The air in the trunk soon became hot. Johanna felt herself struggling for breath as her petite body ached to stretch. No! She did not know what was out there! Her eyes yearned for sight, for a hint of light in the suffocating darkness. Yet she stayed, waiting for a sign of safety, waiting for Anthony.
The barber trudged back up the stairs. He had not been surprised when Mrs. Lovett told him of Toby's suspicions. He really did not care. There was no fear when she had begun and there was no relief when the woman had mentioned how she had convinced the boy that Mr. Todd was innocent. There was simply nothing. There was nothing but the anxious waiting that had claimed him since he delivered the letter. Not even the comforting feel of his razor could stop the barber from pacing across his shop, as he tended to do.
Sweeney noticed something different on the table where he kept his things. The picture of Lucy and Johanna had been placed face down. Mr. Todd rushed forward as if he had committed the very worst of sins. With slightly trembling hands he placed the frame back to its right side and gently caressed the still faces of the only people he knew to love.
"Mr. Todd!"
Adrenaline rushed through the barber's veins the moment he heard the judge yell his name. This was his last chance and he would NOT fail to avenge his family. Not this time. No matter what happened, he would stand in Turpin's blood with his razor pointed to the heavens as the body of the judge would fall down, as if he were falling to hell.
"Where is she?" Turpin hissed as he rushed into the doorway of the shop.
At first, Mr. Todd had forgotten who the judge was seeking. The memory suddenly came to him, causing him to stagger backwards.
"Johanna is below with my neighbor. We should all be thankful, for the sailor did not defile her." Sweeney grimaced at the very thought of such a despicable thing happening to his daughter. If only she were down stairs. If only he could see that little baby grown into the beautiful girl that he had fervently dreamed of. If only…
FOCUS! His mind seamed to scream at him.
"Y-yes, she is safe, but she also has pondered on her sins, and wishes to see you again. There is nothing else she speaks of, sir."
Sweeney could not help but smirk as the judge foolishly believed his tale.
"She begs for your forgiveness, sir. Not to worry though, for she shall be here soon."
Mr. Todd gestured towards the barber's chair. "Shall I give you a shave? I am sure she will appreciate it deeply," Sweeney whispered. Turpin gave a jerky nod of his head as he walked towards the chair and sat down. No need for lather, Mr. Todd noted in his thoughts.
Judge Turpin sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. "Like me, Mr. Todd, you have a good spirit."
Sweeney Todd leaned in closer, his razor inches away from his victim's face. "The only thing we have in common, sir, is our taste in women," he said in a soft, yet dangerous tone.
"I beg your pardon?" the judge asked, his head turned towards the barber in a suspicious gaze.
"No doubt, the years have changed me, but in the face of a barber, a face of a prisoner of the dark… I suppose that would not be particularly memorable," Sweeney breathed.
Hostile realization crossed Judge Turpin's face. "Benjamin Barker," he spat.
The barber could hold it no longer. Revenge was at his fingertips! Revenge, salvation, and the man who ruined his life. "BENJAMIN BARKER!!" he screamed, his body shaking with anticipation and rage.
The razor plunged into the judge's flesh, each stab for a reason. The first dug deep into his flesh, causing the judge to gasp in pain.
For Lucy.
The second dug only for a little while, spraying blood onto the barber's face, licking his skin.
For Johanna.
Though the third stab was not very long, it had a serious meaning.
For all the pain you have caused.
Blood ran into his eyes, blurring his vision momentarily, as he dug the razor deep into his skin.
For everyone you have ever wronged.
Again and again, the judge winced and gurgled, liquid erupting from every hole that Sweeney had punctured.
The final stab was deep and long.
For Benjamin Barker.
Mr. Todd pulled away, savoring the sight of Turpin in pain and the feel of the warm substance on his skin. Slowly, he stepped in front of the bleeding man, casting him a glance of revulsion. He then slid his razor across the honorable Judge Turpin's neck.
"For you," Sweeney muttered.
Turpin slid from the chair as the barber pushed the pedal on the floor, allowing darkness to swallow the body, just as darkness had swallowed Benjamin Barker's soul.
A sense of accomplishment seemed to enter Sweeney Todd. Accomplishment and absolute exhaustion.
Johanna could not take the retched trunk for another second. The girl listened in horror as she heard her guardian moaning and crying out in pain. She could hear a sharp object breaking his skin with a metallic clink. Still, the trunk was unbearable, so Johanna lifted the lid to reveal a gruesome sight.
Blood soaked the chair that was placed in the middle of the room. As her eyes adjusted to the room around her around her, she noticed a man leaning over the chair, his hands raised as if in silent prayer. A terrifying sight, but even more so as the man's head turned in her direction.
He stood and grabbed what appeared to be a bloody razor, no doubt the murder weapon. Johanna shrunk back as he stood and walked over slowly. His menacing steps increased her heart's tempo as well as her breaths, as if they were not already hurried.
Sheer terror met black hatred as he opened the lid of the trunk. Not even fresh air could comfort the girl as the man spoke to her. "Come for a shave, lad?"
Lad? Johanna stared down at her outfit in dread as she realized that she was still dressed as a boy.
"No one will recognize you…" Anthony's last few words haunted Johanna, condemned her.
The man's merciless hands grabbed at the lapel of her jacket and pulled her out of the trunk. She let out a gasp as her body was flung into the chair, the man lifting the razor threateningly.
A shrill scream filled the room from downstairs, stopping the man's movement immediately. His eyes flicked to the door and then back to Johanna. In a flash of silver, the razor was menacingly held in front of her eyes.
"Forget my face, boy," he hissed before pushing her back slightly as he released her and ran out of the room.
The girl let out a breath of air that she had not realized she was holding. She was not certain of whom the man was, but she knew one thing with absolute certainty. She would NEVER forget his face.
"Mrs. Lovett? Why did you scream? Is it the Judge?" Sweeney asked as he hurried into the bake house.
The baker stood over the now stilled body of Turpin. "He was grabbin' at me skirts, but now he's finished," she informed.
"We should get rid of 'em," while grabbing the dead man's arm hesitantly.
"I'll do it. Just open the door," Mr. Todd murmured while walking forward and gesturing to the large oven.
She nodded her head and hurried over to the steel door, wincing as it creaked open.
Before she knew it, the bodies of the Judge and Beadle were blackening in the fire, the flames engulfing them in delight.
Mrs. Lovett turned her head to the man standing next to her, admiring the look in his eyes as the glow from the fire bathed his skin.
"This…is very romantic," she whispered in a soft voice…a lover's whisper.
He looked at her, his face unreadable, until a flash of what seemed to be pain replaced his mask. "There was a boy upstairs in my shop. My mind told me to kill him, but…something else told me not to. I'm just so…tired," he confessed slowly.
Mrs. Lovett stared at him, desperately trying to hide her shock. This was the most he had ever said to her, and above all things, it was a confession.
"There, there, dear, you'll be fine."
"I thought that this," he gestured towards the burning bodies, "would make all of the anguish leave. It hasn't. I feel as if I miss... them…more than ever."
Though these words were spoken more to him than to her, Mrs. Lovett could not help but feel sorrow for the man. Should she tell? Could she let him know of the true fate of his lover? The woman looked down at her hands, imagining it holding the barber's. Absolutely not!
She blushed when she realized that she had spoken the last part of her thought. "Absolutely not?" he asked, turning to her. "What do you mean?"
Upon receiving no answer, he turned on his heel and began to walk out of the bake house, muttering, "If that boy is still in my bloody shop…" Sweeney Todd's voice trailed off as he walked back up to his shop, razor still in his hand.
As he entered, he was surprised to see Anthony in his shop, holding the boy he had threatened earlier.
"Mr. Todd?" he questioned as he looked up from the lad, tears slipping from his small face. "It would appear that you gave her quite a fright-…why are you covered in blood, sir?"
Why was he covered in blood? Think! Quick!
"I went into the bake house and Mrs. Lovett had just bought some fresh meat. The man who sold it to her did not drain it well enough, so as we were placing it in the grinder, we got blood on ourselves. Well, I got blood on myself. Mrs. Lovett was very tired…she did not have the strength to lift up such a heavy piece of meat."
He then froze.
Had Anthony said that he gave her a fright? Had he been too busy thinking of a lie to realize what the boy had just said?
"Anthony?" Mr. Todd asked, his heart increasing in its beat. "Who is that?" Sweeney pointed a finger at the girl who was staring at him, fear etched on every inch of her face.
Anthony smiled, "This is Johanna. Remember our arrangement, sir?"
Johanna.
"Johanna," Sweeney Todd rasped, his knees beginning to feel weak and his stomach, sick. He had almost murdered his child…his baby girl. The barber tortured himself with images of her broken and bleeding as he walked towards the pair.
Anthony looked at him curiously. "Yes, Johanna."
With trembling hands, Sweeney reached towards Johanna who cowered in fear.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered as he grasped the cap on her head. "I swear I will not hurt you."
Blonde hair cascaded down Johanna's body the second the cap was removed.
Beautiful and pale as the moon, with blonde hair of a yellow shade.
Like her.
Just like her.
HEY GUYS! I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND I HOPE YOU KEEP UP WITH THE STORY! SORRY FOR THE CLIFFY BUT IM GONNA ADD THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON. IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS ONE ON BECAUSE OF THE DAMN GLITCH THAT FANFICTION HAD GOING ON. HAHA VERY FRUSTRATING! ALRITE REVIEW AND IF YOU FLAME…AT LEAST YOU'RE VENTING TO SOMEONE! I HOPE IT HELPS YOU FLAMERS! THANK YOU!
