"Okay, sir. I'll text her and let her know that there is a student who is concerned about her then."
"You're such a good boy, you know that?"
"Thanks. Don't worry, sir. I believe no matter how dark the situation is, there is always a light of hope. Your cousin will be alright."
"Thanks, young man."
"You're welcome."
"What's your name, boy?"
"Arthur, sir, Arthur Wanderer."
"My name is Dominic, Dominic Mortis."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mortis."
"Nice to meet you too, Arthur."
"What were you doing before I came to you?"
"Oh, I was getting rid of something that was tarnishing this beautiful school."
"And what is that?"
Mortis smiled, before taking out the thing in his pocket and showing it to Arthur. It was something small wrapped in a rag.
"What's inside?"
"Why don't you find the answer yourself?" Mortis sent Arthur the envelope.
Arthur stared at the package for a moment, before slowly opening it. When he found out what was inside, he jumped away from it in panic. "A mouse?!"
"A rat, actually."
Within the rag was a corpse of a rat.
"I found it lying on the ground, lifeless. As a janitor, it's my duty to bring this poor thing to the place where it belongs."
"I've never seen a rat here before."
"That's because they were hiding. They're little, weak, and foolish, but they still have to survive. Sometimes, they have to get out of their comfy hole in order to find food and survive, and sometimes they don't return." Mortis stared at the rat's body. "Poor fella. No matter how hard we try, no one can escape death." Mortis looked at Arthur's face. "Don't you think, Arthur?"
"Uh, yes," said Arthur softly.
Mortis smiled and closed the wrap. "Don't you have a class to attend?"
"I have, sir."
"Then, why are you still here? Go to your class before you get late."
"Okay. Nice talking to you, sir."
"See you soon, Mr. Wanderer."
"See you later, Mr. Mortis."
After Arthur separated from Mortis for a moment, the lights returned and both of them looked at the bulbs.
"The lights are back. That means darkness can't bother you anymore," said Mortis.
"Good for you as well. Now, you can clean the hallway easily."
"Honestly, I prefer when it's dark; it reminds me of my birthplace… I mean my hometown. Now, go, your teacher is waiting." Mortis started wiping the floor.
"Take care, Mortis." Arthur gave Mortis a wave and a smile before running away.
"Take care, Arthur. Have fun studying," said Mortis without taking his eyes off the ground.
When Arthur returned to the junction, he found out that the hallway was now full of people as it should be. He still had doubts about the people disappearing recently, but he kept it in his mind for now and hurried to his class.
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