Guitar strings are strummed. Keys played. Drums- "Oop!" Vee's stick flies out of her left hand onto the warehouse venue's stage. Without the guiding beat of the drummer, the rest of Murder Machine lose their timing and eventually stop playing. "Sorry!...Again," says Vee, picking up her stick, "I just can't stop thinking about last night." Lajon tunes his bass while asking, "Are you sure it was the Tripknot guys?" "Yes! And they were super strong! There's no way that's normal!...I'll try to focus on playing." Amy puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head. "You better," she says with sass, "I don't want to look bad live in front of a hundred people."

Maybe it was the lack of sleep Vee got last night, but she instantly snapped at her friend. "What's up with you? You start playing better, and all of a sudden you're putting me down for being distracted?" "Sounds like jealousy, babe," Amy snaps back with a faint yellow in her eyes, "Get on my level!" Lajon's arm moves in front of Vee to stop her from doing something drastic. "Amy," he says calmly, "You're not acting normal. Is there something wrong?" Amy refuses to speak, and footsteps approach from backstage. "Heard yelling," says Corey with his bandmates behind, "Don't tell me our opening act's breaking up two hours before the show."

Vee nearly tackles the boy, but Lajon once more stands in between. The lead vocalist approaches Amy with a smirk. "Our manager said you signed his contract. Is that true?" A flash of yellow in her eyes gives him the answer. "Huh, y'know Craig's the only one who hasn't signed, and..." With a nod from Corey, Mick and Joey push their bass player down. "...We just got an opening. Play any bass?" The teen girl drops her pink keytar to the stage floor. "Right now, I can play anything." Helplessly Craig lies and watches his friends abandon him. He knows begging won't stop anything now and hangs his head low.

With Tripknot and their newest recruit gone, Vee scoops up the kicked member by his black tank top straps. "What's going on!? What did you do to Amy!?" "I-it's not my fault! Or my friends! It's Saul!" Lajon's gentle hand on Vee's shoulder tells her to drop him, and she does. Chester joins his friends with crossed arms. "We're listening," he says. Clearing his throat, Craig begins to tell the full story. "Tripknot wasn't doing too good. None of us were very talented, and our Lemonwire uploads weren't getting anywhere...That all changed when Corey managed to steal Oz Sabbath's guitar."

Craig shutters at the memory as he speaks. "The rumor was true! It really does open portals to Hell, and a demon came out! Red skin, sharp horns, and those yellow eyes...He said he was a band manager; offered us all 24 hour contracts to try out his performance enhancements." Lajon bends down, helps Craig stand and asks, "So Amy signed one of those contracts? It'll end tonight, right?" "No," says the frightened boy, "After 24 hours the deal becomes permanent, a-at least as long as Saul is here. I think he had my friends possessed, probably her too!"

Vee punches her palm. "So how do we kill a demon?" she asks. After a nervous gulp Craig says, "Don't have to. Saul told Corey to protect that guitar with his life. I think if we break it, the portal will suck him back to Hell." The bandmates look at each other determined, then back at Craig. "Where's the guitar now?" asks Lajon. "Locked up in the trailer safe," the scared boy says, "Our best bet will be just before the show starts. Corey will have it out then." Vee clenches her fists. "I'll distract Saul. You three smash that guitar." As she starts to run out the back, Craig calls out, "Wait! You'll never stand a chance against a demon!" Peaking around the curtains, Vee smirks at the scared boy. "I...know someone who can help."

________________________________________________________________

In a trailer parked behind the warehouse, Saul hums to himself. The tiny space, lit only by the six bulbs on a mirror's frame, appears spotless with white walls and blood red carpet. Saul's sharp comb perfectly guides his red hair in a swept up form. Admiring his reflection, the sharply dressed demon fixes his already straightened tie. His yellow eyes glance down at the stack of four folders on his vanity desk; the top contract is labeled, "Amy Essence." "Excellent! I may not fully understand how I came to this new world, but humans here are just as gullible."

Inside his vanity's drawer Saul places the stack of contracts, then returns to straightening his tie. "All these souls, mine for the taking. After I've devoured them all, I shall return to my world with the power to take over Hell itself! No more taking orders! No more dealing with coworkers! Just me on the throne." "Jeez," says Lil' Miss Steel from the dark side of the trailer, "You're trying way too hard to be cool." Saul scoffs at her reflection and says, "Says the girl in spandex and a mask. What is that? Tinfoil on your face?" "A little harder than that!" Turning her arms to steel, Vee reels back for a right jab. The well dressed demon turns unnaturally fast and catches her fist. "Not hard enough," he says with a grin.