02x04 - The One I'd Be Waiting For

[bunniefuu]

(theme music playing)

♪ ♪

- (crickets chirping)
- (appliance humming)

(sighs)

(light switch clicks)

(floorboards creak)

(floorboards creak)

I always tell you to buy Fritos.

Aaron?

Is that you, sweetheart?

I hate those crusty cheese turds.

You're home.

I haven't eaten those since I
was in, like, the fourth grade.

I'm sorry.

I forgot.

(whispers) Oh, my Lord.

Like my new look?

Oh, sweet baby...

What happened?

Your preacher f*ck-toy set me on fire

and tried to burn the evil right
out of me, that's what happened.

I'm so sorry.

Are you? You sure you
didn't put him up to it?

How can you even think that?

'Cause I'm a shitty son.

'Cause I f*ck up your
life every chance I get.

Because I look like my
piece-of-sh*t father.

And you wish you'd never had me.

Aaron, that is not true.

Now the outside just
matches the inside, right?

I love you more than anything.

I have loved you since the day
you came into this world.

Two weeks late, broke my tailbone,
and I didn't even care...

because you were the one

that I had been waiting
for my whole life.

Shh.

(shovel scrapes dirt)

(distant dog barks)

How'd you know my father?

No, don't do anything to
try to be useful here.

I got this.

ANDERSON: Would you
just tell us her name?

Would you like to introduce yourself?

What's the matter, you
feeling shy today?

I'm sorry, fellas, Helen's
feeling a little shy.

(chuckles)

Before you said you stopped
it with my father.

What exactly did you stop?

Hmm?

He sure as hell does,
right around the eyes.

I don't know what the hell you're doing,

if you're f*cking with me or what.

Thirty years ago, this pretty
little wolf come to town,

with instructions for all them folks

who wasn't who they used to be.

Just like that white-haired m*therf*cker

did a couple months ago.

Your father, he's the one
who disrupted her playbook.

My father did that?

It shouldn't surprise you that a man
like your father would take 'em on...

The only thing I know about
my father is he abandoned me.

And my mother.

I think he figured out

y'all would be a lot better
off if he left town.

(phone ringing)

Patricia.

Hey, Reverend sh*t-for-Brains.

Aaron.

AARON (over phone):
Surprised to hear my voice?

No, I'm... I'm relieved.

Your mother was worried sick.

Yeah, that's what she said.

May I speak to her?

She's busy right now.

I just wanted you to know that...

she's been thinking about you.

I've been thinking about you, too.

Put her on the phone, Aaron.

ANDERSON (on phone): Aar...

(pills rattle)

Here. This should help.

Tylenol?

Why not chewable f*cking baby aspirin?

Feels like my skin's trying to
crawl right off my bones, Mom.

You ever think about Dad?

Of course.

Been thinking how I'm a lot like him.

(laughs)

God, he was such a sh*t.

You need to rest.

And then first thing in the
morning, we'll go to the doctor.

I used to hate being his son.

But lately I...

I realized I'm grateful.

Because I've been primed to
soak up all the dark sh*t

swimming around in this world.

You are a good person.

I will never stop believing that.

I know you won't.

♪ ♪

(vehicle approaches)

Patricia! Patricia!

(knocking)

Patricia?

(whispers) Patricia.

KYLE: Oh, sh*t.

(coughing)

- Patricia! Don't try and speak.
- (gasps)

Patricia, stay with me.

- (gasps)
- Patricia...

Yes, I need an ambulance.

Come on, now. Stay with me.
Patricia, stay with me.

A woman's been stabbed.

Patricia, stay with me.

- Patricia...
- (gasping)

PATRICIA (weakly): No.

ANDERSON (mutters): No...

No.

I'm so sorry.

(mutters)

♪ ♪

(country music playing over speakers)

Mom?

- Mom?
- Hmm?

How long are we gonna sit here?

I don't know.

Are we going home?

I thought you didn't want to be there?

Then where are we gonna sleep?

Here. Go get a sundae, okay?

You can have M&Ms or gummies.

MAN: Hey. What can I get for you?

MAN : All finished?

Hmm?

Yeah. I'm done.

HOLLY: They said they already
cleaned the ice cream machine.

Come on, let's go.

Come on.

(indistinct police radio chatter)

That boy was a troubled soul.

But I didn't think he was capable.

Maybe one of those things taken
hold inside of him, too.

No. No, that was all him.

Evil f*ck.

GILES: Either way, I'm
worried about you.

He called you. Bragging.

Wanted you to see what he did.

If there is another name
on his list it's yours.

Use me as bait.

In what world am I gonna use one
of my oldest friends as bait?

You just told me my name
was next on a list.

Now either you let me help
catch that little sh*t,

or you're gonna have to
lock me up in a cell.

Well, now the last time
you tried to help,

you b*rned a g*dd*mn
trailer to the ground.

So if those are my choices,

I think I prefer you to
go on down to the station

and sit this one out.

I'll make sure he gets there.

I don't have my pajamas.

Pretend like we're camping.

I would bring my pajamas camping.

Here. Wanna see if they
have Disney Channel?

Top stories tonight: rising gas prices,

the president's position in the polls
and the trouble with illegal immi...

- (changes channel)
- STEVE: Spring Harvest Dance now.

KLAUS: It's never too early to
start thinking about outfits.

I mean, I already know what I'm
going to wear to your funeral.

My Insane Clown Posse T-shirt.

- STEVE: That'll look great on you!
- KLAUS: Yeah, no sh*t.

- MAN: Trying to impress a lady?
- STEVE: Trying to impress all of 'em.

♪ ♪

He left her alive...

in all that pain...

just so I could watch her die.

(tires screech)

Where are you going?

Rev...

Come on, what are you doing?

(voice mail) Hi, it's Patricia.
Please leave a message at the beep.

ANDERSON: I got your message, Aaron.

Oh, sh*t.

The one you scrawled in
her blood on the wall.

- Jesus. Hang up.
- You want to hurt me? You want me dead?

You give it your best sh*t.

I'll be waiting for you at the church.

What the hell?

(tires screech)

You want to get out right now?

You don't need to be a part of this.

Rev, look, it is not your
fault that she's gone.

m*rder*d. Butchered.

Not "gone."

Okay, fine.

But making yourself a martyr,

it's not gonna bring her back.

Are you getting out or not?

♪ ♪

Get that damn thing out of my eyes.

Sorry. It didn't look like anyone was...

Did you find him?

No. No, not yet.

- But...
- Spit it out.

Patricia MacCready was m*rder*d tonight.

They said Aaron did it.

It's all hands on deck. The whole
force is out looking for him.

Well, why aren't you?

'Cause I found something else.

Get the hell in here!

I found her limping up the old highway.

She wouldn't tell me
how she got out there.

Well, what kind of sh*t have
you stepped in, Evelyn?

I was kidnapped this morning.

They locked a bunch of
us up in a metal cage

out at the salvage yard.

- They?
- Chief Giles and that junkyard hermit.

We would have been dead, Betsy and me,

except... Kyle Barnes
came and let us loose.

He said to tell you what
happened out there.

And that it wasn't just him
that you were up against.

And what'd you say?

Nothing.

- Nothing?
- I'm sorry.

I should have been more careful.

I won't let that happen again.

I want this place up and
running by tomorrow.

Unless you'd prefer to join your
late husband out in the leach line.

And what are you standing around for?

Get out there and find Aaron.

Changed the lock.

Like I'm some kind of petty thief.

Yeah, well, you did just
break into the place, so...

They sure didn't let the
grass grow under their feet.

Erasing every last trace of me.

Like I was never even here.

What now?

What are you doing?

All right, now, wait.

Not two days ago, you were
twisting yourself in knots

'cause you almost b*rned this kid alive.

If he'd b*rned, she'd still be here.

This isn't you.

Yeah, well, maybe it needs to be, huh?

The man I was was useless.

People suffered because of him,

because of his weaknesses,

- his naiveté.
- Rev, that's not true.

Evil needs to be rooted out, Kyle.

b*rned, crushed.

Who deserves to be on
this Earth more, huh?

Patricia or that little piece of...

So the ends justify the
means, no matter what?

- Well, maybe.
- That's bullshit.

Maybe your father was right.

Maybe his idea was right.

By k*lling a woman?

- Fighting.
- He didn't fight for me.

He didn't fight for my mother.

He put whatever crusade he
was on ahead of his family,

and look how that worked out.

If we take this too far...

if we lose ourselves...

then, Rev, what's the point?

Being a husband, being a father.

I mean, that's it.
That's why I'm fighting.

No matter what this fight
looks like in the end...

I won't let my family hate me for it.

(loud shattering)

Get back!

sh*t!

Come on!

(grunts)

- What's wrong?
- It's blocked.

Damn it!

sh*t. Kyle, come on!

sh*t!

- It's not opening!
- Get out of the way! Move!

- Go!
- No, go! I'll be right behind you.

- Are you hurt?
- No.

Are you all right?

- Is that the best you got?
- (coughs)

You went to all this trouble.

(glass shattering)

Well, here I am!

So come on, coward!

(sirens approaching)

Show yourself, Aaron!

(fire engine horns)

(TV playing indistinctly)

Holly?

(child crying)

Holly! What are you doing?

Get away from my daughter!

Whoa, relax. I was just giving
her change for the machine.

What were you thinking?

Never disappear like that.
Never talk to strangers.

(snickers)

What's so g*dd*mn funny?

I don't know, kid.

She doesn't really look
like a k*ller to me.

What?

She keeps going around
telling stories like that,

and someone might just believe her.

What did you say to him?

Holly, what did you say?

The truth.

There's nothing available.

- You know what? For you, let me talk to my manager.
- (door opens)

Oh, my God! This never happens.

- (door slams)
- He's making room for you.

What are you trying to do?

You want someone to punish me?

You want to go live with
strangers in some foster home

and never see me again?

Is that what you want?

Holly...

what happened was an accident.

It was an accident.

(crying) I...

I loved him.

It was an accident.

- (beeping)
- (keyboard clacks)

Any word on that MacCready boy?

No, Chief. Fire Department gave
the church an all clear though.

Sit your ass down.

When I first moved to Rome,

I wasn't made to feel
particularly welcome.

Had to buy house paint in bulk

to cover up the filth that was
written on our garage door

so Rose wouldn't see it.

I just figured it was the price
I had to pay to do this job.

This... man wouldn't stand for it.

He got up on Sunday morning and he
called those m*therf*ckers out.

And you earned my respect forever.

But when you lie to me!
When you don't trust me!

I got a short supply of friends, John.

I can't spare to lose you.

Especially when I can b*at you at poker.

Maybe we should make an agreement.

No more dipshit plans that we
don't tell each other about.

We're in this, together...

or we got nothing.

(bell rings)

(country music playing)

SIDNEY: I figured I'd find you here.

This place is your mistress.

Make sure you don't get
too seduced by it.

We're closed.

I had a... a municipal question.

The chief of police...
he's not elected, right?

He answers to you.

That's right.

So you allowed Giles and
his junkyard sidekick

to round us up like stray dogs.

I don't know what's worse.

That you were too stupid to see it,

or too impotent to stop it.

If you can't keep that police
chief on a short leash...

what good are you to us?

Patricia MacCready d*ed
tonight, did you know that?

Apparently, her son carved her to shreds

and left her bleeding on
the living room floor.

What a shame.

You think I don't know you've been
keeping Aaron MacCready as a pet?

I didn't say sh*t about it,
and now my friend is dead.

Your friend? Have a little self-respect.

Self-respect?

And you were the animal who's
been snatching little boys.

Mayor Boyd is a good person.

I happen to value what he gave me,

including his friendships.

This Officer Nuñez,

she seems like a real up-and-comer.

Smart, ambitious.

You know, if something
should happen to your...

your good friend, Giles,

I bet she'd make a sharp replacement.

Eager to please.

But I guess you'll have to decide

how much more blood on your
hands you can live with.

Megan?

Hi, Mom.

What are you doing here?

(sighs)

I didn't have anywhere else to go.

(on the radio) ♪ Oh,
mourner, let's go down ♪

♪ Let's go down, let's go down ♪

♪ Oh, mourner, let's go down ♪

♪ Down in the valley to pray ♪

♪ As I went down in the valley to pray ♪

♪ Studyin' about that good ol' way ♪

♪ Who shall wear that starry crown? ♪

♪ Good Lord, show me the way ♪

♪ Oh, sinner, let's go down ♪

♪ Let's go down, let's go down ♪

I like the old stuff.

♪ Let's go down, down
in the valley to pray ♪

I like to feel like...

I'm out of step with time.

(chuckles)

♪ Who shall wear this starry crown? ♪

♪ Good Lord, show me the way ♪

She didn't... believe him, did she?

My mom.

♪ Let's go down ♪

He was like me and she
thought he was crazy.

♪ As I went down in the valley to pray ♪

I don't know what to say.

It's a hard idea to swallow.

I mean, hell, you don't
even know what to believe

and you got the power to send 'em back

wherever the hell they came from.

Yeah, how do you stop them?

You and my father sent
enough of 'em back.

Would you look around?

Does it look like we
stopped any damn thing?

I mean, does it?

You tried.

It's what you thought you were doing

when you k*lled that woman. Right?

Thirty years ago, I lost
every g*dd*mn thing

that meant anything to me.

I was angry.

I wanted to help your
daddy wipe 'em out.

You can only stay angry for so long.

It never occurred to you
to come and see me?

Explain what the hell happened?

The only promise I ever made

was to try to make sure that
damn body stayed buried.

Other than that, not my problem.

You think what's going on in
Rome is not your problem?

I like the way my head
feels in the sand.

It's quiet in there,
just me and my thoughts.

No people, no problems.

Look...

your dad used to keep a
place over on Shadow Lane.

Now, I picked up the
option when it came up

'cause I thought he might
come back and need it.

You might want to look at it.

Your father's away on business,
but he'll be over the moon

to see Holly when he gets back.

What a darling girl.

Certainly would like to know her better.

I wish you would have
called us about Mark.

We had to find out about it
from people at Sunday service.

- Sorry.
- Well, your father and I are just... heartsick.

Mark was a lovely man.

I always considered him one of our own.

One of your foster kids, you mean.

They always meant more
to you than your own.

We were just trying to
do our Christian duty.

Taking in all those abused
and abandoned kids.

Offering them comfort and protection.

I just wish you would appreciate that.

And I wish you'd had a little
of that comfort and protection

left over for me.

We weren't perfect, Megan.

We made mistakes. We all make mistakes.

(sighs)

Well, Holly wanted to sleep in the den,

so I made up the sofa bed.

And there's another comforter
in the closet if you need it.

(phone ringing)

AARON: What, are you just
gonna sit there all night?

Huh? Were you hoping to finger
that cute dispatch girl

while everyone else is
out looking for me?

Say something, assh*le.

What do you want?

Well, you made me an offer.

Are you chicken-sh1tting out or what?

- (door slams)
- Reverend. Reverend, you can't leave.

- Where are you going?
- Tell the chief I'm returning to the scene of my crime.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(groaning)

(screaming)

(phone ringing)

Chief?

Is he with you?

Who?

Is Anderson with you?

No.

You kept your word. Points for that.

Take a picture, it'll last longer.

You did this to me.

You barbecued me into a circus freak.

It was a mistake.

That's a real comfort.

Thank you.

You know what it's like

to have fire licking up
the side of your face?

Not good.

How could you do what
you did to your mother?

Oh, you mean pull a
Kn*fe through her gut?

Leave her bleeding and
gasping on the floor?

Pleading for her life.

You meant everything to her.

So, you planning on punishing
me like a real man?

Or are you gonna p*ssy out and
smother me with forgiveness

just like her?

Your mother was a good person.

She thought you were a good person too.

(scoffs)

She had faith in you, and
nothing could shake it loose.

You sure f*cking tried, didn't you?

To turn her against me.

I can't undo what already's been done.

But I can honor that faith.

I owe it to her...

to try and pull you out
of this river of sh*t

that you've thrown yourself into.

You're gonna pay for what you've done.
You're going to jail.

At least you'll get a chance
for some kind of redemption.

No. Who says I want redemption?

Oh, this?

Oh, my dad used to point this at my mom

when he'd get really pissed at her.

Now, you really want to save me?

Tell me about how I can be redeemed

if I just cast out the
demon inside of me.

You don't have anything
inside of you, Aaron.

You're nothing more than
a broken little boy...

grasping at things that you
will never understand.

You know, maybe I don't
have a demon on board yet,

but I will.

See, I'm gonna be part of something
bigger than this stupid little town.

And we're gonna bring the
world down on your heads.

Pick it up...

and pour it all over yourself.

What'd you think, I was just
gonna sh**t you in the head?

Like some old dog with a broken leg?

No, that would be merciful,

and I'm not feeling f*cking merciful.

I want to see you burn.

(b*llet ricochets)

Now, I'm a better sh*t than
that, just so you know.

Do it.

All over.

(coughs)

You're a real pro.

You've had some practice.

I'm gonna light you up now.

Have any last words for me?

Or God?

No.

- (tires screech)
- (engine revs)

Huh? (grunts)

ANDERSON: He's armed!

- You okay?
- Yeah, I'm okay.

♪ ♪

(twigs snap)

(groans)

Oh...

Get up.

♪ ♪

(whispering) Dear God. Please forgive
me for being mean to my mom.

It wasn't her fault.

It was... the monster inside of her.

Please forgive me.

See what Grandma Jeanie found for me?

I just wanted to say good night.

Will you be here when I wake up?

Of course.

I don't want to be taken away from you.

Okay.

Please don't leave me here.

I won't.

I promise.

There is nothing more
important to me in the world

than you.

I love you so much.

You could... sleep in here.

Sure.

Grandma Jeanie said,
if I pray hard enough,

God will always protect us.

Well...

that's what she believes.

I'm gonna pray for you, so that the
monster doesn't get back inside.

I'm gonna pray for you
every second of every day.

(whispering) Please don't let
the monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the monsters...

♪ ♪

HOLLY (whispering): Please don't
let the monsters get back inside.

♪ ♪

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

♪ ♪

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.

Please don't let the
monsters get back inside.