Thought this was cool from a stroy-teller perspective. Apparently there was a large ship that was being towed to the Dominican Repubic and the tow line snapped in a storm and instead of trying to retrieve it, they cut their losses and let it drift into the open ocean. No one is sre where it is, and experts say the ship is probably over-run with rats that are resorting to cannibalism due to lack of food. Rat-Infested Ghost Ship Might Be Heading For U.K. Tell me this isn't fodder for like, a dozen stories.
If this starts the zombie apocalypse, I live on a compound, and a few days worth of supplies. I'm cash, and I'm talking Johnny Cash.
It has been made in Yugoslavia, which is filled with bad guys (according to american action movies), so maybe everything is just a scam and the ship is actually on its way to one of american largest cities, where the rats will be released and will cause a zombie apocalypse like @Lemex suggested. After that, the US government will call Brad Pitt who will - with the help of a charming scientist Olivia Wilde - somehow find the way to cure the virus. The trailer will be, of course, very tense and different from the movie. Sorry for the movie reference, I'm sure you meant ideas for books, but lately there are so many movies focusing on special effects and apocalypse I just had to do write something like this.
Round up a bunch of hungry feral cats and drop them onto the ship. Wait a week or so, then board it, carrying Meow Mix and kitty litter.
But then you'd have a ship full of diseased cannibal cats! So we'd have to drop a bunch of feral dogs onto the ship, and then it could escalate into the afore mentioned zombie apocolypse!
Okay, here's a better idea: Instead of cats, drop a bunch of hungry snakes on the ship. Make sure they're all tagged so you can find them all later. Tow the ship south so the weather's warm and the snakes are active, let them eat the rats and get all fat and slow, then tow it back north to make the snakes dormant. Problem solved! Then just sink the damn ship, cause ewww.
You wouldn't have to worry about cannibal cats. They would just act interested in eating you for a minute or so, then walk away...like "meh..."
