Rats: Shai's Story

Evaluation Day

Author's Note: It has taken me forever to update this story, and I can't apologize enough! My computer died a few months ago, and I thought I lost this story. But I found a USB key with this story on it today, and I'm so excited! Anyways, hope you enjoy 

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 The squeaking of the warehouse door raising up into the air woke Ren up from her sleep. The faint glow of the sun beginning to rise filled the warehouse with a dull light. Ren sat up and looked around her to see that the rest of the Rats shared the same look of confusion. It was common for the Officers to wake them up early, but they still were always confused and worried when they did.

Then the three words came that everyone in camp were terrified off.

"It's evaluation day!"

The Officers were screaming and pulling Rats out of their beds. Ren felt her heart slam into her ribs and she turned her head to look at Todd. His eyebrows were furrowed together as he scrambled out of his bed. Ren fought with her legs as she couldn't control how they were shaking. Todd began to look more concerned and she guessed that he could see the horror that must be on her face.

Ren wanted to explain to him about what was going to happen. She not only couldn't because of her stutter, but the shouts and screams of both the Officers and the Rats were too loud for her voice to be heard.

They filed out of the warehouse in the chaos that the Officers were trying to control. On evaluation day, the Officers especially didn't care if they put a bullet in someone's back.

Evaluation day happened a couple times every year. Before the farm was about to be shipped a bunch of new Rats, or if there was already too many in the farm, they got rid of the most useless Rats. The Brenner's didn't want to continue to feed mouths if they weren't going to do work for them.

As they came outside, the metal staircase and stage came into Ren's view. She felt her stomach clench into a knot and the bile rise up the back of her throat. She wasn't ready to see bodies being to hang off of the bar that ran over top of the platform. She grabbed Todd's shoulder and pushed down on it so that he leaned down towards her.

"T...t...try...y," she managed to tell him. He looked down at her even more confused.

An Officer blew a whistle and the sharp noise rang in her ear. The Officers pushed all of the Rats so that they stood in a straight line, opposite to the platform. Ren looked to the left to see Todd standing beside her and then over to her right to see Bristol. The line of Rats was so long that she couldn't see where it began or where it ended. Her vision was already starting to fail her for far distances, but the Rats turned into a blur of brown uniforms.

Mitch stood in front of the line, a couple Rats down from Ren. The sleeves were rolled down of his uniform; he most likely had seen Mr Brenner earlier this morning. The black brim of his hat covered must of his eyes from the sun. The rest of the Officers were stationed around the line and a couple were already waiting on the stage.

"Welcome to evaluation day, everyone," Mitch said loudly so that every one in the line could hear. A wicked smirk grew across his lips. "This is the day we get rid of any dead weight. The Brenner's aren't here to provide charity for you."

Sobs from terrified Rats already began to become audible. One came really close to Ren and she turned her head to see the tears running down the face of the girl next to Bristol. Her skin was freckled from the long days in the sun and her fingers were curled tightly into the hem of her shirt. An Officer came up behind her and shoved the barrel of his gun in between her shoulder blades. The girl took a sharp intake of breath and bit down on her lip.