Jeff sat at home, cleaning the demon blood off his blade. Damn, I look cool, he thought to himself. Excalibur v2 had been his blade for as long as he had fought demons. He sheathed it and hung it up on the wall. He was just settling down when he received a ring on his communicator. “Come” was all it said. He checked the name. It was Kelly, the station boss. He got in his van, turned on the radio, and drove. He arrived at the station, got out of his car, and went inside the station. 

Karl, the receptionist, gave him a bored wave. Jeff walked into Kelly’s office and sat down on one of the sturdy wooden chairs. 

“Wazzup?” he said, slouching and looking over at Kelly. 

Kelly, whose sturdy build and razor-cut hair may have intimidated just about anyone, didn’t scare Jeff. What’s the worst thing she could do? he thought. Fire me? Naw, she would never do that. A small grin started to creep up Jeff’s face. 

“You’re fired.” The grin vanished from Jeff’s face. 

“What?” he asked, his brain still processing the words.

“Pack up, you’re gone. Your business is not welcome here.” She started pacing. “Your ‘demon fighting’ child play is not needed anymore.” She stopped and looked down at Jeff. “Demons don’t exist. We only hired you to deal with the nut jobs.” 

Jeff started to sputter. 

“Don’t be pathetic. Go home,” Kelly said sternly.

Two weeks later

Jeff turned off the ignition. He pulled out his extra gasoline in the hot desert sun. He emptied his trunk, which was filled with all the fantasy memorabilia he owned. He sighed. He heaved it all into a giant pile away from the car. He dumped the gasoline onto the pile, his face like cut stone. As he lit the match, a smile came to his face. He donned his sunglasses and threw the match behind him. His plan worked. There he stood, slowly walking away from a fire, looking the coolest he ever did.

Jeff came back a changed man, his demon-fighting days over. He got a job at the museum down the way, and never fought again. 

Epilogue

Come, little one, come down to me…..I crave blood…

Jeff Jr. woke up in a cold sweat. Just another nightmare he thought. Though this one was different from the others. 

He felt a pull, a calling, toward something. He followed this, this invisible string leading him along.

Jeff Jr. walked down the stairs into the basement. His dad always told him stories about demons and the dark, so he made sure to only peek. What he found awed him. In front of his very eyes laid Excalibur v2. The calling was the strongest the closer Jeff Jr. got to the sword. He picked it up, and a faint glow emitted from it as he gripped the handle. 

Hello, my new master