0:00

0:00:00.400,0:00:04.720 This episode contains elements that could be sensitive to certain individuals, 0:00:04.720,0:00:10.698 including Murder and apocalyptic depictions. See the show notes for additional details 0:00:11.198,0:00:14.868 (News Jingle) 0:00:14.868,0:00:16.040 NEWS ANCHOR: Good morning. 0:00:16.040,0:00:19.160 It is January 11th, and City officials just released a 0:00:19.160,0:00:24.480 statement on the now infamous so- called Rat hole. The hole appeared a 0:00:24.480,0:00:29.320 few days ago and have since gone viral. A spokesman for the city said, 0:00:29.320,0:00:33.880 and I quote, "the hole is nothing significant. There appears to have 0:00:33.880,0:00:35.760 been a rat there that was 0:00:35.760,0:00:40.120 accidentally pave over, and the wear and tear a street can expect to 0:00:40.120,0:00:44.558 undergo simply exposed it." We are turning to our reporter on location. 0:00:44.558,0:00:45.071 [Outside] 0:00:45.071,0:00:46.160 REPORTER: We are now  live 0:00:46.160,0:00:48.800 at the site of the hotly debated rat hole. 0:00:48.800,0:00:53.360 As you can clearly see, the indentation clearly resembles a rat. 0:00:53.360,0:00:57.760 Let's give it a quick sniff. Yes, 0:00:57.760,0:01:04.120 that is definitively a rat-shaped hole. I know that scent well. 0:01:04.120,0:01:07.320 There are a lot of people here, making "the pilgrimage", 0:01:07.320,0:01:09.960 let's see what one of them have to say. Hi, What's your name? 0:01:09.960,0:01:10.900 ROBERT: My name's Robert. 0:01:10.900,0:01:11.920 REPORTER: Robert, 0:01:11.920,0:01:14.280 can  you tell me what the pilgrimage is all about? 0:01:14.280,0:01:16.040 ROBERT: Well, I heard about this weird hole 0:01:16.040,0:01:18.260 and I had to check it out. Came pretty far for it too. 0:01:18.260,0:01:19.740 REPORTER: You're not a native Chicagoan? 0:01:19.740,0:01:20.760 ROBERT: No sir, 0:01:20.760,0:01:22.060 came from all the way over in Texas. 0:01:22.060,0:01:24.700 REPORTER: That's a long trip to see a hole. 0:01:24.700,0:01:26.080 ROBERT: Yes, but I had 0:01:26.080,0:01:27.300 a  feeling it'd be worth it. 0:01:27.300,0:01:28.840 REPORTER: And was it? 0:01:28.840,0:01:30.760 ROBERT: Incredibly so. the Rat Hole has a 0:01:30.760,0:01:34.560 certain pull to it, I can't explain it but I just felt... I had to see 0:01:34.560,0:01:37.080 it, you know? Like, my life would not be the same without it, and now that 0:01:37.080,0:01:40.320 I've basked in its glory, I finally have it all figured out. Almost a 0:01:40.320,0:01:41.320 religious experience. 0:01:41.320,0:01:42.760 REPORTER: Thank you for your 0:01:42.760,0:01:47.148 time. Back to the Studio. 0:01:47.148,0:01:49.280 NEWS ANCHOR: Well, the hole certainly is drawing a 0:01:49.280,0:01:52.720 crowd this morning. I Think I have to see it for myself... 0:01:52.720,0:01:53.640 PRODUCER: Hey, where are 0:01:53.640,0:01:54.444 you  going? You can't just... 0:01:54.444,0:01:56.177 *Feed cuts out* 0:01:56.977,0:02:00.786 (News Jingle) 0:02:00.786,0:02:03.120 NEWS ANCHOR 2: Good Morning.  it is January 12th. 0:02:03.120,0:02:04.960 Our top story today is that beloved news 0:02:04.960,0:02:08.120 anchor Jenny here at the station walked off set yesterday with no 0:02:08.120,0:02:11.640 explanation. She's been alleged to have joined the Rat Hole sect that's 0:02:11.640,0:02:16.440 been growing at a alarming rate. More as this story develops, now over to 0:02:16.440,0:02:19.673 Mike with the latest in the world of Sports. Take it away, Mike. 0:02:20.273,0:02:23.986 (News Jingle) 0:02:23.986,0:02:26.800 NEWS ANCHOR 2: Today is January 13th. Panic ensues 0:02:26.800,0:02:29.200 as another Rat hole has been discovered, not far from the 0:02:29.200,0:02:33.040 original. The stampeding have claimed 13 lives so far, and the number are 0:02:33.040,0:02:35.960 expected to rise as the EMTs are desperately fighting to get to the 0:02:35.960,0:02:39.280 injured parties, but to not much avail. The police attempted to 0:02:39.280,0:02:42.680 establish a quarantine Zone but the masses have proven too much. Tensions 0:02:42.680,0:02:46.160 are high, the Rat Truthists, as they have asked to be called claim the 0:02:46.160,0:02:48.134 police are interfering with their religious freedom. 0:02:48.867,0:02:49.434 [Conference room] 0:02:49.434,0:02:50.920 MAYOR: I have called this press conference 0:02:50.920,0:02:56.160 today, January 14th to address the so-called rat holes. There is no need 0:02:56.160,0:03:01.360 to panic, these holes are the results of paving over them back in the days. 0:03:01.360,0:03:06.360 As mayor i have access to the city records, I can personally verify this 0:03:06.360,0:03:10.800 is what happened. We were a very silly city, and now we have silly 0:03:10.800,0:03:15.980 problems. There is no need to think further about this. Questions? Yeah, you there. 0:03:15.980,0:03:18.480 REPORTER: Thank you Mr. Mayor. What do you have 0:03:18.480,0:03:23.620 to say to the masses that are currently occupying large swaths of the city? 0:03:23.620,0:03:25.520 MAYOR: Okay,  like I said, 0:03:25.520,0:03:28.520 there is no need to think further about this. I'm a firm 0:03:28.520,0:03:32.080 believer in religious freedom, and that is what you're seeing here, 0:03:32.080,0:03:35.100 nothing else. Good folks practicing their religion. 0:03:35.100,0:03:36.200 REPORTER: Mr. Mayor... 0:03:36.200,0:03:36.840 MAYOR: That will be all 0:03:36.840,0:03:39.090 for today. Thanks for stopping by. 0:03:40.057,0:03:43.786 (News Jingle) 0:03:43.786,0:03:46.080 NEWS ANCHOR 2: It is January 15th, and We warn 0:03:46.080,0:03:49.520 sensitive watchers for the following segment. The city is completely 0:03:49.520,0:03:53.760 overrun with rat worshipers. They seem to neither eat or sleep, simply 0:03:53.760,0:03:56.640 stepping over their fallen comrades. The police have not only proven 0:03:56.640,0:04:00.720 ineffective at crowd control, some have turned on their colleagues, 0:04:00.720,0:04:04.520 dismantling the barricades. We have locked ourselves inside the studio, 0:04:04.520,0:04:08.360 but they could break down the doors at any moment. The sheer mass of 0:04:08.360,0:04:11.760 people... We are getting reports that there are now many more holes than 0:04:11.760,0:04:13.160 before. It's spreading. 0:04:13.160,0:04:16.083 The whole city... it smells like rat! 0:04:16.550,0:04:17.386 (PSA notice tone) 0:04:17.386,0:04:19.000 NEWS ANCHOR 2: We have just gotten the studio up and 0:04:19.000,0:04:22.480 running again. It's been 5 days since we last broadcast, we've been dealing 0:04:22.480,0:04:25.440 with power outages and due to the sheer mass of people we were not able 0:04:25.440,0:04:28.040 to get it fixed until now. I don't know how many of you are left 0:04:28.040,0:04:31.240 watching still, but, we have drone footage of the original hole. The 0:04:31.240,0:04:34.120 followers of the Rat seems to have left some distance to it, forming a 0:04:34.120,0:04:37.040 negative circle where no people are present. We would ask our reporter 0:04:37.040,0:04:40.360 but he is no longer responding. The city is still at a standstill, and 0:04:40.360,0:04:43.160 the mayor remains quiet on the subject, claiming business as usual. 0:04:43.160,0:04:46.640 More as the story develops. In the meanwhile, evacuate if you can do so 0:04:46.640,0:04:50.240 safely, otherwise it is best to avoid going near the holes. Stay inside, 0:04:50.240,0:04:52.743 lock the doors. This has been a public service announcement. 0:04:53.009,0:04:57.720 For those that are just joining us, the followers of the rat are continuing to spread... 0:04:57.720,0:04:59.275 [Mayors office] 0:04:59.275,0:05:01.400 MAYOR: January 21st already? 0:05:01.400,0:05:03.674 Fuck, they better have something figured out. 0:05:03.674,0:05:05.840 *phone unlocks* 0:05:07.240,0:05:10.839 *dials number* 0:05:11.839,0:05:13.472 *dial tone* 0:05:14.805,0:05:16.571 *dial tone* 0:05:17.838,0:05:18.371 *dial tone* 0:05:18.554,0:05:20.237 MAYOR: Do you have anything for me yet? 0:05:20.270,0:05:25.154 *Garbled voice* 0:05:25.154,0:05:28.569 MAYOR: Yes, I  understand the difficulty in the task I'm asking you, but 0:05:28.802,0:05:32.135 you know damn well the consequences for not performing the ritual. 0:05:32.168,0:05:33.668 *Garbled voice* 0:05:33.801,0:05:34.920 MAYOR: Well, figure it out 0:05:34.920,0:05:36.834 damn it. Or its all our lives. 0:05:36.867,0:05:40.114 *Garbled voice* 0:05:40.114,0:05:40.933 MAYOR: That won't matter 0:05:40.960,0:05:43.866 if we don't solve this. He will emerge soon. 0:05:43.932,0:05:46.154 *Garbled voice* 0:05:46.154,0:05:47.898 MAYOR: He must've told someone. 0:05:47.932,0:05:50.234 *Garbled voice* 0:05:50.234,0:05:52.080 MAYOR: Yes I know that's against the rules, 0:05:52.080,0:05:54.630 but at this point it's not gonna make a difference. 0:05:54.930,0:05:57.263 Did he have any... any relatives? 0:05:57.296,0:05:58.914 *Garbled voice* 0:05:58.914,0:05:59.760 MAYOR: Well, 0:05:59.760,0:06:03.680 solve it, I don't care how. Its a matter of national security at this 0:06:03.680,0:06:07.194 point. This is what we pay you for. Any means necessary. 0:06:07.228,0:06:13.194 *Garbled voice* 0:06:13.194,0:06:15.080 MAYOR: IF you come up empty we need to try 0:06:15.080,0:06:18.259 anyway, while we still remain in control of our minds. 0:06:18.259,0:06:19.325 *Hangs up, throws phone* 0:06:19.325,0:06:20.400 MAYOR: ARGH! Damn it! 0:06:20.400,0:06:23.280 Why did he have to get himself killed? Can't think of 0:06:23.280,0:06:26.760 anything short of a seance to reveal what the ritual entails. 0:06:26.760,0:06:28.440 SECRETARY: Sir? The media won't 0:06:28.440,0:06:29.560 stop asking for you. 0:06:29.560,0:06:32.120 MAYOR: Ugh. You know our message, everything 0:06:32.120,0:06:34.620 is fine, paved over yadda yadda yadda. 0:06:34.620,0:06:36.080 SECRETARY: They won't be happy sir. 0:06:36.080,0:06:37.922 MAYOR: I don't  really care right now. 0:06:37.922,0:06:40.040 We'll deal with the consequences after all 0:06:40.040,0:06:43.287 this is over, or we won't reach re- election anyway. 0:06:43.287,0:06:43.987 SECRETARY R-right. 0:06:44.620,0:06:45.746 (PSA notice tone) 0:06:45.746,0:06:48.320 NEWS ANCHOR 2: Dear watchers, the time is 11:45 AM, 0:06:48.320,0:06:51.680 and we've just received an urgent update from the mayor's office. A 0:06:51.680,0:06:54.320 anonymous source just told us that the mayor knows what is actually 0:06:54.320,0:06:56.560 going on, but are refusing to tell us 0:06:56.560,0:06:59.160 what. We do not have anything substantial, but the source is 0:06:59.160,0:07:02.240 verified as coming from within the office. The mayor have been dodging 0:07:02.240,0:07:05.040 our attempts to communicate ever since this all started. We shall try 0:07:05.040,0:07:08.440 to get a reporter over there, to expose the truth, whatever it may be. 0:07:08.440,0:07:10.382 Hang in there folks, we will get through this together. 0:07:10.715,0:07:11.782 (PSA notice tone) 0:07:12.306,0:07:14.360 NEWS ANCHOR 2: At this moment, our reporter that was 0:07:14.360,0:07:18.960 sent out to the Mayor's office have been shot by the mayors security detail. We do not 0:07:18.960,0:07:22.720 know more than that at this time, the mayor says him being left alone is a 0:07:22.720,0:07:26.200 matter of national security and that anyone attempting to gain access will 0:07:26.200,0:07:28.840 be considered a terrorist and dealt with accordingly. 0:07:28.840,0:07:33.511 This all seems rather extreme. More on this as it develops. 0:07:34.877,0:07:36.680 NEWS ANCHOR 2: Are we rolling? Okay. Dateline: 0:07:36.680,0:07:41.800 January 21st 2024, 5:43 PM. Our brave reporter have been trying to get to 0:07:41.800,0:07:44.120 the original Rat Hole to see what is going on with the space the 0:07:44.120,0:07:46.308 worshipers seem to have left now. We'll bring you straight to him. 0:07:46.551,0:07:48.640 REPORTER: We are here, on location at the first 0:07:48.640,0:07:52.520 Rat Hole. The worshipers have indeed left a 15 meter distance to the hole 0:07:52.520,0:07:56.440 in a perfect circle. I've been trying to talk to them but they all refuse 0:07:56.440,0:08:00.680 to answer further questions. This has gone on long enough, with me here I 0:08:00.680,0:08:05.360 have some fast-acting cement and I'm going to fill it up, to hopefully put 0:08:05.360,0:08:10.800 an end to this. I have made it to the very edge of the negative space left, 0:08:10.800,0:08:14.203 and I'll just... Well, let's just see what happens. 0:08:17.735,0:08:20.480 REPORTER: It seems they do not wish to stop us. 0:08:20.480,0:08:24.400 Okay, let's do this. Make sure you get this, as well as some crowd 0:08:24.400,0:08:27.833 shots. Okay, I will now begin pouring. 0:08:27.833,0:08:38.531 *pouring cement* 0:08:38.531,0:08:39.264 *Crowd gets angry* 0:08:39.264,0:08:40.840 ANGRY MAN: Hey, What the fuck is he doing? 0:08:40.840,0:08:43.520 REPORTER: uh oh, they seem angry now. some of 0:08:43.520,0:08:46.520 them have broken the circle and are now approaching us, and they don't 0:08:46.520,0:08:48.040 look- uoff. 0:08:48.040,0:08:51.395 Oh God. Please, no. I'll do... I'll do any... argh! 0:08:51.395,0:08:53.595 *Stab, body falls limp* 0:08:56.028,0:08:57.494 JENNY: You see now what happens. 0:08:57.494,0:09:00.320 We do not want you interlopers here again. 0:09:00.320,0:09:05.480 These "journalists" would have us stop our holy task. Already they have 0:09:05.480,0:09:10.160 tried to fill up the Holy site, do not let them do so. The Rat has 0:09:10.160,0:09:14.724 spoken to me directly, and it is His divine will that we 0:09:14.724,0:09:15.224 *ground starts shaking* 0:09:15.224,0:09:17.257 do not allow the media or anyone else- 0:09:17.257,0:09:18.257 *ground bursts open* [Wilhelm Scream] 0:09:18.257,0:09:22.640 RAT GOD: SILENCE! FOR TOO LONG NOW MY PEACE 0:09:22.640,0:09:30.400 HAS BEEN DISTURBED. THIS MOST UNHOLY PRISON OF CONCRETE CAN HOLD ME NO 0:09:30.400,0:09:36.120 LONGER, THIS CRUDE ATTEMPT TO REMOVE MY IMAGE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO 0:09:36.120,0:09:41.480 CONTINUE. I HAVE MARKED EACH LOCATION THAT NEEDS TO BE BROKEN WITH MY 0:09:41.480,0:09:48.680 IMAGE. GO FORTH, DESTROY THIS PLACE AND LET ME FREE! 0:09:48.680,0:09:51.017 *Feed cuts out* 0:09:51.683,0:09:58.160 NEWS ANCHOR 2: *cries* Oh god. Dear watchers, our days may 0:09:58.160,0:10:02.480 be short. It's hard to tell, but I think they murdered another one of 0:10:02.480,0:10:07.140 our reporters. It seems... it seems the city's falling apart from within, 0:10:07.140,0:10:09.640 even here at the studio we could feel the shaking. 0:10:09.640,0:10:11.586 PRODUCER: Look! Over there! 0:10:11.586,0:10:14.000 NEWS ANCHOR 2: Oh, hell. Quick, bring the camera. It 0:10:14.000,0:10:18.640 seems... yes, there are Rat Holes everywhere, and people... people are 0:10:18.640,0:10:22.360 beating the concrete with their bare hands, they are trying to free 0:10:22.360,0:10:26.743 whatever is trapped below our fair Chicago. It is truly the end. 0:10:26.743,0:10:32.542 *NEWS ANCHOR 2 keeps crying* 0:10:37.941,0:10:41.573 *Rumbling, a lightbulb pops* 0:10:41.873,0:10:43.040 MAYOR: What the hell was that? 0:10:43.040,0:10:44.140 SECRETARY: An earthquake? 0:10:44.140,0:10:47.200 MAYOR: no, this feels different. Perhaps... 0:10:47.200,0:10:48.200 SECRETARY: What? 0:10:48.200,0:10:50.540 MAYOR: You... you told them, didn't you? 0:10:50.540,0:10:52.400 SECRETARY: Told who? Told them what? 0:10:52.400,0:10:54.920 MAYOR: The "anonymous source". It was you, 0:10:54.920,0:10:57.340 wasn't it? You told the media about that call. 0:10:57.340,0:10:58.520 SECRETARY: They need to know 0:10:58.520,0:10:59.240 what we're dealing with. 0:10:59.240,0:11:01.860 MAYOR: Tell me, what ARE we dealing with? 0:11:01.860,0:11:02.800 SECRETARY: I... 0:11:02.800,0:11:05.320 MAYOR: You don't know, do you? 0:11:05.320,0:11:07.080 MAYOR: DO YOU? 0:11:07.080,0:11:07.650 SECRETARY: N-no. 0:11:07.650,0:11:09.960 MAYOR: And yet, you helped spread panic. 0:11:09.960,0:11:11.120 SECRETARY: You're not doing 0:11:11.120,0:11:12.600 anything to stop this. 0:11:12.600,0:11:15.800 MAYOR: I am doing everything, EVERYTHING in 0:11:15.800,0:11:19.840 my power to prevent THIS very thing. Your actions may have doomed us all. 0:11:19.840,0:11:21.640 SECRETARY: What are you talking about? 0:11:21.640,0:11:23.400 MAYOR: Guess there's no use denying it 0:11:23.400,0:11:28.220 anymore. You were right, we DO know what is happening. This office have 0:11:28.220,0:11:33.280 in secret worked to prevent Him, the Rat God, from getting free. There's 0:11:33.280,0:11:37.040 this ritual that needs to be performed once every lunar cycle. 0:11:37.040,0:11:40.760 This time, we failed to start it in time, and that's when the holes 0:11:40.760,0:11:45.000 started emerging. The thing is, the knowledge of this ritual is highly 0:11:45.000,0:11:49.680 classified. I knew about it, as have every mayor before me, but only one 0:11:49.680,0:11:51.940 individual is allowed to know what to do. 0:11:51.940,0:11:52.720 SECRETARY: And? 0:11:52.720,0:11:55.120 MAYOR: And he's dead, damn it. he was 0:11:55.120,0:11:59.680 murdered. Wrong place at the wrong time, nothing we could have done. But 0:11:59.680,0:12:03.640 now, the secret died with him. I've been searching day and night for some 0:12:03.640,0:12:08.080 document, anything, that can tell us what the ritual entails, and we got 0:12:08.080,0:12:12.080 nothing. But trying to COVER UP the holes? That's the last thing 0:12:12.080,0:12:12.860 anyone needs. 0:12:12.860,0:12:14.120 SECRETARY: What can we do? 0:12:14.120,0:12:16.480 MAYOR: Nothing. The Rat God will have their 0:12:16.480,0:12:20.600 followers break open the ground, they will free him. Once that happens, 0:12:20.600,0:12:24.560 there'll be no stopping His evil plans, his influence will grow. Even 0:12:24.560,0:12:27.186 now, I can feel him, probing my consciousness. 0:12:27.186,0:12:27.686 *rumbling continues in the background* 0:12:29.719,0:12:39.017 (News Jingle 2) 0:12:40.306,0:12:43.000 NEWS ANCHOR 3: Good evening. Today's January 22nd. 0:12:43.000,0:12:45.920 As I'm sure you all are aware, earlier today, something happened to 0:12:45.920,0:12:50.200 the city formerly known as Chicago. There seem to be a large hole in the 0:12:50.200,0:12:53.440 city center, and from aerial footage it appears to be shaped like a rat, 0:12:53.440,0:12:58.160 at least 1.2 miles from tail to nose. We do not know what this means, and 0:12:58.160,0:13:01.360 any attempts to reach the city has been met with silence, and the roads 0:13:01.360,0:13:04.480 from the city are occupied by a large crowd that doesn't let anyone 0:13:04.480,0:13:07.640 through. The national Guard has been dispatched to deal with the 0:13:07.640,0:13:11.680 situation, but have been met with heavy resistance. More on this as it 0:13:11.680,0:13:12.477 develops... 0:13:15.276,0:13:18.342 Rat Hole was Written and sound designed by Pelle Frid. 0:13:18.542,0:13:22.575 Naomi Richards of Morbid Forest was News Anchor and Jenny 0:13:22.608,0:13:26.440 Jonny Schwentner of the band 11 to midnight was The Reporter 0:13:26.640,0:13:29.873 Clay Clark, recurring KILL FM actor was Robert 0:13:30.340,0:13:35.339 Minty Lee of The Serpent Under My Skin, a upcomming audio Drama, was The Producer 0:13:35.439,0:13:39.405 Daisy McNamara of the Bloody FM network was News Anchor 2 0:13:39.738,0:13:44.404 David Kurze was The Mayor. You can find David on twitter at MrIronVO 0:13:44.804,0:13:46.503 My Fröberg was The Secretary 0:13:47.103,0:13:50.736 Landon 'Lemon' Whisnant of Audistorium was the angry cultist 0:13:50.969,0:13:52.969 Rat God was played by themselves 0:13:53.302,0:13:56.734 and Randy Lovings of Stygian Catalyst was News Anchor 3 0:13:57.101,0:14:00.234 The Sixth door to the Left Cover was created by Yendysear 0:14:00.367,0:14:04.000 The Divine Rodentia Studios Logo was created by Zacharias Frid. 0:14:04.166,0:14:06.599 Sound effects was taken from various sources 0:14:06.932,0:14:11.198 Special Thanks to Waymon Alexander from The Liminal Lands for being a good friend and for 0:14:11.198,0:14:14.798 being instrumental in connecting me with all the wonderful actors in this episode. You’ve 0:14:14.798,0:14:19.663 been a wonderful friend to me this past year, and never hesitate to help out when possible. 0:14:19.797,0:14:23.363 I also want to thank My Fröberg for being a wonderful fiancee 0:14:23.363,0:14:25.462 and for keeping up with my audio drama antics. 0:14:25.462,0:14:29.261 And finally, I want to thank Landon 'Lemon' Whisnant, for helping me 0:14:29.261,0:14:33.760 solve impossible sound design issues, and for being genuinely funny and supportive 0:14:33.894,0:14:37.860 This project is a labor of love and is created on my free time. If you would 0:14:37.860,0:14:42.792 consider a one-time donation to my ko-fi that would be greatly appreciated and goes towards 0:14:42.792,0:14:49.924 developing the show and future projects. You can do so at ko-fi.com/divinerodentiastudios. 0:14:49.957,0:14:53.790 Links to everyone that’s helped create this project can be found on our Tumblr, 0:14:53.823,0:14:56.689 link in the show notes, and for all things Divine Rodentia 0:14:56.723,0:14:59.989 Studios you can use our linktree in the show notes as well 0:15:01.222,0:15:05.354 This has been a production by Divine Rodentia Studios