Precious Ruby

The piercing scream alerted the barber to the first signs that something was defiantly wrong within his domain. The second scream reinforced the thought as he grabbed his nearest blade and made for the inner stairwell, leading down to the pie shop. Once there his black eyes went wide as he spotted the vandals fleeing in fear, and the familiar scent of blood assaulted his senses. At first Sweeney thought the robbers had deservingly injured themselves on one of Jezzebelle’s razor sharp knives and he smirked before glancing around again, noticing the open door leading downstairs to the bake house. All of a sudden a sinking sensation filled the demonic barber.

“D-Da’dy?” came the weak cry from near window which shook him to the core. There lay his daughter and lover, her red hair splayed under her like a curtain, her light blue nightgown soaked scarlet from a deep knife wound to the chest. “It ‘urts Da’dy, like death,” the girl coughed harder.

Instantly Sweeney’s hand connected hard with his daughter’s face and he growled menacingly. “Don’t you dare say that!” As Jezzebelle’s eyes started to slip shut, her father’s palm connected with her again as he urged her to stay awake.

Abruptly her frame went lax and her glazed brown eyes stared blankly at him, another of his dead. As he stared at the body, blood began to seep from her throat. Her mouth twisting into a cruel smile, and her face contorted into that of her mother’s, “Jus can’t protect anybody ya love can ya Mista T? Let Lucy die, let the sailor boy steal yer Johanna, and killed Jezzie jus like ya killed me love.” With a start Sweeney hurled the body towards the ground stepping back as it crawled closer with that cruel, cold, taunting voice, “Nothin’ more than a great useless beast!”