The clock strikes midnight on december 31st, the bells starts ringing, after the twelfte time it rings one more time. At the thirteenth stroke, lightning splits the skies and thunder echoes through the night. High above, the dark circle of the moon is lit by a bright flash and all fall ominously silent.

Mankind flees to their beds, frightened and puzzled by the portents they had seen. Next morning they arise to find that the darkness have come to their planet. Brooding storm clouds rear above the rooftops and such rain fall as had never been seen before. Black, like ash, the rain fall and puddle in the streets, slicking the cobbles with darkly iridescent colours.

At first some of the humanity don't worry, they wait for the rain to stop so that they may resume their work. But the rain does not stop, the winds blow stronger and lightning shak the tall buildings. Days stretch into weeks and still the rain does not stop. Each night the bell tolls thirteen times and each morning the darkness lay across the planet. Humanity become fearful and prayed to their gods. Still the rains do not stop and the black clouds hang like a shroud over the fields of flattened corn. Humanity goes to the scientists and beseeched their help. The longcoats are unconcerned -- what matter a little rain on the surface? In the bosom of the labs all is warm and dry. Now humanity huddle in their dwelling, fear gnawing at their hearts. They sed some of their number to faraway places to seek help but none of them return. Some go to the churches to pray and donate their dwindling savings to the collection plates but they found the church door closed to them. The rain grows heavier. Dark hailstones fall from the sky and crushes the sodden crops. The great bell tolls a death knell over the terrified planets.

Soon great stones cleave the heavens, rushing down like dark meteors to smash the homes of humanity. Many sicken and die from no apparent cause, and the newborn babies of humans are hideously twisted. Skulking vermin devoure what little stored food there is left and humanity begin to starve. The human politicians go to see the scientists again and this time demand their help. They want to bring their folk below ground to safety, they want food. The scientists grew angry, and tell the humans that the lower workings are flooded and their food have also been devoured by rats. There remain barely enough food and shelter for them and their kinsmen. They cast the humans out of their labs and close their doors once more.

In the ruins of the planet above, each day become more deadly then the last. Humanity despair and calls for succor from the spiritualists, whispering the names of forgotten old gods in the hope of salvation. But none come -- instead the vermin returns, bigger and bolder then ever. Their slinking, furred shapes infested the broken cities, feasting on the fallen and pulling down the weak. Each midnight the bell tolls thirteen times on high, seeming now brazen and triumphant. Humanity live as hunted creatures in their own cities as great rat packs roams the streets in search of them. At last the humans manlings take up such weapons as they had and beat upon the scientists labs, threatening that if they do not emerge they will drag them out by their coats. No reply comes from within. Humans take up beams and batters down the doors to reveal the tunnels below, dark and empty. Steeling themselves, the pitiful remnants of the cities once proud populace descend. In the ancient labs of research they find the scientists, now naught but gnawed bones and scrapes of cloth. And there they see by the dying light of their torches the myriad eyes about them, glittering like liquid midnight as the rats close in for the kill. Humanity stands back to back and fight for their lives, but against such implacable ferocity and countless numbers of the verminous horde, their weapons are useless. The tide of monstrous rats flow over them one by one, dragging them down to be torn apart, the yellow chisel-teeth sinking into their soft-flesh, the dark tufted mass drowning their pitiful screams with their hideous chittering.....