"I'm sorry." "I don't know... well, I can't even remember what got it started, babe." "You're too stubborn, Carter." "Sam, slow down!" "Watch where you're going." "You said you were gonna clean up that field." "And so we remember Crayton for what he accomplished for his family." "A gift that we will treasure." "You told Aunt Jane you quit." "Yeah, well, I gave up half my day to drive you up here, so let's call it a truce and go wish your parents a happy anniversary, okay, Bird?" "Don't call me that." "Okay, Isabelle." "Look, why don't we pay our respects real quick?" "I don't want you to come." "Fine, but leave the camera here with me, okay?" "You know, you can't hide behind that thing forever." "Okay." "Just don't take any pictures of the service." "Okay." "Here you go." "I'll be right here." "I'm serious about not taking any pictures, Bird." "Isabelle!" "Hi." "I've been taking real good care of your camera." "I... and so we remember him... in that case, may we leave here with but one overarching thought in our minds... that Crayton will always..." "Father?" "Oh, my God." "Please." "Please!" "Okay!" "Okay." "Please." "I understand it's... it's over, but... please..." "I'm asking you, we can talk about this." "We can sit down, we can make some kind of a deal, just, I'm begging you." "I'm begging you to please..." " just don't..." " Shh." "Take a good look." "You only get one." " I don't know you." " But you know my employer." "You know you don't challenge a man in his position." " Please." " I've shown you my face." "So you're already dead." "Don't forget your book." "Roger." "Isabelle!" " Isabelle!" " Can I help you?" "Yeah, I'm looking for a little girl in a red dress." "Oh." "There's the little angel right now." "Roger!" "No!" "Roger!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Help!" "Help me, please!" "Someone help, please!" "Help!" "Help!" "Hey." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey." "It's okay, it's okay." "I can help you." "What happened?" "Tell me what happened." "Is somebody hurt?" "Oh, fuck." "Fuck." "Hey, you took some buckshot, did ya?" "Psst!" "Get back." "Get back!" "Give it up, mister!" "You ain't getting through to me!" "Just making sure you know your place." "My place?" "Where's that, huh?" "I'm sitting pretty on the high ground while you waste your clip burying bullets in the furniture." "That .45 ain't gonna cut a hole through me and you know it." "Not with that fucking condom it's wearing." "Well, well, well." "The man knows his guns." "But so do I." "Pitiful range you got with that candy-ass 20 gauge you're riding up there." "You ain't nothing but a quail hunter, boy." "And I damn sure ain't no small game, you hear?" "You know, it's still enough to tear you apart this close, asshole." "Yeah, you're right." "But you know you're gonna need something a damn sight more substantial" " if you really wanna roughhouse with me." " I got plenty, buddy." "You just try to come up them fucking stairs again, okay?" "!" "I will blow your fucking head clean off." "I'm getting the police on the line right now." "Phone's dead." "Looks like I caught you at a bad time." "I've got a cell phone, asshole!" "I know, dipshit." "I'm looking at it." "Shit." "You really ought to keep this on you at all times, you know, for emergencies and such." "I'm just saying." "Hell, it don't matter anyway." "The nearest cop is at least a half hour away from here and I won't need but a few minutes of your time." "You sound like you're selling me something." "Maybe I am, maybe I ain't, friend." "Look, here's the situation." "That adorable little moppet you got up there, she's seen my face." "Hell, if she was a snake, she would've bit me." "So if I don't put a hole in her head, and I mean like right quick, somebody's gonna do the same thing to me and I can't allow that." "So what I need you to do is send her down so I can tidy things up a bit, you understand?" "Yeah, you think she can identify you." "Oh, yes, I know she will, as quick as a frog can lick flies." "But you, on the other hand, you didn't see fuck all except a masked gunman." "I could give less than two shits about you." "All I want's the girl." "So why don't you send her on down here, let me handle my business, and I'll be gone." "Look, son," "I understand the, uh, unfortunate and, uh, complex moral dilemma that you're facing here." "But it's real simple." "The little lady's seen my face." "Now she's got to pay the price like everybody else." "That's how it works." "As far as you should be concerned, she's already dead." "Now, the sooner you allow me to prove that little point to you, the sooner you can get back to your perfect little life here." "Now, I know you're bleeding up there." "And that does make time a factor, so here's what you're gonna do... you're gonna send the girl down to me." "Get yourself down to a hospital." "Get yourself fixed up." "I'm gonna take care of my business and that'll be that." "What do you say?" "Believe me when I tell you, son, you do not want to fight me on this thing." "This will only devolve into a battle of wills and my will is stronger than anyone you have ever met." "Yeah?" "Well, you and me ain't never been introduced, asshole." "My name's Carter Greene." "This is my house." "Now, so long as I'm still breathing, you ain't gonna harm a hair on this child's head." "Listen, you just send the little lady down here right now." "This is not the time to play hero, and I am the last individual on God's green earth that you wanna butt heads with, you hear me?" "Oh, yeah, I hear ya." "I hear ya and you sound real scary." "Fuck you, Farmer Jim!" "You're all alone out here on the frontier." "No friends, no family, no cops, no help at all." "This is the Wild West, son." "The Wild fucking West." "There ain't no gods coming out here to save your ass." "It's just you and me and a murder of crows waiting to pick over our dead bones." "So you take a breather." "You let that sink in." "But don't take too long, ya hear?" "You don't wanna get too much blood all over your white trash fineries." "I need your help." "I want you to go in the bathroom and get a first aid kit." "It's under the sink." "Go." "Come to papa." "Okay, set it down." "Open it up." "Come here." "You're gonna help me, okay?" "Pour this on." "Okay." "Get it real hot, okay?" "Just hold it on there." "All right, slowly put it down." "Don't look." "More." "More, more, more." "Come on." "There." "You're supposed to swallow them." "Not when you hurt as bad as I do." "Go... go in the other room." "In a box there are some light bulbs, okay?" "Bring me all of them." "And some water." "Bring me some water." "I said all of them." "Go." "And towels, bring me some towels." "The bathroom, go." "Go." "Please." "Good." "That ain't no farmer." "Now even if we're not here," " we'll hear him if he tries going up the stairs." " Cool." "What's the water for?" "It's for drinking." "Oh." "Want some?" " So, what's your name?" " Isabelle." "But everyone calls me Bird." "I don't like it, though." "Bird?" "How'd you get a colorful name like that?" "My dad gave it to me." "My mom said he started calling me his little bird when I was real small 'cause I never wanted to eat." "He died, though." "They both did." "Car crash." "God, I'm..." "I'm sorry." "How'd you get in this mess, anyway?" "He shot Roger at the cemetery." " Roger?" " Aunt Jane's boyfriend." "Jesus." "I'm sorry." "You apologize a lot for someone who didn't do anything wrong." "I know." "I..." "I just meant you know, it's too bad your uncle's dead." "He wasn't my uncle." "But I should've been nicer to him." "He's a monster." "He's no monster." "Hey." "Don't give him the satisfaction." "He's no monster." "Yes, he is." "You're all alone?" "This big company just moved in and this whole valley's a graveyard." "The crops are alive, but the houses are dead." "There's nobody here but scarecrows." "And you." "And me." "How many bullets do you have?" "Just the one." "That's it?" "You don't have any more packed in a box or something?" "I'm afraid not." "Last shell in the house." "Don't worry, though." "He doesn't know that." "Can we go out a window?" "No." "I mean, I'd never make it with this leg." "You could climb out on your own." "But then I wouldn't be there to protect you, and that's just what he wants." "No, we're stuck here until help comes or he leaves." "Thank you." "No, don't mention it, Isabelle." "Just... just doing what's right." "Call me Bird if you want." "I thought you didn't like that name." "Depends on who's using it." "Well, pleased to meet you, Bird." "I'm Carter, in case you missed it." "It's a nice camera you got there." "What, are you taking pictures of the cemetery or something?" "Him." "I got a picture of him without his mask on." " Does he know that?" " I think so." "Well, that's great." "Give me the film." "Hey, tough guy!" "I was wondering." "Let me ask you." "What's with all the boxes, huh?" "Fixing to jump ship?" "Hmm?" "I bet you wished you'd scheduled the big move a day earlier, huh?" "So, hey, man, what happened to your family, huh?" "What, they up and leave your sorry ass?" "Is this a broken home I'm sitting in?" "Come on, badass, talk to me!" "Don't be shy!" "Shit, you can confide in me." "Whoa, whoa!" "Lookie here." "Soldier boy." "You're a soldier boy." "Damn good one from the looks of this photograph." "Look at you, all spit and polish with your shiny medals and your pretty ribbons." "Hey, where... where were you?" "Huh?" "Hey, look, I'm ex-military, too, man." "Black ops, you know, real jackal shit." "Where were you?" "Iraq?" "No, no, no." "Afghanistan." "Hey, Sar." "Greene!" "Hey, Sar." "Greene, as one ex-military man to another," "I salute you and thank you for your service." "Damn." "Nice-looking woman you had there, boy." "Real nice-looking." "Hey, you don't mind if I get her number when this is all over, do you?" " Just shut up!" " Hey!" "Shut your fucking mouth!" "Oh, come on, Sar." "Greene!" "I'm just fucking with you a little bit." "Ah!" "Ain't no need for you to get all furiously articulate on me." "Hey, uh, just wanna thank you." "Took the liberty of dipping into your little reserve." "I've been feeling nice and warm." "I hope you got something up there to keep the chill away, too." "Oh, and, uh, all bullshit aside, just between you and me," "I understand where you're coming from with all this, man." "I understand." "I got a little girl myself." "She ain't but... well, she can't be no older than the little lady up there and she means the world to me." "Uh, nothing I wouldn't do for that little girl." "I mean, that's why I'm in this line of work." "You know, I got a family that depends on me and I can't let one little loose end with a ponytail take 'em away from me, can I?" "I mean, you can't let her get in the way of you taking care of your responsibilities either." "Right?" "I mean, what's more important, the life of a stranger or... or the future of your family?" "You feel me?" " Take this..." " I mean, am I right?" " Put it in the back of the toilet." " In the toilet?" "In the... in the tank." " Put it in the tank." " Oh, okay." "Hey, let me ask you this." "You wanna see your son again, right?" "I mean, am I right?" "Well, you ain't wrong, mister." "But what you think I got to lose, man," "I already lost." "The kid stays with me, all right?" "Why don't you just go home to your own daughter, huh?" "No can do, partner." "No can do." "Once I sink my teeth into something, I don't pull 'em out till the thing is dead." "Yeah, you sure about that, pal?" "Now, I wouldn't bet on you lasting too long" " with that buckshot in your gut." " Aw, shit, man, by my standards this ain't nothing but a flesh wound." "Yeah, well, mine's a flesh wound by anybody's standards, so we'll just see who drops first." "Well, I got a feeling that that's gonna be you once I burn this motherfucker to the ground." "What you got to say to that?" "I'm way ahead of you, asshole." "Now, you know just as well as I do the kid's got a picture of you without your mask on." "You see, I got you, man!" "Film's in a safe place." "It's in a Ziploc bag under the fucking water." "You know damn well there's a decent chance that film will survive the fire for the cops to find." "I gotta think, man, that's well past the level of acceptable risk for such a trained professional as yourself." "You know, your sneering, condescending act really sucks right about now, soldier boy." "You should've stuck to the purehearted yokel bit." " That shit was working for you." " Whatever you say, chief." "Oh, I'm gonna break you into a million pieces, motherfucker." "A million tiny fucking pieces." "You wanna play with me?" "All right, then." "It's fitting to get ugly up in this bitch." "All quiet on the western front, kid?" "That's right." "Same as yesterday." "Same as every yesterday." "I tell you, I don't know how this place keeps itself together between my rounds." "Rookies eat their grits and like it." "Just swallow and smile, kid." "Hey, I got a question for you." "When are you old dogs gonna stop calling me "kid"?" "Until you earn your wings." "Don't take offense." "That's just how it is around these parts." "And how do I earn my wings?" "Well, you can start by getting your ass over to Clem Thatcher's place." "Them teenagers been messing around on his land." "Again?" "Uh..." "You see something, kid?" "It's probably nothing." "I'll get back to you." "Bird?" "Bird, I need a drink." "More water?" "No." "There's some other bottles up in the attic." "Aunt Jane gets angry when she drinks." "Yeah, well, I get angry when I don't drink." "Hey, just... go get me a bottle." " Where did you get that?" " I'm sorry." "I'll put it back." "Where did you get that?" "Put it back." "Put it back now." ""Mara,"" "I could never say this to you face-to-face even though you told me over and over again that it wasn't my fault." "Your eyes never hid the truth." "I killed our son." "I let him die." "I want you to know" ""that you did the right thing leaving me."" "You motherfucker." ""I hope one day you find it in your heart"" "to forgive me." "I'm so sorry I was so weak." ""Carter."" "God damn, Sergeant Greene." "That sure is a whole lot of apologies." "Exactly how many kids did you get killed?" "Don't look at me." "Don't look at me!" "Well, now I know why you had that cannon so handy." "You packed the place up, got drunk, then you stopped and thought about it." "Decided that life wasn't worth living anymore, was it?" "Well, hell... don't let this little fiasco with the kid ruin your whole afternoon." "By all means, go ahead!" "Act like the two of us ain't even here and blow your goddamn brains out!" "Whoo!" "Whoo, hoo, hoo!" "Oh, but, no, seriously, man," "I know where you're coming from, though." "I do." "Shit, she ain't your kid." "Can't turn back time." "Believe me, I done tried." "But you know I'm gonna win this thing." "Even Tombstone courage runs out." "You need to go ahead on and give in to the beast." "Send the little lady down here to me." "Come and get her." "Hello?" "Hey!" "You guys wanna order some pizza?" "I'm sorry." "No, don't be sorry." "I..." "I shouldn't have yelled at you." "What was your son's name?" "Sam." "You miss him?" "Every day." "I miss my parents, too." ""There ain't no quitting me."" "What?" ""There ain't no quitting me."" "Just something my dad used to say." "It always made me feel safe." "You think I'll see him when I die?" "Hey, don't talk like that, okay?" "Help will be here soon." "Don't say that, Carter." "I'm not stupid." "All right." "Maybe help ain't coming." "But I can promise you this..." "I won't let him get you." "You hear me?" "I won't let him get you." "You believe me?" "Why'd your wife leave?" "Me." "This place." "Reminded, uh, her of him." "I just wish... just... wish..." "I believe you." "Just keeping you on your toes, buddy." "Here, have another one." "How y'all doing up there?" "I could ask you the same question, you loose sack of shit!" "You know, you sound like a sick animal who's hunting around for a corner to die in." "You feeling kind of cold?" "Kind of weak?" "Yeah." "You're going into shock, pal." "Gonna die." "Soon unless you get to a hospital." "Fuck you!" "I'm fine!" "I ain't going nowhere till that little bitch is pushing up daisies!" " Period!" " That suits me just fine, mister." "Nothing bleeds forever." "Another few hours, you'll be lying facedown in a puddle of your own fluids." "Hey, don't worry, though." "I'll let your daughter know you died defending the future of your family." "Oh, outstanding, Sergeant Greene." "Out-fucking-standing." "You beat me at my own game." "You're a master of psychological warfare!" "Next thing you know, you'll have me tidying up the place and giving you a blowjob on the way out." "Brilliant!" " Sorry." " What are you doing?" "No film in that camera." "Yeah, it just makes me feel safe." "It's stupid, I know." "We all got our ways of dealing with stuff." "What?" "What is it?" "Shh." "Just reminds me... we got a problem." "How big?" "It's big." "There's a generator in the basement that runs the whole power, you see?" "I haven't filled it up in days." "It's running on fumes." "I don't understand." "It'll be night soon, Bird." "Without any power, the whole house will be pitch-black." "There's no way I can keep him from trying something in the dark." "Not with one shot." "What does that mean?" "It means I gotta get you out of here while it's still light out." "But your leg." "I'm not going with you." "I'm gonna help you climb out a window so you can run for help." " But you said that's what he wants!" " I know what I said, Bird, but things are different now, okay?" "You gotta trust me on this." "This is your best chance." "Okay?" "Oh, fuck." "Hey, is the, uh, shooting range on Red Pepper open for the fall yet?" "What's that, kid?" "The shooting range on Red Pepper, is it open now?" "Nope." "Why?" "I..." "I'm not sure, I, uh..." "I'm at the cemetery and I heard..." "What's that?" "What did you hear, kid?" "Kid?" "Nothing." "Uh..." "I'm gonna look into something." "I'll get back to you." "And stop calling me "kid."" "All right, let's go." "What if he realizes you aren't guarding the stairs anymore?" "We got the broken glass." "We'll hear him." "Come on." "Now, I want you to climb down on this roof, right?" "There's a crate." "Jump down on it." "Run like hell, all right?" "Hey, hey." "Even if he hears you, you'll be a little speck on the horizon by the time he gets outside." " I don't wanna do this." " Neither do I, Bird, but we have to." "We don't have a choice." " Come on." "Give me the camera." " No." "Come on, I'll take good care of it." "Don't you trust me?" "Come on." "Bird, I..." "Okay, keep the camera." "Come on." "Go." "That's it." "Stay low." "Okay, go." "Come on." "That's it, you got it." "Afternoon, Officer." "What the fuck?" "Shit." "Shit!" " Carter!" " What?" "He hid the police car in the hangar." "What?" "Where is he now?" "He's far." "He's walking back around the front." "Freeze!" "Put your fucking hands up in the air." "Hands up." "That's right." "It's over." "It's time for you to leave." "I ain't got my glasses on, but that looks like that same candy-ass 20 gauge you've been counting on this whole time." "Heavy on power, shit for range?" "That's all you got, ain't it?" "You got until the count of five to turn around and get the fuck off my property!" "You got to be kidding me." "You probably couldn't even nick me with that potty trainer from up there, let alone make a kill shot." "Hell, how many bullets you got left, Jethro?" "I got plenty!" "All right?" "Don't you worry about it." "I got six reloads waiting on your ass!" "Good God damn, six reloads?" "Whoo, you're practically swimming in ammunition up there." "Well, why not go ahead and try your luck?" "You might sink a pellet in my eye, take me down." "Come on, what you waiting on?" " Fire away!" " I'm not gonna kill you if I don't have to." "When I first got to this dump, you spit fire at me just to say howdy do." "Now you wanna play trigger-shy?" "I don't buy that for a minute." "Are you riding on just one shell up there, partner?" "You are, aren't you?" "And if you take the shot at me at this range and miss, it's over." "I don't think you can afford to take that risk." "Let's ask the little lady." "Five." "I ain't going nowhere." "You might as well save your breath, go on and shoot." " Four." " Look, I'm fitting to pull my pistol out" " and shoot you now." " Three!" "I suggest you either shoot me" " or get your ass back inside." " Two!" " One!" " Shit!" "I ain't calling you a liar, Sar." "Greene, but you got to be the most merciful man I ever met." "Hey, little lady." "I just wanna shoot you." "Hey, you made the right call, soldier boy!" "Yes, indeed!" "Who are you to gamble with that little girl's life?" "Let's see if you gamble with somebody else's." "Roll call!" "That's you, Enis." "Come on." " Tell us a little bit about yourself." " You sick son of a bitch." "Don't you disappoint me, hillbilly." "And speak up so the man upstairs can hear you." "My... my name is Officer Gerald Baker." "Jerry Baker!" "Oh, tell us about, uh..." "about the wife and kids," " two-cow garage." " I have a wife" " and a son." " Names, damn it!" "Give the man names!" "My wife's name is Linda" " and my son's name..." " All right, cut it out!" "This ain't gonna work!" "Just save yourself the effort." "You need to think about it, Sar." "Greene." "You need to think about it real hard, get your mind right, see?" "Jerry here ain't seen my face, just like you, which means, technically, he's off the hook." "Also, he's not hurt too bad, which means you can probably get him to the hospital." "But you're gonna have to do it right quick," "I mean, like, pronto." "You don't have the leverage that you think you do, asshole." "Fuck leverage!" "Do the math, dipshit!" "You send the little lady down to me right now, you're saving two lives in exchange for one." "Not to toot my own horn, but that's a hell of a bargain." "Fuck you!" "Okay, you heard it, Jer." "Have it your way." "Oh, quit your whining." "Hold on, hold on." "I got something here for you." " Here we go." " No." "All right." "That's it." "Oh, yeah." "That's it, that's it." "All right." "What are you doing?" "Stand back now." "Oh, God!" "What's he even doing?" "Go." "Get out of here." "Go." "Go upstairs." "Get upstairs now!" "Go." "Don't listen!" "Four down, four to go!" " Your thumbs get a pass." " Oh, you sick fuck!" "Listen up, soldier boy!" "What's it gonna be?" "!" "Me and Jerry Baker are waiting for you to send her ass down!" "You piece of shit!" "You're a piece of fucking shit, you know that?" "Sticks and stones, my friend." "All right, have it your way." "Stay with me." "It's just you and me." "Please stop!" "I was gonna start with the toes, but I guess I lost the stomach for the hard stuff." "Hey, listen, partner." "It's decision time." "Please, no." "Please." " Listen, man!" " No." "If you don't send that little girl down here with that film, and I mean right now," "I'm fixing to Jackson Pollock Jerry Baker's brains all over the motherfucking floor." "Man, you kill that guy, it's 'cause you want to!" "You're just looking for an excuse!" "You wanna kill somebody?" "!" "You go ahead!" "You got fucking brain damage!" "You're a sick fuck and you want to!" "Not because..." "A simple yes or no would've worked." "But, you know, you done really pissed me off, Jethro." "Matter of fact, you done lost all your conversation privileges." "Yeah!" "Radio silence starts right now!" "And it ends when you're ready to send the little girl down." "Well, that suits me just fine, asshole." "I'm sick of hearing your goddamn voice anyway." "Just do me a favor... when you drop dead, just do it real loud, okay, so I can hear it from up here." "Hey, asshole." "I don't hear him walking around anymore." "What's he doing?" "Let's find out." "All right, cocksucker." "All right, you win." "I gotta..." "I gotta get to a hospital, man." "You... you can have her." "You can have the girl, okay?" "You hear me?" "You win." "I'm sending her down, all right?" "Just..." "Just get the fuck out of here when I do, okay?" "He ain't down there." "He must've gone outside again." "I'm gonna sneak down there, wait for him to come back in, and blow him in half." " It's a trick." " No, no." "I just offered you up like he wants." "That trumps anything else he's got cooking." "He ain't talking back 'cause he ain't down there." "No, he's waiting for you!" "Get in the bathroom." "Lock the door." " Carter, don't go." " No time to argue." "Now get in there." "Go." "Now." "Don't come out." "Bird." "Carter, are you back?" "Hey, now, little lady." "Come on out." "Shit!" " Fuck!" " Fuck." "God damn, that had to hurt!" "Ow!" "Yeah, this just really ain't your day, pal." "Hey, you wanna think about packing it in and heading to the hospital, huh?" "Before somebody gets hurt." "Man." "Things ain't looking too good for you, buddy." "This is a lousy place for the end of the road." "Think this shit is funny, huh?" "Okay, hillbilly." "All right." "I'll show you how funny this shit is." "I've had enough." "Fuck the film." "I'll take my chances." "What are you doing?" "Wouldn't you like to know?" "Yeah, that's good, man." "Keep moving around, keep that blood pumping." "Wouldn't want you to lay down, close your eyes and never open them again." "Go fuck yourself." "What?" "Trying to help you." "Bleeding to death's not such a bad way to go." "You just kind of drift off." "Yeah, what dead motherfucker did you hear that from?" "You know, I'm surprised you haven't called for backup." "Backup?" "Ha!" "That little girl IDs me, it's my ass, not my employer's." "My witness, my problem." "I'm a contractor, mister." "A professional, huh?" "I don't lose." "I don't ask for help." "That's what keeps me employed." "Yeah, well, that's what's gonna put you in the ground, too, if you don't throw the towel in soon, buddy." "I mean, what the fuck are we doing, man?" "This is like a pissing contest for you." "Life ain't nothing but one big fucking pissing contest, soldier boy." "Ain't you been paying attention?" "Shit." "I don't die unless the motherfucker trying to kill me earns it." "You ain't earned it." "I'll be damned if I let some chickenshit like you take me out." "This ain't about me." "I'm not the guy you're fighting, am I?" "Yeah." "I think I'm starting to understand." "You'll never understand a man like me, chump." "Are you really the monster you want me to think you are?" "You don't have a daughter, do ya?" "Yeah, I got a daughter." "What, you think monsters don't breed?" "How do you get to be what you are?" "Oh, what the fuck is it with you?" "You wanna be my friend, you wanna be my shrink?" "Huh?" "Or did you just fall in love with the velvet baritone of my voice?" "Come on, man." "You wanna know, tough guy, huh?" "How you get to be like me?" "Oh, Jesus." "Oh, let's see." "Oh, yeah." "The first guy I killed, it broke me up a bit." "No, a lot." "I couldn't eat." "Couldn't sleep." "Couldn't even look myself in the mirror." "Then something strange happened." "Killed another fellow, I felt a little better." "Killed another fellow, I felt a little better." "Fellow after that, better." "Pretty soon, the more jobs I got under my belt, the easier I slept at night." "How many people did that take?" "I don't know." "I don't count." "Let's just say these days I sleep like a baby." "I don't know." "I don't know how you could live with something like that." "Well, something I read once, uh, stuck with me." ""He who makes a beast of himself..."" "loses the pain of being a man." "Well, we all got our ways of dealing with stuff." "Guess for you, it's killing people." "I kill 'cause it's my job." "I take orders." "You were a soldier, you know what that's like." "Don't pull that card, pal." "We don't kill kids." "I kill for two reasons..." "money and necessity." "I don't kill for pleasure," "I never have, I never will." "Why don't we roll out Jerry Baker and ask him how he feels about that, huh?" "That was an intimidation tactic, pure and simple." "But I'm gonna do whatever's necessary to get ahold of that girl, you know that." "She's gotta go." "You don't look the devil in the face without taking the ride to the bottom floor." "The devil?" "You really are fucked in the head, you know that?" "Oh, so now I'm crazy, huh?" "Well, one of us must be." "Carter." "What?" "You okay?" "What's the matter?" "I'm sorry I got you into this." "Got me into this." "Bird." "Hey." "Hey." "We were put together for a reason." "Lucky." "What took you so long?" "Hey, partner!" "Got somebody down here who wants to talk to you." "Go on, speak up, darling." "Carter!" "Mara!" "Bingo!" "Found her number in your phone." "Gave her a call." "Told her I was a friend of yours." "That I was real worried about you." "Mm-hmm." "That you needed to see her bad, but you couldn't bring yourself to make the call." "That's where I come in." "Being the close, loyal friend that I am." "This poor woman drove half the night to get here, ain't that right, ma'am?" "Carter, I'm sorry." "He told me you were drinking." "I was worried about you." " I'm sor..." " You hush now, hear?" "So, what's it gonna be, Sergeant Greene?" "Looks like we got our tiebreaker, huh?" "If you fucking hurt her, man," "I swear to fucking Christ you will never get this kid!" "You understand?" "!" "Somehow I doubt that, soldier boy." "But besides, she ain't seen my face yet." "Have you, darling?" "No." "Just like our old friend Jerry Baker." "You remember him?" "That's right." "If you don't send the kid down here, she's gonna get the same thing." "This time, I'm not gonna be soft about it." "You understand?" "I'm gonna do some real exploring." "Really open her up, see what she can do." "Now you get your mind right and you send the girl down here with that film, and you can have your wife back and y'all can get on back to your happily ever after." "How do I know I can trust you?" "You can't." "But if she was my wife," "I'd take the chance just the same." "And seeing as we're here on your property," "I'm gonna be real courteous and I'm gonna give you to the count of five." "Carter?" "Here we go." "Carter, you promised." "Five!" "Clock's ticking." "Carter, please!" "Carter, please, you promised!" " Four!" " You promised you wouldn't let him..." "Shh." "Shut up." "Here." " You take this." " Don't take too long!" "He tries to come up them stairs, you shoot him." "It'll knock you on your ass, but you'll hit him if you aim down the stairs, okay?" " It aims real wide." " Three!" "What?" "No, what are you doing?" "I'm gonna go see my son." " Carter..." " Shh." "Two!" "Come on, Sergeant Greene!" "Don't be stupid!" " All right, that's it." "One!" " No!" "All right!" "Okay." "You made the right choice." "I'm proud of you." "Now you come on, you send her down, you can have your wife." "Carter." "Are you okay?" " Are you okay?" " Shh!" "Well, not that it ain't nice to see your ugly mug, but what the fuck are you doing?" "I couldn't do it, man." "I can't send that little girl down here." "I can see that!" "Where's the 20 gauge?" "She's got it." "You want her?" "Go get her." "Are you fucking kidding me?" "All she's gotta do is aim down that stairwell and pull the fucking trigger, man." "And you're drunk and you're slow." "You'd be like shooting fish in a barrel." "That's brilliant." "That's fucking brilliant, soldier boy." "Just go home." " Go home to your daughter." " I don't have a fucking daughter!" " I fucking hate kids!" " What the fuck does it matter, man?" " You win." " You fucking coward!" "You didn't have the balls to make the call, did you?" "No!" "You gave up your responsibility to the little girl." "And you came crawling down here with your dick in your fucking hand to grovel like a dog for mercy?" "!" "Fuck you!" "I don't do mercy!" "I'm gonna do you both a favor" " and end your miserable fucking lives..." " No, no, no, no." " Right now!" " Hold on!" "Now come on, man!" "What the hell is that gonna solve, huh?" "I thought you didn't kill for pleasure." "Ain't you been listening?" "Huh?" "Have I been talking out my ass all motherfucking day?" "!" "I'd have told you I had prostate cancer" " if I thought it would help." " We haven't seen your face..." "Oh, no?" "Well, here!" "Now you have." "Nice to fucking meet ya!" "Carter!" "Time's up, kid!" "You need to bring your ass down here before I kill your brand-new daddy." "No, Bird." "No!" "You stay!" "You stay!" "Your choice, princess." "How many more people gotta die" " because of you?" " She's just a kid, for Christ's sake." "There's no way." "Attagirl." "Come to papa." "Bird, no!" "You stay up there!" " Go back!" " Oh, my God." "Damn, girl." "You know, you're about the toughest mark I ever had!" " Whoa!" " Bird, no!" "What the..." "Come on, honey!" "Honey, get back here!" "Where are you going?" "!" "We need help right away." "Please come right away." "He's been shot!" "We need an ambulance right away!" "Oh, hi, pumpkin." "Scary, isn't it?" "No." "Do it." "Do it." "A fucking dud?" "All this goddamn time." "A fucking dud." "Just do it." "What do you think I am?" "Some kind of monster?" "Carter?" "Carter, please." "Please." "Please what?" "Where's your camera?" "I guess I took it off." "Guess you did." "You saved me." "I'm just returning the favor." "You're gonna be okay, right?" "Don't you worry." "There ain't no quitting me."