Whispers From The Dark Read Online Free PDF Page B

devoured by the hellish rodent.  A metal standup lamp had been consumed with only a small one foot piece remaining, the end of it mangled. 
    The rat was either in the spare bedroom or the bathroom, judging from the sounds it was making.  She considered trying to close the door to whichever room it was in but decided against it.  If she chose the wrong room, it may attack her.  Besides, she figured, it was better to get the hell out of the apartment undetected than try and trap the damn thing.
    Liz hurried across the destroyed living room, trying to stay as quiet as possible. She paused for a moment when she reached the spot where Pookie had been attacked.  A shimmering puddle of dark, wet crimson was all that was left of her dog.  She choked back tears as she stepped past it, continuing to the door.
    Behind her, the crunching stopped.  She froze, holding her breath and waiting for the rat to find something else that appealed to its ungodly appetite.
    Instead she heard the clicking of its toenails on the hardwood floor.
    She ran the last few steps to the door and turned the handle, pulling it towards her and screaming in terror as it slammed against the deadbolt.  She’d had two of the chain latches installed when she moved into the apartment, just in case.
    She slammed the door closed and fumbled with the first for what seemed like an eternity.  Finally it came free and she reached for the other but saw a flash of grey out of the corner of her eye.  She glanced towards the couch and saw the rat charging across the room towards her.
    It had quadrupled in size.  Crawling on all fours, the rat’s head was the same height as Liz‘s knees.  The thing’s body was at least five or six feet long, the tail extending another five or six feet behind it.
    She screamed and fled back into the kitchen, running to the counter and finding the knife lying between the coffee pot and the knife rack.
    She grabbed the phone and a large carving knife and spun around in time to see the rat enter the room.  It let loose a high pitched squeal that sent a shiver up Liz’s spine, and then ran straight at her.
    Liz tried to sidestep the oncoming rodent but it was quicker than she expected and
    it slammed into her left ankle and knocked her off balance.  She fell hard onto the tile floor, somehow managing to keep hold of both the phone and her weapon.  Immediately, Liz pulled herself to her knees and tried to stand up when she felt a sharp pain tear through her lower leg.
    Screaming, she collapsed to the ground.  Before she even looked, she knew what had happened.
    The rat had her entire foot in its mouth.  The front of its snout was locked onto her leg halfway between her ankle and her knee, gnawing at the bone with ferociousness.  She could hear its teeth scraping against her shin.
    She leaned forward and plunged the knife into the rat’s head.  There was a wet popping noise and Liz screamed as she felt the blade drive into her calf muscle as it passed through the roof of the rodent’s mouth.
    The knife was buried in the beast’s head all the way to the handle, and she knew she’d done as much damage to her leg as the rat had.
    But at least the damn thing was dead.
    Liz started to cry as she dialed 911, as much from the physical pain as from the pure horror that she’d just gone through.
    “911, what is your emergency?”  Said a woman’s voice, calm and pleasant.
    Liz paused for a moment before answering.  If she told the woman the entire truth she would probably be hung up on.  “I’ve been stabbed,” she finally sobbed into the phone.  “Please help me.”
    “Is your attacker still in the house?”
    Liz stared at the rat, its dead eyes staring back at her.  Their blood was mixing together into a dark pool underneath her leg.
    “No,” she whispered.  “I’m alone.”
    “Alright.  I’ll send an ambulance now,” the woman said.
    Liz tilted her head back in relief and froze, her breath caught in her