16
Out of instinct Sweeney attempted to grab the brick walls, only causing his fingernails to tear. His shirt did little to block the rough texture of the brick, and he could feel his skin splitting open. Growls and shouts came from his throat as he attempted to slow his hurried descent. Thrusting out his feet and throwing back his head in a desperate gesture, Sweeney felt his body come to a jarring halt as he pressed it to the chute's walls. Having slammed his head into the wall during his break, he could almost see the tunnel spinning in the pitch dark.
A shuddery breath escaped him and he nearly burst into laughter. Holding himself still Sweeney was almost afraid to move, as his abused muscles began to twitch in protest at their treatment. Nausea settled in the pit of his stomach, but he pushed the sensation aside along with a strange feeling of vertigo.
He took a deep breath, attempting to calculate how far he had fallen. And if the burning sensation in his side was a broken rib, or just another bruise for his collection.
His situation didn't seem to be improving as he felt himself slowly start to slide downwards once more.
"Terrible sorry fer yellin' at ya luv." Mrs. Lovett tried to smile reassuringly at Johanna, who had seated herself in one of the room's chairs.
"Oh, it's alright. I really.." she sniffed, wiping her nose on a handkerchief. "Shouldn't be crying at all!"
No, ya shouldn't. The baker's smile twisted into a sarcastic one for a moment before vanishing altogether. Mrs. Lovett let the girl sniff away her tears for a moment before pressing her issue once more.
"Can ya tell me anythin'?"
"I-I don't know what they used.. But." She bit her lip. "I know what they did."
"And?" Mrs. Lovett prompted, feeling her impatience creeping back up.
"Well they.. They found men on the streets. Unimportant ones, they said." The girl had started to frown. "They would feed them something, and then give them some money before sending them away."
Unimportant people? Mrs. Lovett nearly said that out loud. Gave them some money and then just sent them off… The gears in her mind were working furiously.
"They tried to keep an eye on them. But they kept disappearing. Turpin.. he.. He thought the man at the apothecary was lying to him, and that the men were just dieing."
If her mind wasn't working so quickly to connect the dots, Mrs. Lovett might have commented on the man from the apothecary.
"But he insisted it wasn't it! Said something must just be happening to them. He-he threatened me. Thought I was telling someone.." Her eyes welled up with tears again. "I don't even know anyone!"
Mrs. Lovett subconsciously placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, mind a million miles away. The Judge had fed something to people. Unknown people. Unwanted people. The same types of people whom Mr. Todd killed everyday, and whom she baked into pies. People, who suddenly gifted with some generosity, might treat themselves with a shave.
Her stomach turned, and she felt like vomiting when she realized she and Mr. Todd had been the suppliers of the Judge's 'plague' to the masses. A great part of London knew of her pies, and quite a number ate from her shop. She did throw up when she thought about how many pies one contaminated man could have made. And Turpin had lost several men.
Johanna screeched with fright and protest at the mess Mrs. Lovett made on her floor.
Sweeney strained his muscles, gnashed his teeth and swore, but nothing slowed his eminent slide down. The bricks had his blood on them, making the surface slick. His back was bleeding openly as well, not helping him in his need for purchase against the walls. Though a slow descent was inevitably better than a fast one, he still had great doubts on his ability to lower himself, safely, onto the bake house floor while moving.
A/N I just can't seem to give Sweeney a break.. Heh. Well, I've solved a bit of the mystery.. And why the hell did Mrs. Lovett throw up? I think she's simply emotionally exhausted and physically spent. I mean, not even a day has gone by since this 'fic started, 'tis a lot of crap to go through in one day. xD
