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This is the floor plan of Rocco's Pet Emporium. The store has been devastated by a flood that tore through it after the Great Ones disappeared, so the merchandise is scattered and in disarray. For the most part, however, things are where they're supposed to be.

You don't dare venture outside. The world outside smells of death and predators. Besides, everything that you need exists inside these walls. There are several territories you may claim as your own:

The Small Animal Area -- This is where you began your journey, and some rats have chosen not to leave. This territory consists of the tanks and cages you had once lived in, as well as several rows of shelves carrying small animal food, hay, toys, and treats. This is the most abundant source of food in the shop. You may share this area with other small animals, such as hamsters or guinea pigs.

Aquariums and Reptiles -- Next door to the small animal cages, this is an area not widely explored by any but the boldest rats. The aquariums have flooded, leaving puddles all along the floor, and most of the aquariums are stagnant and smell of dead fish and algae. One large aquarium has maintained running water, however, and this is the most accessible source of fresh water in the store. If you're feeling bold, you can try fishing in the aquarium. You must be careful, however, as there are snakes and other carnivorous reptiles living in the area, and they will not hesitate to kill rats.

Dog Kennels/Cages -- Lining the side wall, the dog kennels and cages provide the most secure territory in the store. The kennels, bird cages and other large enclosures are wire, allowing you to climb or to squirm inside as protection from the outside world. This is the area where Bitey's colony lives, and also houses one of the side entrances to the underground tunnels where the wild rats live.

Break room/Bathroom: -- The best source of fresh water in the shop, but one of the most dangerous to travel to as there is a wide expanse of open territory before you reach the door. Once you enter the break room, however, you can enjoy a relatively posh life. The room has a few excellent food sources if you can get hold of them: a well-stocked vending machine as well as a refrigerator and cabinets with human food. The toilet has fresh water, and there are two sinks that both drip fresh water.

Quarantine Room: -- Lined with cages, this is where the rats and other animals are bred and kept until they're ready to be sold. This is also where sick animals were kept. There is a large basin here that occasionally has fresh water, and a drain in the floor that leads to the tunnels underneath the shop.

Pet supplies: -- On the opposite side of the store from the small animal enclosure and a dangerous journey, these endless rows of shelves include dog and cat food, toys, and other items usually sold in a pet store. There's no source of water here, though, making this one of the least attractive territories to settle in; there's plenty of reasons to make the journey across the store to raid the wares, however.

The Check-out Counter: -- There's a small hole in the floor here that leads to the tunnel system below the store. There's a well-covered, secure area to stay here, and a refrigerator as well as several shelves of human food. The refrigerator includes some bottled water that you might be able to chew open to drink, if you can figure out how. This is the smallest territory.

The Office: -- Tucked away behind the check-out counter, the office is accessible only through one door. The area is secure, but there's not very may resources here; no food or water is available inside this territory. It is however full of papers which make excellent bedding, and it's very defensible.

The Tunnels: -- Underneath the pet store, generations of wild rats have formed a complex system of tunnels in the foundation of the store. There are several openings into the above-ground areas of the store, allowing wild rats to steal supplies as necessary.

Other Animals

Rocco's Pet Emporium did not sell dogs or cats, so you don't have to deal with these types of large predators inside the store. There is a stray cat outside, however, named Here Kitty Kitty. He's a surly one-eyed tomcat that lurks around in the lot behind the store. Now that the humans are gone, he might grow bold enough to wander into the shop, but so far you're pretty much safe from him unless you creep outside.

Inside the store, there are several other types of small animals. The rats fared better in the flood than the other animals, but many creatures survived:

-- Birds. There's a few finches, canaries, cockatiels and at least one parrot roosting up in the rafters. Many of them have flown out through the damaged skylights or the open door, but others are still inside. If you can snag an egg, it's pretty delicious.

-- Ferrets. They're big enough to be a threat to most rats, so you avoid them unless you're in a group. They will tend to travel in small groups and have settled in territory between the small animal cages and the reptiles. A large group also lives by the dog food aisle. There's a couple lone males that roam around the shop as well. Only about half a dozen ferrets survived the initial flood, although they were intact young adolescents; as they grow older they might start reproducing.

-- Reptiles. There is at least one large snake, large enough to pose a serious threat to an adult rat. Most of the other snakes and reptiles are smaller, posing more threat to babies. The reptiles didn't survive the flood very well, so there are relatively few of them compared to rat numbers. Reptiles reproduce slowly, so their numbers may dwindle.

-- Hamsters. There's only a few hamsters that survived the flood. The survivors are all small robo dwarfs, and they all live almost exclusively in the small animal area of the shop. They are a viable food source for some predatory rats.

-- Mice. The mice survived somewhat better than the hamsters did. Of all the animals in the pet store, you can speak most clearly with the mice. This doesn't stop many rats from viewing mice as a food source, though. The mice live primarily in the shelves behind small animal cages, but some have scattered down into the tunnel system as well. There are also a few fat brown wild mice that live in the storage room in the quarantine area.

For the most part, you cannot communicate with the other animals. You can talk to the mice reasonably well, but they speak a very different dialect than you and would appear to have a very thick accent. Sort of like if you spoke French and the mice were speaking Italian; you would recognize some words but the message would be garbled.

Otherwise, the only rats who can communicate freely with the other species are Usoothe.