Jeff's Inferno
The pub had already been closed, but he still stood behind the bar and washed up the dishes. It
was a tedious task to do, nonetheless he enjoyed it. By founding this pub, he also founded a
place where people gather around him, which seemed quite nice to him. He liked people being
around him. He did not want to be alone anymore.
Jeff finished washing up and swept the seats for items people may have forgotten. He walked
up to the entrance, scratching his scruffy beard, thinking of things he might have forgotten.
Jeff remembered, walked into the wardrobe and carried out his coat. It was already getting late.
He stepped outside and locked the door. It was freezing, so Jeff put on his coat. The big
"Neinman's" neon sign illuminated the street where Jeff stood now.
He decided on going for a walk through the district, which was never a good idea to do in the
nighttime, but Jeff didn't care.
It's not that he's careless, Jeff just knew he could defend himself. He already got into some
fights, fights he always won. He walked by the jeweler and took a glance at the rings. He liked
rings, he even wished to get married someday, he just couldn't find the right one. The thoughts
depressing him, he moved along.
Noise. Jeff stopped and looked around, but found nothing. He focused on the direction which
would lead to the source of the noise. He still couldn't make out where it came from, but he
started running into a dim alley.
Jeff didn't know for certain where he was heading, he just had a feeling he knew where the fuss
had to be.
A shady man was standing in front of a building, which seemed to be an old bank, the street
filled with shards of glass. Jeff arrived just in time to stop him.
“You better stop what you were plotting and I’ll leave you off the hook!” Jeff exclaimed without
caution. He didn’t know what he was up to, but he was confident in himself.
The person didn’t seem to care and continued breaking into the bank. Jeff sprinted and
grabbed him, turned him around and punched him in the face.
The burglar stumbled, tripped and fell to the ground. He tried to breathe, but his balaclava was
hindering him. Jeff ripped the mask off his face.
“I know your face. You are a regular at my pub,” Jeff remembered.
“Yeah, so Mr Neinman, what does that change?”, the burglar gasped.
He kicked Jeff’s knee, stood up, came to a halt. Jeff clutched his arm and struck an elbow his
side, which made him stumble again.
“Come on, Jeff, let’s reach a settlement, no? I need the money, I’m getting sick of this town, I
have to get out of here, there’s nothing interesting in here!” he shouted franticly. “Either you
share your fortune with me or I’ll have to rob this bank!”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun and moved near the entrance.
Shit, Jeff thought, but then he realised something.
“So, Jeff. Is it okay to call you Jeff? I think it would be. My name is John, by the way. Don’t do
anything stupid and I’ll let you live, I swear,” he said, still pointing the gun at Jeff. “Just let me
get some money and I’m gone.”
Jeff took a step forward.
“Don’t be silly, I’m pointing a gun at you, a gun, aren’t you even a bit intimidated?” John asked,
waving the gun around.
Jeff took another step.
A gunshot hit Jeff square on his forehead.
Jeff absorbed the bullet. He felt the heat the bullet contained. It was not a bullet made of lead. It
was made of magical flames. John was able to conjure magic. Jeff did not like sorcerers in his
town.
John couldn’t believe his eyes.
“What are you? That bullet should have killed you!” he shouted. He desperately fired another
shot and another, but in vain. Jeff absorbed every single one.
“Why John, why did you choose to come to a town filled with normal people? Do you want to
ruin my work? Is this what you want?”
Jeff grabbed John by his collar and rammed him into a wall. John looked at him, trembling in
fear.
“I know who you really are. You are the Jeff Neinman, or what did you call yourself back then,
the Inferno, am I right? So you’ve been hiding in a pitiful mortal town? What a joke you’ve
become,” John laughed.
Jeff couldn’t hold back his fury. John just made the worst mistake one could ever make when
talking to Jeff, he mentioned his past. Jeff head-butted John, and flames began streaming out
of Jeff’s body.
John couldn’t be saved. He enraged Jeff and he had asked for it. The Inferno wrapped itself
around John. John felt the heat, he was engulfed by the flames. He burned, leaving nothing, not
even ashes.
Jeff called the police and reported a breaking. He did the best he could, he tried to protect the
townspeople from what he despised. Magic. Something that is able to corrupt everyone and
everything. He experienced it himself in the past, but it is over now. Now he seeks redemption
for his deeds.
He returned to his pub, locked the door and went to bed, readying himself for the next day he
could enjoy with the townspeople.