"O, tipplers all, as you pass by, Come in and drink if you are dry! Come in and drink, think not amiss, And pop your nose in a jug of this!" The half-sung, half-slurred ditty was followed by a raucous of laughter and applause from around the pub. Chalmun’s Pub was notorious in the lower-class districts of London for being the place to have a good time and spend your meager earnings. Men and women were spread throughout the bar room, drinking, laughing, and dancing. The chorus of drunken voices started up again and a couple hopped on one of the tables and performed an impromptu jig. The soft illumination of candlelight sent their shadows dancing across the walls.

Liam Adams leaned against the bar and chuckled. He wore a long, very beat up, dark brown leather jacket that went down to his ankles. Under his jacket, he wore a white shirt beneath a black vest. Locks of dark brown hair fell to the sides of his head, reaching down past his ears. His light brown eyes seemed to twinkle with intelligence and just a bit of mischief. A pale, white scar over his left eyebrow gave him just a hint of danger. He was, after all, an amateur boxer.

Not one of those nancy-boy boxers that the more wealthy folk went to go see. Liam had learned how to fight on the streets, and he had become quite skilled at it. In addition to his day job down at the docks, he would take part in a few matches a week at various drinking establishments who were looking for a new way to entertain their customers. So far, he’d only lost once, and that chap had been nearly twice his size. He had that fellow to thank for the scar that graced his left eyebrow.

"What’s the matter, love? Can’t say hello to your best girl?" a soft voice behind him purred.

Liam spun around in his stool and grinned. "Abby, I didn’t know you were working tonight! I thought you had off," he said as he reached over the bar to embrace her.

"Couldn’t miss seeing you, darling," she teased as she pinched his cheek. Midnight black hair fell past her shoulders, settling over her lower back and contrasting with her pearly white skin. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled with affection. She wore a white and brown dress that nearly fell to her feet.

Liam grinned again and raised his eyebrows, "Couldn’t miss seeing me, or seeing my money?" He pretended to sulk and spun around.

Abby playfully slapped him on the back of the head. "Of course I want to see you. Now buy something from me."

Liam laughed, spinning back around and raising his cup. "Well, it appears this mug here is defective. You see, I raise it to my lips like so… and yet nothing comes out. Do you think perhaps some of your fine ale could fix it?"

"Of course," she said as she took his cup and began to fill it. She set the drink back upon the counter, as foam fell down its sides. "So, Liam, tell me, what’s new?"

"Nothing really. How ‘bout you?"

"Well, me personally? Nothing. But my friend saw something interesting the other night," she said as she glanced side to side, making sure that no one else was listening. She leaned in close and whispered, "She saw Springheel Jack."

"Springheel Jack? Come on, Abby, that’s a bunch of nonsense. Just some bloody chap who’s a bit of a pervert, assaulting women and all."

"No, she saw him. Saw him a few blocks down from the pub in fact, jumping from roof to roof. She said he must’ve jumped at least twenty feet in a single stride!"

"Probably just her imagination. The blasted papers have been running stories on this fellow nonstop. Everyone and their bloody dog thinks they’ve seen him. Probably just some sort of stork or something that found its way here from the shores. Or maybe something escaped from the zoo."

"But Liam, the Lord Mayor has declared Jack to be a menace to the peace. Did so yesterday, in fact. He’s been arming men to hunt him down and bring him to justice."

Liam sighed and shook his head. "Abby, have you read the descriptions of him? They say he wears a gentleman’s suit and a big bloody black cape and has ghostly white skin and a horrid face. Some blokes even said he could spit blue fire. Then there’s those idiots who say he leaps from place to place like some sort of kangaroo. Sounds like some sort of boogity man tale to me."

Abby crossed her arms and shivered. "Still, all this talk has me a bit scared. They say he only attacks women after all, clawing at them with fingers that feel like iron. They even say that he killed a prostitute last night, jumping right in front of her, groping at her stomach and spitting blue flame into her face. Then he picked her up and tossed her off a bridge and watched her drown, laughing the whole time!"

"Well, love, you don’t have to worry since you’re not a prostitute," Liam remarked. "Or is there something you haven’t told me?" he narrowed his eyes and laughed.

She punched him in the arm. "This isn’t funny. I’m really scared of this fellow."

"I’m sorry, dear," Liam said.

For a while they talked of other things. The hour grew late and soon everyone had either left, or collapsed into a drunken sleep. Abby was washing mugs out as Liam prepared to leave.

"I’d best be off," he said to her, as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Wait, I’ll be done soon. Would you like to walk a beautiful girl to her house?" she asked flirtatiously, batting her eyes.

"Of course," Liam said as he took his seat again. Soon, Abby was done cleaning and they walked to the door.

"Bloody wonderful weather," Abby remarked, looking out the window and seeing rain. "Don’t suppose you have room for a beautiful girl under that long jacket of yours?"

"Always," Liam said with a grin, as she slipped close to him under the jacket.

They opened the door and walked out into the street. Rain poured down upon them as Liam tried to hold his jacket up as a makeshift umbrella. A heavy fog covered the streets, allowing almost no visibility. The barely perceptible glow of street lamps offered scant illumination, sending shadows of unknown forms skittering across the buildings around them. The night was silent, except for their footsteps and the heavy sound of rain falling against the jacket as they huddled underneath it.

A vague blur moved across the sky, soaring between two buildings in front of them.

"Did you see that?" Abby asked, sounding startled.

"Probably just some bird or bat or something," Liam said. "You can’t tell through the fog." He tried to sound confident, but the existence of Springheel Jack suddenly seemed much more plausible. He shook the thoughts out of his head. "We’re close to your apartment anyway."

They continued to walk along. Liam could feel Abby shaking next to him. It was actually quite warm under the jacket, so he knew it wasn’t from the cold. She must be terrified, which made Liam pause. In all the years he’d known her, he couldn’t think of a time he’d seen her afraid.

As they neared the door to her apartment building, he turned to her, hoping to reassure her somehow. "Abby, dear, there is no such thing as Springheel Jack. People are just exaggerating the actions of some ordinary molester."

They began to near the steps when Abby screamed. A figure stood near the door, looking down on them. It was tall, taller than any man that Liam had met. It wore a black suit, cut in the current style for gentlemen. A black cape fell from its shoulders, billowing in the wind. Beneath it, the figure was emaciatingly thin. Its hands were pale, ending in long, narrow fingers. Worst of all was the figure’s face, haggard and pale as a cadaver. The creature’s eyes were like black holes, reflecting no light or sign of life. They seemed to center upon Abby, and Liam was afraid she’d disappear within them, never to emerge again.

He instantly stepped in front of Abby, placing himself between the monster and the young woman. He tried to make his voice sound deep and menacing. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

The being’s only response was to open its mouth in a deep hiss. Its lips pulled back, revealing an empty mouth. It had no teeth, gums, or tongue, only blackness. It tensed its legs and leapt the thirty feet separating Liam and Abby from the steps. It landed lightly upon the ground in front of them. The creature moved toward them, cocking its head to the side and approaching as if it was stalking prey.

Liam brought his hands up into a fighting stance. "You won’t be getting her! Run to the door, Abby!" he yelled as he slammed his fist into the being’s stomach. The impact was excruciatingly painful. It felt like he’d punched the side of a brick wall. The creature grabbed Liam by the neck and lifted him into the air with unnatural strength. It brought Liam’s face close to its head and a blue flame began to erupt from its mouth. Liam tried kicking the creature’s chest and stomach, to no avail. He managed to knee it in the face and it growled in pain. The creature flung him away, sending him flying twenty feet into a group of trash cans across the street.

Abby reached the door and turned around, seeing Liam crash to the ground. "Liam, no!" she yelled. The creature jumped onto the step and began to stalk towards her. "Stay away from me, Springheel Jack!" she shrieked.

It continued forward, stopping in front of her. Springheel Jack lifted his hand and began to caress the side of her face. It felt like bars of cold, sharp metal were being rubbed against her. His mouth worked, but no sound came forth.

"Please. Please, God, no," she cried and tried to push him away. Springheel Jack growled and flung her to the ground. He began to advance toward her. Just as he again began to lower his hand to her stomach, a trash can lid slammed into his face, sending the being falling across the steps.

"Get in the building, Abby. Now!" Liam yelled. Jack was already scrambling to his feet. Abby opened the door and ran in, quickly followed by Liam. They slammed the door shut and locked it. Abby fell back against the door and slid to the ground, crying in fear and relief.

"Thank you, Liam. Thank you."

The door creaked as a massive force slammed into it. Abby and Liam jumped up quickly, uttering curses in surprise. Jack slammed into the door again and again. Then they heard something scratching furiously at the door. Liam remembered the feel of those cold, hard fingers on his throat.

"Let me walk you up to your room," he said quickly. They walked up the stairs to her apartment. She fumbled in her purse for her key before finally finding them. As she tried to unlock the door, Liam noticed that her hands were too shaky to find the keyhole. He gently held her hand, helping her to bring it into the correct spot. She smiled slightly with gratitude and embarrassment. They walked inside and Liam lit a candle, illuminating the room in a soft glow. A bed covered in red sheets rested against the corner, while two chairs and an old wooden table were near the door. A fireplace was nestled against one of the walls. A single window was located at the far end of the room. Its shutters were closed.

"Nice place you have here," Liam remarked.

"It’s not bad. Liam…" she paused.

"Yes?"

"Could you look outside and see if he’s still out there?"

"Sure," he replied as he walked to the window. He hesitantly lifted his hands and pulled open the shutters.

Springheel Jack was perched outside the window, his cape whipping in the wind. His lips pulled back as blue flame began to billow out from his mouth. He brought his hands up and began to claw against the window. The glass shrieked in protest as Abby screamed.

"Look! There’s Springheel Jack! Get him!" a voice outside yelled. Soon other voices joined. Springheel Jack jumped lightly to the ground and sprang away, alighting on a building. Then he jumped down, and disappeared from sight.

Liam looked out the window to the street below. The fog was thick, but he could see that a crowd of men were gathered outside. Many wielded torches, while others carried knives and clubs. They began to run off in the direction that Springheel Jack had fled, yelling threats and curses into the night.

"They scared him away," Liam said, closing the shutters. "We’re safe now." He walked over to Abby and held her close. She sobbed quietly into his chest. Unsure of what to do, he gently patted her back.

She pulled away from him and touched her hand to his cheek. A large bruise was there from when Jack threw him. He winced slightly. "Thank you for protecting me, Liam. It means a lot to me. You really are too good for me, dear." She settled her hand on the back of his neck and kissed him, slowly at first but gaining in intensity.

They were interrupted by a loud knocking downstairs. Liam pulled away from her embrace. "I’ll be right back," he said, taking an iron poker from the fireplace. Before leaving, he gently wiped a tear from her cheek. He left the apartment and walked down the stairs.

He stopped at the door and asked, "Who’s there?"

"Quickly! Bring us a light! We’ve caught Springheel Jack in the alley!" a deep voice replied.

"Abby, dear, bring me a light! They’ve caught Springheel Jack!" he yelled.

She ran down the steps, holding a lit candle in its holder. She gave it to Liam. "Let’s go and watch them give it to the bugger!" he said to her as he flung open the door.

Springheel Jack stood outside, his lips pulled tightly into a grin.

"Bloody hell," Liam remarked.

Jack grabbed him by the shirt and flung him out the door. Liam landed in a heap in the street. The fire poker and candle flew from his hand and clattered across the stones. Jack grabbed Abby and walked down the steps. "Liam help me!" she screamed as she pounded her fists against Jack’s back. He then jumped effortlessly to the top of the building and began to leap from roof to roof.

Liam slowly made his way to his feet. He looked up and saw Jack leaping from building to building, with Abby slung across his back. He was going toward the bridge. He began to run as fast as he could, trying to remember the fastest way to get to the bridge. On his way, he ran past a group of twenty men, all holding torches or weapons. "Follow me, Springheel Jack is going to the bridge!" he yelled to them, as he reached down and picked up a stone.

They reached the entry to the bridge. A thick fog was settled over it. Liam couldn’t see Jack or Abby. "Come on, he’s somewhere out here," he said as he ran across the bridge. The others followed close behind. It was nearly impossible to see through the fog. Liam’s eyes were drawn toward a faint blue light at the other end. "He’s at the other end!" he yelled.

Running faster than he ever had in his life, he finally reached the light. Springheel Jack had Abby cornered against the wall. His hands were groping her stomach as Abby screamed and cried. Liam took aim with the stone and let it fly. His aim rang true, hitting Jack in the side of the head. Jack snapped his head toward Liam and roared, advancing toward him. He stopped when the rest of the mob arrived. He shrieked and leapt straight into the air.

Liam ran to Abby and took her hand. He pointed toward half the men and said, "Take her someplace safe. The rest of us will stay here and hunt for Jack."

"Be careful," Abby insisted.

He kissed Abby goodbye and stood with the rest of the men, while Abby and the others left. Liam’s eyes scanned upward, searching for signs of the monster. It was impossible to see more than ten feet into the sky, however. The fog was too thick, even for torch lights.

Suddenly, Liam heard a yell. He could vaguely see a torch go flying over the side of the bridge. Then, he heard a loud splash as its barer landed in the water. Liam and the others stood silently, looking upwards. Then they heard another yell and a splash. Then another. Then another. Two men in his group went running across the bridge, screaming in terror. Only Liam and two others remained. They waited in silence.

Jack fell upon them from the sky, throwing one of Liam’s companions over the bridge. Then he kicked out with one of his long legs, sending the other man flying into one of the stone pillars on the bridge, knocking him unconscious, or worse. From the corner of his eye, Liam saw that one of the torches had bounced off the bridge guardrail and landed on the ground.

Jack advanced toward Liam and backhanded him, sending him flying fifteen feet against the bridge guardrail. Liam struggled to catch his breath as Jack leapt over to him, standing above him. Jack brought his foot back and slammed its toe into Liam’s stomach. Liam doubled over in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. Jack then grabbed a handful of Liam’s hair and lifted him off his feet. He growled and tossed Liam back to the ground.

Liam could see the torch now, just out of arm’s reach. It was still burning. Jack leapt over again, the monster’s feet landing inches away from Liam’s head. He placed his boot against Liam’s neck and began to press down. Liam reached for the torch, his fingers desperately grasping for its handle. The pressure against his windpipe was unbearable and black began to enter into the edges of his vision. His fingers finally found the torch and he brought it up against Jack’s cape.

The cloth erupted in flame and Jack began to shriek in pain. He leapt away, screaming, trying frantically to extinguish the fire. The monster fell to the ground and began to roll around in pained anguish. Liam struggled to his feet, dizzily trying to regain his balance. He stumbled over to where Jack lay screaming in pain. "Rot in hell, bastard," Liam muttered painfully, his voice wheezing. He brought the torch down into Jack’s mouth.

The monster’s head quickly engulfed in flame as Jack uttered one last inhuman shriek. The creature’s entire body erupted into blue flame before exploding brilliantly, casting a bright blue light across the bridge. The explosion knocked Liam to the ground.

Liam coughed and managed to haul himself to his knees. There was no trace left of Springheel Jack. He tried to stand up, but came crashing back down. He rubbed at his throat and collapsed backwards. Unconsciousness was coming on.

Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps coming across the bridge toward him. He opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of Abby running towards him with a group of men. He closed his eyes again as he felt her wrap her arms around him and cradle his head against her neck. His last thought was he’d still only lost one match in his entire career.