37 : The Shadow and the Prey (2024)

[bunniefuu]

Your alarm didn't go off?

Yeah. sh*t.

No worries. I'll tell them

you had to fill up.

Thank you.

- Hey, Saint Vincent?

- What?

Jeez.

STUFFED TOMATOES

VEAL BLANQUETTE

VINE LEAVES - KISSES

EGGS AND AVOCADOS - KISSES

BEANS COCONUT AND CHICKEN

FETA CAKE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Hello?

Dad, Roxane broke

my Bluetooth headset.

What?

My headset with the kitty ears.

I told her not to take it

and she broke it.

Lna, I'm working. Can't you ask

Mom to deal with this?

She's not here.

Dounia's watching over us.

I'm so upset.

I can't use it, it's broken.

It was a limited edition.

Auntie gifted it to me,

I'm so mad!

Put your sister on.

Roxane!

Dad wants to talk to you.

What?

For starters, it's not "What?"

You say, "Hi, Dad."

What happened?

Why did you break

Lna's headset?

- I didn't break it...

- You're such a liar.

- You think I didn't see you?

- It's not true!

First you didn't see anything,

and I already told you

I didn't touch it!

And you take it

to listen to your crappy music.

My crappy music?

Stop acting so grown-up!

Lna? Can you hear me?

Yes.

Did you see her do it?

What?

Did you see her break it?

No, I didn't,

but who else could it be?

Roxane, do you swear

you didn't do it?

I swear. I'm not lying.

Alright, it's settled.

Lna, let it go.

What? You always take her side.

No, but if she says

she didn't do it, I believe her.

If she's lying,

that's her problem.

- That's it.

- It's always the same!

Learn to deal with problems

on your own.

I've had enough.

Okay?

Stop lying,

you know you broke it.

I'm telling the truth.

I didn't hear you.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Hello?

Yeah?

You're 20 minutes late,

what's going on?

I had to stop somewhere,

but I'll be there in five.

Okay. I've found something

to complete your delivery.

It's 15 pallets of

children toys, that should fit.

Okay.

And I can't reach Fredo,

so tell him to call me.

Okay.

Leave them in the middle,

frozen food's in the back.

Hang on, I can't take this.

Is there a problem?

It's damaged.

Get me another one.

No can do.

It's the last one in stock.

You gotta take it as-is.

Fine. I'll write it down

on the delivery order.

I don't wanna be

held accountable.

I'll go talk to my superior.

You do that.

You've reached

Fredo's voicemail.

I'm unavailable at the moment,

but you know what to do.

Hey. Can I have a cigarette?

Got a light?

Hello?

Hi, Vincent.

It's Dounia, I'm with the girls.

Is something wrong?

Everything's fine.

Mlanie had an appointment.

She left them with me.

I just wanted to tell you

that a bailiff came by.

- What did he want?

- I don't know.

I told him you weren't home,

so he'll be back later.

Okay, I'll be there.

Thanks, Dounia.

You're welcome. See you.

Hey, wait up!

- Are you headed to Paris?

- Yeah.

I have an appointment

at Clichy Hospital.

Can you drop me off?

Sorry, I'm not allowed

to pick up hitchhikers.

My boss will be there

in 20 minutes.

I can't wait. I gotta go.

What about the damaged box?

That's okay, don't worry.

I'll take it as-is

and deal with the client.

Can you take off your shoes?

Don't take it the wrong way,

but do you have ID?

I have a residence permit.

Wanna see it?

No, it's okay. I believe you.

Sorry, it's nothing personal,

but I can get in trouble

for picking up

undocumented immigrants.

I know. What about you?

What about me?

Do you have your papers?

What's that?

Fritters. Help yourself.

It's good.

My wife made them.

Oh, can I put some music on?

The antenna's broken,

but there's CDs in the binder.

That's a lot of skulls.

Yeah, I'm mostly into metal.

Sorry.

Into what?

Metal. Really loud rock music.

Rough stuff.

Can't be worse

than this morning's driver.

He only listened

to cowboy music.

I couldn't take it anymore.

A truck driver?

Bald with big sideburns?

That's Fredo.

We work for the same company.

- Why didn't you stay with him?

- Not with his weird music.

What do you listen to?

I don't know. Music to dance to.

Rihanna, Beyonc, Aya Nakamura.

You know her? She's French.

My daughters love her.

Your daughters?

How many do you have?

Two.

And you? Is this your first?

- Do you know what it'll be?

- No, but I can feel it's a boy.

I see. What will you call him?

Bailo.

Bailo? That's a pretty name.

And you? What's your name?

Vincent.

Nice to meet you, Vincent.

Don't you wanna know my name?

sh*t, sorry. What's your name?

Thirty-seven.

Is that a real name?

I didn't choose it.

sh*t.

Hello?

- Are you still at the client's?

- No, I just left.

Have you seen Fredo?

Er... no, his truck was there,

but he wasn't in it.

When did you see him last?

I'm not sure. Early afternoon.

Was he alone?

How so?

In his cab. When you saw him

earlier, was he alone?

I don't get it. What's going on?

The cops just called.

He was found dead in his cab.

Apparently,

he was shot in the head.

Turn around.

They wanna talk to you.

Okay.

Are those your glasses?

Your colleague gave them to me.

Fredo gave you his Ray-Bans?

Oh, yeah.

There's one metal song I like,

but I can't remember the title.

It goes like this...

That's "Kryzalid"

by Midnight Prayers.

Yes, that's it. Do you have it?

I don't know.

Check towards the end.

What's wrong?

I don't know. I'll check.

It might be the brake system.

I'll take a look.

Ah! Can I borrow it?

I need to call the hospital.

Sure.

FORMAL NOTICE

PAST DUE

Emergency call center.

How can I help you?

I picked up a woman who might be

wanted by the police,

can you put me through?

Please hold

while I transfer your call.

LIFE INSURANCE POLICY

POLICY HOLDER: VINCENT DA SILVA

70,000 EUROS

IN GUARANTEED CAPITAL

She's a young, Black,

pregnant woman.

Where is she right now?

In my truck.

Please give me

your license plate.

WX-123-GU.

Sorry, can you repeat, please?

WX-123-G...

The brakes are working.

Shall we?

Didn't you forget something?

Your shoes.

What's that?

My medal.

"Saint Christopher, patron saint

of travelers, watch over me."

Is that a lucky charm?

Why did you take it off?

Can I have it back?

Let's play a game. If you win,

you can have it back.

But if you lose,

I'll toss it out the window.

Come on. My wife gave it to me.

You should've thought about that

before taking it off.

So? Can we play?

I can't.

I have to focus on the road.

Okay, fine. What's the game?

Guess what's in my bag.

You get three chances.

I don't know.

Your papers?

Wrong. I lied about

my residence permit. Try again.

Money?

Wrong again.

You gotta try harder,

Vincent. It's your last chance.

A weapon?

You win.

Do you recognize it?

It belonged

to your friend, Fredo.

He was so proud of it.

He insisted on showing it to me.

I don't like g*ns.

Manurhin. It's a French brand.

I used to have a drill sergeant

who loved French weapons.

He used to say, "They're heavy,

but they make nice holes."

What are you doing?

I need to fill up.

How long can you drive for?

I'm not sure.

A hundred miles.

Then let's keep going.

No, I'm not allowed.

I have to take a break.

They watch our driving time.

And I need to take a leak.

Go ahead.

No, I'd rather wait.

You mean you lied.

You don't really have to go.

We'll be up sh*t's creek

when we run out of gas.

When we do, I'll k*ll you.

What do you want?

Money? Here. Take it.

sh*t. That's all I have.

Here. Take this.

Wow. Is that real gold?

I don't understand.

What do you want?

You want me to help you

cross the border?

Or get you some papers?

That's funny.

Fredo said the same thing.

You k*lled him?

It's slow, isn't it?

Who's that?

A colleague.

Hello?

Vincent?

He's busy. Can I take a message?

I wanted to ask him

if he knew for Fredo.

Yes. He already knows.

Can you tell him we'll have

a get-together

at Relais Montfort tonight?

It's a roadhouse. He knows it.

Okay. We'll be there.

What? Don't you wanna

introduce me to your friends?

POLICE

You got nothing to hide?

What?

If they stop you.

Is everything in order?

Of course it is.

Except you busted my driver card

and they're gonna ask for it.

Then you'd better pray

they don't stop you.

Blow, please.

Hello, sir. Can you please

turn off the engine?

Driver's license

and registration, please.

I need you to blow.

I'm gonna have to ask you

to get out of the vehicle, sir.

You won't get out?

Keep your hands

on the steering wheel.

Don't hurt me, please.

Don't hurt me.

I don't speak French.

I don't have

anything to do with this.

He made me go into his truck.

I don't have

anything to do with this!

She's playing you!

She speaks French!

Calm down! Be quiet.

South Patrol to Dispatch.

Dispatch, go ahead.

We arrested a smuggler

and a migrant. We're on our way.

- Okay, copy that.

- I can't believe it.

What's wrong?

You okay, ma'am?

Ma'am? She's giving birth.

Get to the ER!

You'll be okay.

What are you waiting for?

Let's go!

sh*t. Help me!

Open up! Open up!

Help!

Open up! Open up!

Wanna know the last thing

he texted me?

A rib steak.

A picture of a rib steak.

Me, too. He used to send me tons

of pictures. Empty plates, too.

Yeah, he ate so fast

that he didn't have time

to take a picture.

- Check out what I found.

- A real vacuum cleaner.

Look at that face.

Show me.

Holy cow. He looks wasted.

That was the year

he won the dart tournament.

I wonder how he managed to aim.

Because I mean...

He must've seen double.

He was like this.

Fifteen thousand euros.

Who does that?

He invested more money

in his truck than his house.

Right, it was his baby.

It was like family.

But you know what? His truck

is gonna go to his funeral.

With a black suit.

Imagine his family's reaction.

I see you brought a friend.

She's a hitchhiker.

Remember what he did in Milan?

Oh, sh*t, Milan.

Just as he was

getting ready to leave,

he found a migrant

hiding in his truck,

among the frozen food.

You know what Fredo did?

He locked him inside.

The guy was only wearing

a t-shirt and shorts.

All the way from Milan to Rungis

at -4 F.

When the cops got to him,

he was hypothermic.

He was blue

and shaking all over.

That can't be true.

Yes, I swear on

his children's lives.

What's wrong?

Isn't it a ten-hour drive

between Milan and Paris?

Yeah, just about. Why?

If you ask me, at -4,

he wasn't shaking anymore.

He was dead.

Hold on.

Did I miss something?

- Do we know each other?

- I'm taking her to Paris.

Oh, of course. Makes sense.

Saint Vincent.

What is this place?

The Red Cross?

Come on, Carlos.

You're being a drag.

What do you mean? She shows up

and calls me a liar.

Even worse.

She's calling Fredo a liar.

He's either a liar or a k*ller.

Hey, guys. Easy.

Really? That's okay with you?

You let her insult

your friend's memory?

She's not,

she's just stating a fact.

Yeah, for f*ck's sake.

Calm down.

Sorry, but Fredo was no angel.

I'm not surprised

he ended up like he did.

All his run-ins

with the migrants,

it turned against him.

That's all.

Exactly. Maybe one of

her friends k*lled him.

Carlos!

What? How do we know

she has papers?

Wanna see them?

No, it won't be necessary.

Why not?

I like to know

who I'm drinking with.

What if Fredo k*lled himself?

What do you mean?

I don't know.

Maybe he went out

the Polish way.

Meaning?

When we were in Poland,

Vincent and I, we heard about

truckers who did that.

Guys were so ridden with debt

that they took out

a life insurance,

got into their trucks and boom,

drove off a cliff.

In the end, their families

got the insurance money

and their troubles were over.

Doesn't sound like Fredo.

He was nice and all,

but he wouldn't

sacrifice himself for anyone.

Maybe. You never know

what people are capable of

until they're cornered.

Right, Saint Vincent?

Please elaborate, because...

He never told you

how he got his nickname?

We should go.

Why? We're in no rush.

When Vincent started out,

we were riding together.

We'd spend entire weeks

in the same truck.

We couldn't stand each other.

I gotta tell you that back then,

Vincent only listened

to pop music.

Nostalgic and romantic songs,

that sort of stuff.

I converted him to metal.

That's all I made him listen to.

Poor thing.

His ears were bleeding.

Back then, I used to think,

"He's a sweet guy, but he's not

the sharpest tool in the shed."

If you catch my drift.

One day, we were carrying

chickens in Northern Italy.

We stopped at a restaurant

for lunch. What a trap.

All-you-can-eat buffet,

with pasta,

arancini, bruschetta, tiramisu.

The whole nine yards.

We pigged out and for how much?

Not even 12 euros.

Obviously, when it was time

to hit the road,

Vincent took a nap,

so I took the wheel.

But ten minutes later,

the digestive process

had me falling asleep.

When I opened my eyes

we were in a ditch.

Our trailer was busted.

Half the chickens were dead

and the other half

cackling chaotically.

But us, miraculously,

we were unscathed.

Not a single scratch.

Sirens started blaring.

The firefighters

and the police were coming.

But there was one problem.

I remember that I'd had

two or three glasses of Prosecco

before taking the wheel.

I saw everything

flash before my eyes.

My license suspended,

being laid off.

I was gonna be stuck

sitting on my couch.

Meaning that three days later,

I'd blow my head off.

And that's no figure of speech.

So there I was,

my face in the airbag.

And I started crying

like a baby.

Poor Vincent didn't know

what was happening,

so I told him.

And you know what he did?

This is a kid

who was just starting out

and who barely knew me.

He switched places with me.

He told the cops he was driving.

It was his first year

with the company,

he almost got fired.

He got maximum penalties.

But he bit the b*llet

and never said a word.

All that for an old hag

he couldn't stand.

I don't know many men

capable of such a sacrifice.

Hence... Saint Vincent.

That's bullshit.

- What?

- Bullshit, I'm telling you.

BREAKING NEWS

Wanna know who made

the biggest sacrifice that day?

FOUR POLICEMEN k*lled

The chickens!

Damn right.

They didn't ask for this.

Look, I even kept some feathers

as a souvenir.

f*ck it! Too bad for them.

Where are you going?

To take a leak. May I?

Here,

let's drink to the chickens.

- And to Fredo.

- To Fredo.

You've made me hungry

with your arancini.

sh*t.

Wanna dance?

In memory of Fredo.

You think he's the dad?

Why?

Wanna be the baby's godfather?

Don't mind them.

They're making fun of us,

but I'm sure they'd wanna

trade places with you.

Gladly.

You'd like that?

Switching places?

I can switch drivers,

if you want.

I'll ask them to take me

to Paris while you go home.

Back to your wife and daughters.

What's your game?

What? Don't you wanna go home?

Go ahead. Choose one.

No?

You sure?

I think they're right.

Maybe you like

sacrificing yourself.

Or maybe...

you wanna stay with me.

That's probably it.

I found your insurance papers

in the glove compartment.

Your family will get

70,000 euros if you die.

What were you planning?

Go out the Polish way?

Right? You wanted to sacrifice

yourself for your family?

That's beautiful.

A little too much

to be true, though.

Seems to me

you're hiding something.

Do you need forgiveness?

Or maybe you have

a guilty conscience.

Seriously? You're gonna lecture

me after k*lling five people?

Okay, you're right.

I'm no saint.

At least I don't pretend to be.

I can feel it when someone

doesn't have a clear conscience.

How? You're a shrink?

No. My grandma was into voodoo.

Yeah. She could guess people's

crimes just by looking at them.

Maybe I inherited her gift.

Wanna give it a try?

I'm sure you'll like it.

If I get it wrong, I'll go.

I'll leave you alone,

you and your friends.

I promise.

But if I get it right,

not only will I k*ll you,

but I'll track down

your wife and girls

and tell them what you did.

Vincent, Vincent, Vincent...

What have you done?

I see something.

It's nighttime.

I see a road.

A sign.

It's blurry.

I have to get closer

to be able to read.

It says...

"Zaragoza."

Well done.

Come.

Thirty-one.

Thirty-two.

Thirty-three.

Thirty-four.

Thirty-five.

Thirty-six.

Thirty-seven.

Thirty-seven!

There you go.

Who did the wiring?

- Let it go.

- It's a guy I know.

- It's back on.

- Maybe, but...

Stop bothering her, goddammit.

I'll call him.

- I'm telling you, some people...

- It's okay.

Check the fuse.

Hang on. There.

f*ck.

f*ck!

You're leaving

without saying goodbye?

I gotta go.

You want me to take the girl?

I don't mind.

We'll have some girl talk.

No, it's fine. I'll take her.

Here. I saw you lost your shoes.

Take my Crocs.

How are you holding up?

Please drive safe, okay?

I'll call you tomorrow morning.

You promise?

Don't forget to give them back.

I really like them.

Look, I heard the story,

but it has nothing to do

with me.

Turn here.

DETOUR

Can I at least call my wife?

What's her name?

Mlanie.

Hi, you've reached

Mlanie Da Silva.

I'm unavailable,

but leave a message

and I'll call you back.

Hi, it's me.

I just wanted to let you know

that I'll be home late.

I still have a long way to go.

Don't wait up.

Love you, honey. Take care.

She's pretty.

And a good cook.

She'll surely remarry.

Hello?

I missed your call.

Are you okay?

I'm fine, and you?

I'm exhausted.

I just put the girls to bed,

they were insufferable.

I don't know

what's gotten into them,

but they're always fighting.

It's a nightmare.

It'll pass.

Yeah, well...

I think it's just the beginning.

I tell you, if that's what

the teenage years are like,

I'm not up for them.

By the way,

I had the fritters today.

They were delicious

with tartar sauce.

Bearnaise.

What?

It was a bearnaise sauce.

Oh, okay.

I thought it was a tartar sauce.

Vincent, I'm pregnant.

Are you still there?

How long have you known?

Three weeks.

I went to the doctor's today

to set a date for the ab*rtion.

- What?

- I wanna take the medication.

I don't feel like

going to the OR.

Don't you wanna keep it?

Vincent, we talked about this.

With our mortgage

and the money we owe my brother,

I just can't do this.

You still there?

If we had the money,

would you keep it?

Don't.

Just answer me.

If we had the money,

would you keep it?

Stop it, Vincent. Just stop.

What are you gonna do?

Get a second job

so the girls see you even less?

Is that what you want?

You're never here, Vincent.

That's the real problem,

not the money.

I'm tired.

I gotta go. Roxane just woke up.

Okay.

See you later.

See you later.

You know what I was thinking

when I was in the trailer?

I was thinking,

"If I make it out alive,

I'll call him Bailo."

It's a lucky name.

And it's pretty.

We were all there,

cramped together in the dark.

I needed to pee.

And I kept

repeating it to myself.

"If I make it out alive,

I'll call him Bailo."

After a while, we started

having trouble breathing.

So we banged on the sides,

hoping they'd pull over.

We screamed, we called out.

And them...

do you know what they did?

They put music on,

so they wouldn't hear us.

I tried to slow down

my breathing to last longer.

But I must've fainted,

because when I came to...

I was in a ditch.

Along with the others.

Except they were all dead.

They tossed us out

like garbage bags.

I managed to get

out of the ditch.

I found a pharmacy

where they took care of me.

A doctor came.

He was really old.

He was leaning over me

with his device,

trying to hear the baby's heart.

It was taking him so long.

I was thinking,

"Jeez, is he deaf or something?"

Until it dawned on me.

I realized

he couldn't hear anything.

Because there was

nothing to hear.

They said he probably died

due to the lack of oxygen

and that I would expel his body

in the next few days.

When they told me that,

you know what I heard?

I heard,

"That's the time you have left

to find those

who did this to you."

Get out.

Tie yourself to this.

What are you doing?

Where are you going?

What are you gonna do?

Wait. I'm telling you,

it's not me.

I didn't do anything.

I'm sorry

for what happened to you.

I can't even imagine

what you've been through.

I'll show you, then.

No. No!

It took me five days

to find you guys.

I started with Fredo.

The cowboy.

When I came up to him,

he didn't even recognize me.

And then I found you,

Saint Vincent.

I hadn't seen your face.

But I remembered

your license plate.

AO-936-GZ.

What's that?

There are two license plates.

You saw the one on the trailer,

in the back.

They're two different plates.

I wasn't driving

the trailer that night.

Who was, then?

I don't know.

You'd have to ask the warehouse.

You have to wait

until the morning.

It's closed at this time.

What are you doing?

Wait, where are you going?

What are you doing?

Don't! Don't!

The thermostat is set to 5 F.

Hey! Stop! Stop!

Open up! Open for f*ck's sakes!

Open the door, come back!

f*ck. What the hell is this?

f*ck!

Okay.

Where are the batteries?

sh*t. sh*t. Okay. Okay.

Can anyone hear me?

Do you read me?

I'm locked inside my trailer

near the railroad.

It's getting very cold.

I'm gonna freeze to death.

Hello?

Hello?

Hello, can you hear me?

Hello?

Hello? I'm stuck...

inside my trailer.

Near the railroad.

Can you please come and get me?

I... don't speak French.

Hey, handsome.

Hi. Can I get a lager for me

and a porter

for my friend, please?

Your Spanish is good

for a Frenchman.

My grandparents were Spanish.

Really? From where in Spain?

Catalonia.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Mine, too.

Are you enjoying the view?

Moron.

Hey, seorita.

- Yes?

- A virgin mojito, please.

You got it.

When did you quit drinking?

My wife put me on a diet.

I don't fit in my jeans anymore.

That barmaid

could make you do anything.

What? Don't you get ideas?

Not me.

Right, you don't flirt.

You're Mr. Clean.

How long have you been

with Mlanie?

Fifteen years.

And you never cheated on her?

Nice.

Did it ever cross your mind?

Of course,

but I don't wanna hurt her.

We're in the boonies,

she'd never find out.

That's not the issue.

I just couldn't look at myself

in the mirror.

I'd be too ashamed.

Two beers and a mojito.

Here for you.

- Thanks.

- You're welcome.

Mirrors can be a real

pain in the a*s.

Imagine what we could do

if they didn't exist.

What if I told you

we could make half a month's

salary in one night

without changing our itinerary?

What would you say?

What's your plan?

You wanna smuggle bottles again?

No.

It's not about bottles

this time.

How many?

About thirty.

You're okay putting 30 people

in 300 square feet?

It's not the Eurostar,

that's for sure.

But if you ask me,

they're pretty desperate.

They wanna get to Calais

and that's where we're going.

Just think of it as carpooling.

They're people like us

who wanna feed their families.

If you don't want to,

no big deal.

I'll just ask Patti.

We'll tell Garcia

we switched trailers.

We'll think of something.

And this way, you'll be able to

look at yourself in the mirror.

She'll never agree to it.

Wanna bet?

You think you know her

that well?

It's gonna happen,

with or without you.

So are you in or out?

Sir?

Sir?

Madam.

You okay?

Sir, are you okay?

Goddammit.

sh*t.

- Hello?

- Hello?

It's Vincent.

I need you to come get me.

Yeah, no worries.

Your friend told me.

What friend?

Your hitchhiker.

She's here with me.

We're at the gas station.

I'll fill a jerrycan

and be on my way.

- What?

- Wait, I'll put her on.

- Patti, don't.

- Here. It's Vincent.

Hi, Vincent. How are you?

What are you doing?

I'm with Patti. We're coming

to get you. See you soon.

Do you have a car?

sh*t. Here.

Patti...

Thanks.

SECURITY

What would you listen to

if you were about to die?

You sure know

how to liven things up.

I don't know.

Not country music,

that's for sure.

I'd listen to this.

Can you turn it down?

You okay?

Hey, honey. You're not giving

birth in my truck, are you?

sh*t. Vincent.

- Run. Run!

- Are you hurt?

What?

Get out of here, goddammit!

What?

Don't do it.

On your way back

from Zaragoza last week,

what were you carrying?

f*cking stop.

In your trailer

what were you carrying?

Oranges?

Stop! She didn't do it,

for f*ck's sake.

It's me.

It's me. I was with Fredo.

She had the trailer.

It's written on here.

She was covering for us.

She didn't know.

I'm the one who was driving.

Why didn't you open the doors?

Why?

Why did you let us die?

We had just crossed the border.

There were cops everywhere.

We got scared.

I'm sorry.

He's lying.

I'm the one who was driving.

He's bullshitting you.

Why would he do that?

Because he's an idiot.

He thinks he can save everybody.

He's a f*cking rescue dog.

Patti. Don't do it.

Shut your mouth!

What were you listening to?

When we were

banging on the sides,

what were you listening to?

"Kryzalid."

By Midnight Prayers.

Everything will be okay, love.

I'm so grateful.

Mom is here.

Mom is here.

Everything will be okay.

My life, my love.

Bailo.