The Rats, Lair, Domain(1984)

James Herbert

BCA Omnibus Edition CN136794

'Rats! his mind screamed the words, Rats eating me alive! God, God help me. Flesh was ripped away from the back of his neck. He couldn't rise now for the sheer weight of writhing, furry vermin feeding from his body, drinking his blood.
Shivers ran along his spine to his shocked brain. The dim shadows seemed to float before him, then a redness ran across his vision. It was the redness of unbelievable pain. He couldn't see any more - the rats had already eaten his eyes.'