Beyond the Reach

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You know I can't keep this, right?

Your grandfather made it for you.

To give to the man I love.

Come on, you won't miss me.

Practice at 6:
00 every morning.

Classes.

All those college guys.

Got to pack.

Meeting my parents for breakfast

before I hit the road.

What you got there?

I owe you for the necklace.

You know what it means to me.

- Do you have water?

- I'm gonna hit Roland's on the way out.

I could always just load up a

cooler, make you some sandwiches.

It's not that long of a drive.

Look, you know I...

Give me a safe arrival call,

all right?

Better pick up. Don't

want to hear the machine.

Ben, it's Joe.

Got a job here for you this morning.

Guy wants to go out to the reach.

Let me know if you can't

be here in an hour.

How many times have I told

you not to call me here?

Hey, it's me.

Look, I know I forgot

to say that I love you.

Well, I guess I just wanted

to hear your voice, so...

I'm sorry.

So you working through dinner?

Well, pick me a good

fortune cookie, huh?

Yang's still doing the negotiations?

All right, okay.

How many points you got left?

Still six?

Morning, Sheriff.

Ready to earn?

Yeah, black-tail or bear?

- Bighorn.

- Little early in the season, isn't it?

Seems he got himself a special exemption.

Got connections, I reckon.

- Some kind of big shot.

- Yeah.

He's paying a grand per day.

Kind of makes you overlook

the little things.

You got some crazy-ass dog

problems around here, huh?

The problem is coyotes.

They like the taste.

Yeah, yeah, no, we got the

same thing in LA, you know.

One of them would come down from the hills,

starts flirting with some

old lady's shih tzu, and...

lures it back up the hill

and bye-bye, shih tzu.

- He's it?

- He's it.

How old are you?

Old enough to be the best tracker

in the county, if not the state.

- Not quite, but I can get 'er done.

- Well, imagine that.

You know, I pull off 85 thinking I

found a good place to take a dump.

Hey, John Madec.

Ben.

Ben. Okay.

Just Ben. Let's roll, huh?

Wait a second. I need to see a

driver's license and harvest permit.

I took care of it.

He's good to go, Deputy.

Come on, we'll take my ride.

Sheriff, thank you.

Only one in America.

500K. That's not including tax.

Well, I guess it doesn't park itself.

- Mind if I check your rifle?

- No, no. Sure. Here.

Steyr Scout 308. Had it

imported from Austria.

It's got a Leupold scope. Best

glass you can get out of Sweden.

I've never seen one of these.

Most folks around here use

Brownings, Winchesters, Remingtons.

Mind if I take a look?

- So what's her name?

- Laina.

A real photograph. Not one of

those iPhones. Old school.

She's lovely.

Boy, a girl like that staying with you in

a place like this? You're a lucky guy.

Actually, she's in school up in Denver.

Oh, yeah? She's got some

wits in her, too, huh?

Full ride. Swim team.

Well, it seems like WALL-E

is definitely stuck here.

WALL-E.

WALL-E.

WALL-E.

EVA.

Yeah, I knew I'd get a smile out of you.

Hey.

Beyond this point, there will be monsters.

Well, I suppose this is

where you earn your money.

There's no reception out here.

It's a sat-phone. Full

terrestrial coverage.

No, that's right. 8:00 AM tomorrow.

Midnight Beijing time.

We'll try to wrap it all up.

If they complain, just

tell them Confucius says,

"Reset your fiscal year at one."

Some sh*t like that. I don't know.

Big deal?

Yeah, you could say that, yeah.

So you in finance or something?

- Insurance.

- What do you insure?

Finance.

300 million years ago,

all this was underwater,

submerged in an inland sea.

Well, I'm afraid I'm gonna

have to add to the erosion.

There's your bighorn.

Establishing a dominance hierarchy.

It's weird. They don't

usually go at it this late.

Women, they're good at getting your ire

up when all you want to do is sleep.

A lot of smart guys in college,

you know.

Smart guys who get turned

on by smart girls.

- You're not worried about that?

- Nope.

'Cause it's true love?

- We grew up together.

- Oh, so there's no mystery.

Exactly.

Exactly.

What was that?

That is a civilized man's dinner.

Well, you know, I suppose

you couldn't go with her.

But with all the glorious opportunities

that you have in this fine place...

It's a family business.

My parents were guides. Search

and Rescue for 20 years.

Yeah, until they came to their senses.

They died, right?

The sheriff called you deputy.

That makes the S&R paperwork easier.

Search and Rescue? You get

that much action out here?

There was a pileup on the highway.

So this old station wagon

tried to find a way around.

When the thing stalled,

they just left it.

A family of four.

And the thing is, they weren't

even a mile from the highway.

Of course they couldn't see

it 'cause of the ridge

or hear it 'cause it was still clogged up.

So they guessed.

Just headed out across the reach.

Well, they didn't get far.

It only takes a few hours

exposed like that.

The dad was about a mile from the car.

The mom, she had...

she had smeared lipstick on her kids'

faces to try to stop the burning.

Well, you know, at least

they put up a fight.

They killed themselves.

They took a chance,

they made their stand.

Oh, my God.

Come with me, Ben.

You want a single or a double?

What?

Single or a double?

No.

Let's go, Ben.

It's a local shooting gallery.

- What are you doing?

- I'm just warming up.

When you fire your weapon,

you frighten the game.

They're already frightened.

That's why they're being hunted.

You forgetting something?

Your brass.

That's your job.

You been hunting long?

Probably before you were

wearing Huggies, kid.

Your Steyr looks brand-new.

Well, I take care of my equipment.

Sounds like you have other people do it.

I'm no amateur, okay, kid?

And I've got the horns to prove it.

Rhino, elephant...

Trophies, huh?

So that's your thing?

Well, it sure isn't for the

company or the frills.

There ain't no greater exercise in boredom.

But you're right. I...

I bought this baby special when

I landed my bighorn permit.

Been waiting to fill that last

little space on the wall.

- You get a gender exemption?

- Yeah, dulled male only.

You mind if I just

double-check that permit?

You know what the odds are for

landing a bighorn license?

I sure do.

10 years.

10 years I've been trying to get one.

That seemed to satisfy your sheriff.

No, no, right. You know,

it's more time and...

you got your family business to maintain.

A tough economy.

All right, just Ben.

Meter's running.

You see anything?

Best tracker in the county, huh?

Well, the job is easier if you're quiet.

This may have been the easiest

money you ever made, buddy.

No! Oh, my God.

Jesus Christ, no! No.

- Charlie.

- God damn it.

Where'd he come from?

Jesus Christ.

God Almighty. Oh, Christ.

Is he dead?

Oh, God Almighty.

- Did you know him?

- Yeah, my whole life.

Okay. Okay.

- We need to take him to town.

- What?

- We need to take him to town, all right?

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