On Monday, Demon picks up Maggot, who directs him to collect Swap-Out; the two stage a Sudafed smash-and-grab through a Walgreens drive-through window while Demon drives and then panics, dropping them back off. On Tuesday, Fast Forward calls inviting a Richmond run and claims he and Emmy split; Demon refuses and alerts June, who hasn’t seen Emmy.

By Wednesday, Tommy reports letters praising Red Neck, and Pinkie demands the strip run weekly, offering ten dollars while assuming Tommy is the creator. Demon draws a tobacco series that sparks a local ritual of leaving tobacco flowers on graves, attracting other papers’ interest. When Pinkie pushes for a contract, Tommy reveals Demon as the artist.

Demon seeks advice at Ms. Annie and Mr. Armstrong’s home, where they feed him, show him their art, and talk candidly about community hostility and partnership. Ms. Annie offers to negotiate as his agent and urges Demon to approach the opportunity sober, questioning his life with Dori and stressing mutual support.

With Tommy as collaborator, Ms. Annie secures fifty dollars per strip plus bonuses on a yearlong weekly contract. Buoyed, Demon vows to steady himself, envisioning turning eighteen, accessing his Social Security money, marrying Dori, and getting clean.

Late that night, Rose Dartell summons Demon to a roadside park and claims Fast Forward moved operations to Atlanta, using Emmy as bait for deals before abandoning her. Rose blames Demon and hands him Emmy’s snake bracelet, leaving him shaken and fearful for Emmy.