Ratman of Southend

The Ratman of Southend is an urban legend originating from the town of Southend in the south east of England.

Stories
There exist two very different stories surrounding the origins of the Ratman, although both are said to inhabit the same Southend city underpass.

Ghost of a Homeless Man
The most commonly recounted version of the tale involves a homeless man who liked to seek refuge from the elements in the underpass. As the story goes, one winters evening he was set upon by a gang of youths who viciously beat the man nearly to death and stole his blanket. What the youths had started, the inclement weather finished, and hypothermia quickly claimed its victim. By the time the corpse was discovered, vermin had been at it, and the body no longer had fingers, toes or a face.

In the years that followed, local residents began to report odd noises in the underpass, such as the squeals of a pack of rats, or the skittering of hundreds of tiny claws on concrete. A handful of accounts even relate seeing a ghostly figure stalking the tunnel.

Mutant Offspring
The second tale involves a past mayor of Southend who was an infamous philanderer. When a careless liaison resulted in one of his mistresses bearing him a child, the baby was cursed with horrendous physical defects which made it resemble a humanoid rat; as it grew, it developed a hunger for the flesh of Man.

In an effort to hide his shameful secret, the story goes, the politician used his influence to have the underpass constructed, but with a concealed entrance to a subterranean lair. There, his crazed spawn would be able to hide away from prying eyes during the day, and emerge at night to indulge its thirst for blood.