Demon Copperhead

Now that football season is over and his injury is healing, both Coach Winfield and Demon’s doctor pull his pain medication. Demon’s withdrawal symptoms are severe, so Dori sneaks him her father’s pain medication and other drugs. Demon runs into Tommy, who has been promoted at work and now rents the McCobbs’ garage. Demon warns him not to invest money in Mr. McCobb’s new business venture, but Tommy already has.

Demon is so determined to see the ocean that he convinces Maggot, Emmy, and Fast Forward to go to Virginia Beach. Emmy tells him about her stressful home life: Maggot is into meth, and Aunt June is being threatened by people with addictions seeking her prescription pad. Demon wonders about nature over nurture, since Emmy, Maggot, and he have ended up with so many problems despite having stable and caring adults in their lives.

Demon, Maggot, Emmy, and Fast Forward stop in Richmond, where Mouse now lives. She’s running a drug dealership out of her broken-down home, and they all get high together. Fast Forward tapes drugs to his car to bring back to Lee County; he then declares they’ve wasted too much time and need to go back. With the ocean only an hour away, Demon’s dreams are once again dashed.

Demon has basically been living with Dori in her father’s house, but he returns to the Winfields when Angus calls to say her father received calls from school about Demon skipping the week. U-Haul confronts Demon, implying that Coach Winfield has been embezzling money; U-Haul claims that he runs the entire home. U-Haul’s new job is to keep a close eye on Demon and Angus.

Dori’s father dies. Dori blames herself because his oxygen tank ran out when the power in the house went out overnight. Dori is too old to receive money from her father’s social security, but a lawsuit over his health issues, which stemmed from his work at the mine, has paid for the house. Dori has been taking care of her father for so long that she now doesn’t know what to do with herself. Dori and Demon sell the remainder of her father’s pain medication to people with addictions waiting in line at a pill mill run by Demon’s sports injury doctor.

Because Demon is failing out of school, Betsy stops sending Coach Winfield checks to contribute to Demon’s upkeep. Demon moves out of Winfield’s house and into Dori’s. Winfield assures him that he’ll always have a home with him, but Demon has accepted that his football career is over and worries about taking advantage of Coach Winfield’s kindness.

Demon and Dori run out of money for drugs. She tries buying drugs from the pill mill; Dr. Watts gives her the option of paying him $400 or having sex with him, which Dori considers. Demon resolves to get a job to fund their drug addictions. Emmy rejects a university scholarship and runs away with Fast Forward.

Dori and Demon’s house becomes filthy and overrun with mice. Their addictions fuel their days, and Demon has a difficult time finding a job. He avoids applying to cashier jobs because he’s worried his addiction will lead him to steal money. Though Demon still loves Dori, he often wants time away from her.

Maggot is again living with Mrs. Peggot, who is still grieving Mr. Peggot’s death. Maggot’s mom is supposed to be released from prison soon.

Demon starts hanging out with Tommy again. He starts helping Tommy design the ad layout of the local newspaper, giving it a stylish flair.

Demon gets a job at a fast-food chain, and Dori gets a job cutting hair. They’re now on opposite schedules but have money to buy drugs. Aunt June invites Demon over to talk about Emmy, and he confesses that everyone his age (except for Angus) is on drugs. June blames Purdue Pharma, the company that sells oxy, for targeting Lee County and getting everyone addicted.

Tommy’s job at the newspaper teaches him how the rest of the country judges Appalachia for being “trash.” This makes Tommy upset, so Demon tries to comfort him with comic strips depicting the real Lee County, which they secretly publish in the paper.

Demon and Dori fight more and more. Demon turns to Angus for advice. She tells him that U-Haul has been spreading a rumor that Mrs. Annie is having an affair with the school janitor and that Demon saw it happen. Angus is planning on transferring out of community college into a larger university out of the area.

Demon surprises Mrs. Annie in the high school parking lot to assure her that he’s not the one spreading rumors about her. She admits that a lot of people spread rumors about her and Mr. Armstrong because of unacknowledged racism. She knows that Demon has been publishing comic strips in the paper under the pen name “Red Neck” because she recognizes his style.

Dori starts stealing from her coworker, worrying Demon. She tries to plan a wedding, but he knows that they’re too high to organize the event. Demon also knows that she won’t remember the conversation about getting married because she was so high that she fell asleep.

Demon gives Maggot and Swap-Out a ride to the pharmacy, not realizing that Swap-Out would break in and steal drugs. Fast Forward invites Demon back to Richmond and tells him that he and Emmy broke up. Demon then learns from June that Emmy has not returned to her aunt’s home, and no one knows where she is.

Demon’s anonymous comic strips have become popular, and Tommy’s boss offers to pay for more comics. Demon’s comics make the Red Neck character a superhero, saving the ravaged people of Appalachia. Demon gets fired from his job, but Tommy’s boss offers a formal contract to the person producing the comic strips, so Tommy reveals Demon’s identity.

Demon goes to Mr. Armstrong and Mrs. Annie’s house for dinner. He’s moved by their obvious love and their comfortable home. Mrs. Annie offers to act as his agent for the contract with the paper. They encourage him to think of a partner as another chance of having a family, and Demon understands that they’re implying he needs to break up with Dori and get off drugs. Demon worries that if he breaks up with Dori, she’ll ruin herself because she doesn’t know how to take care of anything.

Demon gets a $50 contract for his comics, which he splits with Tommy so that Tommy can help come up with storylines. Rose meets with Demon and reveals that Fast Forward cut Mouse out of his business and now deals directly with Mexican drug lords. He forces Emmy to sleep with the men in Atlanta to attract their business. Demon doesn’t want to believe her, but Rose gives him the bracelet he gave Emmy many years ago at the aquarium in Knoxville.

Demon reports Emmy’s whereabouts to June, who believes that if she can track down Emmy’s friend Martha, she can reach Emmy.

Dori is fired from her job and spends her time getting high and watching TV. Demon is so frustrated with her and their life that he breaks the TV. Still, he doesn’t consider breaking up with Dori—only recovering from their addictions and making their lives better.

Tommy confronts Demon about his addiction and encourages him to seek help. Hanging out with Tommy, Demon runs into Haillie again, who says that her father is involved in a business venture with U-Haul.

June locates Martha at a drug house and sends Demon to retrieve her. Demon is shocked at Martha’s appearance and realizes that Dori is starting to look the same. He worries that Dori has no reason to seek out rehab. Dori announces that she’s pregnant.

Now that she’s pregnant, Demon insists that Dori take steps to end her addiction. Instead, she simply gets high behind his back. Demon goes to June for help with Dori. Martha has revealed Emmy’s address, so June and her armed brother, Everett, are going to Atlanta to get her back. June wants Demon to come and help bring Emmy back to Lee County.

They drive to Atlanta and find Emmy unconscious, half-naked, and emaciated in a house. They pick up Emmy and leave Atlanta. Demon starts to suffer from withdrawal pains. June reveals that she was once best friends with his mother and knew his father well. June reveals that Demon’s father died by accidental drowning.