RAT NON SATIATA - SCP Foundation

Thousands of times now, Bernard had looked out the viewport, hoping each time to see something. But each time, he saw only the void. No stars, no planets, nothing. This time was no different. It was all gone.

It wasn't hellish, it wasn't black, it was nothing. Endless abyssal noise consuming all but a speck of light hiding within the great nothingness of it all. Disappointed, Bernard backed away from the viewport, and made his way to him.

"RT-06"

"Rattus tranquillitatis"

Bernard stared at the label above the cage of "Lil' Kev"; the final rat he had on hand, his best friend, and his final source of nutrition. The rest he and Kev had consumed, along with the snakes, bugs, and various other creatures provided for testing. It had been a few days since the two had shared a meal; their last feast had consisted solely of RT-04. They had water, plenty, thanks to the onboard atmospheric water generator… But hunger remained.

Over and over he read the label, sometimes looking down at his rodent friend, before darting his eyes back at the label to distract himself. Bernard was starving. Bernard was weak. Bernard was dying. In spite of his body begging for nutrients, he ignored his temptations.

Kev was an ugly critter; even by rat standards, he had a face only a mother could love. His ribs grotesquely protruded from his drum-tight skin; it appeared as though any second now, one could burst through his skin. Rough, sporadically placed tufts of fur spotted his teeny self, oddly avoiding his homely flat face.

Bernard loved Kev and his ugly little face. Yet now when he looked to Kev, the only thing on his mind was hunger. Bernard's stomach was an overwhelming hurricane, and Kev was slowly straying from the eye of the storm.

He could only last so long in this condition, maybe a few more days, at most. And even if he did the unthinkable, what then? Would he just wait around and die on this tin-can? Questions such as these were constant within Bernard's dying brain, but somehow, he maintained some small flicker of hope.

Bernard looked back to Kev and smiled.

They could make it.

First it was his own hair, then fingernails, then skin, and eventually a few toes.

He hasn't eaten for… a few weeks? Bernard couldn't remember. Kev had been fed with scraps of Bernard's own flesh. The shuttle was in disarray, trash being strewn everywhere. Fluids from Bernard puddled on the ground, for awhile now he had been too weak to even dispose of his waste.

Expressionless, Bernard stared at Kev, he would do this for hours at a time. Sometimes he would move slightly, or tear tissue off himself for Kev.

Hallucinations were constant and agonizing. Sometimes he'd sleep for absurdly long times, having vivid dreams of hell, only to wake up disappointed. Maybe he was dead, by now Bernard really couldn't tell. The walls were constantly moving, and occasionally he'd hear Kev speak English. Other times he'd see noise and hear the light.

Bernard had lost so much mass, he didn't really know how he was alive. Kev had grown skinnier too of course, but he was much healthier than his human companion.

Bernard stared at Kev and smiled.

Kev could make it.

The lights had gone out. It was just as dark as the void outside now, Bernard probably didn't even notice, he couldn't tell what was real anymore. It had been so long since he last had a bite of anything to eat. Somehow he had managed to crawl up to Kev's cage, which allowed him to continue feeding.

Today was the day Bernard would do it. He had to eat or he would die, he had to do it, he knew he had to. With one long breath he prepared to stand.

Bernard leaned himself up against Kev's cage, which he had been laying by. Slowly he scrambled for the lid of the cage, wrapping his frail hands around the lid he pulled with all his strength.

After what felt like hours of struggling he popped it off, and blindly reached his hand in… Firmly he gripped Kev, and put him up to his gaping maw.

With all the remaining strength Bernard had, he squeezed his jaw shut. The shuttle was filled with various sounds: the cracking of his frail rotting teeth, the snapping of Kev's bones, the wet noise of flesh being torn, the sobbing of Bernard. Uncontrollably he shook as he struggled to consume his only friend left, the only other living thing left, "Lil' Kev". What remained of his fingernails snapped off, and his mouth began to bleed as Kev thrashed around attempting to fight him off.

Bernard was the final Cain, and Kev his Abel. Blood spurted down his dry throat, as Kev stopped thrashing, likely dead. The chunks of dead rat within his mouth combined with the vomit attempting to push itself from his throat, but he wouldn't let it, he began to swallow, and then-

For the first time in weeks the lights flickered on.

Kev was still in his cage…his food bowl was missing, having made its way into Bernard's mouth. Bits of ceramic were stuck in Bernard's throat, making him bleed profusely. Shaking, covered in blood and tears, Bernard looked at Kev wide eyed. His gangly body, his fur, his ugly little face.

Bernard loved Kev and his ugly little face.

He pulled a piece of ceramic out of his mouth, and wiped off the blood, staring into his blurry reflection.

Bernard screamed and collapsed into Kev's cage.

Kev stared at Bernard.

The rat began to eat.

RAT SATISFACTUM EST