Esteemed Malevolence

XVIII: What Are We?

Christmas Day, Evening

Slender arms reached forwards as the shadowed figure approached Toby, their movements deadly silent as they practically glided over the cobbles.

A silky handkerchief shoved itself over his face and blocked the boy's nostrils, and it soon enveloped over his mouth too. He had no choice but to breathe in the almost sweet scent from the cloth and he felt his vision fading into black instantaneously. His body collapsed limply as he felt himself falling down into a deep, sleep-like state.

Thin, black-stained fingers pressed the material further in to ensure that the lad really was unconscious and the figure huffed in annoyance, catching Toby as he fell back.

They threaded their arms beneath his armpits to hoist him upwards. They let out a hiss of pain as they carefully draped the boy's body over their shoulder. The barber's incision from the night prior was still quite fresh, and the black threads hung from the torn fabric of their coat where the gash was bound snugly underneath.

The silhouette's eyes slashed through the darkness as they glanced back towards 186 Fleet Street, greyish blue irises glistening with grim intent as they realised the barber was stood in the courtyard, observing the scene taking place - completely frozen with shock. A smirk reached their pouting lips - the man was powerless to do anything. He was a murderer who worked in the privacy of his own parlour, therefore he wouldn't dare do anything out of the ordinary out in public. He had an appearance to keep up.

The young woman knew this all too well about him, and took her time in vacating the area. She was not too subtle about being nonchalant, reaching her free arm up to even ensure that her stovepipe hat was sat atop her head in her desired fashion - which was always pulled forwards, in order for the brim of the hat to shade over her eye-line, keeping the gaslights' glow out of her eyes.

With one last daring glance towards Mrs Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium, she jolted around from the direction she came and scarpered into the passage leading to Bell Court.

She carried the boy with little effort, though she had a slight limp in her left leg - yet another after effect from Mr Todd's attack. She hadn't anticipated him chasing her that night, yet she was glad he did, for she realised that the man had more potential than she'd previously thought.

Keeping the boy away had certainly been a successful endeavour.

In more ways than one.

She kept her head down, inky fingers clutching the brim of her hat as her opposite arm tightened its grip around the boy.

The streets of London were still fairly busy, but the alleyways were the real places that truly bustled with life at night. As the woman passed by the many thieving night dwellers who roamed the passages, not one of them approached her, instead they eyed her in quiet suspicion.

It wasn't usual for such a sight to be seen, even during the night.

Steam seared up from each open drain that she passed, and she held her breath, upping her pace as much as she could when she came to a corner of a building. She turned the corner, only to enter another narrowed pathway, delving further and further into the rabbit warren where each alley was squeezed in amongst the slums.

Passing brickwork after brickwork, she went into an almost trance-like state, like she did such a trip on a daily basis. She was set on her destination, wherever that was.

After quite some time - it must have been nearer to the hour - the effects of the sedative that Toby had inhaled, were beginning to wear off.