I took a small step towards the Housekeeper, whose gaze was locked onto a small white lightbulb hanging overhead, and felt my foot connect with something soft. I lifted my foot, and the smell of rotten, decayed meat left lying around for years, perhaps decades, overtook me.
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It was the corpse of a skinned rat. Its eyes had been pushed out of its head by tiny, squirming maggots which filled its eye sockets to the brim. Its tail was a bloody stump, and a gaping hole had been left in its side. I could barely make out what seemed to be the remnants of its ribcage, covered in squiggling, pink bodies.
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“Disgusting,” I muttered but raised my voice so the Housekeeper might notice my presence. But his gaze was firmly locked on the lightbulb. To be precise, the small blue light orbiting it. The Housekeeper’s eyes dilated, like a cat’s tracing the movements of its prey. The blue light gradually grew dimmer.
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The Housekeeper finally withdrew its tightly fixed gaze, and turned his attention towards me, gracing my presence with a nod. “The one, right?”
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“Unfortunately. It pains me that I must work in such a filthy, starved house, with a filthy, starved, old coot.” I spared no effort to be polite. Such creatures were unworthy of my respect.
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The Housekeeper grunted, barely parting his lips as he did so. His gaze traveled the room for a moment.
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“I cannot afford to waste words, so listen closely. The door at the end of the hall on the upper floor needs to be replaced. Once this is done, I will give you one- - - -.”155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkxbyhuLB5
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I would have liked nothing more than to rip the old coot’s flesh from his bones, and then make a nice rug out of it. But I was famished. Even one, weak, eranko —--- would be better than nothing.
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“Only one?”
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“I don’t have much to give.”155Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD00kiB1K3n
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"Then it's settled."
ns52.14.236.216da2
