Winter's Bone Page #2

and l ain't gonna go around

asking after him, neither.

Ree, you still planning to join the Army?

No, l don't think l can anymore.

- Listen.

- [grunts]

[gasps]

Hm?

No.

[gasps]

[Victoria]

She needs help.

[Teardrop]

Nope. Listen.

Listen.

You tell that girl to stay close to home.

Don't move.

Give her this.

You send her ass on her way right now.

Teardrop says you best keep

your ass real close to the willows, dear.

- He hopes this helps.

- [money crinkles]

Here's a doobie for your walk.

Thank you.

[Woman]

Hey.

What's your business here?

My dad's Jessup.

He's pals with Little Arthur,

and I gotta find him.

Hold on.

[door closes]

My name's Megan.

And l do know you, really.

I seen you at some of the reunions.

I knew Jessup when I seen him, too.

Never did talk with him much.

You knew him?

Knew him when I seen him

around, I mean.

He does stuff l hear about.

- He cooks crank.

- They all do now.

You don't even need to say it out loud.

[Megan]

If Arthur's been running

on crank for a day or two,

you shouId just leave, okay?

l knew it.

l been in your dreams,

ain't l, little Ruthie?

lt's Ree, you a**hole.

l'm only out to find Dad.

Come on in, ladies.

[makes kissing sounds]

This don't gotta take long, man.

l'm looking for Dad and thought maybe

you'd been seeing him.

Maybe you two been getting

into stuff together again.

Not since the summer,

at ya'll's place.

You ain't seen him nowhere since then?

Uh-uh.

He kept leaving

the house, going some place.

You don't know where?

You got cat sh*t in your ear, girl?

I've got them two kids

and my Mom to tend, man.

l need him.

If I see the dude, I'll tell him you said

that.

[Megan]

Your dad left you to do all that?

That's f***ed up.

Well, he had to.

The way things go, you know.

You want a line?

No.

You wanna blow some smoke?

No.

[slams table]

Then l guess l got nothin' for you.

Go on.

Don't tell nobody it was me

who told you this, okay?

[distant gunshots]

But you're going to have to go on

up the hill

and ask for a talk with Thump Milton.

Now, l hope he'll talk with you.

He generally won't.

That man scares me

way more than the rest.

Well, scared ain't a bad way

to be about him, neither, hon.

He's my own grandpa,

and l still make damn sure

l never piss him off none.

You go see Thump.

[faint gunshot]

Go on.

[dogs barking]

You got the wrong place, I expect.

Who might you be?

l'm Ree.

My Dad's Jessup Dolly.

You ain't here for trouble, are you?

No, ma'am.

'Cause one of my nephews is Buster Leroy,

and didn't he shoot

your daddy one time?

Yes, but that ain't got

nothing to do with me.

They settled that theirselves, I think.

Shooting him likely settled it.

What is it you want?

I got a real bad need to talk with Thump.

And he ain't got no need to talk to you.

But I need to.

I really, I really, really

got to, ma'am, please.

Some of our blood at least is the same.

Ain't that supposed to mean something?

Ain't that what is always said?

Ain't you got no men could do this?

No, ma'am, I don't.

You go wait in the yard

somewhere by that coop,

and l'll tell Thump you're here.

Thanks.

Come on, already.

He ain't likely to have time for you, child.

l've got to talk to him.

If he don't know, nobody does.

Nope.

Talking just causes witnesses,

and he don't want for any of those.

l'll wait.

You need to get yourself on home.

Here, drink it down and be on your way.

Thanks.

Thump knows you were in the valley, child,

with Megan, and at Little Arthur's.

He knows what you want to ask,

and he don't want to hear it.

And that's it?

He ain't gonna say nothing to me?

lf you're listening, child,

you got your answer.

So I guess come the nut-cutting,

blood don't really mean sh*t

to the big man.

Am I understanding that right?

Don't you dare.

Don't.

I want you to listen to me, child.

You need to turn around,

and get yourself on home.

Don't you make me come

out here and tell you again.

Ashlee Dawn, come inside.

Bring Brownie and Cupcake.

[banging on door]

[Man]

Ree, get out here!

Do you know there's people going around

saying you best shut up?

People you ought to listen to.

- Get your ass in the truck.

- Don't touch me.

- Get your ass in the truck.

- Get off!

Get in the truck.

Hey!

Would you rather I hit you, boy?

Sonny, get back in the house.

Cook them taters till they're brown,

then turn the stove off.

- Don't hurt my sister.

- Sonny!

Having balls is good, boy.

Don't let 'em get you hurt.

Sonny, get in the house.

Get your dumb ass in the truck.

- I'm not getting in there with you.

- Get in the truck.

There's something you need to see.

Jessup and me

may have had our tussles,

but he was my cousin.

It's always a bad deal

when these things blow.

Where are we going?

- Down the road.

- Down the road to where?

To someplace you need to see.

This right here is the last place me

or anybody seen Jessup.

He never blew no lab before.

I know it, but something

must have jumped wrong this time.

He's known for never f***ing up labs

or cooking bad batches.

He's known for knowing

what he's doing.

Well, you cook long enough,

this is bound to happen.

You're saying Dad's up there

burnt to a crisp?

That's what I'm saying.

l'm going up for a look.

No! That sh*t's poison.

lt'll rip the skin off your bones.

lf Dad's up there,

l'm bringing him home to bury.

Ree!

Ree, l know losing Jessup

leaves you all hurting over there.

l know it's a lot to handle.

We'll make do.

Sonya and me talked about it.

We feel we could take Sonny

off your hands.

Not Ashlee, I don't reckon,

but we could take Sonny.

You what?

We could take him and raise

him up the rest of the way.

My ass you will.

We'd raise that boy way better

than you and that

nut-job mama of yours can.

Maybe on down the line

we'd take Ashlee, too.

You go straight to hell, you son of a b*tch.

Sonny and Ashlee will die

living in a cave with me and Mama

before they spend one night with you.

God damn you.

You must think I'm a stupid idiot.

There's weeds growing

chin high in that place.

lt must have been a year

since that place blew.

Come here, look at this.

Ash, quit playing around. Come here.

This trigger shoots this barrel.

Now, there's hardly ever

gonna be a time where you need both,

but if you gotta kill something

big and mean, then you use both.

Now, this gun is what

you'll use when you're older,

but this one is the gun I learned on.

This is Daddy's squirrel gun.

Now, the most important thing is

do not put your finger on the trigger

unless you're ready to shoot,

you're aimed at your target.

And don't ever-- both of you look at me--

never point this at each other, not ever.

All right?

Kneel down like you're praying.

Yeah, just like that. Yup.

You see that cross?

lt's called the crosshairs.

Aim that up with the middle

of your target,

and when that's lined up in the middle,

then you squeeze

the trigger and you shoot.

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