This Bloody Country (2025)

[bunniefuu]

[whooshing]

JOSIAH BALLARD:

Heavenly Father, we thank you

for guiding this family.

We know we can

never truly know

the fullness of your plan.

We trust you will

lead us through

whatever is to come.

[flintstone clacking]

We ask for your continued

guidance and protection...

...as we pass through

our valley of darkness.

We ask that you bless this

family and our journey.

"And he spake many things

unto them in parables,

saying, 'Behold, a sower

went forth to sow...'"

JOSIAH: That we may continue

to serve you,

and spread your word.

In the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

[r*fle clicks]

- Amen.

- [g*nsh*t]



We ask you,

Heavenly Father,

as we commit his body

to the earth,

that you take our son,

Joshua, to your bosom,

and hold and keep

him there forever.

In the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Amen.

[crying softly]

[birds and insects chirping]

[thunder crashing]

[crickets chirping,

fire crackling]

[muttering]

[g*nsh*t]

JOSIAH: Heavenly Father,

we thank you for this bounty.

In the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Amen.

ALL: Amen.

[softly]

Beans, beans, beans.

I must apologize, Mr. Campbell,

for the vittles.

I'm afraid my Lilith

isn't much of a cook.

Why the good Lord saw fit

to bless me with her,

I know not.

But I suppose He has a plan

for each one of us.

Fine by me.

JOSIAH: Well, just the same,

you could do with some meat,

undoubtedly.

As could I.

I suppose I could sh**t

some game.

Maybe a--

a hare or sage hen.

I don't expect to find

much more out here.

Grab the r*fle.

- Me?

- Yeah, second set of eyes.

Well, that might be

a bit imprudent.

Nathaniel doesn't have

much know-how

when it

comes to firearms.

Well, time to learn.

Can't expect me

to do all that.

Oh, you may have to.

He won't be much help.

Nathaniel is like

his mother was.

Foolish and a bit soft.

I'm not trying

to be difficult,

but that's

not what I'm paid for.

I'm happy to help.

Other people need to pull

their weight.

You're saying we aren't?

Not at all.

Just saying Nathaniel here

seems capable enough.

Shouldn't take long

to bring him up to speed.

And this can be pretty

dangerous country.

Wouldn't hurt to have

a second hand on a r*fle.

Mr. Campbell.

A word.

Mr. Campbell,

I'd thank you not to mention

such things in front of...

- In front of the children.

- Oh.

Well, all the same,

be good to have

another sh**ter in case.

And in the future,

I would like you

to run such ideas

by me, first.

But if you're itching

for a headache,

who am I to intervene?

Go on, then.

You'll clean that r*fle

when you get back.

Okay now, you don't

have all night.

Eat your dinner,

get these dishes cleaned up.

The children need to get

to their Bible studies.



NATHANIEL:

Think we'll get anything?

NED CAMPBELL:

I reckon we'll see.

So is it Nathaniel or Nat?

Oh, I like to be called Nat,

but he never does.

It's always Nathaniel.

Hard man, your father.

Oh, he ain't my father.

People always assume that

on account of the

age difference.

He's my brother.

I suppose he is

a hard man, Josiah.

But he's a good man.

The Lord

is strong with him.

He knew the prophet,

and was with him

at the beginning,

and the end.

At any rate,

I owe him my gratitude.

Our father wouldn't

recognize me.

My mother was a...

My mother couldn't keep me.

But Josiah took me in,

and raised me.

I suppose

he's the closest thing

to a real father I had.

Mr. Campbell?

Ned.

Ned, okay, um...

How come is it

you're guiding us?

You're English,

ain't you?

Australian.

It's like a...

British colony of sorts.

Far, far away, other side

of the world.

Still, how is it

you're guiding us?

How come you know the way?

Well, I've been

in this country

for a long time.

Used to do security

for Wells Fargo stage.

Been all over this

bloody country.

Heard of the Pinks?

Well, yeah, of course.

Are you a Pinkerton?

For a while.

How come you ain't

no more?

Got too old is the

easy answer, I suppose.

Look here.

I'm taking you, so it's going

that way anyway, all right?

And I know

how to get you there,

but mostly because your church

paid me very, very well.

I'm handy with

one of these in a pinch,

and that's about

all you need to know.

Listen, we're not gonna

catch anything

if we keep flapping like this,

all right?

Okay?

All right.

You're not gonna sh**t

a bloody thing

with a barrel pointed

at the ground, are you?

You've really

never been hunting?

[nervously]

No.

Show me your position.

Line your shoulders up

with the barrel.

Elbow in, hold.

Stock into your shoulder.

Relax your body.

Breathe.

Finger only on the trigger

if you mean

to k*ll something.

NAT: Now what?

You wait for some

poor critter to come along,

and you sh**t it.

That's it?

Yep.

[kids laughing]

ABRAHAM:

You can't catch me!

HOPE: Watch this.

JOSIAH: Children.

It's time for your studies,

put down your game.

Get your Bibles.

Sarah, do not make me

ask you again.

Your obstinance

is becoming vexing to me,

to say the least,

young lady.

Well, I think this is

an opportune time

to revisit the story of Lot,

which teaches us

the very important lesson

to always follow Christ

and never turn away from Him.

Abraham, would you

direct everyone

to the story of Lot?

Genesis Chapter 18.

JOSIAH: Thank you.

"The Lord appeared to Abraham

"near the great trees

of Mamre.

"Abraham looked up, he said,

'If I have found favor

in your eyes, my Lord,

do not pass

your servant by.'"

NED:

That child we buried,

which one was the mother?

I haven't spoken to Josiah

about it because,

you know, a man's family

is his own business,

even if I don't... get...

I suppose you think

our family's strange.

Family's everything to us.

The way we see it,

they're all his mother.

No one seemed terribly upset

about the boy.

We believe that

when a person dies,

even if it's a child,

they're reunited

with the Lord.

There's no reason to cry,

we-- we rejoice.

Of course, we're sad

to lose him and we miss him.

But he's in

the Lord's embrace now.

Yeah?

So, why'd you leave

Salt Lake?

Why Arizona territory?

Well, it's necessary to expand

the reach of the church.

There's already a few families

down there in Grace

and Josiah's

being sent to form

a real congregation

in the town.

Doesn't sound like

much of a town.

They're... big families.

And why are you going?

Oh, um...

find myself a wife,

start my own family.

You ever been married?

No.

[softly]

It's yours.

[g*n clicks]

[g*nsh*t]

Natural, this one.

First time.

One shot.

It's impressive.

I reckon we should be

about halfway.

It's gonna be more than

six, seven days

till we get to Grace.

Let's go on,

get to bed now.

Go on now.

Get this cleaned up.

[crickets chirping]

MARTHA: [softly]

Josiah.

Go on, Abigail,

he's waiting for you.

We can finish up.

I was hoping

he would fall asleep.

[coyotes howling]

What's the matter, dear?

She's scared of the wolves.

They're coyotes,

sweetheart.

They won't come near.

Are they big?

No, they're small,

and scaredy.

Don't you worry.

Now get some sleep.

Good night.

Good night.

It's not true what mother

said about the coyotes.

Papa's right,

you're willful.

How come you always

have to make trouble?

I ain't trying

to make trouble.

Papa ain't always right.

I just think you should know

the truth of things, is all.

Charity don't need

to know your truth.

Yes, she does.

Coyotes are pack hunters.

On their lonesome,

they're small and scaredy,

but get a bunch together and

they ain't afraid of nothing.

No. No, no...

Shh.

Don't listen to her.

She don't know nothing.

I know more

than you do, Hope.

What difference does it make?

Even if it's true,

you're just scaring Charity.

I ain't trying to scare her.

She ain't got nothing

to be scared of, anyways.

I wouldn't

let them hurt either of you.

I'd never let that happen.

[fire crackling,

crickets chirping]

[owl hooting]

You sure had an adventuresome

life, Mr. Campbell.

Coming from, uh, Aus--

Australia.

I bet you've had your

fair share of exploits.

Had a few.

NAT: Sorry.

It's just that my life

seems so small in comparison.

We don't have many books

other than the good book.

I don't even get to hear

any stories.

Want a story?

I'll give you one.

I was in Sacramento,

playing cards.

There was this big fella,

not much older than you.

He didn't like

the way the game was going,

so he accuses me

of cheating.

Now I was very clear

that this was not the case,

but he's making all sorts

of ruckus

and starts attracting

the attention of some folk.

Now they're waiting

for me to respond.

So I look at him and say,

"Well, you made

a lot of noise.

What do you wanna do

about it?"

And he was stuck.

Couldn't very well back down

after all that.

So he then calls me out.

Well, I don't know,

maybe he thought

he was gonna scare me

or something.

I look back at him and say,

"All right,"

and walked outside.

You know, I don't even think

he'd thought about it, but,

I could see he was having

second thoughts.

But there's nothing

he could do.

He was stuck.

I actually

felt sorry for him.

What did you do?

What did I do?

I put a hole, right here.

Now, I never said

a single word to this fella,

so I was not looking

for trouble.

That really happen?

Go to sleep, Nat.

[kids laughing]

- CHARITY: I'm gonna get you.

- HOPE: Hey!

ABRAHAM:

Charity, come get me!

HOPE: Hey! Hey!

ABRAHAM:

I'm gonna get you.

NED: Go on ahead.

ABRAHAM:

You can't catch me!

- No way around?

- NED: No way around.

Pull the carts

up through here.

[struggling]

Yep.

JOSIAH: Nathaniel.

Get the rope.

JOSIAH: Everybody.

Let's go.

Watch it, watch it.

Stay back,

stay back, stay back.

NED: You got a hand

on that box?

Pull on the front of that.

JOSIAH: Got it? Go.

Lilith, Lilith, go.

Help them, help them.

[coughing softly]

[coughing]

[birds chirping]

[bird screeching]

JOSIAH: We're going to have

some supper.

Let's get the fire started.

Get on it, Lilith.

Honestly, Josiah, hush now.

Everyone's tired.

You'll get your supper.

NED: Mr. Ballard, I don't know

how you manage.

I couldn't imagine living

with three women.

It can be trying.

Course, I can see it would

come with some benefits.

Our ways may seem unnatural

to you, Mr. Campbell,

but I accept what

the good Lord hath given me,

with honor and humility.

If you must smoke

that tobacco,

I insist that you do it

well away from the children.

Thank you.

- [pot clatters on ground]

- Whoa.

Easy now.

Whoa.

We ain't armed.

We don't mean you no harm.

We need some help, you see.

A group of Injuns

done set on us,

made off with our horses

and most of our gear.

See, folks,

we really could

just use some water.

If'n you can spare it.

Yes.

Yes, of course.

Thank you, kindly.

My name's Mitch.

Over there's Gary.

Right here's Earl.

Where you folks heading?

A little settlement

called Grace.

Don't expect you'd

have heard of it.

Is this all of ya?

Where's all your menfolk?

Just what you see.

Thank you again, sir.

Of course,

if'n you can

spare a speck of food,

we'd be most appreciative.

I think we can spare

a little.

We got no spare food.

Well, now.

I am sorry

to hear that, stranger.

We was just looking for

a little Christian charity,

is all.

We don't turn away

folks in need.

You got your water.

You'll be on your way.

- Ned.

- NED: [softly] Don't...

[g*nshots]

[screaming]

No, Ned!

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

g*dd*mn fool,

you let him get away!

- You-- you m*rder*d them!

- NED: You didn't see.

JOSIAH: See? See?

I saw you g*n down

those men without provocation.

We abide by God's laws.

We engaged you

to escort us,

not k*ll indiscriminately.

Unarmed.

Unarmed.

And they would've k*lled every

last one of us, or worse.

JOSIAH: I didn't...

How did I?

And you let

one of them get away.

- You know what that means?

- JOSIAH: He's gone, he's gone.

Men like that, these men,

they come back with more.

You don't know that.

You can't be sure

that they will come back.

Well, you can't be sure

they won't.

And I'm not waiting

around either way.

Pack up!

We need to put some space

between us and them.

LILITH: Get your things,

hurry.

JOSIAH:

You want to travel by night?

We have no choice.

Everyone get all this stuff

into the carts,

Nathaniel, get the pistols

and cartridges.

Go on, now!

No, wait!

This, this is madness.

We can't get

very far by night.

We haven't even eaten

after a hard day's travel.

I need you to hear me.

These men

want what's yours,

and I'm not talking

food and water.

You understand?

I just don't know

if they have

the gumption

to go much further.

Then we'll go

as far as we can,

and we'll set up camp,

but we need to get going.

- Yes.

- Okay.

All right, let's go.

JOSIAH: [clapping hands]

Quickly.

Quickly, quickly, quickly.

NAT: Abraham,

help me with this chest.

JOSIAH: Quickly, quickly.

NED: We need to move faster,

all right?

Everyone needs to

hurry it up.

[birds chirping]

NED: I'm sorry, but you both

need to move faster.

Faster.

Get-- right.

We don't need this!

[grunts]

Faster.

Faster, faster.

We need to be--

We don't need this.

Can you get your family

to move faster?

- JOSIAH: Hold on, hold on.

- We need to hurry up.

JOSIAH: Nathaniel, Abigail,

hold on, hold on, hold on.

[Ned panting]

Take a rest.

Get some shade.

What are you doing?

- We need to keep moving.

- We've got to rest.

- We don't have time for this.

- We've got to rest.

We can't keep going

like this.

We need to make sure there's

some distance between us.

I think,

I think we have it.

Look, those men are coming.

They're most likely

on horseback.

We don't have time for this.

JOSIAH:

That's "if" they're coming,

and that all depends

on if they can find us.

This is wide open

territory out here.

You don't have the brains

God gave a goat, do you?

- [softly] Mr. Campbell--

- Mr. Ballard--

Mr. Campbell!

I lead this expedition.

I will not be undermined

at every turn.

Now, if you want

the other half of your pay,

- you will come--

- The children need to rest.

They scarcely slept

last night.

It's blazing hot.

The children

can't go any faster.

We can't go any faster.

They can rest when we reach

our destination,

if we reach

our destination.

We'll reach it, Mr. Campbell.

God willing, we'll reach it.

God's not going

to get them there.

Oh, yes, we are in

God's hands, Mr. Campbell.

And if you don't believe that,

what do you believe in?

I believe in survival.

Well, we're not going

to survive.

If we keep going

in this heat,

it won't matter

if those men show up.

The children need a rest.

[coughing]

We need a rest.

Take a minute.

JOSIAH: Right, then.

We'll rest a bit.

We're moving out.

Please, everybody up,

we're moving on.

Everybody up.

Thank you.

In positions.

Everybody,

we're moving forward.

Thank you.

Up!

And push.

Thank you,

thank you, thank you.

Let's move on.

Good.

Thank you.

Kids, I'm sorry,

please keep pace,

please keep pace.

[crickets chirping,

coyote howling]

[tense music]

NED: [softly] Mr. Ballard.

Mr. Ballard.

It's time to get up.

Gotta get your family moving.

We're wasting daylight.

I'm coming.

NED:

We'll settle here.

There's a water hole

just over there.

We'll be able

to replenish ourselves.

We'll get a fire

started up

while it's still daylight.

And we'll make

a hot meal, all right?

Obviously, we need it.

JOSIAH: Mr. Campbell.

Enough.

Just...

just give them a minute.

NED: All right.

Take a minute.

But then,

get that fire started up.

[gentle music]

Mr. Campbell,

may I speak with you?

This won't do.

Mr. Ballard, I don't...

We can't keep going

like this.

We are wearing ourselves out.

You have got

my children terrified.

NED: I know.

And it's no use,

it's not working anyway.

If we're lucky,

we got a day's head start.

They're not gonna have

any trouble tracking us.

Now, you have a r*fle.

Can you use it?

The r*fle is for bears,

Mr. Campbell.

I am a man of God.

I'm not a fighting man.

Would you k*ll

for your children?

k*ll for your wives?

Or is your plan to have

the hand of God

smite your enemies?

If it comes to it,

I'll fight.

Well, it may well yet

come to it.

Now, between you,

Nat, and me,

maybe we can buy

the others some time.

Nathaniel?

It sounded like

he got one lucky shot off.

Are you actually

counting on him to fight?

I trust that kid

with a r*fle

more than anyone else

in this group.

How many men

would you expect?

Oh, they'll bring enough

to have the three of us

outnumbered.

Half a dozen, maybe more.

Let me get this straight.

An old preacher who hasn't

fired a weapon in years,

a soft kid

who just fired one

for the first time

the other day, and you,

are going to fight off

half a dozen bandits?

I don't see any other choice.

Maybe you are a man of faith

after all, Mr. Campbell.



Thank you, ma'am.

You're welcome, Mr. Campbell.

Ma'am?

I'd like to apologize...

for pushing

the kids so hard.

I know you're scared, but...

For my family, yes.

For myself?

No.

It's okay to be scared.

I know that.

Maybe you should

tell yourself that.

It don't really matter

if I'm scared,

or anyone else here,

for that matter.

What matters is your fear,

because it'll burn through

this group like a brush fire

if you're not careful.

Well, you're right.

And I'll be more circumspect

in that regard.

Good.

Because the truth is,

we need you, Mr. Campbell.

Ned.

MARTHA:

Children, off to bed.

Quickly now.

You all go on

and get some rest.

I'll keep watch.

I can take a shift, Ned.

You can use some sleep.

JOSIAH:

No need for that.

I'll take a shift.

I'm fine. Get rest.

Surely you can't

sit up all night.

At my age,

I'm a light sleeper.

Go on, get some sleep.

[thunder rumbling]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

[owl hooting]

SARAH: It's okay.

I'm keeping watch.

Well, I'm awake now.

I'll take that, honey.

Seriously, I'm awake now.

I'm not a baby,

Mr. Campbell.

I know which end

the hurt comes outta.

[birds chirping]

Josiah, need to get

the family moving.

Thanks.

What's on your mind, Nat?

I don't know.

It's nothing.

Hey, I figured this thing out.

Your brother

and his family,

simple division of labor.

One wife

takes care of the kids,

one wife does the cooking,

cleaning, servant, I guess.

And of course,

the third wife,

meet the other needs.

I want in, mate.

I want to join.

Of course, I do have one

handicap in that department.

I don't believe any of it.

Nat.

Out with it.

I could have taken a shift.

You know that,

right, Ned?

I know.

I need you rested.

Spry.

I just got a bit more

seasoning with this stuff.

I guess you've been in

some scrapes.

A few.

I'm not sure

if I could do it.

Do what?

I don't know

if I can k*ll...

k*ll a man.

- The Bible says that...

- The Bible says you should

let a bunch of bandits sh**t you

and k*ll your family?

- I guess not.

- No.

But that's a big step

from k*lling a rabbit for food

to k*lling a man.

This your family, right?

- Yeah.

- Would you be angry

if someone meant them harm?

I guess so.

Use that anger.

Were you angry

at those men?

I believe

they meant us harm.

How could you be sure?

I wasn't gonna

wait around to be sure.

But you've k*lled men before.

Because you had to, right?

Mostly.

Must've been bad men,

like the one

in Sacramento.

So how were you able

to do it?

How did you

find the courage?

It's not courage, Nat.

You just pull the trigger.

Or you don't.

And if that's the case,

you got nothing

to worry about, do you?



LILITH: Is this okay?

Of course.

[softly] I don't think

I could sleep.

You sure

I won't bother you?

Don't see how.

[crickets chirping]

Where were you heading,

after you got us to Grace?

Well, after I head down

to Tucson,

then I'll double back,

up north,

along the Columbia.

There's...

this little place

past The Dalles.

I wandered through it

a long time ago.

Been trying

to get back there a while.

What's it like there?

Beautiful.

It's like rolling hills

and Mount Hood's off here

to the south.

And then there's the river.

Must be a mile wide.

Full of more fish than

you could ever hope to catch.

That sounds nice.

Yeah, I was hoping

to see it again.

Do you really think

those men will come after us?

I'm afraid so.

What a shame.

I've been working

on this for so long.

I really had hoped

to finish it.

[laughing]

Hey, can I ask you

something?

Mm-hmm.

Is this really

the life you want?

I don't understand.

Yes.

Yes, it is.

MARTHA: Lilith?

Lilith, dear.

It's time.

I won't.

I can't. I won't.

MARTHA: You must.

Everyone's waiting for you.

He already has a wife--

you.

It isn't right.

MARTHA: Lilith, dear.

Be happy.

God has a plan for you.

Rejoice that you've been

given this purpose.

[crickets chirping]

Mr. Campbell?

Ned.

Why don't you pray with us?

I guess

I'd just be pretending.

It doesn't seem decent.

What's the harm?

What?

Hedging my bets,

in case I'm wrong?

It just seems cowardly to

believe in religion

at the end.

Besides,

I'm beyond redemption.

You know, there are whole

other worlds up there?

Read that

when I was a youngster.

Whole other worlds just

moving around the sun.

Got people on 'em,

for all we know.

- [Lilith chuckles]

- Imagine that.

People up there,

looking down on us right now.

Do you reckon they believe

in the same God?

What if they

never heard of Him?

So, are they damned,

because they're not

praying to a God

they never even heard of?

What do you think?

No one ever asks me

what I think.

I'm sorry.

I shouldn't be

bugging you

with such things.

No, you should

go to bed, get some sleep.

No, it's okay.

I'll sit up a while.

You go on and sleep.

I'll stop talking

your ear off.

You're not bothering me.

I mean, I gotta sit up,

keep an eye out.

You can sleep.

I'll wake you,

when I decide to turn it.

And Ned?

Yeah.

No one is beyond

redemption.



[Ned groans]

I must've fallen asleep.

You've been there all night?

You said we needed

to keep watch.

You know how to use this?

No. No, not in the least.

But I figured I might affect

a frightening demeanor.

I've not

slept like that in...

I don't know.

Well.

Lilith.

You gonna

sit there all morning,

or you gonna make us

some breakfast?

Get to it.

Yes, sir.

ABRAHAM: You're it!

[laughing]

[murmuring]

- HOPE: Hey!

- ABRAHAM: Watch this!

I've been turning it over

in my head.

What we can do

to fight those bandits

when they come.

If they come.

- If they come.

- This is becoming tedious.

We have been moving

for days.

We haven't seen a soul.

Your disposition is becoming

increasingly cagey.

They are coming.

Now, as I see it,

we have one advantage.

Can we please stop

this foolishness?

This pace is only serving

to wear everyone down.

Mr. Ballard, I agree.

We'll move at

a more regulated pace,

but please hear me out.

- Go on.

- Thank you.

Our advantage is,

they think they've got

the advantage.

I don't follow.

They think, well,

they know we've got

three fighters.

That's easy.

How about

we don't make it so easy?

How, though?

NED:

Three more fighters.

I can teach them to sh**t

in half an hour.

That's your idea?

- Yes. I--

- Women, that's your idea?

Women? You aim to teach

the women to sh**t?

To fight?

That, good sir,

is the most c*ck idea.

No, no, no.

Why stop there?

Why not teach the children?

Oh, Abraham, Sarah,

Charity's 12.

Why don't we have her

fight those men?

Are you out of your mind?

Women?

Out of the question!

NED:

They're not children.

I've been watching them,

they're capable,

they're strong.

Stronger than you,

most likely,

and I bet they would fight

for their children.

JOSIAH: Hogwash.

Do you even hear

yourself?

You've finally

gone too far.

I'll do it.

I'll do it.

I won't see another child

dead while I'm alive.

You?

You worthless whelp?

God help us if it falls to you

for our protection.

You can't even cook

a decent meal,

but you're going

to handle the bandits.

That's enough, Josiah!

Why are we here, Josiah?

What brought us to this?

You think we don't know?

People talk.

Wives talk.

They wanted you gone.

Why?

Because you're

an impossible man.

So they sent you

on this mission,

and now here we are.

Maybe this is

our only choice.

The way I see it,

this is our only choice.

I'm good for two,

maybe three.

You're good for...

one, if we're lucky.

We took all the g*ns

off those two bandits.

Two r*fles, a shotgun,

and I've got a p*stol.

We would be fools

not to use everything we have,

and they are not

going to expect it.

You honestly think

that this is a good idea?

Abigail?

Yes.

I ain't letting nobody

hurt my sisters.

I'll use my bare hands

if I have to, but...

I'd rather learn to sh**t.

All right, answer me this.

How do you aim

to teach them to sh**t, hmm?

You go firing off

a bunch of shots,

and if they

really are after us,

you're going to draw them

right to us.

And you can't teach them

to sh**t without sh**ting.

We've got four kids

and two carts.

They were never gonna have

a problem finding us.

Oh, let's just

speed things along.

Get them here sooner, then.

And if it comes to that,

at least you'll all have

g*ns on you.

JOSIAH: Oh, my God.

My God.

NED: First thing we need

is a target.

We need that target

to be about the size of a man.

Fortunately for us,

Nat has donated a pair

of his britches.

What?

Those are mine?

- They're yours.

[women chuckle]

Now, hand these weapons out

to the ladies.

Which one to who?

Smallest weapon

with the smallest hand.

Figure it out.

All I want you to do

is hold it.

Just feel it.

It's heavy.

Okay, okay, okay.

Abigail has demonstrated

a very important first lesson.

You only point these things

at people

if you intend to sh**t them.

Otherwise,

keep them facing down.

- I'm sorry.

- That's okay.

Thank you

for not sh**ting me.

Now, not until I say...

Breathe. Aim. Target.

Squeeze.

- NAT: [softly] Breathe.

- Breathing.

[inhaling deeply]

[exhaling]

Aim.

You're going to line up

the sights.

Aim it.

That and that.

Okay.

Not until I say,

once the sights are lined up,

you raise your barrel

to your target.

In this case,

Nat's britches.

Okay?

And then, squeeze.

Don't pull, don't jerk.

That's enough to make

the g*n go up, go to the side.

That's enough

to make you miss.

Nat, grab the r*fle,

you're up first.

You know what you're doing.

Breathe.

Then just squeeze.

- [g*nsh*t]

- [women gasp]

What'd I say?

You're a natural.

Okay, ladies.

Pistols a little closer.

Come on up.

Abigail, why don't you

give it a bit of a try?

- Me?

- Yeah, yeah, come on.

There's nothing to it.

Nothing magical about it.

Just do exactly

as I told you,

I'm gonna

walk you through it.

Okay, breathing.

I'm breathing.

Yep, exhale too.

Find your sight

and your aim.

Line up your target.

And squeeze.

- [g*nsh*t]

- Oh! Goodness.

Okay, good, good, good,

just take that down.

Yeah, okay, good.

We'll work on that.

Yeah.

Sarah.

Right, get your...

[g*nshots]

Okay.

Very good.

Martha.

Okay. Breathe.

- Mr. Campbell.

- Yes?

If you put your hands

all over me,

I will sh**t you

in the britches.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, breathe.

Aim.

Got it.

Target. Squeeze.

[g*nsh*t]

[laughing]

That is loud!

Did I hit anything?

NED: Yeah, we're gonna--

we're gonna work on that.

Yep... yeah.

All right, Lilith.

Like everyone else.

Breathe.

Relax.

Find your aim.

And your target, which is

the red Nat's britches.

And squeeze.

[g*nsh*t]

Not bad.

[breathes gently]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nsh*t]



[g*nsh*t]

JOSIAH: You almost done?

Lilith.

I need you

to fetch some water.

Lilith.

Do you hear me

talking to you, woman?

Yes, I hear you.

Go fetch it yourself.

What did you say?

This is important.

More important than fetching

some damn water, Josiah.

You're not doing anything,

if you want water,

go get it.

[coughing]

Lilith.

MAN: Looks like your lady

has consumption.

Whoa, now.

Don't want no trouble.

Last person said that

tried to k*ll us.

What do you want?

MAN: I'm just trying

to warn you.

Are you, now?

MAN: They know

where you're headed.

- You need to understand.

- SARAH: Understand what?

We ain't exactly toothless,

you know.

I can see that.

State your business

and be done.

MAN: Listen now.

Do yourself a favor

and come with me.

[scoffs]

No one's going with you.

MAN: Y'all wanna think

about that.

See now?

You-- You're making

a big mistake.

- [g*nsh*t, woman screams]

- Sarah! No!

- [g*nsh*t]

- [man winces]

NED: Hey!

Is he...

Is he really dead?

NED: Yeah.

[softly] He...

He, he was...

[somber music]

JOSIAH: Heavenly Father,

we ask that you bless

this family and our journey.

That we may

continue in safety.

In the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

- Amen.

- ALL: Amen.

JOSIAH: All right.

NED: We can try and cover

some ground today,

but we need to find

a good spot for an ambush.

JOSIAH: Ambush?

I don't like

the sound of that.

NED: You want a fair fight?

We lose a fair fight.

JOSIAH: No, I don't like

the idea of just

gunning men down.

Some men need k*lling.

If I could, I'd k*ll

some of them twice.

Like the man yesterday?

He didn't

even look like the others.

NED: We have no way

of discerning his motives.

I mean, for all we know is he's

gonna take us straight back--

All I know is that you

have turned my brother

into a k*ller.

I'll speak to him

when we settle.

Please don't, Mr. Campbell.

Your faith

has already perverted

the sanctity of my family.

[dramatic music]

[insects buzzing]

We're moving out.

[fire crackling,

crickets chirping]

All right, I'll take watch.

You go get to your spots.

You're going to keep watch

all night again?

Yeah.

JOSIAH:

You're just going to...

[birds chirping]

LILITH:

Disappointed?

I don't want this fight.

I'm not some

bloodthirsty animal.

I was just joshing you,

is all.

I know that.

How long have you...

The consumption?

A-A few years now.

It's hard to keep track.

You're a pretty cunning human

to keep that

from your family

this whole time.

I wasn't trying

to be deceitful.

I just wanted to make sure

that my family

was taken care of before...

It doesn't matter.

I'm sorry.

Well, I wouldn't

wish that on anyone.

Anyways, I wanted to thank you

for keeping my secret.

You must have...

thought me quite foolish.

Not at all, ma'am.

You may be

the most brilliant creature

I've ever laid eyes on.

Lilith.

The child we buried.

You were about the only one

who shed a tear.

It was yours.

Joshua.

For a long while,

I thought I couldn't bear.

He was my little miracle.

I'm so sorry.

Let's go.

JOSIAH: Nothing.

Not a single disturbance.

Well, they'll come.

This, uh, "bit" gets

less credible each day.

You've got us jumping

at our shadows.

Fearing K*llers, but...

we've only seen

one true k*ller.

[distant bird screeching]

Come on, girl.

Get up now.

I can't.

JOSIAH: What's the matter

with her?

It's this heat.

Get this child some water.

Quickly.

We're gonna have to

put her in the cart.

Help me carry her.

I wanna ride too.

NED:

Never mind that, boy.

Josiah?

Ned?

NED: g*ns.

Wait.

What is he doing?

I'm not sure.

JOSIAH:

Is he gonna attack?

NED:

Do you see any others?

See what?

I don't know.

But if he didn't

want us to see him,

we wouldn't be seeing him.

He's alone.

Maybe we can run him off.

No.

Look at him.

He's not afraid of us.

What do we do?

[softly]

Damn.

Guess I'm going in

to figure out what he wants.

[dramatic music]

Well...

What did he say?

You understand?

Best I can make out,

he's Paiute,

and we are wandering

straight into Paiute territory.

And his chief

does not want any white men

- crossing his land.

- [sighs]

And I did get the idea that

we run the risk of attack

if we stay

the path we're on.

I also did get

a sense that if...

if we swing west,

we should be okay.

How much longer

will that take us?

A few days.

Oh, Hellfire!

This is Arizona territory.

There are treaties.

NED: Yeah, well, maybe you can

explain that to him

- and his chief.

- JOSIAH: Enough.

You've got us running from men

who never come,

and now you want us

to listen to this savage?

Where did he go?

NED:

Well, he's gone.

And if we're lucky,

we don't see him again.

Of course, that depends

on what we do,

because we have been warned.

I will not be told

where I can and cannot go

by some filthy,

heathen savage.

Can't even be sure

what he said.

You know, maybe that's what

the other fellow

was trying to warn us about.

I say we're not risking it.

You're not in charge here,

Mr. Campbell.

You're gonna play it

like that, huh?

I hired you.

You work for me.

The church hired me

to help you arrive safely,

which is what I aim to do.

Then lead us.

No more running away,

no more backing up.

No more... fatuity.

You're an absolute imbecile,

aren't you?

You go that way,

you go without me.

So be it.

The Lord has shown me a path,

and it is not yours.

Ah, yeah,

you say death awaits us.

I say it's been with us

the whole time.

You're no better than

Lilith's consumption,

rotting away my family

from the inside out.

It's not enough

to protect their lives.

I have to protect

their souls.

- No, no, no.

- You're a fool.

Maybe we will be better off

without you.

All right.

[dramatic music]

Let's go on, then.

You're going to let him go?

- What is wrong with you?

- Sarah.

No! You never listen.

That's quite enough.

It's true.

Just like Mama said.

That's why

they made us leave,

because you never listen

to anybody!

We should go with Ned.

- You heard him.

- I said let's go!

Move it.

[muttering]

You threw me over...

[indistinct]

[continues muttering]

[frustrated grunt]

I can't... oh.

Oh, no.

JOSIAH:

What are you doing?

Seven men on horseback,

on our path exactly.

JOSIAH: You're taking

this much too far.

And they will be here

within the hour, maybe sooner.

- We need to get ready.

- Mr. Campbell!

We need to end

this foolishness.

You self-righteous jackass!

I'm not going to let

these women and children die

- because you can't be wrong.

- WOMAN: They're coming!

Okay.

We need to find somewhere

to lure them in

if we're gonna have a chance.

There!

Get the carts up here!

Come on, let's go.

Quickly, come, come.

LILITH: Looks ready.

NED: The g*ns,

make sure they're loaded.

Ladies, get the pistols.

Josiah, you got the shotgun?

How will we know

they're the ones?

What if we ambush them

and we're wrong?

Well, the one that got away,

if he's with them,

we'll know we're right.

You wait till I sh**t--

that's your signal.

And when you hear that shot,

you unload on them.

You remember, they're here

to k*ll your family

and that ain't

gonna happen.

Martha, get the kids

back to the safe spot now,

then you get in your space.

Okay.

Go on.

- I'm staying to fight.

- JOSIAH: Sarah.

I'm not a child anymore.

[softly]

Take that p*stol

to protect those children.

Now you know

where you need to be.

Go there now.

Now, listen... just breathe.

[dramatic music]

Stay with them horses.

Let's go.

Stay low,

keep your heads down.

[coughing]

[softly]

No, no, no.

Don't. Go.

- Where the hell are they?

- [breathes deeply]

[g*nshots]

[breathing heavily]

We did this.

[g*nsh*t]

[Josiah shouting]

Oh.

Nathaniel?

He's breathing.

How'd I do, Ned?

You did great, kid.

You're gonna be all right.

Let's get him up.

Easy, easy,

there you go, buddy.

[distant thunder rumbling]

SARAH:

It's temporary, Nat.

All the pain,

it's just temporary.

This'll make for a good story,

won't it, Ned?

Yeah.

I need to write it down.

I just need some,

some parchment and...

[sobbing]

No!

See?

Just temporary.

[sobbing softly]

Why?

[softly]

No.

No, no, no.

- Why? Why? Why?

- [sobbing]

- JOSIAH: Why? Why?

- [sobbing]

JOSIAH: We ask you,

Heavenly Father,

as we commit

his body to the Earth...

...that you take our brother

Nathaniel's body to your bosom,

that you hold him,

that you keep him there forever.

In the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Amen.

[solemn music]

[birds chirping]

I've never seen someone

eat so heartily, Mr. Campbell.

It might be the finest meal

I've ever had.

[door opening]

I expect you'll wanna

get going, Mr. Campbell.

You might stay on.

We'll be a proper town soon,

we could use

capable hands.

No.

I'll be moving on.

There's nothing for me here.

I want to... thank you.

...for staying

with my family,

and for getting us

through this trail.

We are forever in your debt.

Well, the rest of the payments

you tried to square.

Good-bye, Mr. Campbell.

Good-bye.

Goodbye, Charity.

Thank you, Ned.

[gentle music]

[gentle music continues]

[horse snorting]

[music fades]