ST; Demons of Fleet Street; 4

ST; Demons of Fleet Street; 4

“I wouldn’t do that, Mr. Todd. I’m the one that brought you here… So… If I die, you might die… Again… Too.” She said voice tight.

“She has a point, Mr. T.” Ms. Lovett stood back up. She straightened out her dress. “Hm… It looks like you need a new shirt.” Ms. Lovett said pointedly. He lifted the razor from Rosalie neck.

“From murder and revenge to shirts… You really are a strange man, Mr. Todd.” Rosalie laughed to herself. He hit her across the face, hard. It knocked over the chair and caused the table to fall over. Ms. Lovett let out a yell.

“That hurt, Mr. T!” Ms. Lovett rubbed the side of her face with her gloved hand. Sweeney lifted his hand to the side of his face too, slowly. Roselia sat up dizzily.

“Where am I?” she said, confused. “Oh yeah.” She shook her head and stood back up. She looked at the other two. Ms. Lovett looked back at the window. “So about those shirts…” Sweeney looked at her angrily. “I think I found more like yours when I emptied the dressers out… And a couple of your dresses, I believe.” Ms. Lovett’s face brightened.

“There’s one of those I never got to try on that I’ve been dying to… Excuse me. Wanting to try it on.” She bustled into the bedroom hurriedly.

“Ms. Lovett, your clothes are upstairs.” She came back.

“Well wot are they doing up there?” She had her hands on her hips.

“I was waiting to see if anyone would come back for them… So I put them upstairs instead of out in the trash. The only things I got rid of where things that were beyond use. Like that broom. The handle was eaten and the straw fell out.”

“That was a gift!” She huffed.

“Let’s go upstairs then!” She said, changing the subject.

…………….

The door creaked open slowly, she was careful not to hit anything with it.

“Well, here it is; all the stuff that I haven’t been using, and haven’t had half the mind to throw out.” Rosalie waved around the room. “I haven’t been able to find any of the other razors, though.” Rosalie frowned and went back over to the tin she had set up with the barber’s stuff.

“I suppose there was a barber here… That wouldn’t be you, would it?” Rosalie looked back at Mr. Todd, who nodded. “Well, here it is, then. Your barber stuff. Most of it, anyway. It was tough cleaning all this stuff up so it was usable again. The dust seemed to be stained on everything.” She picked up the trash tin and turned back towards Mr. Todd. She held it out towards him.

“What use of it do I have now?” He said, sighing. “How are people supposed to come when I’m dead? Invisible?” Rosalie was silent. A sly smirk spread across her face.

“Perhaps… More use of it than before.” He seemed confused. “Look here,” she snatched up a newspaper she had been reading while she had folded the shaving cloths. “A barber, looking for a job! Ghosts can posses peoples from what I hear, right? A proper scapegoat is all we need.”

“We don’t even know if we can… Posses peoples.” Mrs. Lovett whispered ‘posses people’.

“Even if not, you can do the deed still. Get creative! You’re invisible!” She tapped her head. “Give the scapegoat ale, and then give the guy a quick shave. Shove him out after he pays before he realizes what’s happened.” Rosalie crossed her arms.

“You sound like you’re talking about more than you know…”

“Probably. But it doesn’t matter now. It seems I’m stuck with you two.” she teased. “Hey, Mr. Todd… I was wondering what this was for?” she stepped onto the lever, causing the trap door to open.

“I told you, you had no idea what you’re talking about…” Rosalie shrugged.

“Mr. T, should we tell her?” Ms. Lovett asked. “Seeing as how we’re all stuck, anyways?” She leaned her elbow on the vanity. Sweeney went to the other side of the room.

“I don’t see why not. We’re dead to the world anyway, and if she tells anyone, she’s framing herself too. Seeing as she now ‘owns’ the place, they’ll figure she was a part of it.” Rosalie gulped. ‘Is it really that bad?’ she thought to herself.

“Well, love, we cook people into pies. It’s simple really. Mr. T here kills his customers that have come alone, they go down that chute there, and then I grind them into the fillings for me pies.” Sweeney lifted up a loose board and seemed to be searching for something. Rosalie was silent for a while, watching him. Then she looked back at Ms. Lovett.

“So that’s it? It’s really that easy?” Ms. Lovett looked back at Rosalie.

“I suppose. Turning the grinder is sort of hard, seeing as how it’s kind of rusty.” Sweeney froze.

“What is it, Mr. T?” He hesitated and then stood up.

“My razors are gone… I thought I left them there.”

“Well then, Mr. T, we’re just going to have to look harder.” There was a loud squeak from behind Mr. Todd.

“Oh my…” It wasn’t just the one rat from the family before. It was several. And on their backs was a silver case.

“My razors! Those little rats…”

“I wouldn’t temp them Mr. Todd. They’re sly rats they are. Made off with me wedding ring the first day I was here! Took me all night to get it back. Ever since then they’ve been stealing little knickknacks. One of me shoes even went missing. Now, if we all corner them…” Everyone raced towards the rats at the same time. The rats stayed until seconds before everyone crashed together. Sweeney was the first one to get up. He had the rats cornered.

“Give me the box now, and I’ll make your deaths quick and painless.” He held his hand out towards the rats. They were shaking in fear. Suddenly one of the rats jumped and bit his finger.

“Augh!” He pulled his hand back and held it to him tightly. This gave the rats the perfect chance to escape. There was no place for them to escape to, though. “Never mind, then!”

The rats were all standing right in front of the chair, where the trap door was.

“Oh no you don’t…” One of the rats was scooting the box towards the lever. All of them began squeaking, and then the trap door opened. He heard the rats hit the sides of the chute, then silence. Then suddenly they began to squeak again.

He shut the trap door, and picked up the box of razors. He opened it up to find the rest of the set, 5 other silver, beautifully chiseled razors. He set them carefully on the vanity. He turned back to Rosalie and Ms. Lovett.

“It seems, Ms. Lovett, that we’re back in business.”