The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Page #3

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lf l die over here...

...carry me back to my family...

...and bury me in my hometown.

l don't want to be buried on this side

among all the f***ing billboards.

l'll die before you will, l'm older.

Promise me.

We're here, right?

Go down to Ojinaga

and head south.

Then turn east and follow the sierra

until you come to Coahuila.

Then you'll come to a town

called El Toston.

Between El Toston

and El Nacimiento...

...there's a little place

named Jimenez.

lt's my home.

Ask for Evelia, my wife,

and explain things to her.

l'll just throw you in the trash.

You take me back to Jimenez, Pete.

You promised.

Come here.

Sit down in that chair.

l'll take them boots.

Oh, sh*t!

All right.

Let's go.

Oh, f***.

You f***er.

What did he leave

that uniform there for?

Tell us he's crazy.

What time did we find

this guy's wife?

About 9:
00 this morning.

Goddamn crazy son of a b*tch,

Pete Perkins.

What do you think?

l think the son of a b*tch is crazy.

Right now they should be

somewhere here headed for Mexico.

What about that

heat-seeking radar y'all got?

-lt don't work.

-They found four steers...

...in a canyon on the Cross Bar

diamond this morning at about 3:00.

-What about rangers?

-Told them we had it covered.

Be over by today.

Know what l mean?

There's 1 000 ways he can go.

That son of a b*tch...

...is so f***ing nuts

he might head to Canada.

We'll start with the Llano Largo...

...the Sierra Diablo

and the Arroyo Negro.

Where y'all going?

The rest of the

United States, l reckon.

Due what?

We'll head southeast

over to Alarid Canyon.

Where are we going?

There's nowhere to go, man!

We're not going up there, are we?

Sh*t.

Well, hell.

This is Frank Belmont.

What are you doing?

l'm at work.

Am I gonna see you today?

Yeah, all right.

Same time, same place?

-Yeah, l guess.

-Good.

Stop at the store

and pick up a pack of Kotex.

Sh*t!

Get out.

Get out.

Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!

What am l doing here?

Well, it's our duty, sir.

Shut up.

Where are you going?

He stinks, man. l can't sleep.

Get back over there

where you was at.

Hey.

Hey, you.

My name's Pete.

Well, Pete...

...the ants are eating your friend.

F***er.

Goddamn!

All right.

Get down and don't try nothing.

Who's there?

l don't speak Spanish.

What do you want?

We're friends. Wanted some

water for our horses.

Well, help yourself, then.

l like listening to this

Mexican radio station.

l can't understand anything...

...but l like the way

Spanish sounds, don't you?

Yes, sir.

Sounds all right.

Smells like something

dead around here.

l killed a deer a couple days ago.

lt's starting to turn.

Yeah? Well, you better

throw it away. lt's rotten.

l wanna keep the hide. You got

any salt l could use to cure it?

No, son. l barely got enough salt

to put on the dinner table.

You got any alcohol

or anything like that?

l got a jug of antifreeze.

Would that work?

Suck on this hose.

Them ants won't eat

him anymore after this.

You're crazy.

You're totally f***ing crazy, man.

Y'all come and eat!

Let us pray.

Dear Lord...

...we thank you for this meal...

...and for bringing me these friends

and our daily bread...

...and all the animals

and all the beast in the field.

Amen.

You live alone?

l've got a son that comes and sees me

every month and brings me food.

But it's been six months

since he was here.

What do you live on?

l got some things stored away.

Thank you.

-l'd like to ask you a favor.

-Anything you want.

l wanted to ask you...

...if you can shoot me.

My son ain't coming back.

Oh, he'll come back.

No, he told me he had cancer.

And he told me to

go back to town with him.

But l don't wanna go,

because l've always lived here.

Well, we can't do it.

l don't wanna offend God

by killing myself.

lt's a problem.

We don't wanna offend God either.

lt would be the best thing to do.

You're good people.

You need to go ahead

and shoot me.

You know, l'm innocent actually.

l didn't mean

to kill your friend, man.

He shot at me, all right?

And l swear to God,

really, if l could....

You let me go and l promise--

l swear.

l promise l will not press charges.

Where's that son of a b*tch at?

l don't know.

You ought to,

you've been f***ing him.

We don't talk a lot.

God almighty.

Get this horse off of me.

Get up, Bill, get up.

Come on.

Come on, come on, come on. Up.

Goddamn, Bill, get up.

Whoa, Bill.

F***ing motherfuck!

Sh*t!

Help!

Help!

Help!

-Good afternoon, sir.

-How do you do?

Sir, have you seen anyone

coming through this area...

...or in this general area

on horseback?

Like, maybe two men? Horseback?

Maybe with a couple

pack horses or mules?

l ain't seen anybody in 30 years.

All right. l am sorry, sir.

Have you heard anyone come this way

in the past few days or hours?

Are y'all cops?

No, sir, we're actually

with the Border Patrol.

Ain't no Mexicans

come through here.

We're not looking for Mexicans.

-No one come through.

-Are you sure?

Hell, no, l'm not sure.

But l don't think so.

Okay. Do you need anything?

No.

All right, we're moving out.

This way, hurry up!

Watch out.

That's a rattlesnake.

He's not gonna bite anybody.

A dead guy!

He's still breathing.

-l think that snake bit him.

-He sure did.

-ls he a gringo?

-He looks too f***ed up to be a gringo.

Has he got money?

l think it's too late.

Take it easy. l'm a friend.

-We didn't do nothing, mister.

-l know it.

-What happened to him?

-He was bite by a snake.

He's dying.

You know where

we can get some help?

l know a girl who is good with herbs.

Maybe she can cure him.

But she lives across the border.

ls it far?

The border is not far.

But la Migra is all around.

They are looking for a gringo

who kidnap a Migra agent.

You're the gringo.

Yes.

Can you help me get him across?

l don't want him to die.

Tomas, keep going with them.

l'll take the gringo to get cured.

l'm leaving.

You're leaving.

Yes.

l hate this place.

Maybe he'll come back.

l don't care.

He'll come back, honey.

l don't care.

The son of a b*tch

is beyond redemption.

l'm leaving him.

-Can you get us across?

-Yes.

But l've never crossed people

from this side to that side.

-Much less on horses.

-Okay, take us.

-What about the price?

-What price?

The price to cross you.

lt's 1 000 a person.

l don't have $ 1 000.

Three-thousand dollars.

A thousand for you.

And 1 000 for the gringo.

And 1 000 for the dead guy.

Sh*t.

l'll find a way to get across.

Okay, let's make a deal.

Give me your rifle...

...and your horse.

No.

All right, l'll give you the horse.

But not my horse.

-The other horse.

-And the rifle.

Just the horse.

Okay, done deal.

Okay.

This is where we cross.

-ls the water deep?

-A little.

No! No, goddamn it! No!

F***ing gringo bit me.

Sonofabitch.

F*** you!

F*** you, sons of b*tches!

What the hell is this on me?

You sons of b*tches!

F*** you!

l don't need this bullshit!

l mean it! l'm serious--

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