Chomp

Chapter I

The baseball fell into the wrong backyard. The old couple that lived there would always scream about the broken pots. Marcus hesitated to go get his ball. He would have to sneak in quietly and retrieve it without getting caught.

Climbing a fence is no easy job for a 6 year old. Marcus stood on the pavement as he looked at the house and the brown fence that separated him from his baseball. The old house sat quietly just like all the other houses in the neighborhood, had not been painted for a few years. Creepers had made their way to the top of the house. The curtains of the windows had been drawn.

Marcus felt a bit reluctant to climb the fence but that was his only ball. He shouldn't have tossed it so high. He finally mustered enough courage and made a run for the fence. He jumped and his little hands caught the top, he pulled himself up in a quick motion and jumped to the other side.

He rolled on the floor as he landed and took deep breathes. It was a trick his dad who worked in the army taught him. It reduced the chances of getting hurt or breaking a bone. Sweat trickled down his skin making it shine in the evening sun. The wind made his afro sway a little. The backyard had neatly trimmed bushes at the edges and a raised tomato bed on the left corner. A few tomatoes had been bitten. Marcus looked around for his ball and saw it lying on the grass next to the rectangular basement grate, waiting for its master to pick it up. The evening air blew once again and the wind chimes hanging above the window played a melodious tune before coming to a gradual halt.

Marcus trotted towards the ball cautiously and picked it up. SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK! The sounds were coming from below the rusted grate. The boy tried to peek in. SQUEAK-SQUEAK-SQUEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK! Rats! It had to be rats! It sounded like there were two or more of them. He couldn't get a good look as his shadow was cast over the grate. He move towards the other side and went down on his knees to get a better look. Marcus soon noticed that the grate was unhinged. SQUEAK-SQUEAK! The rats had smelt something, it certainly wasn't on their menu before, all they ate were lizards, moths, tomatoes and each other sometimes when food was scarce, so yes, they had tasted blood before. Perhaps it was time to move a little higher in the food chain.

The grate rattled as the squeaking grew louder. Marcus took a step back as the grate was now being pushed upwards like the lid of a drain during the monsoons. Several snouts with whiskers and huge nails poked out of the openings in the grate. Marcus, now scared, made a run for the fence. He jumped and tried to reach the top. Missed! Jumped again. Missed! He turned around and saw the grate push wide open as huge rats the size of fully grown rabbits fixed their gaze on him. A rat twitched its snout getting ready to attack.

SQUEAK-SQUEAK! Marcus jumped again, heart racing at a hundred miles an hour as he not only missed the top of the fence but also his footing and crashed down on his stomach. The rats made a run for the kid. Marcus tried to pick himself up but fell down on his chest again. He felt several sharp stabs on his legs as he let out a scream. One rat bit the baseball it down the opening. It wasn't edible. The rat then joined then other rats. It bit the kid. Edible. The rats dragged Marcus towards the opening of the grate and down into the basement. Fortunately, it was big enough to fit a child through the opening.