"You'll be dining with Keith," Viggo said to Paula, who was sitting in the back of the Crappy Singermobile. They had pulled over on the side of the road and she could see a run-down building outside. He shoved a revealing top in her face. "And he requests you wear this."
"Well, you may tell Keith that I am disinclined to acquiesce to his request," replied Paula.
"He said you'd say that," laughed Viggo. "He also said that if that be the case, you'll be dining with the crappy singers…and you'll be naked." Paula snatched the top from him. "Fine," he grunted.
Paula got out of the car and entered the building. Viggo led her to a room down the hallway where she saw Keith sitting at a table. She sat down and was handed a slice of pepperoni pizza. She slowly ate it, trying to follow her manners.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony, nor call to impress anyone. You must be hungry." Paula began eating the pizza more quickly. "Try the root beer. And the Cheez-Its? One of those next."
Paula eyed the box of Cheez-Its. "It's poisoned," she realized.
"There would be no sense to be killing you Miss Cowell."
"Then release me," Paula commanded. "You have your trinket. I'm of no further value to you."
Keith pulled the Innergy from his sweater pocket. "You don't know what this is, do you?"
"It's a piece of Innergy jewelry," said Paula.
"This is deformed Innergy. One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a Tupperware container to Jim Verraros himself," Keith explained. "Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his singing. But the greed of Jim was insatiable. So the heathen producers placed upon the Innergy a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that Tupperware container shall be punished for eternity."
"I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Keith."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale. Buried on a street that cannot be found except for those who already know where it is. Find it, we did. There be the Tupperware, inside be the Innergy. We took them all. Spent them and traded them. We frittered them away on drink and food and pleasurable company. The more we gave them away, the more we came to realize - the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Cowell. Compelled by our greed we were, and now we are consumed by it."
Meanwhile, Paula was taking a plastic knife and hiding it under her napkin.
"There is one way we can end our curse," Keith continued. "All the scattered pieces of the Innergy must be restored and the blood repaid. Thanks to you, we have the final piece."
"And the blood to be repaid?" asked Paula.
"That's why there's no sense to be killing you…yet. Cheez-It?"
Paula sprung to her feet and tried to stab Keith with the plastic knife. He dodged her and from his throat came a terrible sound. "Like a virgin, touched for the very first time," he screeched. Paula fell to the floor, her hands covering her ears. He stopped just in time so that Paula would not be killed.
"I'm curious," said Keith. "After killing me, what was it you planning on doing next?" Paula ran away from him, down the hallway, and into the backyard of the building. She screamed in horror as she heard a huge cacophony of singing.
"In the carport like a virgin choo can run…" she heard in the mix of voices. A few singers grabbed her and singed loudly in her ears. She had never been more frightened in her life. She ran back into the building and was stopped by Keith at the door.
"Look!" he yelled. "The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the popstars and so we cannot sell records, but neither are we not singers. For too long I've been trying to get a record deal and haven't gotten it. Too long I've been in talent shows and haven't won. I feel nothing. Not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea, nor the warmth of a woman's flesh. You best start believing ghost stories Miss Cowell. You're in one." He laughed and the other crappy singers joined him. "What are you looking at?" he asked them. "Back to practicing!"