The Barbers

I’d been working at Joel’s Barbers for a few days, mostly sweeping the floor, washing the sinks and similar mundane things. I couldn’t complain; any work was better than no work. Likewise with money, although it would be a long while before I would have enough to buy a car. But I put up with it.

Thankfully, my colleagues were okay; Lily was twenty three, only a couple of years older than me. She was lovely, bubbly and energetic, and very, very attractive. We had a lot of fun, and regularly took lunch breaks together. Then there was Sean; he was the senior barber, and seemed much too serious about everything to fit in at a public establishment, but there we have it. He rarely caused a fuss about anything, normally getting on with his job and occasionally making small talk with customers.

Lauren was odd. She was too nice for anyone to dislike her, but she had a certain falseness about her that made us at least a little precautious, but we got on. Alex had been there for a week, and had already earned the reputation of the ‘darling’. She was eighteen, very shy and very pretty. Lily had taken Alex under her wing straight away, so she normally hung around with us.

Yesterday, as I was sweeping the particularly large amount of hair from under Lily’s seat, the bell on the door rang and every eye instantly darted towards the new customer. A thirty-something man with a mass of red hair perched precariously on his head. 

He strutted in and sat at the first vacant seat, next to Lily’s. Sean instantly strode over to his, and asked in a surprisingly chipper tone; “How would you like your haircut today?”

I glanced at Lily curiously, but she just shrugged. Lauren ignored them and continued filing her nails in her empty chair. Alex looked at me, and I found myself shrugging in the same manner as Lily.

Sean continued to make small talk with the man, and reached for the clippers. I watched with interest as I swept the floor. He went about the haircut with unusual precision, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was so special about this fellow.

After a while, I lost interest, and collected the trimmings into a pan. I took a last glance back at Sean, hoping for a clue as to his strangely social behaviour as I went into the back room to dispose of the hair.

The back had a water cooler, which I helped myself to. As my cup filled up, I yawned and thought longingly of my bed. Shaking my head clear, I went back into the shop, and slumped into one of the waiting chairs.

“Can I leave early today Sean? Need to pick up-“ I began my well-rehearsed excuse but he cut me off:

“I think we’ll all be leaving early today.” He turned to me and grinned. I frowned questioningly, and he winked at me. The girls all looked at him, but he ignored them and turned his attention back to his customer.

Sean lathered the man’s cheeks with shaving foam with an almost loving caress, and whispered; “Chin up, bud.”

The red-head raised his chin as he took the straight razor from the shelf.

Sean brought the edge of the blade to his throat.

He hummed a cheerful tune.

He grinned, and slashed.

            Blood spurted on the mirror, the floor and just about everything else.

He laughed manically.