All in a Day's Work

“Look at the puppies!” Jenna said as they walked towards Radio Shack. The young hound dogs were running around the storefront window. “Can we have one?”

Jenna’s father looked at the dogs, with their glowing red eyes and sleek black fur. Then he looked up at the store name Hels Pets. “I think we should keep looking,” he answered.

One of the puppies caught Jenna’s eye and he led her away from the others, jumping and rolling around without losing eye contact. “We have to go, the store will be closed in a few minutes,” her father said, trying to quickly pull her away.

“No,” Jenna replied, her voice suddenly deep and forceful. “You will buy me this puppy.”

“I don’t have time for this.”

Jenna’s father tried to pull her away again. The dog growled and bared his teeth then jumped through the window and attacked her father. He screamed. “Run, Jenna!”

She watched her father fight with the hellhound puppy. There was much blood and no clear sign of who was winning. The security guards pushed through the crowd with their anti-hellspawn swords drawn.

“Don’t hurt him!” Jenna cried out as they tried to tear the dog off her father. Tears were running down her face as a woman tried to hold her back.

The security guards finally got them separated. Jenna broke free and jumped over her father to get to the dog.

“Did they hurt you?” she asked as she hugged it close to her. The dog’s eyes glowed bright as she loved on him. Behind her, the paramedics worked on her father.

“We have to go,” the paramedic said and reached towards Jenna. The puppy growled at him.

“No.”

“Come on girl, your dad needs to get to the ER. Stat.”

“Not without Deville,” Jenna said.

“Je ... nna,” her father called weakly. “I ... I need to go.”

“Not. Without. The. Dog,” she replied.

“It’s on the house,” Hels, the owner, said. Jenna’s father nodded his head.

“Yippee!” Jenna said and stood up, Deville in her arms. She followed the paramedics out to the ambulance, holding on tight to the puppy. 

Hels watched the family leave the mall. Her tactics were questionable but successful. Soon all her hellhounds would be in the world and she could mount her plan for world domination. All in a day’s work.