, Bishop Leverrier's own personal storehouses were well stocked with grain.
"Finally the people appealed to the bishop to give them food. After a week they received his response. His messenger told the people that all those who did not have the means to pay for food should gather in front of the great barn on his estate that afternoon.
"So it was that a large crowd of the starving poor appeared in front of the great barn. At the appointed time grim-faced soldiers threw open the doors to the barn and the crowd surged inside. It was dark, and at first they could see nothing. But it didn't take long to discover that instead of a barn filled with sacks of grain for the taking, this barn was completely empty. Before the disappointment and shock really set in, the soldiers closed the heavy doors of the barn, trapping the crowd inside."
Here Allen paused to look the others in the eyes to show the seriousness of the story before he continued. "The true horror of their situation dawned on people only when they began to smell smoke and hear the crackling of flames. The bishop's men had set fire to the barn. All of those trapped inside were killed."
Lenalee couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her at the thought of all of those people dying in such a horrible fashion. Kanda's frown seemed more genuine and even Lavi's face showed no humor at the moment.
"Bishop Leverrier reasoned that he did not have enough grain to feed all the starving people, and that they would probably have died anyway. In the meantime they would have become a dangerous and rebellious rabble, who might well have robbed him of his own stocks of food, which would have only prolonged their miserable lives for a few days or weeks. It was a hard decision, the bishop thought, but powerful men often have to make hard decisions.
"So it was a relatively untroubled Bishop Leverrier who went to sleep on the night of the massacre. And it was a well-rested and placed Bishop Leverrier who ate breakfast the next morning. But his serenity was soon to be shattered. As he entered the great hall of the Bishop's Palace, he saw that his own recently painted portrait was now in shreds. Who could have committed such an outrage?"
Here Allen once again gained his audiences eyes making sure that they stayed riveted on the story's progress.
"When the bishop approached the tattered picture, several large rats jumped out from behind the frame, it was the rats that had destroyed the canvas.
"That was just the beginning. Messengers told Leverrier that a horde of hungry rats had descended upon the area, destroying his fields and all of the grain that he had stored in his warehouses.
"From the window of his palace Leverrier could see an army of the rodents moving towards his palace. They were already close enough for him to hear their high-pitched squeaking. The rats that had destroyed his portrait were only an advance guard—scouts for the invasion to come.
"Though terrified by the sight Leverrier was a man of action, and he formed a plan. On a small island in the middle of the Rhine was a stone tower. He had occasionally used the tower as a summer retreat. Here, he reasoned, he would be safe from the marauding rats.
"He snuck out of his palace by a back exit and followed a path down to the river. A waiting boatman took him to the island and the bishop wasted no time scrambling to the top room in the tower and locking the door. There he collapsed in near exhaustion."
Another great gust of wind broke the pacing of the story as they all shivered and huddled tighter to the fire in an attempt to stave off the chill of the night. As the wind died down Allen resumed his story.
"He did not rest long. Soon the sound of the squeaking and scrambling of thousands of rats reached his ears. Unwillingly he looked out the window. The rats were there. Wave after wave of them was swimming across the river to the island.
"At first the rat army paused at the foot of the sheer tower, and the bishop had a moment of hope, but only a moment. Rats began scrambling up the tower walls, finding secure holds for their tiny claws in the rough stone. They reached the top of the tower and began pouring in through the windows.
"Hours later some of the bishop's servants made their way to the top of the tower. All that remained of the once mighty Bishop Leverrier was a skeleton picked clean of all of its flesh. The plague of rats was gone—disappearing as suddenly as it had come.
"Some said that the rats had simply eaten their fill, and then gone back into the holes and burrows from which they had come. Others were convinced that the rats that had destroyed Bishop Leverrier's grain, and Bishop Leverrier himself, had been no ordinary rats. They believed that the rats were a Divine punishment for the horrible crime he had committed."
Allen concluded his story to the light sound of the branches clicking against each other in a way reminiscent of rat claws and the others tried to suppress another shiver, one that had nothing to do with the wind.
"That was pretty good, Allen." Lavi said with a bit of pride.
"Yes, your story sent shivers up my spine." Lenalee confessed while giving another more theatrical shiver as a point.
"Hn, not bad." Was Kanda's only response.
"I can't take all of the credit. Most people don't like stories that deal with rats, so I'm sure that element helped to make it creepier." Allen spoke modestly but he was secretly quite happy with their praise, he was also quite pleased with the fact that he wasn't interrupted as often as the others where, of course he overlooked that it could be because the one who created the most interruptions was himself.
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"Hey, I'm tired do you guys think anyone is coming?" Allen asked.
"I don't know but I hope so," Lenalee's voice was quite while Lavi's only response was to shrug. Not hearing a response from Kanda Allen focused on his face and in the last light of the fire saw that he had tilted his head and seemed to be listening over his shoulder.
"Hey Kanda, what's wrong?"
Not receiving a reply Lavi decided to press further, "do you hear something?"
"Yes," came Kanda's terse reply.
"Really?" Allen practically shouted as he jumped up and, not noticing the looks that passed between the others, headed towards Kanda.
After the fire finally gave its last light Allen now noticed the flashes of red that bounced faintly off the surrounding trees and as he arrived at Kanda's side he could also hear voices talking indistinctly.
"Hey Allen-"
Allen didn't really listen as he gripped his arm tightly at the increased throbbing he felt and fought off the sudden dizziness that he attributed to the jarring that occurred as he leapt so quickly to his feet to race towards Kanda.
"Please Allen listen to us," Lenalee began with a soft voice.
Gazing over the hill Allen could now see that there was a cop car and ambulance and a tow truck surrounding their car.
"Come on guys! Help's finally here!" Not being able to contain his joy Allen barely even looked to see if the others were joining him as he took off.
"Sorry Allen-" Lavi and Lenalee began as they stood together and made no move to join him.
"We can't go with you," Kanda concluded in a voice softer than Allen had ever heard from him before.
Allen felt the blood rush from his face as he took in the scene before him and as voices seemed to echo in his mind he finally succumbed and let the darkness claim him.
0.o
"Come on, dammit breathe."
"It's not use, there's no pulse."
"This one's stable let's get him out of here."
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When Allen opened his eyes the first thing that he noticed was a white ceiling, the second thing he noticed was the cast that covered his left arm.
As the morning wore on and he sat up in his bed, Allen still hadn't spoken and continued to ignore the questions that the doctors and the few cops asked. He was too preoccupied with the events of last night that were still fresh but confused in his mind.
Later as he listlessly picked through the food on his plate he listened vaguely to the TV that one of the nurses had left on for him and tears slowly fell down his face when a story on the news caught his attention.
"In local news the Halloween holiday was kicked off on a tragic note when a car crash in the Black Woods took the lives of three people last night. The group was apparently headed for a party at the Bookman Mansion. There was only one known survivor, who is listed in severe but stable condition. In national news…"
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A/N: The powerful and rich man in the beginning of this story was actually a man named Bishop Hatto of Mantz.
Yes, Allen was talking with the ghosts of his friends. They were dead from the beginning and stuck around to keep him company until help came. All that happened was part of his "near-death" experience. I hope that it wasn't too confusing.
That's all there is, I hope that it was a worthy tribute to Halloween. For readers of Spiral I've got the first half of chapter three done and will try to finish the rest and get it posted as soon as possible. Happy Halloween.