Nate Slade

"Rat Under Glass" is a short story that straddles the dark crime and extreme horror genres. It is primarily about Neo, a rat catcher who crosses the mob after his partner is killed by The Lobotomizer. Neo bungles the mob's bid for another sanitation contract by electrifying the runoff grids of New York. Lots of people fry, and the mob sees fit to dispense extreme punishment. Most of the story is about how Neo deals with that punishment, making use of his perseverance, tenacity, and off-the-wall thinking. The punishment involves a camcorder in a cave, recording Neo getting eaten alive by rats in a plexiglass cage. Oh, and he's stuck in there with the guy who killed his partner.