"Blah, Blah, Blah," said the devil before taking a deep breath, inhaling the putrid smell in the air as he sat on the only skyscraper in Sterling City.

Facing a clock tower, he watched the seconds hand of the huge clock tick, as it gradually headed for the number 12.

It was a moonless night and most residents had gone to sleep. Their lights had been turned off and only a few cars roamed the streets.