Fiction Park
The rodent uprising
In the dead of night, the rats could be seen darting around the streets, their bright eyes cutting through the shadows.Pratik Mainali
Hadigaun, a small town in Kathmandu, was well-known for being calm and tranquil place. The only sounds you'd ever hear on the street were from the occasional bird, and the locals were really nice. But then one day it all shifted.
Ravi, a local farmer, first discovered that he was missing some birds. At first he dismissed it as coincidence, but as time went on, more and more chickens vanished. Since someone kept taking Ravi's birds, he decided to set up traps around his farm to try and catch it.
When Ravi checked his traps the following morning, he was shocked to find something had been caught, but it wasn't what he had anticipated. It turned out that the traps had netted a colony of giant rats rather than the typical raccoons or foxes. The rats were the largest he'd ever seen, and their eyes blazed in the dark.
Ravi phoned the police right away, but they didn't take his report seriously. They considered him either attention seeking or insane. But Ravi was sure of what he had seen and intent on learning more about these creatures.
After a few days, more and more people in Hadigaun noticed the colossal rodents. In the dead of night, they could be seen darting around the streets, their bright eyes cutting through the shadows. There was widespread fear of these enormous creatures, but no one knew where they came from or what caused them to grow so large.
The attacks by the rats alerted the local authorities to the problem. And as if snatching chickens wasn't bad enough, they started attacking anyone who got in their way. Panic spread across the community, and the authorities had no idea how to stop the enormous rodents.
One night, Ravi was looking into the rat infestation when he came across a peculiar sight. He had followed a colony of rats, and they led him to an old mine on the outskirts of the town. He discovered an unexplained light substance deep within the mine that appeared to be the cause of the rats' abnormal size and behavior.
Ravi promptly alerted the proper authorities, and the mine was swiftly closed. But it was already too late. Despite initial efforts to contain the infestation to Hadigaun, the glowing substance had already been transferred by the huge rats to other rodents in the region.
Giant rats had invaded the town, and its inhabitants had to flee for their life. Authorities were powerless to stop the spread of the enormous rats, and soon they had infected every city in the region.
The formerly tranquil town of Hadigaun was overrun by the frightening animals and the world watched in terror as the enormous rats gained control. No one could give a conclusive explanation for why the huge rat infestation occurred.
As word of the huge rodents spread, they were dubbed "The Rats," and it became apparent that the glowing chemical discovered in the mine was doing more than just making the rats bigger. They formed synchronized attack units and rapidly became an unbeatable force through their organization and planning.
In an effort to put an end to the enormous rats, the government started trying out new strategies to eradicate them. Nothing they tried, including poison, traps, and fire, had any effect. All attempts to eradicate the huge rats were fruitless.
As time progressed, the huge rats made their way into urban areas, where they quickly took control of the structures and infrastructure. They were no longer just a danger to people; they were also wreaking havoc on the world. Humans started locking themselves up indoors for protection from the enormous rats.
The authorities, seeing no other option, decided to nuke the affected areas in an effort to permanently eliminate the enormous rodents. It seems that not even this drastic approach would work. The nuclear bombs did not kill the huge rats. Instead, it caused them to mutate into more dangerous and aggressive forms.
Humanity was on the verge of annihilation, and the globe was in a pit of sorrow. It appeared that there was no way to stop the enormous rats from taking over. Individuals stopped resisting and began relying on God for a miracle instead.
But one day, a scientist examining the mine's luminous substance made a discovery that could alter the course of history. His research revealed that the rats were drawn to the material and that it was being utilized as a means of communication among rodents. They would be able to stop the enormous rats if they could only find a way to disrupt their communication.
This new information led to the authorities implementing a new strategy to eradicate the huge rats. They started broadcasting a frequency that messed up the rats' ability to communicate with one another, so they couldn't launch coordinated attacks.
Unfortunately, that is not where this story ends. The mine and other remote locations still have the light chemical that generated the huge rats. The rats who survived the frequency interruption became even more aggressive. They established a new colony in the depths of the mine and carried on developing there.
The world slowly adapted to somehow live amidst the ever increasing rat attacks. The government was still working very hard to find a way to eliminate the enormous rats. They watched the mine and its environs closely to make sure the rat problem was resolved once and for all. But one day, an unusual event occurred. An abnormal rise in rat activity close to the mine was reported to the government.
Researchers and soldiers were dispatched to investigate, and what they found was worse than what anyone could have imagined. Not only did the rats make it, but they had evolved and grown to the size of compact vehicles–their teeth and claws as sharp as razors. They had discovered a new method of communication that greatly improved their ability to work together and make plans.
As soon as they saw the size of the huge rats, the team knew they had to retreat. Informed of the emerging danger, they notified authorities. The authorities realized they needed to take swift action before the enormous rats jeopardize the safety of the general public once again.
A new, improved plan to exterminate the huge rats was initiated. The authorities were aware of the rats' intelligence and adapted accordingly. They came up with a new frequency that would not only jam the rodents' ability to communicate but also throw them off their scent. The operation was successful and the colossal rodent population were finally eliminated.
The plot, however, continues. The shimmering chemical that spawned the enormous rats is still around, and it could be used again. The government maintains a vigilant watch over the mine and its environs to ensure that the colossal rodents never again pose a threat to humankind.
Hadigaun, Kathmandu, will go down in history as the site of both the rat invasion that nearly destroyed the globe and humanity's eventual victory over the seemingly insurmountable odds.