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Part Seven

Two days flew by, and the request to travel was approved by all parents of the group members. All, except for one, who was still in the process of trying to figure out how to break it to the chat while simultaneously moping inside the walls. Sam liked to consider himself an optimist, no matter what was thrown at him, and he supposed there was one good thing to come out of the situation at hand. Despite the fact that Sam could not talk with his three friends, he would still get the chance to see them all in the same room. He might even risk a glimpse from close up, either while they were asleep or too focused on a game to notice the nonhuman. This opportunity might have almost every negative possible, but it didn't mean he would be alone the whole time. They just wouldn't be aware of his presence. Big difference.

There were three days left until Skip would be the first to arrive, and Leo's parents were setting the teenager down at the living room to have a talk about expectations regarding what was to happen while they were gone. They would leave the following morning, giving Leo all the time to do as many chores as he was requested before his friends came over. And while the chores were...well...a chore to think about, the excitement of getting to see the people he had been talking to for years now was too much to get his spirits down. All also had to do was wait for Sam's family to give the O.K., and they would have the house to themselves for three weeks at a time.

Leo was a responsible kid, never drinking or doing drugs, and sticking to the same Vegan plan as his parents ever since he was given the choice to follow through with it. They trusted in him about as much as any parent could in their child, so took everything they lectured him on into consideration for the future. Keep the house clean, no parties on the property, don't take advantage of the freedom, etc. All relatively simple tasks, except for one that stood out from the rest.

Part of Leo's chore list was to put out mouse traps.
He didn't agree with it, nor did his parents, but they were well aware of the late night scratching inside the walls, and it only seemed to be amplified lately. They hadn't the time to search online for glue traps, but were able to rest assured that the death would be quick and painless, and it would be over before the rat knew what was happening. Leo agreed with a sigh, taking the plastic bag of traps and slipping it down on the floor to set up when his parents had been long gone.

Time flew by, and Leo's mom and dad left the next morning. He did every chore on the list in order, purposefully saving the worst for last, until the inevitable had to come.

Setting up the traps required a lot more mental work than Leo was prepared for.

He first went to the downstairs bathroom, setting a trap up beside the bottom of the toilet. It was a simple spot, but next to the trash can, and any rat that was scavenging would be gone with a quick snap. Leo didn't want to think about it for too long, Lest he get sick in the middle of his chore.

The next spot was the most obvious; the Kitchen. Right below the sink and beside every crumb-filled counter, Leo put the trap down and did his best not to ponder on what it might look like to see a rodent stuck in one of them. Squeezing for mercy, begging in their language to be rid of all pain and suffering, only to be thrown in the trash like their lives meant nothing all along.

Leo sat on the hard linoleum of the kitchen, crossing his legs and putting his arms in his lap to avoid clenching his shaggy bangs.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered to any rats in the area. It was stupid of him to be talking to himself, certain the rodents wouldn't understand, but he felt the guilt swell down in his efforts to apologize. "I hate putting these up, but it's the only way to get you out. I'm really, really sorry."

Sam was left stunned on the other side of the kitchen, listening in on every word.

Is he talking to me?
Does he know I'm here?
Is he planning on killing me to get me out?