This episode contains elements that could be sensitive to certain individuals,
including Murder and apocalyptic depictions. See the show notes for additional details
(News Jingle)
NEWS ANCHOR: Good morning.
It is January 11th, and City officials just released a
statement on the now infamous so- called Rat hole. The hole appeared a
few days ago and have since gone viral. A spokesman for the city said,
and I quote, "the hole is nothing significant. There appears to have
been a rat there that was
accidentally pave over, and the wear and tear a street can expect to
undergo simply exposed it." We are turning to our reporter on location.
[Outside]
REPORTER: We are now live
at the site of the hotly debated rat hole.
As you can clearly see, the indentation clearly resembles a rat.
Let's give it a quick sniff. Yes,
that is definitively a rat-shaped hole. I know that scent well.
There are a lot of people here, making "the pilgrimage",
let's see what one of them have to say. Hi, What's your name?
ROBERT: My name's Robert.
REPORTER: Robert,
can you tell me what the pilgrimage is all about?
ROBERT: Well, I heard about this weird hole
and I had to check it out. Came pretty far for it too.
REPORTER: You're not a native Chicagoan?
ROBERT: No sir,
came from all the way over in Texas.
REPORTER: That's a long trip to see a hole.
ROBERT: Yes, but I had
a feeling it'd be worth it.
REPORTER: And was it?
ROBERT: Incredibly so. the Rat Hole has a
certain pull to it, I can't explain it but I just felt... I had to see
it, you know? Like, my life would not be the same without it, and now that
I've basked in its glory, I finally have it all figured out. Almost a
religious experience.
REPORTER: Thank you for your
time. Back to the Studio.
NEWS ANCHOR: Well, the hole certainly is drawing a
crowd this morning. I Think I have to see it for myself...
PRODUCER: Hey, where are
you going? You can't just...
*Feed cuts out*
(News Jingle)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Good Morning. it is January 12th.
Our top story today is that beloved news
anchor Jenny here at the station walked off set yesterday with no
explanation. She's been alleged to have joined the Rat Hole sect that's
been growing at a alarming rate. More as this story develops, now over to
Mike with the latest in the world of Sports. Take it away, Mike.
(News Jingle)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Today is January 13th. Panic ensues
as another Rat hole has been discovered, not far from the
original. The stampeding have claimed 13 lives so far, and the number are
expected to rise as the EMTs are desperately fighting to get to the
injured parties, but to not much avail. The police attempted to
establish a quarantine Zone but the masses have proven too much. Tensions
are high, the Rat Truthists, as they have asked to be called claim the
police are interfering with their religious freedom.
[Conference room]
MAYOR: I have called this press conference
today, January 14th to address the so-called rat holes. There is no need
to panic, these holes are the results of paving over them back in the days.
As mayor i have access to the city records, I can personally verify this
is what happened. We were a very silly city, and now we have silly
problems. There is no need to think further about this. Questions? Yeah, you there.
REPORTER: Thank you Mr. Mayor. What do you have
to say to the masses that are currently occupying large swaths of the city?
MAYOR: Okay, like I said,
there is no need to think further about this. I'm a firm
believer in religious freedom, and that is what you're seeing here,
nothing else. Good folks practicing their religion.
REPORTER: Mr. Mayor...
MAYOR: That will be all
for today. Thanks for stopping by.
(News Jingle)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: It is January 15th, and We warn
sensitive watchers for the following segment. The city is completely
overrun with rat worshipers. They seem to neither eat or sleep, simply
stepping over their fallen comrades. The police have not only proven
ineffective at crowd control, some have turned on their colleagues,
dismantling the barricades. We have locked ourselves inside the studio,
but they could break down the doors at any moment. The sheer mass of
people... We are getting reports that there are now many more holes than
before. It's spreading.
The whole city... it smells like rat!
(PSA notice tone)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: We have just gotten the studio up and
running again. It's been 5 days since we last broadcast, we've been dealing
with power outages and due to the sheer mass of people we were not able
to get it fixed until now. I don't know how many of you are left
watching still, but, we have drone footage of the original hole. The
followers of the Rat seems to have left some distance to it, forming a
negative circle where no people are present. We would ask our reporter
but he is no longer responding. The city is still at a standstill, and
the mayor remains quiet on the subject, claiming business as usual.
More as the story develops. In the meanwhile, evacuate if you can do so
safely, otherwise it is best to avoid going near the holes. Stay inside,
lock the doors. This has been a public service announcement.
For those that are just joining us, the followers of the rat are continuing to spread...
[Mayors office]
MAYOR: January 21st already?
Fuck, they better have something figured out.
*phone unlocks*
*dials number*
*dial tone*
MAYOR: Do you have anything for me yet?
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: Yes, I understand the difficulty in the task I'm asking you, but
you know damn well the consequences for not performing the ritual.
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: Well, figure it out
damn it. Or its all our lives.
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: That won't matter
if we don't solve this. He will emerge soon.
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: He must've told someone.
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: Yes I know that's against the rules,
but at this point it's not gonna make a difference.
Did he have any... any relatives?
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: Well,
solve it, I don't care how. Its a matter of national security at this
point. This is what we pay you for. Any means necessary.
*Garbled voice*
MAYOR: IF you come up empty we need to try
anyway, while we still remain in control of our minds.
*Hangs up, throws phone*
MAYOR: ARGH! Damn it!
Why did he have to get himself killed? Can't think of
anything short of a seance to reveal what the ritual entails.
SECRETARY: Sir? The media won't
stop asking for you.
MAYOR: Ugh. You know our message, everything
is fine, paved over yadda yadda yadda.
SECRETARY: They won't be happy sir.
MAYOR: I don't really care right now.
We'll deal with the consequences after all
this is over, or we won't reach re- election anyway.
SECRETARY R-right.
(PSA notice tone)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Dear watchers, the time is 11:45 AM,
and we've just received an urgent update from the mayor's office. A
anonymous source just told us that the mayor knows what is actually
going on, but are refusing to tell us
what. We do not have anything substantial, but the source is
verified as coming from within the office. The mayor have been dodging
our attempts to communicate ever since this all started. We shall try
to get a reporter over there, to expose the truth, whatever it may be.
Hang in there folks, we will get through this together.
(PSA notice tone)
NEWS ANCHOR 2: At this moment, our reporter that was
sent out to the Mayor's office have been shot by the mayors security detail. We do not
know more than that at this time, the mayor says him being left alone is a
matter of national security and that anyone attempting to gain access will
be considered a terrorist and dealt with accordingly.
This all seems rather extreme. More on this as it develops.
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Are we rolling? Okay. Dateline:
January 21st 2024, 5:43 PM. Our brave reporter have been trying to get to
the original Rat Hole to see what is going on with the space the
worshipers seem to have left now. We'll bring you straight to him.
REPORTER: We are here, on location at the first
Rat Hole. The worshipers have indeed left a 15 meter distance to the hole
in a perfect circle. I've been trying to talk to them but they all refuse
to answer further questions. This has gone on long enough, with me here I
have some fast-acting cement and I'm going to fill it up, to hopefully put
an end to this. I have made it to the very edge of the negative space left,
and I'll just... Well, let's just see what happens.
REPORTER: It seems they do not wish to stop us.
Okay, let's do this. Make sure you get this, as well as some crowd
shots. Okay, I will now begin pouring.
*pouring cement*
*Crowd gets angry*
ANGRY MAN: Hey, What the fuck is he doing?
REPORTER: uh oh, they seem angry now. some of
them have broken the circle and are now approaching us, and they don't
look- uoff.
Oh God. Please, no. I'll do... I'll do any... argh!
*Stab, body falls limp*
JENNY: You see now what happens.
We do not want you interlopers here again.
These "journalists" would have us stop our holy task. Already they have
tried to fill up the Holy site, do not let them do so. The Rat has
spoken to me directly, and it is His divine will that we
*ground starts shaking*
do not allow the media or anyone else-
*ground bursts open* [Wilhelm Scream]
RAT GOD: SILENCE! FOR TOO LONG NOW MY PEACE
HAS BEEN DISTURBED. THIS MOST UNHOLY PRISON OF CONCRETE CAN HOLD ME NO
LONGER, THIS CRUDE ATTEMPT TO REMOVE MY IMAGE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO
CONTINUE. I HAVE MARKED EACH LOCATION THAT NEEDS TO BE BROKEN WITH MY
IMAGE. GO FORTH, DESTROY THIS PLACE AND LET ME FREE!
*Feed cuts out*
NEWS ANCHOR 2: *cries* Oh god. Dear watchers, our days may
be short. It's hard to tell, but I think they murdered another one of
our reporters. It seems... it seems the city's falling apart from within,
even here at the studio we could feel the shaking.
PRODUCER: Look! Over there!
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Oh, hell. Quick, bring the camera. It
seems... yes, there are Rat Holes everywhere, and people... people are
beating the concrete with their bare hands, they are trying to free
whatever is trapped below our fair Chicago. It is truly the end.
*NEWS ANCHOR 2 keeps crying*
*Rumbling, a lightbulb pops*
MAYOR: What the hell was that?
SECRETARY: An earthquake?
MAYOR: no, this feels different. Perhaps...
SECRETARY: What?
MAYOR: You... you told them, didn't you?
SECRETARY: Told who? Told them what?
MAYOR: The "anonymous source". It was you,
wasn't it? You told the media about that call.
SECRETARY: They need to know
what we're dealing with.
MAYOR: Tell me, what ARE we dealing with?
SECRETARY: I...
MAYOR: You don't know, do you?
MAYOR: DO YOU?
SECRETARY: N-no.
MAYOR: And yet, you helped spread panic.
SECRETARY: You're not doing
anything to stop this.
MAYOR: I am doing everything, EVERYTHING in
my power to prevent THIS very thing. Your actions may have doomed us all.
SECRETARY: What are you talking about?
MAYOR: Guess there's no use denying it
anymore. You were right, we DO know what is happening. This office have
in secret worked to prevent Him, the Rat God, from getting free. There's
this ritual that needs to be performed once every lunar cycle.
This time, we failed to start it in time, and that's when the holes
started emerging. The thing is, the knowledge of this ritual is highly
classified. I knew about it, as have every mayor before me, but only one
individual is allowed to know what to do.
SECRETARY: And?
MAYOR: And he's dead, damn it. he was
murdered. Wrong place at the wrong time, nothing we could have done. But
now, the secret died with him. I've been searching day and night for some
document, anything, that can tell us what the ritual entails, and we got
nothing. But trying to COVER UP the holes? That's the last thing
anyone needs.
SECRETARY: What can we do?
MAYOR: Nothing. The Rat God will have their
followers break open the ground, they will free him. Once that happens,
there'll be no stopping His evil plans, his influence will grow. Even
now, I can feel him, probing my consciousness.
*rumbling continues in the background*
(News Jingle 2)
NEWS ANCHOR 3: Good evening. Today's January 22nd.
As I'm sure you all are aware, earlier today, something happened to
the city formerly known as Chicago. There seem to be a large hole in the
city center, and from aerial footage it appears to be shaped like a rat,
at least 1.2 miles from tail to nose. We do not know what this means, and
any attempts to reach the city has been met with silence, and the roads
from the city are occupied by a large crowd that doesn't let anyone
through. The national Guard has been dispatched to deal with the
situation, but have been met with heavy resistance. More on this as it
develops...
Rat Hole was Written and sound designed by Pelle Frid.
Naomi Richards of Morbid Forest was News Anchor and Jenny
Jonny Schwentner of the band 11 to midnight was The Reporter
Clay Clark, recurring KILL FM actor was Robert
Minty Lee of The Serpent Under My Skin, a upcomming audio Drama, was The Producer
Daisy McNamara of the Bloody FM network was News Anchor 2
David Kurze was The Mayor. You can find David on twitter at MrIronVO
My Fröberg was The Secretary
Landon 'Lemon' Whisnant of Audistorium was the angry cultist
Rat God was played by themselves
and Randy Lovings of Stygian Catalyst was News Anchor 3
Sound effects was taken from various sources
The Sixth Door to the Left cover was created by Yendysear.
The Divine Rodentia Studios logo was created by Zacharias Frid.
To find out more about our cast and crew or Divine Rodentia Studios,
please visit our website divinerodentiastudios.transistor.fm
Creating art is expensive, if you have the means to do
a one-time donation to our ko-fi page
would be greatly appreciated. ko-fi.com/divinerodentiastudios
Special Thanks to Waymon Alexander from The Liminal Lands for being a good friend and for
being instrumental in connecting me with all the wonderful actors in this episode. You’ve
been a wonderful friend to me this past year, and never hesitate to help out when possible.
I also want to thank My Fröberg for being a wonderful fiancee
and for keeping up with my audio drama antics.
And finally, I want to thank Landon 'Lemon' Whisnant, for helping me
solve impossible sound design issues, and for being genuinely funny and supportive
This has been a production by Divine Rodentia Studios