The Devil's Granddaughter

[1] Jerry's

Jerry's
    
     

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「A U B R E Y 」
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        I strolled down a dark, empty street to the sound of my steady footsteps and my whistling accompanying me. The slight breeze carried the tune dancing off my lips into the night, but I couldn't wrap my head around the nostalgic melody that played incessantly in my head. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and checked the time.

       2:19 AM.

       The blaring white numbers scorched my pupils. It didn't help that my heightened sense of sight had been hyperactive since I started my walk over thirty minutes ago. At least I'm still on schedule, I threw the hood of my black hoodie over my head and headed straight for the closed convenience store up ahead. 

       It was a small local store I'd been to a couple times—surprisingly enough—during the day. The name Jerry's hung loosely on the front of the store in rusty orange letters, and the electronic "open/closed" sign shined red. I raised my phone to the window and used the blinding light to get a clearer view of the inside—an unnecessary habit to adopt when you have night vision. The coast is clear, I made my way over to the front door and tried to open it.

       Locked.

       You'd be surprised by the number of times I've been able to get into an empty building through the front entrance.

       I ran around back to check the only other entrance.

Locked.

Damn it, I scanned the infrastructure to find any other possible entry when I spotted a window to what I assumed was a bathroom.

That'll leave a mess; the goal is to leave the place looking as untouched as possible.

        And that's when I spotted an air vent.

       'Don't even think about it'. My wolf, Amazon, warned me.

       No matter how long it's been since I've acquired my wolf—about two years in the making here—the random pop-ins still catch me off-guard every once and a while. It's like sneaking a cookie late at night and then jumping when your mother clears her throat behind you. Obviously, you know she's in the house, but her existence isn't at the forefront of your mind.

      'You waited quite some time before scolding me, Amazon,' a smirk graced my lips. She was slowly but surely getting used to having no choice but to tag along on my adventures. After all, I'm the one who owns and operates this vessel.

       'I was hoping that the walk here would give you enough time to rethink this horrible idea. I don't know why I continue to give you the benefit of the doubt.' I could hear the she-wolf's snort echo from her snout to the walls of my mind.

'Bold of you to assume I think in the first place,' I snickered which made Amazon huff at me.

'Aubrey, this stunt is going to land us in jail...again.'

'Who's us? You're the one who gets to live rent-free in my head and frolic in the Wolf Realm while I deal with the repercussions.' I rolled my eyes internally. 'Besides, there's nothing to worry about. This ain't my first rodeo—and I highly doubt it'll be the last—so buckle up!'