She Rides Shotgun (2025)

1. The bad man lived in a world with no night.

2. He was, to his own mind... a God.

3. But he was a God made of other men.

4. He had men for a mouth.

5. He had men for hands.

6. He had men for eyes.

7. He had men for blood.

8. Forever Steel.

9. Steel forever.

10. Hey.

11. Sorry I'm late.

12. All right.

13. All right. Let's get you in the car.

14. You waiting on someone, hon?

15. Oh. My mom.

16. Do you wanna go inside and call her?

17. No.

18. She's... she's just a little late sometimes.

19. Okay.

20. Hey!

21. You okay?

22. Can you come over here?

23. That's it. Come on.

24. I just need to talk to you for a second.

25. Hey.

26. Where's my mom?

27. Surprise.

28. Are you allowed to be here?

29. Yeah, I'm out. I got out, so...

30. Come on, we gotta go. Let's go.

31. Get in the car.

32. Hey, Polly...

33. Get in the car.

34. Let's go.

35. That's it. Come on. In the car, in the car.

36. Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.

37. Let's go, let's go. That's it, that's it.

38. That's broken.

39. This is as good as I could afford right now, so...

40. So, you hungry?

41. Huh?

42. Well, I'm starving.

43. Gotta be a Blake's or a McDonald's or—

44. Did you hurt Mom?

45. No.

46. But something's happened.

47. No.

48. Everything's fine.

49. You know, you're safe. I'm not...

50. I'm not a...

51. a monster. I'm not gonna hurt you.

52. What have you done with Mom?

53. Hey. Hey, hey.

54. Polly.

55. Don't do that, Polly.

56. I told you once. I haven't done anything.

57. Okay?

58. Okay?

59. We gotta go.

60. That's my suitcase.

61. Is it?

62. And that's Tom's jacket.

63. You stole it from my house.

64. Come on.

65. We got some walking to do.

66. - Where? - Come on.

67. We gotta find a motel and get some sleep.

68. Motels have parking lots, too, you know.

69. And not as big as this one.

70. We got motels, airport, interstate.

71. Anyone looking for me might be looking for that car.

72. Just one room for two people, please.

73. You guys have a great night.

74. Uh-huh. Thanks.

75. Kid, you ready?

76. I'm still hungry.

77. Jesus Christ. Give it here.

78. - Can I have— - There you go.

79. All right, come on.

80. - Our top story tonight. - Polly, come on.

81. A quiet suburban neighborhood is reeling...

82. Thank you.

83. from a shocking double homicide.

84. Uh... yeah. No, I know, I know.

85. Please, ma'am, please don't...

86. No, no, no, no, no, no! Don't hang up.

87. Please, please!

88. Carla, hey! Hey, it's me.

89. Uh... it's Nathan. Nate.

90. Onion.

91. No. Yeah, yeah. I'm out.

92. Right. Yeah.

93. Listen, I, uh... no, no. Wait, wait, wait.

94. I just need a second. I just need a second.

95. Uh... look.

96. I don't feel good about it, but I am...

97. Sour cream.

98. calling in favors, like, any I can get.

99. Do you still run with Scubby?

100. Come on.

101. - Barbecue. - Ah, come on.

102. Please, please, please, please.

103. Don't make me beg here.

104. I gotta get going.

105. No, I get it. Yeah, sure.

106. Mm-hmm.

107. Yeah. You, too.

108. It's funny how your friends disappear when you need 'em.

109. Want a chip?

110. Close your eyes.

111. Eat it.

112. Guess the flavor. Close your eyes.

113. Hmm.

114. It's barbecue.

115. Barbecue.

116. You got it right.

117. Let's just do it quickly, get it over with.

118. You gotta trust me. Come on.

119. No. I don't... I don't want you to.

120. Look, I-I promise, it's gonna be fine.

121. Watch.

122. See? Look.

123. Gone.

124. I want bangs.

125. Yeah.

126. Not too long.

127. Make sure it's not over the eyes.

128. Just to there.

129. Okay.

130. Have you done this before?

131. Yeah, thousands of times.

132. Let me see?

133. How much shorter are you gonna go?

134. I don't know. I'm feeling my way.

135. Let me see.

136. I look bad, don't I?

137. You never wrote to me.

138. You know, you could have.

139. I tried.

140. I'm not blaming you or nothing.

141. You've definitely not done this before.

142. Busted.

143. One.

144. Two.

145. Three.

146. All good?

147. I love this!

148. It's a little shorter than I expected,

149. but I love it.

150. This is what I was going for.

151. Put your hand here.

152. You swing with your whole body.

153. Whole body.

154. Not just your arms. You feel that?

155. Yeah.

156. Your heel has to come off of the floor.

157. That's where the power comes from.

158. Off the floor, like mine. You see mine?

159. - Like this? - That's it.

160. Whole body.

161. Okay.

162. Show me again.

163. Am I gonna hit you?

164. No. It's fine.

165. Whole body.

166. Okay, now, the first thing to remember.

167. You gotta hit him in the knee.

168. Hard as you can.

169. Right through that son of a bitch. Okay?

170. That's gonna make him bend over a little like this.

171. Then you hit him on the back of the head.

172. Not the front.

173. Do you know why?

174. Come here.

175. Knock me on the front of the head.

176. Like a door. Go on.

177. - Harder. - Why?

178. Harder. See?

179. The front of the head is hard. It's like a helmet.

180. You gotta hit him in the back.

181. You do that. Hit him hard as you can.

182. And then you run.

183. I'm not very strong.

184. That's why we practice.

185. You gotta feel weak to get strong.

186. Your Uncle Nick used to say it.

187. If you want your muscles to get strong,

188. you gotta push 'em until they're weak.

189. That's how life is.

190. You walk around all day feeling strong,

191. you're probably not getting any stronger.

192. So listen, don't hide under the bed

193. or any of that stupid shit

194. because people know to look under beds.

195. You just hit him as hard as you can...

196. then you run.

197. I got it.

198. Especially—

199. If there's blue tattoos.

200. Blue lightning.

201. If you see blue lightning, that means they've hurt people.

202. This is serious, Polly.

203. While I was inside, I upset these guys,

204. and they're bad people, they're dangerous.

205. Polly.

206. And if they've hurt people,

207. cracking their heads open ain't a sin.

208. All right, I'm gonna show you. Look.

209. Imagine they took your bear.

210. Imagine they took your bear and they ripped his arm off.

211. Yeah?

212. Aim for the knee.

213. You put your whole body...

214. into the swing.

215. Show me. Get angry.

216. Whole body.

217. - Don't touch my bear! - Tell him!

218. Don't touch my bear!

219. - Don't touch my bear! - I will kill you!

220. Woo-hoo!

221. You're my best friend, Orville! Whatever!

222. Yeah. Excuse me.

223. What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

224. Toilet water. It hasn't been invented yet.

225. Our top story tonight.

226. A quiet suburban neighborhood is reeling

227. from a shocking double homicide

228. and the suspected abduction of a nine-year-old girl.

229. Tom and Avis Huff were discovered deceased

230. in their residence on Hendricks Avenue

231. early this morning.

232. The prime suspect and biological father,

233. Nathan McClusky, was only released

234. from prison this morning and has known ties

235. to Aryan Steel, a violent street gang

236. whose manufacture and distribution

237. of methamphetamine

238. has led to altercations with local law enforcement

239. and rival gangs.

240. We don't know the whole story,

241. but we consider Nathan McClusky to be

242. a dangerous individual.

243. This is, uh... an active investigation.

244. Uh, we're limited in the information

245. that we can provide today. Okay?

246. But anyone with information

247. on the whereabouts of Nathan McClusky

248. or Polly Huff can call our hotline number.

249. 555-1974.

250. Anytime.

251. Day or night.

252. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert...

253. - Mommy. - ... for Polly Huff,

254. urging anyone with information on her whereabouts

255. to come forward immediately.

256. The public is advised to be on the lookout

257. for a young girl, approximately four feet tall,

258. with long brown hair and blue eyes.

259. The community remains on edge as the search

260. for Polly Huff intensifies...

261. and questions surrounding the deaths

262. of her parents persist.

263. Hey.

264. Hey, there's nobody in there.

265. Nobody in there.

266. Sorry, man.

267. Dude.

268. Hey. There's nobody in here.

269. Just messing, sugar booger.

270. What do you need? Ice?

271. - A phone. - A phone?

272. - What room are you in? - I don't remember.

273. Are you here alone?

274. All right, then.

275. - What's the phone number? - I can do it.

276. Excuse me.

277. Well, excuse the shit outta me.

278. Santa Fe Police Department.

279. Hello?

280. Hello?

281. I saw my house on TV.

282. Can you repeat that, please?

283. It said to call this number because you're looking for me.

284. Okay. And what's your name?

285. Polly.

286. Polly Huff?

287. Okay, Polly, hold on a second. Okay?

288. We have someone who wants to speak with you.

289. Hey. Hi.

290. Uh, is this Polly?

291. Yes. Who's this?

292. Polly, it's good to meet you.

293. This is Detective John Park speaking.

294. From the news?

295. Yeah, yeah. Uh...

296. I was hoping you would see me on there.

297. Polly, is Nathan with you?

298. Not right now.

299. Are you hurt at all, Polly?

300. No.

301. He wouldn't hurt me.

302. Okay, listen carefully, Polly.

303. It's really important you tell me exactly

304. where you're at.

305. We need to come get you right away.

306. Can you help me?

307. The north central area of the state,

308. and perhaps West I-40,

309. may be a little bit slick and tricky.

310. Sunday also, I'm including some

311. snow showers for the North Mountains.

312. I think they murdered her.

313. Her and Tom.

314. Who— who's they, Polly?

315. People with blue tattoos.

316. Polly.

317. They'll hurt him. Please.

318. I...

319. I don't wanna be here anymore.

320. Polly. Polly, you don't have to—

321. Stop saying my name!

322. It's all right.

323. Listen.

324. I'm gonna do what I can,

325. but we can do more if we work together.

326. I could send someone right now, Polly.

327. How'd that be?

328. Polly, you called me, remember?

329. You want my help.

330. Polly?

331. The Monte Vista Motel.

332. Monte Vista Hotel!

333. What'd I say?

334. Huh?

335. I said, don't run off like that, Polly,

336. or you'll make me upset!

337. Polly!

338. What the hell are you doing?

339. We have to go right now.

340. Are you okay? What happened?

341. Huh? Polly?

342. Polly, talk to me!

343. Mommy.

344. Mommy!

345. Mommy!

346. Mommy! Mommy's gone!

347. Mommy!

348. You said everything was good!

349. Yeah, I know.

350. I know. I... I lied.

351. Nothing's good.

352. We-we have to go!

353. What'd you do?

354. - Polly! - Grab your stuff!

355. - We have to go! - What'd you do?

356. Please don't make me tell you why! Please!

357. Just go, grab your things!

358. What did you do?

359. Hey.

360. Hey, no, no. Stop, stop, stop, stop.

361. This way, this way. Come on.

362. This way. This way, this way.

363. I didn't give you a choice.

364. And I should have.

365. Here's the thing.

366. You know that bad man I told you about?

367. At the motel?

368. He had people hurt your mom because of me.

369. I couldn't save her.

370. I tried.

371. But I couldn't save her.

372. And I'm sorry you had to find out like that.

373. Those men are coming for you,

374. and they wanna do the same to you.

375. If you wanna go back to that motel right now

376. and find that cop you called, I'm not gonna stop you.

377. That is not my place to.

378. That's not my choice. I can see that now.

379. It's your choice.

380. I wish it were a better one.

381. I get you don't... know me.

382. Not really.

383. But I promise...

384. I will never lie to you again.

385. I promise. Do you hear me?

386. Ever.

387. Is Mom really gone?

388. Her strength's in you now.

389. Can you be strong?

390. Like Mom?

391. Gotta feel weak to get strong.

392. Yeah.

393. Yeah, that's it.

394. Get up. Stand up.

395. Stand up.

396. Yeah. Here, show me how you swing.

397. Right here. Come on.

398. Okay. Right here.

399. Show me your best swing.

400. On three.

401. One.

402. Two.

403. Three.

404. Coming.

405. Charlotte.

406. - You said she'd help. - She will.

407. Hey, stop that.

408. Come on, Charlotte. Open up now.

409. No, I don't fuck with that shit anymore, Nathan, okay?

410. I've moved on.

411. I'm just looking to do the same.

412. Well, good for you,

413. but I don't fucking owe you anything.

414. You owe Nick.

415. Fucking asshole.

416. On my fucking doorstep—

417. Come on, come on, Polly.

418. I'm not taking her, Nathan.

419. I'm not asking you to.

420. Then what the fuck are you doing here?

421. - I don't know. - Huh?

422. Where are you gonna go?

423. I don't know. Mexico.

424. But I really need a friend right now, Charlotte.

425. No, Nathan. We're not friends anymore.

426. Look at her.

427. Look at her!

428. She's ten years old.

429. Yeah, I fucking know. Okay?

430. Everybody is looking for you.

431. It's really fucking bad. What did you do?

432. It doesn't matter.

433. I was getting out. I wanted out.

434. I earned my freedom.

435. By killing his OG.

436. They put a green light on you, Nate,

437. and it came from the very top.

438. They're coming for her,

439. so I really hope your freedom was worth it.

440. Look, I'm really, really sorry

441. that Nick caught all of us up in this.

442. That is on him. That's not on me.

443. I'm not getting involved again.

444. - You already are. - No.

445. I'm sorry to have to tell you, you're already involved.

446. We're still here and Nick isn't.

447. He is gone.

448. You owe him. He protected you.

449. I don't owe shit to anybody,

450. especially not Nick, okay?

451. You're in this fucking mess because of him.

452. Look.

453. All I have is gate money.

454. I need run money.

455. And I'll be gone.

456. Okay. How much are you talking about?

457. I don't know, like... two grand, maybe?

458. You know that I don't have that.

459. Well, can you get it?

460. I don't know, okay?

461. Maybe if I make a few calls or something.

462. You can stay for one night.

463. One night.

464. And I really mean that this time.

465. Hey.

466. Charlotte says we can crash here while she gets what we need.

467. You should thank her.

468. I'm gonna go ditch our car.

469. I don't have too many pillows, but...

470. I got some towels.

471. Wanna roll them up?

472. What you working on?

473. Homework.

474. Teacher's pet, huh?

475. I was, too, believe it or not.

476. How do you know my dad?

477. That's a story.

478. Maybe not one for kids.

479. I sorta knew his brother better.

480. Overall.

481. Uncle Nick?

482. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's him.

483. Is he dead, too?

484. Like my mom.

485. Honey...

486. What?

487. Oh.

488. Nothing, I'm just... I'm sorry about all that.

489. I bet you loved her bunches, huh?

490. Your daddy did, too.

491. Don't ask me how I know.

492. I just know.

493. Didn't my dad love you more, though?

494. I don't know about that.

495. It hurts to lose people.

496. What can you do though, right?

497. You just kinda gotta hug tighter to the ones you got.

498. Hey, don't stand there in the doorway like that, dummy.

499. You'll let the moths in.

500. Can you get off of her bed, please?

501. Excuse me.

502. You're excused.

503. Hey, Jimmy.

504. - You done eating? - No. Why?

505. Oh... fuck, man.

506. What the fuck?

507. That's Chuck Hollington.

508. Steel's top of the heap on the inside.

509. And here I thought we were looking

510. for our ex-hubby, Nathan McClusky.

511. Who do you think turned Chuck here

512. into a lawn sprinkler?

513. You got proof? Witnesses?

514. Fuck, no. I got a feeling.

515. This shit happened two weeks before McClusky was released.

516. Guard says he was on the outs with the Blue Bolts.

517. This could be why they want him dead.

518. It's a green light.

519. So?

520. So...

521. Aryan Steel.

522. Odin's Bastards.

523. Half the goddamn peckerwood nation.

524. You know who's keeping them flush.

525. You know who calls the green light.

526. And I leave it the hell alone, John.

527. We find McClusky. That's the job.

528. And we'll do it, but once we do...

529. Maybe we could use him.

530. If he's really soured with the... the white boys.

531. Use him for what, John?

532. Testimony?

533. Maybe.

534. This is a double homicide. This is a kidnapping.

535. This is not part of your crusade.

536. My crusade?

537. The biggest fucking meth lab

538. in the Southwest, in our backyard.

539. Slabtown's way above our pay grade.

540. That why you do this, Jimmy, the pay?

541. Well, we can't all get off on it, John.

542. Fuck you.

543. Man, fuck you.

544. I got a family.

545. You're scared of him. The God of Slabtown.

546. Oh, you're goddamn right I am.

547. Everyone should be.

548. He's untouchable. You know that.

549. Nobody's untouchable.

550. All it took was a horse to bring down Troy.

551. Empires fall all the time.

552. But what happens when they do? What's the fallout, John?

553. I love you. I love you.

554. But I'm not...

555. I'm not looking to reap any whirlwinds together.

556. Drop it.

557. Who's the County Sheriff out in McKinley?

558. Sheriff Houser.

559. Maybe he'll have some leads.

560. Well, don't count on it.

561. It's all reservation land over there.

562. He can't look into shit.

563. Well, if a storm's brewing, we should at least let him know.

564. Where do you get your clothes from?

565. - My clothes? - Mm-hmm.

566. I don't know, kinda all over the place.

567. Hey, I love your hair.

568. My dad did it.

569. He missed a spot back there.

570. That one's really long. Look at that!

571. You look like Alfalfa.

572. What you doing? You'll get your hands too dirty.

573. That's good.

574. Stack 'em.

575. Otherwise, we're not gonna be able to eat.

576. Oh, shit. That looks just fantastic.

577. - Hey. - Hey.

578. This is my friend Felix, Polly.

579. Hey, Polly. Hey, Char.

580. - Hi. - Good to see you.

581. I gotta ask, what are you two ladies doing

582. having a barbecue at 9:30 in the morning, huh?

583. - Stove's broken. - Stove's broken?

584. You know the best way to fix a broken stove?

585. Pay the gas bill.

586. You see, Char?

587. These are the things that happen when I'm not around.

588. Hey, Polly.

589. Come on.

590. That's a good handshake.

591. Real good. Right?

592. So, uh...

593. What do you say we get a little breakfast

594. in our tummies. Yeah?

595. He's inside.

596. I'll be right back.

597. Polly.

598. I'll be right back.

599. Felix?

600. Why you, uh...

601. why you hiding from me?

602. Polly.

603. We were having so much fun.

604. Charlotte.

605. Polly, come on.

606. We can play hide-and-seek later.

607. Charlotte, I'm giving you to the count of fucking three.

608. No. Come on.

609. Just give me a fucking second, okay?

610. Polly, come on!

611. No, no. Felix!

612. Hey!

613. Dad! Dad!

614. Dad!

615. Blue tattoos! Blue tattoos!

616. Polly, get out!

617. Polly, get out!

618. Polly!

619. Felix!

620. What the fuck, Nate? What the fuck?

621. What the fuck, Charlotte? Fuck you!

622. What's he doing here, huh?

623. What the fuck do you think he's doing?

624. He's bringing the fucking money

625. - you asked for! - Bullshit.

626. Bullshit!

627. What are you barging in here for, then, huh?

628. Chasing my kid?

629. - Huh? - He called, okay?

630. What the fuck was I supposed to do?

631. Everybody is looking for you!

632. He said that there'd be trouble if I didn't!

633. I can't choose sides in this!

634. You just did.

635. Hey, hey. Polly.

636. Stay here, okay? It's gonna be all right.

637. Get up!

638. Call it off. Call off the green light.

639. I can't do that, man.

640. Yeah, but you know who can, and you're gonna talk to him.

641. Oh, the fuck I am.

642. Fine.

643. If you're too afraid to tell him, I will.

644. My brother was one of his guys.

645. He was a foot soldier, man, and now he's dead.

646. And you ain't even Steel.

647. An eye for an eye, Nate.

648. You know what green light means.

649. You picked a fight you can't ever win.

650. You had your chance and you said fuck that.

651. Look at me! Look at me!

652. This ain't about you and me.

653. He put a green light on a kid.

654. Are you cool with that?

655. You know what they call him.

656. Say it.

657. No.

658. You know it.

659. Say it.

660. The God of Slabtown.

661. That's right.

662. Yeah, well...

663. Too bad Slabtown's not real.

664. Oh, it's real.

665. Oh, I seen it. It's real.

666. My own two fucking eyes, I seen it.

667. What do you see?

668. The name is no joke.

669. Except he's not a God. He's a fucking devil.

670. And he's got eyes and ears everywhere.

671. And the devil don't change his fucking mind.

672. There's a reason they won't touch him, man.

673. Green lights stay green, so...

674. it would be best to just take care of her yourself

675. and make it quick before he does.

676. What?

677. I'm sorry, man.

678. Where the fuck you going?

679. Well, if we can't tell him to call it off, Felix,

680. I guess we're gonna have to show him.

681. Hey, hey, come on! Come on!

682. Come on, man. Come on! Come on!

683. We're gonna show the God of Slabtown

684. what happens to every Blue Bolt piece of shit

685. - he sends my way. - Come on, man. Come on!

686. I said stay inside.

687. Twenty-five, maybe, to the gallon.

688. One, two, three, four, five, six.

689. Can we talk about Charlotte's?

690. Uh...

691. Guys like Felix,

692. they don't respect you unless they're scared of you.

693. So, I had to be scary.

694. Five...

695. That's not what I meant.

696. Polly...

697. Polly, I'm doing math here.

698. There's $91.

699. Gas is three dollars a gallon. We have enough for 30 gallons.

700. So...

701. if the car gets 25 miles per gallon, that's...

702. We times the 25 by 30.

703. Zero. Zero. Zero.

704. Fifty.

705. Seven.

706. 750 miles.

707. Not counting food or hotels.

708. Thank you.

709. I mean I wanna talk about what Charlotte said last night.

710. I thought you only loved Mom.

711. I did.

712. But it's been a long time since she loved me back.

713. A really long time.

714. She loved what's-his-name?

715. His name was Tom.

716. He was nice.

717. I don't doubt it.

718. Charlotte's nice, too.

719. Polly...

720. She nearly got us killed.

721. She felt bad about it.

722. I think she loves you back.

723. That's her problem.

724. From now on, we're on our own.

725. Love's not a problem.

726. Sometimes it is.

727. Trust me, that woman has got no business loving me.

728. Why?

729. Because I don't deserve it.

730. Okay?

731. What, is that what you wanna hear?

732. All right, let me try this math again.

733. Yeah, we are fucked.

734. All right, so I have one idea.

735. But it's not gonna be easy.

736. And you're gonna have to do as I say.

737. Are you good?

738. Yeah.

739. Good.

740. This will only take a second.

741. Can I help?

742. No.

743. Stay here.

744. Keep the engine on.

745. Keep the doors locked.

746. Be happy.

747. Got it.

748. Yeah.

749. That's it.

750. Okay.

751. You want some candy?

752. Some chips?

753. - Yeah. - Yeah?

754. - Mm-hmm. - What?

755. Potato chips?

756. I mean...

757. do they have sour...

758. Wait... what about Snickers?

759. Okay.

760. All right. Here he goes.

761. Wait here. Keep the doors locked.

762. Be ready.

763. Okay.

764. You wanted a Mars, right?

765. I said I want a Snickers.

766. Empty the register.

767. Empty the fucking register!

768. Quickly!

769. All of it.

770. I'm watching you.

771. I'm fucking watching you!

772. Fucking hurry up!

773. What the fuck is that?

774. What the fuck was that?

775. No.

776. No.

777. Shit! Shit!

778. Dad! Dad!

779. Ah, fuck!

780. No...

781. Dad! Dad! Dad!

782. Come on, come on! Fucking...

783. Open the door!

784. I opened the door!

785. Get down!

786. Hang on! It's all right!

787. It's all right! Get down! Get down!

788. Whoo!

789. You got it?

790. Yeah, I got it.

791. And I got this.

792. Sh...

793. Seat belt, Polly.

794. Okay.

795. Whoo!

796. Oh, my God!

797. That guy shot you.

798. Ah... shit.

799. Yeah. Yeah.

800. He... he did a... a little.

801. You're not okay.

802. Maybe.

803. No, um...

804. I might need your help.

805. Let's find somewhere to pull over.

806. Lock the door. Lock the door.

807. Ow.

808. You okay?

809. Mm-hmm. Okay.

810. Yeah. Shoes.

811. - Get my shoes. - Okay.

812. Ah... whoo.

813. Okay.

814. Okay, just don't worry about me.

815. Just go for it.

816. One quick yank. Yeah?

817. You remember when I pulled your tooth?

818. Not really.

819. Well, you... you were kinda small.

820. The point is I told you to be brave, and...

821. you were—

822. Fuck yeah!

823. Okay.

824. All right, good girl.

825. Ah. Ah!

826. - Need help? - No.

827. Oh, God.

828. Yeah. That's, uh... smells rusty, right?

829. It smells hot.

830. Yeah, well...

831. I can tell you, it doesn't feel good either.

832. Get the peroxide.

833. That's enough, that's enough.

834. What about the bullet?

835. What about it?

836. What about it?

837. Don't we have to get it out?

838. It's done all the bad it's gonna do.

839. We'll just leave 'em in there.

840. Okay. Get me a towel.

841. Yeah.

842. - Yeah. Okay. - Here.

843. Hey.

844. You know...

845. this is my first time in a church in...

846. Hell, I don't know how long.

847. What about you?

848. Me, too.

849. Yeah?

850. Your mom never took you?

851. Not really.

852. But this one time in first grade...

853. Mrs. Gonzalez tried to

854. make us draw a picture of our family at Christmastime.

855. Yeah?

856. I didn't want to.

857. Why not?

858. Just didn't.

859. So I told her I was Jewish.

860. She made you do it anyway, didn't she?

861. Do you need—

862. I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.

863. Nah.

864. - She called Mom, though. - Uh-huh.

865. And Mom took me.

866. Okay. I need that.

867. Took you where?

868. To temple.

869. Your mom did?

870. She said if I wanted to be Jewish, I could be.

871. - Okay. - Okay.

872. All right, okay. Okay.

873. Okay. Here, can you hold that?

874. - Yeah. - Okay, okay.

875. Breathe.

876. Focus on breathing.

877. It's okay.

878. They had this old book they read from.

879. And it was...

880. boring like normal church, so...

881. I decided I wasn't Jewish.

882. I wasn't anything.

883. Yeah, I'm not anything either. Okay, that's good.

884. I got you new clothes.

885. I don't know if this is your size, but...

886. I tried.

887. Oh, yeah?

888. Do you like it?

889. Wolves?

890. Yeah, why not?

891. You should get changed.

892. Yeah, gimme a second.

893. I got a bullet in my leg.

894. Oh, fuck.

895. Polly.

896. Oh, shit.

897. Polly?

898. We've been looking everywhere for you, Polly.

899. Do you know what your daddy's done?

900. Trust me, you don't wanna be in any more trouble

901. than you already are.

902. You traitor piece of shit!

903. This is Steel country!

904. We're everywhere!

905. It's over.

906. Polly. Wait.

907. Stop.

908. Give me the gun.

909. No.

910. Give me the gun.

911. It's okay. It's okay.

912. Look at me.

913. It's okay.

914. You go inside.

915. I'm gonna talk to him, okay?

916. Go inside.

917. It's okay. I'm coming.

918. Go, Polly.

919. What'd he say?

920. He, uh...

921. He, uh...

922. He said he was sorry.

923. Then he took off running.

924. We should go now.

925. Okay?

926. Okay.

927. Hey.

928. I don't make promises anymore

929. 'cause I'm no good at keeping 'em.

930. But I gotta tell you.

931. I wanna tell you.

932. I don't ever wanna see you pull a trigger again.

933. You understand?

934. - Okay. - No.

935. It's not okay.

936. Do you understand?

937. You understand why?

938. You let me do that if it comes to it, okay?

939. That's what I do.

940. That's what I'm for.

941. - I'm sorry. - Shh.

942. You're a good thing. You're a good thing, Polly.

943. And I...

944. I don't like seeing good things get ruined.

945. Okay? Okay.

946. It's okay.

947. Okay.

948. Come on, Polly. We gotta go.

949. We gotta get far away from this place. Come on.

950. Come on.

951. Come on!

952. Sheriff Houser.

953. Uh, this is Detective Park again.

954. Out of Santa Fe PD.

955. Just wanted to follow up on Nathan McClusky.

956. Wondered if he and his daughter had been

957. spotted in your neck of the woods.

958. No, sir. No sign of your fellow up here.

959. I am actually poking around

960. this so-called Slabtown, at your request.

961. Can't see hide nor hair.

962. Maybe you're chasing a ghost, huh?

963. Can I assist you with anything else, Detective?

964. Yeah, one more thing.

965. There were shots fired at a truck stop

966. bordering your jurisdiction,

967. not far at all from where they dumped the car.

968. A witness report mentioned an officer

969. was patrolling nearby, maybe one of yours.

970. Yes, that was one of my troopers on patrol.

971. We spoke this morning.

972. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary,

973. just a couple of meth heads didn't see eye to eye.

974. I will let you know if it's otherwise.

975. All the same, I'm coming up

976. to take a look myself.

977. Maybe afterwards you can show me around this Slabtown.

978. Don't waste your time, like I said.

979. If I find anything, I'll give you a holler.

980. Your focus should be on finding the little girl.

981. We prefer to do our own

982. police work around here, Detective Park.

983. And we can handle very dangerous situations.

984. Thanks for your concern.

985. Hey, Ruthie. John Park here.

986. Wanna put me through to dispatch?

987. Thank you, dear.

988. Hi. Detective John Park.

989. I'm trying to track down the location

990. of a certain cruiser, not sure of the number.

991. Officer is Mitchell King.

992. You need a rest?

993. I'll be all right.

994. Once we hit the road, we can hitch a ride

995. to the border, then we'll be safe.

996. Dad.

997. Polly, get down.

998. Nathan McClusky, put your gun down.

999. I'm Detective John Park. I just came here to talk.

1000. She will see the back of your fucking head blow out.

1001. Now put your fucking gun down.

1002. Okay?

1003. Just wanna talk.

1004. For fuck's sake, I'm not Steel.

1005. Yeah, no shit. You don't look the part.

1006. So, calm the fuck down. Put the gun down. Okay?

1007. This is a conversation you're gonna wanna have.

1008. What conversation is that?

1009. Let's talk about how to call off your green light.

1010. I've seen your arrest records, Nate.

1011. Attempted robbery. Intent to sell.

1012. Street fighting.

1013. But no domestic violence.

1014. I suspect you know where Polly goes to school.

1015. Wouldn't need to...

1016. wait around at the scene of the crime

1017. for her to get back.

1018. They say you killed your ex.

1019. He didn't.

1020. Thank you.

1021. I agree.

1022. But what about Chuck Hollington, Nate?

1023. You know him?

1024. All you white boys know each other, right?

1025. I'm not Steel either, asshole.

1026. Wanna take these off now, please?

1027. But you sure look the part.

1028. And you took what Steel offered, protection on the inside.

1029. Yeah.

1030. I ain't judging, man.

1031. These days, just staying alive is an act of moral compromise.

1032. I know you tried to cut ties with them.

1033. That's why your wife is dead.

1034. 'Cause Chuck Hollington is dead.

1035. 'Cause you tried to run from something you can't run from.

1036. Now here you are again.

1037. What's the point of this?

1038. He's not calling it off.

1039. That's the point.

1040. There's nowhere to run.

1041. - Steel's got pockets all over— - Across the border.

1042. What's that, hon?

1043. Mexico.

1044. Fresh start.

1045. It's not just the skinheads looking for you now.

1046. - It's the cops. - The cops already got us.

1047. Hell, I ain't even read you your rights yet.

1048. I can take you in, sure, or...

1049. Whew. I can take you somewhere else.

1050. The meth lab to end all meth labs.

1051. Slabtown.

1052. You know where it is.

1053. You know where it is and you haven't done anything?

1054. It's Troy.

1055. I need a horse.

1056. You know who called open season on you two?

1057. He calls himself the God of Slabtown.

1058. But I think his real name...

1059. is Samuel Houser.

1060. Sheriff Houser.

1061. Out here, their law smiles on dirty white boys,

1062. 'cause dirty white boys are the law.

1063. Now we know why.

1064. I told you, pockets everywhere.

1065. You ain't got the guts to blow the whistle.

1066. I could call it in, but...

1067. I don't know who he's got on payroll.

1068. Under his thumb.

1069. I stick my nose in the wrong place,

1070. that green light hits me.

1071. I can't let that happen.

1072. But you'll risk my life?

1073. Is that it?

1074. Nate, no offense, but you did that yourself.

1075. I'm just exploiting the situation.

1076. You know what happened to the last guy

1077. who tried who exploit me?

1078. I'm not Chuck Hollington.

1079. I'm not offering you a life of indentured servitude.

1080. I'm offering you what you want.

1081. It just happens to align with what I want.

1082. There's no road outta here

1083. that doesn't lead through him sooner or later.

1084. End Houser... end your green light.

1085. You walk away from that...

1086. you walk away.

1087. I'll see to it.

1088. What do you say?

1089. Hey.

1090. Can I have some more taco, please?

1091. What do you think?

1092. Welcome to Slabtown.

1093. Pinche bullshit fake-ass club.

1094. You know who you're fucking with?

1095. Huh?

1096. I'm with...

1097. We kick straight up to La eMe.

1098. You don't steal from the Mexican Mafia, fat ass!

1099. You boys have gotta learn...

1100. that this part of the desert, it ain't for you.

1101. No, no. Not to live in. Not to cook in.

1102. Not to distribute.

1103. Hell, not even to mule through.

1104. We both know that you...

1105. have got balloons of Tecate heroin

1106. hitchhiking in your belly.

1107. Listen.

1108. Listen, man.

1109. I know who you are.

1110. Who you really are. I get it.

1111. And that means we can cut a deal, right?

1112. Huh?

1113. You trying to bribe a cop, son?

1114. Come on, man.

1115. If you're a cop, then just take me to jail.

1116. I'm gonna need you to open up.

1117. I trust you know not to bite down.

1118. Come on.

1119. Open up.

1120. Open up.

1121. Yeah, like a champ.

1122. Let's get it all out.

1123. Come on.

1124. Yeah.

1125. Good, good, good.

1126. Hmm.

1127. I reckon the goods have

1128. gone too far down the road to come back.

1129. Just like the rest of us.

1130. But you've got a load in you that's worth

1131. more than your life.

1132. It ain't even much, man. I'm telling you.

1133. I'm gonna need to head it off at the pass.

1134. No, wait, wait, please, please.

1135. I'm begging you, man!

1136. I'm sorry, amigo.

1137. But I got better things to do than wait around

1138. for you to take a shit.

1139. - No, wait! - Like you said...

1140. - ... you know who I am. - No, wait! Please!

1141. Polly, can you bring me a towel, please?

1142. Thank you.

1143. Just give me a second.

1144. We could run.

1145. Not forever.

1146. He's a bad cop.

1147. That's sorta relative.

1148. I know what blackmail is.

1149. We could turn him in.

1150. Not without turning ourselves in.

1151. Besides, I don't see what good that'd do.

1152. Look...

1153. I don't trust him.

1154. Doesn't mean you can't.

1155. He'll do right by you.

1156. Like...

1157. if anything happens.

1158. What do you mean?

1159. What do you mean, "if anything happens"?

1160. Look, Polly.

1161. I don't wanna talk about him, okay?

1162. I wanna talk about you.

1163. I don't know anything about you.

1164. I don't know what your favorite color is.

1165. I don't know what you like to do after school.

1166. I don't know who your friends are.

1167. I don't know anything about you.

1168. Tell me.

1169. What do you wanna be when you grow up? Huh?

1170. Come on, I should know this stuff.

1171. I wanna know.

1172. A marine biologist.

1173. I'm being serious here. Come on.

1174. Tell me.

1175. Huh?

1176. I don't know.

1177. And I don't care, really.

1178. Growing up sucks.

1179. I'm sorry.

1180. A dancer, I guess.

1181. Maybe I could be a dancer.

1182. I bet you could.

1183. I bet you will.

1184. What did you wanna be?

1185. Know something funny?

1186. I never stopped to ask myself.

1187. I was always too busy putting one foot

1188. in front of the other.

1189. I just followed your Uncle Nick.

1190. I would've followed him forever.

1191. But you're smarter than that.

1192. I love you.

1193. And I love you.

1194. Where'd you get the car?

1195. This boring piece of shit, it's all yours.

1196. As soon as the job's done.

1197. The last crime of Nathan McClusky.

1198. Houser lives nearby.

1199. He'll come on the run if he thinks something's wrong.

1200. All you got to do is shake down a cook.

1201. They'll know how to contact him.

1202. If you ask nice.

1203. You put me in a corner.

1204. Yeah, I bet. I know.

1205. And when you come back— well, if you come back...

1206. you're gonna be Dave Rubin.

1207. ID papers, a little bit of cash.

1208. But it's gotta look good, yeah?

1209. In-house fighting. I was never here.

1210. You call when it's finished.

1211. And ditch the phone when it's done.

1212. And if I don't come back?

1213. She's top priority, you know?

1214. But fuck that, you're coming back.

1215. Keep her safe.

1216. Okay. You have my word.

1217. Where will you go?

1218. Put one foot in front of the other.

1219. You done good.

1220. And she's safe.

1221. I want you to be brave.

1222. And strong.

1223. Can you do that for me?

1224. Attagirl.

1225. Come back fast.

1226. Okay.

1227. Promise?

1228. Promise.

1229. Okay. I have to go.

1230. You want some...

1231. yellow number five or...

1232. yellow with some red 40?

1233. Peanuts.

1234. Chocolate.

1235. Sugar.

1236. This actually has some protein in it.

1237. Corn syrup. Awesome. Yep.

1238. You'd think they'd be different,

1239. the ingredients, but it's the same.

1240. John. Open up. It's me.

1241. What the hell are you doing here?

1242. Why you got a gun in your hand, John?

1243. 'Cause I'm in the middle of nowhere

1244. doing something nobody's supposed to know about

1245. and I just got an unexpected knock on my door.

1246. You wanna put it down so we can talk?

1247. So you found McClusky?

1248. Yeah.

1249. How'd you find me?

1250. Bugged my car? Tracked my phone?

1251. No, the grapevine's all you need.

1252. People see, people talk.

1253. And you're not exactly keeping a low profile, John.

1254. This is Steel country.

1255. I'm sorry.

1256. Never really took you for a skinhead, Jim.

1257. Oh, God.

1258. Oh, you think I'm them?

1259. Oh, please, man.

1260. Fuck Houser. Fuck Aryan Steel.

1261. Fuck these assholes.

1262. What else was I supposed to do?

1263. Right, someone offers you money, you gotta take it.

1264. - No. - Right?

1265. No.

1266. But when a certain kinda person with a certain kinda power

1267. offers you money or else, you don't refuse.

1268. What do they have on you?

1269. I turned my head.

1270. More times than I care to admit.

1271. You do that enough and, uh...

1272. And eventually, there's nowhere left to look.

1273. I get it.

1274. This is not personal, John.

1275. It's not personal.

1276. You're my partner.

1277. I'm responsible for you.

1278. And I told you to drop it.

1279. Green light's on you now.

1280. It's over.

1281. Oh, this is... this is funny.

1282. You know, your grapevine sucks.

1283. You think I'm out here 'cause I wanna be?

1284. Huh?

1285. Don't fucking touch it. Don't touch it, John.

1286. I'm-I'm not.

1287. What, you-you think

1288. I'm risking my life for some shithead crank runner?

1289. You know, Houser wants him, I delivered.

1290. - Bullshit. - Yeah. Go call him.

1291. - Call him. See. - Back the fuck up, John.

1292. Back up.

1293. McClusky's headed there right now

1294. because I sent him.

1295. Are you trying to play me, John?

1296. Are you trying to take a gamble?

1297. What if I did bug your car, huh?

1298. What... what if I heard everything that you said

1299. for the last 24 hours, John?

1300. Then you'd know I said what I had to

1301. to get what I want.

1302. You're fucked, John.

1303. Forget it.

1304. McClusky, too.

1305. They know he's coming.

1306. Come on, let's go.

1307. There he is!

1308. Get on the other side.

1309. Nathan McClusky.

1310. Heard you been looking for me.

1311. Is this kismet or what?

1312. You're surrounded, son. Don't make this hard.

1313. Fire!

1314. What do you think? Oh, he's almost out.

1315. Oh, no.

1316. Not yet.

1317. Don't get me wrong.

1318. You are gonna die here in this room.

1319. I won't do you the disrespect to tell you different, but...

1320. I say when.

1321. And I say how.

1322. I say easy or I say hard.

1323. That all depends on how much you tell me

1324. about Detective Park.

1325. What he knows.

1326. Who he's talked to.

1327. I don't know. I don't know.

1328. Maybe your, uh...

1329. daughter knows, huh?

1330. Maybe you don't help me out...

1331. I'll string her up here next.

1332. She'll be miles away by now.

1333. She's miles away.

1334. You think so?

1335. 'Cause I think she'll come when I call her.

1336. I think she's a dog just like all the rest.

1337. Like you.

1338. Like them.

1339. See, dogs run wild when you're not looking.

1340. They lick the hands of the strong.

1341. They snap at the weak.

1342. They destroy because they're bored.

1343. They hump what they can.

1344. They eat and drink what they can even if they sick it up after.

1345. But...

1346. they give love

1347. to those who show love to them,

1348. even if the giver is no good, rotten and mean.

1349. They are disgusting creatures with one saving grace.

1350. Loyalty.

1351. Now, the Steels

1352. have given you and yours everything.

1353. Where is your loyalty, Nathan?

1354. I'll ask you again.

1355. You.

1356. The Oriental.

1357. Your little girl.

1358. Who else? Who else knows about it, huh?

1359. What were your plans?

1360. To kill you.

1361. Hmm?

1362. I'm gonna fucking kill you.

1363. No, no, I don't think so.

1364. You can't kill God, Nathan.

1365. Yes, you can.

1366. You just gotta stop believing.

1367. Get him!

1368. Motherfucker.

1369. Stay down. Don't move.

1370. Samuel Houser.

1371. Put your weapons down. Come on out.

1372. You're under arrest.

1373. Come on, let's go!

1374. Go!

1375. Go, go, go!

1376. Dad?

1377. Dad?

1378. Dad!

1379. Polly?

1380. Why are you here?

1381. Dad?

1382. Dad, it's time to go.

1383. The cops tried to take you away. We have to go.

1384. The door's right over there. Let's go.

1385. Come on.

1386. Everything's okay. Let's just go.

1387. Dad! Over here! Come on! Let's go!

1388. No!

1389. Daddy!

1390. Samuel Houser, come on out.

1391. Daddy!

1392. - Come on. - Daddy!

1393. - Come on, little fighter, huh? - Daddy!

1394. Lower your weapons.

1395. Fuck!

1396. Polly!

1397. Lower your weapons

1398. or I shoot her in the head!

1399. I swear to God!

1400. - Back down! - Sam, put the gun down!

1401. Put the goddamn gun down!

1402. - Lower your weapons, goddamn it! - Let the girl go!

1403. Lower them!

1404. Stand down!

1405. I'm putting the gun down. Just... let's talk, okay?

1406. You back outta here.

1407. And I'll drop her at the border.

1408. You know we can't do that, Sam.

1409. Don't you see?

1410. You can't kill me!

1411. I am a God of many men.

1412. Men for eyes.

1413. Men for hands.

1414. Men for blood.

1415. Forever Steel.

1416. Steel forever!

1417. Go, go, go!

1418. Polly, turn around!

1419. Turn around.

1420. Ready?

1421. - Maya. - John. Hi.

1422. - How are you today? - I'm good, I'm good.

1423. - Thanks. - Good.

1424. How is she doing?

1425. Real good.

1426. Yeah.

1427. - Nice to see you. - Thank you.

1428. Hi.

1429. Polly, this is Maya.

1430. Maya, this is Polly.

1431. Nice to meet you, Polly.

1432. Hi.

1433. Could I get a hug?

1434. Sure? Yeah.

1435. Oh, welcome.

1436. Oh.

1437. Come in.

1438. We are so grateful to have you join our family, Polly.

1439. Now, a lot of people will say things like,

1440. "This is my foster brother," or, "This is my foster sister."

1441. We don't use those terms in this house.

1442. These are your brothers and your sisters.

1443. We're family.

1444. Okay.

1445. Well, I'm gonna take your bags to your room.

1446. Why don't you get settled in.

1447. It's almost meal time.

1448. Here, let me grab your coat, honey.

1449. - I'll take that, John. - Oh, thanks.

1450. Yeah. Of course.

1451. You need anything, you call me, okay?

1452. Thanks, Maya.

1453. Of course. We'll see you later, John.

1454. All right.

1455. Come on, come on.

1456. Hey, kids. Come say hi to Polly.

1457. Hi, Polly.

1458. Let's make her feel at home, okay?

1459. Can you dance?

1460. Come on. This one's easy.

1461. What song are we gonna do next?

1462. Maybe this one.

1463. Do you wanna do the first move?

1464. The first move would be...

1465. kinda split your legs apart

1466. and go like this at the same time.

1467. Then repeat it.

1468. Can you do that?