HE WAS DONE DOING WHAT HE LOVED. For sure, to mop the entire stretch of the floor that it would look like a fifty-meter long mirror was an easy task to him. Standing at the one end, the corridor had finally became nice to the eyes of Lance Reyes. Or so?

Still amused of how he turned an ordinary floor into a noticeable platform, Lance Reyes, found something bleak. How dare this thing didn't acknowledge his cleanliness. It was being vigilant as it crossed the corridor then entered the stockroom.

Though the rat didn't leave any filthy trace-- and to reapply the mop on its track was not what in his mind-- he followed the rat. He accessed the corridor to reach it faster. The rat crawled into the storage room swooningly.

Being a utility personnel, the field enemy of Lance was rats, cockroaches, worms and the likes of it. Everything that was filthy, being filthy, and forever would be filthy, he hated them all.

As soon as he made it at the doorstep of the stockroom, without hesitation, he entered. Cold, silent, and alone, there he saw a seventy-five centimeters long rattan switch. He obtained it. Even though this place was meant for the things that the school might need in the future, it was organized. Easy to find things only if you knew what to find. He sought where might be the rat was hiding, he saw something that moved. On his right, his line of sight perceived the rat. It was behind the curtains and on the move off to another and another.

He did a tight grip on the switch as he approached the rat and smashed it to it. He missed. Off to another window. He smashed again. It dodged. Off to another. Lance Reyes was determined to obliterate this thing. As. Soon. As. Possible.

Although the rattan switch was hard and slender, and the window was made of jalousie, that didn't bother him that he might break a member of the window. He knew how to strike measurable, but also the rat knew how to dodge.

Several strikes and dodges were made by the opposing parties respectively-- had been able to finish his task and this-- Lance Reyes became exhausted. But the rat hadn't. It continued to find its way and had finally entered the ceiling-- or shall to say, the attic.

"What is that?"

There was a hole in the ceiling; enough for a two-pound rat to access back and forth. More to it should already enter by force. He weighed one hundred thirty more of it. So he just resorted watching it disappeared. Not totally vanished just behind the ceiling.

He was just a floor sweeper and to maintain the ceiling was beyond his job. But since he hated rats, voluntarily, he would do it. The utility personnel Lance Reyes, would kill that rat. No. Matter. What.

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He turned around and examined what would be useful to exterminate the rat in the attic: he found the vase. No, not the vase. To kill the rat with a vase would be a dirty job; then the Ballpoint pen. Not also that one. It would require him a close counter; same as textbooks, the rat's blood would splatter on it. Among all the things in there, he found some things that might help him get rid of a pest: was a table and a chair.

No vase. No pen. No books. Just a table and a chair, that rat would meet his end-- not now but later.

He approached the table and lifted it up. It was heavy, but nonetheless, he delivered it smooth and quiet. Vertical to the hole he positioned it. Next, he grabbed the chair and placed on top of the table. For a better balance, he put it at the center.

Since he had already a rattan switch, he was confident that he could finish this short-term goal he set in mind. What he needed more than a weapon was a little more height to reach the ceiling. He stood on the platform of the chair.

"Wait for me, you filthy rat!"

As soon as he gained an extra height; as the time he touched the ceiling; as formidable as his support was, Lance Reyes planned to apply force on the ceiling.

Though the plywood that separated the entire room and the attic had already been years and had never done the replacement, it was still that tough. It could still handle the weight of the entire attic had without any sign of rupture could be seen. Except for the insects who forced themselves to live inside the stockroom. They created their very own entrance and exit that was only exclusive for them.

But that's not the case to him, the ceiling seemed to fall in this corner. Supposedly it was flat and parallel to the ground. All the regions followed it except here. The ceiling in this portion seemed to be at an angle. It was slanted and headed to the ground. Somebody did just detach the fasteners attached on here but didn't put back.

It was good and at the same time was bad. This granted him an easy access to the attic brought about by the loose section. He could just pull it down to create an opening that was wide enough for him to enter. But also, this would be an issue as somebody from the list of utility personnel was not doing their job well. They were paid to work well, but they didn't take things seriously. He called them filthy. He hated them.

But because that's the case, he wouldn't report this event and instead after he killed the rat; after he disposed of it properly; after he cleaned the rattan switch and wiped his hands, he would put back the fastener. Fix what needed to be fixed. Simple as that.

As he made an opening for himself, the attic welcomed him with no light. Dark. Completely dark. And cold.

"Why it becomes so cold so suddenly?"

The school might have put an air-conditioning system to here for the reason of protection for some valuable things. Good enough to throw away insects who didn't like cold areas. The place would be completely sealed if the detached surface had been mounted properly. Even so, the current state of the attic could still prevent the light to be promulgated on the inside. Maybe the bulb had been just busted. Good thing he visited here again. He would replace it as soon as he was done with his priorities.

He fumbled from his left pocket and fished his small flashlight. Although every room in the Xyrale High was well lighted, he knew to himself that the time would come he would be in need of a flashlight. And that time was now.

He aimed his flashlight to the roof then turned it on. His eyes narrowed.

"What the?!"

There he saw a cadaver that was hung by the roof. It faced him. The dead appeared to be smiling.