- Come on. Pass, pass. I'm open. - A little slower in the hallway, please.
- You're an idiot. -What if no one asks me? Like last year?
I'll get that, milady.
You didn't tell me you played piano.
Hey.
You are here. Where have you been?
You weren't in Home Ec. all week.
I got to slip to work on the yearbook.
We missed our deadline with Jostens.
Oh. How's it look?
You're not gonna be in it, by the way.
Mr. Esser said he reminded you three times
to get your picture taken.
Hey, so my dad's doing inventory all night,
and Kim and Jackie are sleeping over.
Come too.
No, my dad won't let me.
So sneak out. After he goes to bed.
How would I get there?
You're down in Southwind, right?
You know the power lines that go up the hill?
That's Chesapeake Road at the top. I'm right there.
You said you wanna make more friends here.
Hey. Come on, you drive.
- Okay. - Take care. Bye.
Hey. That was good on the road.
Gotta work on that parking some more...
but good.
You think it's gonna rain tonight?
Don't think it's supposed to.
Got homework?
Just reading, Dad.
The man has attempted suicide.
I think he realized
that this scheme that he had been involved in,
about which he had always been extremely guilty.
I mean, he's... he's, I think, the only person
in this entire scheme to have voluntarily walked out on it.
Some people were annoyed with it, upset with it,
and... but went along with it. Others enjoyed it
because they were making a lot of money out of it.
Dowd was the only person who had the character...
'Night, Dad.
...and the moral fiber...
Yeah. Sleep good.
...to walk out on this scheme
long before anybody knew about it,
because it disgusted him.
I mean, the prospect of actually
walking into Donald Manes' office
and paying him cash...
Hang on. Okay.
-Hey. -Hey.
You got prickers all over you. Come in.
So you can't spend the night?
Not all night.
I should be back by 6:00 to be safe.
Jesus.
I'll just head out when you guys wanna sleep.
So where'd you move here from anyway?
Eastern shore.
Is your mom in the picture?
Sherry says you only have a dad.
"Cinnamon Glaze."
We're trying to talk.
Kim, give me your hand.
Never mind about your mom.
It's none of my business, anyway.
I don't have any memories of her.
Or photos even.
My dad wouldn't tell me anything.
Try that. It's called "Copper Fever."
It's too orange.
Oh, my God!
Maren, stop it!
Stop! Stop it!
Maren, stop! Maren, no!
Jackie!
Maren, stop!
Jackie! Jackie, help!
Jackie, help!
You didn't.
In the car in three minutes.
Whatever you can take in three minutes.
Go!
Shit.
Move, Maren!
When the cops get here, we have to be good and gone.
Dad?
I've got some things to say.
And then...
I want you to make sure this, uh...
this tape is good and destroyed. Don't keep it.
This has got my voice on it.
You're not going to see me again, Maren.
I can't...
help you anymore.
I can't do anything else, either.
Call the cops or whatever somebody might do in my place.
So I gotta leave you to figure it out for yourself.
Like your mother did.
I'm sorry. You know what I mean now.
I don't know how much...
how much of what I'm gonna say you'll remember.
Yeah. Never was sure.
But just in case,
I'll tell you everything I know.
First time was when you were three.
Downey has the crowd screaming
at Towson State University.
The topic was the most controversial issue
on this year's Maryland ballot,
the gun ban referendum.
The majority of those in the audience
seem to be against the ban,
but we found those on both sides of the issue.
I think it's a good law,
if she gets guns off the streets,
and that's what we need most.
I just don't think it's fair
for all the innocent people that wanna get a gun
to protect themselves.
Just making it easier for criminals to have them than honest people.
I don't want them comin' in my living room and tell me what I can and can't buy.
Y'all think if you take the guns away from everybody,
you have less shooting with the whole nine-yards,
the criminals and the innocent people.
Hi.
Uh...
I need to get here.
What's the closest I can get by bus?
Well, looks like Detroit Lakes.
Three transfers.
Frederick, Maryland, Columbus and Minneapolis.
One way? 83.
How much to Columbus?
Shouldn't you be in school?
You'd think.
I don't know what that means.
Means I'm 18, in the state of Maryland,
and I can decide for myself where I should be.
I'm gonna need to see a driver's license or a learner's permit.
You can see a birth certificate.
Come on.
Just to Columbus?
It's 49.
50.
I had a sitter for you then.
Her name was Penny.
When I came in, she was on the bathroom floor.
There was... so much blood.
Her face was chewed up bad,
but the worst of it was her neck.
She must've been holding you when you started in on her.
Her hands, all chewed up. I...
I thought you were dead too.
That somebody had done you both,
but you were sleepin'.
When I turned you over, I saw the blood on your mouth.
You had something in your cheek.
I fished it out. It was soft, like a wad of gum.
It had a little hole in it.
Where an earring would go.
I remember thanking God she hadn't been wearing any,
you could've choked.
I got the body out,
I bleached the place three times,
and then packed us up and left.
They never found where I put her.
That was the last time I used our real last name.
Now you know why.
Nothin' happened for a few years. I relaxed.
You had to start school and I thought...
I thought you wouldn't do it in public,
and you didn't.
But you got clever.
So fucking clever.
I didn't mean to scare you.
You waiting for the bus?
Well, no, missy. I...
I came lookin' for you.
Do I know you?
I guess not in the way you mean.
I smelled you.
You probably smell me now.
When was the last time you fed?
Stop, stop, stop there. Stop.
You haven't in a long time.
I'll say...
many months.
At least.
You can smell that?
Oh, sure.
You can...
You can smell lots of things if you know how.
And we just smell anyway.
Whether we ate or not.
Hmm.
Come on, missy.
Come on.
Where are we goin'?
Just here, someplace dry and safe.
I'm Sullivan.
Friends call me Sully.
Maren.
Is this your house?
Listen, Maren,
don't worry. I'm okay.
I got rules.
One, number one
is never, never, ever eat an Eater.
Think you can follow that too?
All right.
I'll fix some dinner for us.
I smelled you from the yard, little missy. Come on.
This far?
Round the back. We'll talk inside.
The Sully, he found these little Cornish hens
in the freezer.
These hens,
they look like they had a good life.
Thought I was the only one.
Are there lots of us?
Not lots.
But more...
more than you'd think.
You've met a few, sure, that you know of.
You never had anyone take a interest in you?
A double take?
Just always thought--
You just thought some people are creepy.
It's better if we all steer clear of one another.
We're dangerous to non-Eaters,
but we can hurt one another just as bad.
I hope you're hearing me on this.
You sound like my dad.
Your daddy find out about you?
What about you?
You basically just said steer clear of people like us.
But you came looking for me.
Smart.
When I saw you're just a girl on your own,
I thought...
you might be hungry.
For hens?
No.
Who lives here?
Well, go and look.
Use your nose.
What do you smell?
Is there someone dead up there?
What do you smell?
Describe it.
Metallic.
Like blood?
No, like mud.
Something tangy.
But not like rotten.
No.
But close.
More like vinegar.
Like vinegar in the soup.
Yeah. Yeah.
- She's alive. - Missy.
-We'll get help. -Missy.
What did you do to her?
I found her like that this mornin'.
You're lying. Let me by.
Listen. Let me bone down on this.
Whatever you and I got,
it's gotta be fed.
No. Uh...
No, 'cause it was...
It was years before my last time.
That's because you're young.
You're gonna need it more and more,
and more and more.
And you won't always be able to hold yourself back.
But if the circumstances is...
is safe and good,
then eat.
It'll last a while,
maybe it'll keep you from,
you know, doing something you'll regret.
Even more.
Even more, missy.
Yes, Sully found her that way.
I followed my nose.
I don't... I don't kill people.
At least I try not to.
That leaves this.
And things like it.
Can I have a few minutes, please?
Sure, you can.
I don't think it'll be a long time now.
When the time comes, you'll smell it.
This is how I do it.
It helps me to remember each one.
When I began this, I was about your age.
Pull it.
You won't break it.
It's strong.
Who was your first? You remember?
I ate my own granddad
while they were waiting on the undertaker.
Did anyone find you while you were doing it?
My mama.
My mama found me afterwards.
Cleaned me up.
She told everyone animals got in and did it.
But when I finally ran off,
no one came looking for me.
And you've been on your own since then?
It's not hard...
once someone teaches you.
But you don't... you don't, uh...
you don't need to be alone.
You can bond with me as long as you like.
I'm looking for someone.
Your mama.
You mentioned your daddy last night,
so I knew he was in the picture.
You must be runnin' from him
or he left you or somethin'.
But you didn't say nothin' about your mama, though.
I never met her.
All I have is the name of the town she was born in.
It's on my birth certificate.
Mm-hmm.
We better clean up
before we dry stuck to these chairs.
♪ Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes
♪ Beautiful, beautiful brown
♪ Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes♪
The next few, I didn't see.
A boy went missin' at a camp you went to.
I shouldn't have let you go.
But you wanted to.
It was just a week. You were eight.
When that boy went missin', I knew
this is who you are.
I never thought "what" you are.
I don't know if I loved you the way a father should,
but I... I didn't hate you.
You...
You ate them. I believed you had to.
I don't know why.
They found his pup tent pitched in the heavy woods,
all bloody inside.
Luke somethin' Vanderbilt.
Good evening, everyone.
They ruled it a homicide,
I... I never heard.
This is the end of the line.
Vanderwall or somethin' like that.
Take all your belongings with you.
I watched after to see
if you looked sad, and you didn't.
That was the beginnin' of sayin' no to things.
Now you know why for that, too.
So I was thinking...
No. It's not there.
You don't have Lunchables?
What kind of goddamned grocery store
runs out of Lunchables?
Excuse me.
Whoa, you trying to run me down?
I asked a question.
Hear this, you dumb ho.
Hey, don't talk to her like that!
Hey!
You're out of control, buddy.
You with the store or somethin'?
No, I'm not with the store,
but I'm gonna escort you out of it.
Fucking see what happens.
-See what happens? -Yeah.
What's gonna happen? Something bad's gonna happen?
Yeah.
Outside. We're going outside.
You enjoy hassling people, man?
Is that what you do on Saturdays
when you're done jerking off?
Hey, gimme my hat, you little jackass.
He's over in there, like, 400 yards if you wanna...
You could tell, in the store?
I smelled you too. I didn't know I could do that.
I'm, uh, going to Minnesota.
I got dumped here by a ride. I just stole dinner.
It was all I could think to do.
You're not local either, I guess.
Why does that matter?
That was nice what you did for that mom in there.
I'm 18, if you're wondering.
I was gonna guess younger.
Thanks.
I don't usually talk to anyone after.
I don't actually meet many others.
Sort of glad not to.
Yeah, I get it.
I'm just saying I'm not an asshole.
You should probably go anyway. Up close, you can see blood.
We're fine.
No.
I really don't think I am.
You wanna get in for a minute?
This truck's his. You can't just take it.
Everyone's got their rules.
That's not one of my rules.
"Barry Cook.
"5278 Route 13. Centerville, Indiana."
You're going to his house?
Yeah, he didn't have any pictures in his wallet. I think it'll be all right.
-Took his wallet, too? -I didn't take his wallet,
I took the money out of the wallet. Eight bucks.
I chucked the wallet in a creek back there.
I'm Maren.
I'm Lee.
I don't know whether to cry, or scream, or laugh, or what.
Don't scream.
I thought I was the only one.
Now I meet two others in a week.
Hey, do you think you could help me?
I'm new at this.
No one our age is new at this.
Well, I'm new at remembering it.
At all.
Look, I won't try to mess with you. I promise.
I don't wanna hurt anybody.
Famous last words.
He's got Lick It Upby Kiss.
That's the one where they stop wearing make-up.
Who?
You don't know Lick It Up?
You don't know Kiss?
You were home-schooled, I guess.
Smells like he'd been getting stoned in here for 30 years.
Wait, this is it. He has it! Lick It Up.
Fuck.
♪ Yeah, yeah♪
You know?
♪ Don't wanna wait till you know me better ♪
♪ Let's just be glad for the time together♪
♪ Life's such a treat And it's time you taste it♪
♪ There ain't a reason on earth to waste it♪
♪ It ain't a crime to be good to yourself♪
♪ Lick it up♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh!♪
♪ It's only right now Lick it up♪
♪ Lick it up♪
I'mma take a shower.
♪ Yeah♪
♪ Lick it up♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh!♪
♪ Come on,c ome on♪
♪ Lick it up♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh!♪
♪ Don't need to wait for an invitation♪
Here comes Robert Ford there,
interfering where he's got no place.
- Disqualification on Eric. - Yeah.
Boyd jumps up in the ring. Robs Jarrett.
Keith Eric starts to kick on him,
and Fuller says no, bam, and he throws...
It's your birthday.
I've been waiting on this day for a long time.
You seemed like such a hardcase yesterday.
When you weigh 140 pounds wet,
you gotta have a big attitude instead.
I've got that for you.
-And the pancakes. -Thanks.
-And your bacon. -Thank you.
Sully.
That's his name. The other guy I met.
He showed up at a bus station
saying he could smell me half a mile away.
-Can you do that? -Not that far.
Said he could also smell
when people are about to die too.
Actually, I think I might have heard of this guy.
-Really? -Yeah.
Keeps this braid woven with the hair.
People that he eats.
-Christ. -It's like eight feet long.
That's a choice.
We don't have to be like that.
Why didn't you tag along with him?
Mm...
Something about him. I don't know.
I think he was tryin' to help.
I profoundly doubt that.
He was creepy, I guess.
Did that dawn on you before or after
you ate Mrs. Herman together?
More coffee?
- Yes, please. - Okay.
Can I get anything else for you guys?
That's all right. That's good, thanks.
You're welcome.
-Harmon. Mrs. Harmon. -Mrs... Mrs. Harmon.
Okay. You're welcome.
Does that help?
Memorizing their names?
Why'd you offer to bring me along?
You seem nice.
-I am nice. -Mm.
Do I seem nice?
I'm going to the bathroom.
How do you feel about sleeping outside?
Okay.
It'll be cold tonight, but if we keep this truck,
we'll get a sheet of plywood for back here.
What's in Kentucky anyway?
It's my little sister.
I promised to give her driving lessons
before she has to take her test.
- Mm. - She's a good kid.
Do you get home often?
A little bit. I left when I was 17.
How come?
I didn't finish school, which sucks.
I'm guessing you didn't, either.
Other ways to learn, I guess.
Maybe what other peoples'
weaknesses may be.
That Satan knows where your weakness is.
I said He knows where your weakness is.
He knows how to stir you up.
I said He knows how to stir you up.
And He knows
that one of my weaknesses that I will confess to
is the ability to hate you to the bitter end.
We'll stay here tonight. This is my aunt's place.
She died in March.
My house's on the other side of that plant.
I can't be seen in town, though.
You need to know why?
No.
What's gonna happen to all this stuff?
My mom's cleanin' it out.
She's a teacher, though. She got school.
No, keep that off.
And keep the windows closed tonight too.
Okay, I'mma take Kayla drivin' behind the mall.
Hope I don't die.
I'll bring back some food for us later.
Kayla's your sister?
Yeah. Kay,
Kayla. I call her "idiot " to her face.
Or "stupid." Or whatever.
You can snoop around if you want, I won't be offended.
See you later.
Lock the door.
Lee, open up
the goddam door, asshole.
I know you're in there.
Man, open up this door, Lee. Let's go.
Why are you banging on the fucking door?
What the fuck are you doing here?
Nice work, you motard.
Found this note you put in my purse.
You're leaving? Already?
Maren, this is Kayla. Kayla, this is Maren.
You're a fuckin' asshole.
You said that you were gonna stick around this time.
Something came up. I gotta head out of town.
I... I don't believe you anymore, Lee.
I... Where are you always going anyway?
Let's go outside, come on.
I wanna talk to you outside.
I'm going away for a little bit, all right? That's it.
Is that your girlfriend?
That's my friend friend, all right?
Maybe you can meet her some other time.
Look, I can't stay, Kayla.
I just wanted to take you drivin' like I said I would.
I fuckin' hate that you do this.
You know, Dad did this, and then he didn't come back.
Don't you know every time you drive off, we're terrified?
I'll be back in a couple of weeks.
What difference does it make?
You're not listenin' to me.
Yes, I am. Two weeks tops.
I'm not Dad. I wouldn't do that.
Is there anything that you don't lie about?
And you look like a fucking faggot in that shirt.
Honestly, fuck you, Lee. Fuck you.
God, fuck it, man.
Let's go tonight.
She's probably gonna tell my mom that we're here.
If she comes, I...
I wanna spare you that.
I worked summers here. I can't get in the safe,
but they keep all the petty cash in a drawer in the cafe.
A cafe? At a slaughterhouse?
Aren't there guards?
Yeah. Dale.
Deaf in both ears.
You be the bank.
I wanna show you something.
The music's supposed to keep 'em calm.
You ever think about that...
every one of them has a mom and a dad...
sisters, brothers, cousins, kids.
Friends even?
A language.
Listen to them.
You never told me what was in Minnesota.
My mom.
She lives there?
I don't know.
I don't even know if she's still alive.
All I have is the name of the town that she was born in.
Could take a while to track her down, you know.
It might even be a dead end.
It's all I have.
Then that's where we'll start.
I can take you...
if you want. It's a lot of driving,
but I'm up for it, if you are.
We could take our time. See the country.
Well, Missouri and Iowa anyway.
Never been to either.
♪ Amarillo by mornin'♪
♪ Up from San Antone ♪
♪ Everything that I got♪
♪ Is just what I've got on♪
Whoo-hoo!
What was your first time like?
It was a babysitter.
-Mine too. -Really?
What was it like?
A rush.
I could feel every blood vessel
like spider-webbing through me.
Felt like some kind of weird new superhero.
What about afterward?
What'd you feel about it? What'd you think?
I don't remember after.
That's bullshit.
Hey, I'm not just gonna tell you what you wanna hear.
You asked me a question, I gotta answer it.
Would you do something with me?
-Listen to something with me? -Yeah.
Whoo! I told you they'd be back here.
-Hey. -Hey.
I saw you guys down at the swimming hole before.
Oh, yeah, we saw some people down there too.
You were up there on those rocks.
Up, uh...
Upwind of us.
You get me?
Don't worry, we're friendly.
I'm Jake. That's, uh, Bradley.
Goddamn, my name is Brad, man. Call me what I want.
Nice to meet you, Brad. Nice to meet you, Jake.
I'm Leon. That's Maggie.
You just passing through?
Yeah, just passing through. Is that a problem?
We're not here to run you out.
We thought you might be in need of some beer.
We got you.
Not many come through here.
What do you say?
I'm into this now, right?
Pulling meat, bones comin' out, you know.
And I start feeling watched.
I look around and at first, I don't see him 'cause he's...
he's standing so still in the trees,
but then I spot him. I'm like, "What the fuck?"
I mean, I look like the red devil at this point.
He's just watching me like I'm...
...Doug fuckin' Henning.
I'm already on my feet, and I'm runnin' at him,
and he pulls a fuckin' pistol on me.
Turns out he's an off-duty cop.
-First year on the force. -We did
say we weren't gonna tell nobody about that.
Oh, right, right.
So, he's a cop.
I think he's gonna take me down. But he's just...
he's just looking at me.
And what did I say?
He said, "Do me now or get the fuck gone
"'cause he ain't gonna be no fun to eat cold."
I love it.
So he says...
"Go on, back to it. Mm-hmm.
"I gotta get a better look at this."
So, uh...
I suddenly feel him right there,
crouched down, gettin' a better look.
He doesn't smell like an Eater.
But there he is.
So I ask if he wants some.
And damned if he don't nod all serious
like a food-stamp kid on samples day.
- Yeah. - So you know
what I gave him?
You're not one of us?
Abso-fucking-lutely normal he is!
Well, uh, clearly not normal.
Hasn't had his Full Bones yet. But, uh...
I reckon that's coming soon enough.
"Full Bones"?
When you eat the whole thing. Bones and all.
You ain't done that yet?
That's a big fucking deal.
It's like your first time.
There's...
before Bones and all,
and then there's after.
That's bullshit.
It's impossible, what you're talking about.
How many people have you eaten?
I count three.
Yes, miss.
Three people.
And you didn't have to?
You don't have to do this?
Kind of a groupie, I guess.
-Jesus Christ. -You okay?
Jake's teaching me how to smell other Eaters.
No, he's not.
You don't think he can do it?
Is she all right?
Whoa. Fuck. Fuck.
She's lucky she's got you to help.
God.
He's the one who needs the help, Brad.
You can see it a mile away.
You remind me of every junkie I ever met.
You look like the kind that's convinced himself
he's got this under his thumb.
But you pull on one little thread and...
But maybe love will set you free, man.
Maybe love will set you
free.
Lee, Lee.
What?
-What? -Look. Look, look, look.
Go, go, go, go, go, go.
Hot dogs!
Roll up. Roll up.
I'm hungry, Lee.
We should do that right over there.
Yeah, we have four tickets.
-Okay. -Yes.
Step right up. We've got big prizes.
Three tickets, three tries.
Who wants to play?
Three tickets, three tries.
Can I play?
You're wasting your money.
Come on.
Ah.
I won. I won.
No, you didn't, little man.
But... But it's in a can.
What does that mean?
What you just did. No underhand.
But that other kid did it.
You can read, can't you?
Now go on. Unless you got three more tickets.
Hey, man.
You tryin' to win one for your girlfriend? I saw you walk up.
Oh, no, that's not my girlfriend.
That's just, uh, a friend, you know.
Nice.
- Wow. - Can I get another one if I sink it again?
You're not supposed to.
But, uh, no one has to know.
Damn.
Disappoint.
Hmm.
What's there to do around here besides this dumbass carnival?
After my friend leaves, I mean.
I close up at 11:00.
I got some weed in my car.
Hell, yeah.
-One more? -Really?
Yeah.
- Damn. - Damn.
Lucky, lucky.
My luck's not gonna run out, is it?
No, man.
I'll see that it don't.
I'll see you in an hour?
Yeah, you will.
I haven't thought much beyond this tape.
I can't.
I don't know what's going to happen to you
or what should happen to you.
I wake up nights sick to death wondering and hoping.
Hoping that whatever troubles you is over,
and that if there is a God in Heaven,
that you're just a regular girl
with... regular problems and regular pain,
and that you stop wanting things
you shouldn't want, Maren.
And that your heart has a chance.
I knew that's how it would end.
"I hope you get better."
Maybe he's right, maybe I should pray
that I wake up one day
to find they built a maze around me.
Don't say that.
Don't.
He's wrong.
What happened to your dad?
You never say anything.
Nothing good.
Just a waste.
Except in my case, I gave him the tape.
Just give me a couple of minutes.
You made it.
- This is a good spot. - Yeah, it's not bad.
There's no one here.
- Is that you? - Yeah.
- It's a nice truck. - Great, huh?
Yeah, she is. I'm parked up there.
Do you smoke?
What are you laughing about?
- Do you smoke weed too? - Yeah.
You kinky fucker.
Oh, yeah.
Faster, man. Jerk it faster. Come on.
I'm close, yeah. Yeah, like that.
Come on, come on, faster, man.
Faster, faster.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, fuck!
Oh.
Faster, jerk it faster, man. Come on.
Yeah, I'm close. I'm close.
Just like that.
I'm close, I'm close. Here it comes. Here it comes.
That sure feels...
The world in the spring
and a new skateboard from Bikes Unlimited.
Don't you love the smell of black rubber?
Maybe not.
It's an acquired taste.
Some people never get used to it.
Don't really understand.
Oh, you can work your way up.
What's wrong?
That's the place listed on his license,
but the lights are on.
I'm gonna go back and see if anyone's there.
No, no, I'll go, I'll go. You have blood on you.
I cleaned up. He had wipes in the car.
You can take them if you want.
I'll see what I can see from the yard.
Okay.
All black. Completely hidden.
In my black cocoon, I'm where no one can find me.
Maren, you okay?
What are you doing?
What? Oh, Christ.
Okay, we didn't know.
Hey, we didn't know, okay?
Is he back?
No! Something's wrong, Mom!
All right, we gotta go. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Focus, focus. Come on, let's go.
Only there did civilization arise.
Now, it's not my intention to give a history lesson,
but I believe it's important to remind ourselves
that in dealing with the economy,
we're dealing with human creativity.
This insight has represented
the underpinning of our economic expansion.
There wasn't a car seat, Maren.
He wasn't wearing a wedding ring.
We should feel something.
'Cause we murder people.
We steal their stuff, we move the fuck on,
and we ruin lives that we don't even see.
Come on, why are we talking about it like this?
We gotta do this! We have to do it!
Talking about the future,
talking about being a friend to yourself.
You don't have that. This is too much.
No, we got 60, 70 years of this?
How dare you make this harder.
Maren, what do I... What am I supposed...
How do I get you out of this?
What am I supposed to say right now?
Just drive.
Right. All right.
You were dreaming. We're almost there.
Uh, do have a telephone book? The one outside's missing.
Uh...
I'm looking for someone in Bagley.
Oh. This is for the county, sweetie.
Thanks.
There.
-I'll come with you. -No, stay here.
Excuse me? Are you Barbara Kerns?
Wait, wait. Ms. Kerns. Ms. Kerns.
I'm Maren Yearly.
Maren.
I've traveled a very long way.
Oh, they didn't marry.
Hmm. Yeah, we wondered.
Huh.
My husband, uh, he died years ago.
Throat cancer.
-Sorry. -Mm.
Sorry to surprise you like this.
You didn't know your daughter had a child, I guess.
No.
No. When she wanted to get married,
we didn't agree.
So, it drove her away. Yeah.
Where did she meet my dad?
He didn't say?
He wouldn't say anything about her.
Ah.
Hmm. Mm.
They met in college. Down in Mankato.
She finished two years
before he talked her into leaving.
Did he drive you here? Is he outside?
No. He's in Maryland.
Does he know you're here?
Yeah, he let me know where to find you.
So you haven't run away?
No.
My dad thinks that
I'm old enough to live on my own.
Oh. Uh-huh.
Well, if you're looking for a home with your mother,
um,
I'm sorry to tell you
that she... she's no longer with us.
What? When?
It's a lot of years now,
and it's nothing I wanna tell you about.
I hope you can respect that.
Well, I'm her daughter.
Yep. Makes sense now.
Why she came back so bereaved. That's the word.
And she wouldn't tell us anything, either.
Oh, it's just so much hiding in one family.
I'm sorry you had to be the child of it all.
Wait. What was she like as a child?
Hmm.
Wow. She was your only child?
Well, not even ours.
Bob and I never could have babies of our own.
But then we heard about Janelle.
She'd been left behind
a sheriff's station in Bemidji.
It was in the paper.
You know anything about her biological parents?
No, nothing.
Except what they did to their baby.
I mean, she could have froze, you know.
It's cold here all the time.
My mother...
You can, you know, take those photos if you want 'em.
Did she ever hurt anyone?
What kind of question is that?
I bet she did. I know she did.
I don't know what you had to do to cover it up
or... how much pain it caused you.
Stop this. At once.
Look, you're never going to see me again, okay?
You may not be her family by blood, but I am.
And I need to know.
So, please, Mrs. Kerns, please...
Then ask her yourself.
How?
Look, I don't know you.
You gotta understand.
I didn't know what you wanted comin' up here.
And I hope you mean what you say
about never coming back here.
I know that sounds cold, but I wanna be clear with ya.
I told you she was no longer with us,
but she's not... she's not dead.
She's living in a town called Fergus Falls.
In a state hospital there.
And we didn't put her there,
if that's what you're thinkin'.
She signed her own papers.
Okay.
Here. My mother's here.
Do you want me to come in?
No.
Mrs. Kerns' daughter.
I sure didn't expect this when I woke up this morning.
Calm down.
Is she dangerous?
It's been many years since that was a concern.
Why was it ever one?
Aggression towards the staff. Self-harm.
But long ago.
It's possible she won't understand who you are.
She just took her morning meds,
so she may nod off anyhow.
We'll see.
There's someone here to see you, Ms. Kerns.
A surprise. A wonderful surprise.
It's Maren.
I'm Maren.
Can't she speak?
It's the medication.
Easy, Ms. Kerns.
I didn't come with Dad.
Just came by myself.
Should I give her the letter, Ms. Kerns?
I fetched it on the way up.
She wrote this about 15 years ago now, must be.
I've kept it safe in her file out there, in case.
She knew I'd come?
I'll wait right over here.
Maren, if a day comes when you show up here,
I'll know it's because your father broke his promise.
Told you something about me.
And I'll know why.
He didn't know what I was when we married,
but he figured it out by the time I had you.
I promised I would never hurt either of you,
but how could we be sure?
It wasn't easy to leave. I loved you both so much.
I thought about ending my life,
but I wanted to be here in case you ever did come.
All I ever wanted in this world was love.
I tried, believed,
but we can't have it as we are.
All we can have is a little space,
with bars or a door that locks.
I'm sorry for that, Little Yearly.
For all the things I didn't do for you
and for the one thing I still can.
The world of love
wants no monsters in it.
So let me help you out of it.
No! Help me!
Ms. Kerns, calm down!
Maren, die.
Let me out. Let me out.
Press the button on the door. Go!
I can't open the door. I can't open the door.
Sorry, sorry. Here we go, here we go.
I can't fucking with the door.
You're good.
She's one of us.
She's one of us but she's fucking nuts.
She ate her own fucking hands.
She said she loved my dad.
She said she wanted to be a mom.
She could have stayed.
She could have told me what I needed to know.
But all of this... Fuck, you know how different
this would've been if I'd had one person on my side?
One person to talk to?
You know what I wouldn't have done?
Maybe, probably half of what I've fucking done!
Fuck her. Fuck.
You know, if she'd stayed,
she might have hurt you, Maren. Or worse, you might not even be here right now.
Trust me, I know what I'm talking about with this stuff.
This is better than what I went through.
Please just stop fucking talking!
You're pissed off, and you're scared, and you feel alone,
and you don't know what to do with it all, it's fine.
If you wanna go at yourself with that, I can't stop you.
But don't come at me.
You slit his throat, Lee.
-He had a wife. Kids. -Okay.
I think you got used to being locked up
and invisible and alone, and now you're out in the world...
-Okay, okay. -...and you're seeing yourself
for the first time, and that's freaking you out.
But you know what? It's fucking me up too, okay?
I feel like I'm seeing myself too. That's how this works.
-How what works? -This!
Whatever this is.
Stop. You're wrong, you're wrong.
What? About which part am I wrong?
I can't be around you anymore. I can't think.
Jesus Christ.
We don't have many options, Maren.
Either you eat, you off yourself,
or you lock yourself up like her in there.
What's it gonna be?
Why can't you let me have this?
No.
I'm not going to be her. I'm not going to be her.
You can decide no.
And I'm deciding that right fucking now.
I'm just getting gas.
You have the money.
Maren!
♪ Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes ♪
♪ Beautiful, beautiful brown eyes♪
♪ I'll never love blue eyes again♪
Hey, hey.
You ain't sad to see old Sully, are you, missy?
It worked out.
I hardly believe it.
You've been following me since Frederick?
I know. It seems crazy to me too. I...
I just didn't... I didn't know what else to do.
Why, Sully?
Well, because we...
we didn't have a chance to say our goodbyes.
And I've been worrying on you on your own as you are.
Why not say hello earlier then?
Oh, no, no, missy. I don't...
I don't interrupt. That's bad manners,
and you were with a friend.
And where'd he go now? I saw him.
Took off out of here fast.
Is he your new boyfriend? Is he?
No, no, no.
Or just a hobo you're hanging around with?
No, I'm just a friend.
Oh, just a friend.
Maybe he didn't get that telegram.
He one of us?
Follow your nose or he follow his?
Both.
Thanks for showing me how.
Hey, count the bugs.
Well, life's never dully with Sully.
What do you say? Uh...
What do you say? You wanna, uh,
take a ride with Sully for a bit?
It's weird that you've been following me.
It's only been a couple of weeks.
Life will get weirder, I promise. I promise.
I liked...
I liked our talk.
Oh, it's a hard and lonesome road for us, isn't it?
So, there's no sense in making it lonelier
if you don't have to.
-I'm a girl. -I know.
About my daughter's age,
if I had one.
Is that what this is?
How do you like that?
Sully, I'm not trying to upset you. Mm-hmm.
Just, I know you drove a long way.
I don't feel comfortable with this.
You've never fit with someone before?
I have.
It's just gotta go both ways.
You don't like Sully.
Why do you say your name
like you're two different people?
You don't like me.
No, I don't trust you.
It doesn't matter if I'm right or if I'm wrong about that,
it just matters that I feel it.
So you're not gettin' in?
Not gettin' in.
Fuck you, then.
Fuck you, missy.
You dumb cunt!
I...
I dried off next to you.
I've never done that with anyone before.
That means something.
I dried off next to...
Your coffee.
Thanks.
How many times you gonna tell her
before she starts to listen?
- Hi, guys. - Hey, Sheila.
- Good to see you. - Be right with you.
Stay with Daddy, all right?
I'm bouncing so high.
I don't know. Just come on, Daddy, watch me.
Watch me.
There's glass all over here. Get over here.
Coming, Daddy.
I love you.
Hello?
Hey, idiot, how are you doin'?
Is it too late to call?
Where are you? You sound weird.
I'm driving home, actually.
Will you be here tonight?
Yeah, I'll be there super late,
but yeah, I'll get there.
Can you stay?
This time, I can. Yeah.
I'm really glad, Lee.
Me too.
Hey, what do you think about hittin' the kingdom when I'm back?
Going for a drive or something, huh?
Are you crying?
No. What?
Are... Are you in trouble?
No, I'm driving home. I'm good.
Can I tell Mom you're coming?
Sure you can.
Sure.
I don't even care about chores.
That's all I care about.
-It's so... -You're right.
I mean, I cared about it before,
- but not anymore. - Yeah. Exactly.
Hey, Kayla.
I'm Maren, Lee's friend.
I met you at your aunt's house a couple of months back.
I remember.
I'll talk to y'all in a minute.
Yeah, I wanted to say hi then, but...
Do you know where Lee is?
He was at my aunt's house for a while,
but my mom wouldn't leave him alone,
so he took his tent and moved out to the lake.
Which lake?
Um, Land Between the Lakes.
It's a state park down 641.
He comes into town when he wants to.
Well, he's just...
going through something, I guess.
But I asked him about you
and he just said that you went another way.
I wondered why he's been staying.
I guess he was hoping that you'd show up, right?
No, I don't know about that.
I don't know if he'd actually even want to see me,
to be honest.
I know he was trying to get back to you, though.
He said that?
God, he's an asshole.
Why is he even like this, you know?
I tell him no one even remembers
all that stuff with the cops anymore.
It was three stupid days and they let him go.
This is about your dad?
He didn't tell you?
Our dad's a drunk.
So drunk that he'd piss on the wall kinda guy.
He got in Lee's face a couple of times
and Lee would, you know, try to calm him down,
and the day he left, he wound up hitting Lee.
And when I tried to break 'em up, he hit me, too.
Lee just lost it,
and he told me to call the cops.
And when our dad ripped the phone out of the wall,
Lee got him in a headlock. He told me to run into town.
And when I got back with the cops,
Lee was pretty beat up and Dad's car was gone.
And Lee told 'em that he took off,
but there was blood on Lee,
so they had to put him in a holding cell
so they could test it.
And for a minute there, everyone was like,
"Lee killed him, Lee killed him."
But it was all Lee's blood.
It was all bullshit, and they had to let him go.
And that was four years ago,
and he's been out of town for three and a half of 'em.
It's not fair.
Lee!
Your tent.
We should really use it. Just get lost.
Where do you want to go?
I don't know. Anywhere. West. Let's go west.
It's your rod bearings then.
Seriously? Shit!
That means a new engine.
I'd rather just sell it for parts.
Tell you what, you make me a good offer, I'll sell it to you right now.
You don't want to sell it out here.
- Why? - Look around, man.
How you gonna get home?
I don't know.
You do go someplace else.
Watching me read?
Yeah.
Well, you should know after this, I'm out of books.
I'll have to go to a bookstore.
May have to stop on the way back, in Omaha.
By the way, those guys were saying
we should have two days of water with us
in case the engine gives out.
In case we have to wait on a ride.
We should get some new wheels as soon as we can.
I wish we could save it.
I'd rather have a van, anyway.
I learned how to drive in that truck.
You learned how to kiss in that truck.
I knew how to kiss before you, Mr. Kentucky.
Ah.
I sang to my girl in that truck.
Kayla told me about...
what happened with your dad.
Kayla doesn't know what happened.
He sounds like he was a fucking asshole.
I don't wanna...
I don't want to talk about my dad.
I don't sweat this stuff out like you do.
You know, Kayla said that he...
that he hit you both the day that he left.
That's true.
Told her to get the cops. She did.
And then he left.
I don't know, I don't really believe that. I mean,
there must've been a lot of blood on you for the cops to bring you in.
If you wanna know, Maren, he came for me, okay?
He tried to rip me open with his teeth.
That's the first time I ever smelled it on someone.
What happened after that?
Lee,
you can tell me.
He, uh...
He passed out.
I got him in a... I put him in a fucking...
headlock, and bashed an ashtray over his head.
Dragged his fucking body to his car.
Put him in the car,
and I drove to this barn about a mile outside town
that I knew was abandoned.
How long was he in the barn?
Uh, three days.
I think, yeah.
Three days.
I duct-taped the shit out of him too.
Everywhere except his nostrils,
so he could breathe.
And when I finally came back...
It's the sound he was making,
it's the noise and the breathing.
He knew what was gonna happen.
What did you do?
I ate him right the fuck up.
And it felt fucking great.
I felt high as a motherfucker.
Probably would have killed myself
if it weren't for Kayla.
I feel like I should have, you know.
No. No, stop.
I would have done the same thing.
-Do you mean it? -I would have done it in my way but I would have done it.
You protected the people that you love.
You don't think I'm a bad person?
All I think is that I love you.
Where do we go next?
Anywhere.
Let's drive back.
Until the truck gives out somewhere.
And then just stay.
We can get a place, jobs.
You know, like people do.
You wanna be people? Let's be people.
Yeah. Let's be them for a while.
Yeah, we're in Ann Arbor now.
Ann Arbor.
Maren got a job at the university,
at the bookstore, so, we're right near campus.
What'd you say?
Yeah, maybe if we're here long enough.
Hey, Kayla says hi.
-Hi. -Maren says hi.
-She wants to come up. -Yeah.
Lee, I brought your...
I'm gonna take my hand away,
and you're not gonna scream.
Because Sully's a friend
and we don't scream at friends.
Where's your... Where's your cutie-pie?
I saw him.
I saw him walk out of here half an hour ago.
I don't know.
What's all this for, Sully?
Ever...
Ever since I drove away from you,
up there in Minnesota,
nothing's felt right.
What does that mean?
It means...
It mean... It...
It means unfinished business.
Sully, me and Lee...
we are together now.
That's not the business I'm talkin' about.
I don't mind.
I don't... I don't mind if you don't like Sully.
What I mind is how much you know about him
in that little head of yours.
You don't think I'd tell anyone, right?
I mean, who would believe me?
And you're the one who told me you don't kill any...
You don't kill, right?
You told me that, Sully.
You know, I told...
I used to try and tell people the truth, you know.
They never took me serious.
I just wanted to be...
I just wanted to be with someone who understood.
Do you know what I mean?
Do you?
Mm.
Hmm.
Hey.
You never get sick of yourself?
Sully just wants to sleep at night.
That's all.
Sully just wants to sleep.
Sleep it off.
I said,
stop calling yourself Sully.
Shh!
Get off, Maren. Get off.
Careful.
Come on.
Up.
That's the man you met, the one who followed you?
I smelled him two blocks from here.
How the fuck did he find you?
Oh, no.
Hang on.
Look.
Fuck, he hit your lung.
We gotta go to the ER.
Air is coming out of this. I can see it.
He got Kayla.
Don't think about that right now.
Fuck.
Lee, we can't handle this by ourselves, and...
-Am I bad? -No.
No, no, Lee. You're good, all right?
You're in shock.
-Am I bad? -No.
No.
We can't call an ambulance, Lee.
We can't let anybody in here.
We're just gonna go.
Come on.
-I want you to eat first. -Come on, Lee.
Come on.
-I want you to eat me. -No.
-I want you to eat... -I'm not gonna eat him.
-No. I want you to eat... -I don't wanna.
I want you to eat me.
I want you to eat.
-I want you to feed. -No.
-I want you to eat. -No.
-I don't wanna. I can't. Stop. -I want you to do it, Maren.
- I'm done here. - No. No. No.
-I want you to do it, Maren. -Lee, stop.
-No. No, I can't. -Bones and all.
I can't. Stop.
- It's beautiful. - No. No. Stop.
Let me up. Let me up. Let me up.
It's the easiest thing, Maren, love.
No. No. No.
Just love me and eat.