Outside the Early home, there’s no rain, but there’s lightning in the distance. The entire Early family sits watching “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka.” For once, the kids are enjoying it as much as the adults. Everyone is laughing and having a good time. News anchor Kiki Williams interrupts the movie with a breaking news bulletin. She says national media has flooded Santa Rosa County. And they aren’t alone. Representatives of the National Rifle Association have made their presence known. They stare gloomily at the TV.
Judith walks down Main Street. Reporters and cameramen are everywhere. They recognize Judith and immediately crowd around her, trying to get an interview. The crowd of reporters frustrate Judith. She tells them "no comment." She rushes into Sid’s Delicious Cafe. Reporters and cameramen follow her. Sid steps from behind the counter. He’s having none of it, telling them "locals only." He crowds the reporters back outside. He turns to Judith and asks her how she's doing. She says she's been better. He offers her coffee. She accepts and asks for a cheese croissant? Judith sits at one of the tables. Sid goes to get her order. Reporters peer through the cafe’s glass front door, trying to get a glance at Judith.
Judith sits eating her croissant. Audrey walks in and is excited to see Judith. They greet each other. Audrey sits down. Allie comes to take her order. Audrey orders. Allie goes back behind the counter to retrieve Audrey’s order.
Audrey asks Judith what's the latest, Judith has been researching the Tukabatchee Massacre. Audrey hasn't heard of it. Judith says the government was behind it. Well a secret government inside the real government. Judith formally invites Audrey to be my campaign manager and chief of staff. She agrees. They’re gonna need to meet Monday through Friday at 10 at Sid's. Judith takes notes.
Kyra arrives and clocks in. She joins Allie at the front counter. Allie tells Kyra she saw on the news where they tried to smear George Hasley with a picture of him kissing another man. Kyra admits she gave them the picture. Allie is shocked. Kyra says he went after her, so she struck back. Allie is angry. She says Kyra can't do that, make it worse for everyone, especially in this fucking town. Kyra looks around to se if anyone heard. No one’s listening. Kyra crosses her arms and pouts. Allie ignores her while cleaning the counter and restocking cups. Kyra waits for Allie to say something else. Allie says nothing. Tired of being ignored, Kyra walks away. Kyra walks over to the TV when her home appears on screen. She grabs the remote and turns the volume up. Everyone in the cafe turns and looks at the TV. MSNBC is on, with host Ángela Ortiz. She reports someone was shot by Russell Hasley. The victim is okay, but he's under age, so retains his privacy. She turns the TV off. Everyone stares at her. She goes in the kitchen to be alone.
At Tukabatchee High School, it has started raining lightly. Karl sits across the desk from Coach Gallant, in his office. Gallant says Karl was shot, so he can't play. Karl worries they'll miss the playoffs. Gallant knows, but it's out of his hands. Karl nods, but he’s holding back tears. Gallant tells Karl to keep practicing. Karl nods. Gallant says if they clear him, Karl can play. Gallant asks how he's doing. Karl says as good as he can. Gallant says to keep his chin up. This will pass. Karl nods.
Tukabatchee is playing Panama City Bay. The Tornadoes lead the Warriors 75-68. Theo posts up, backs down the defender, and easily scores on a layup. 75-70. Tukabatchee doesn’t get back on defense quick enough. The players look exhausted. Bay scores an easy lay-up. 77-70. Dennis brings the ball down the court. He passes to Aaron, who drains a three. 77-73. The Tornadoes match Tukabatchee’s three-pointer. 80-73. There are only 35 seconds left. Dennis drives and spots up for a three. He misses, but Theo puts back the miss. 80-75. The Bay Point Guard moves down the court slowly, running down the clock. He takes a three as time runs out. Bay wins 83-75. The crowd gloomily moves out of the gym. Karl stays seated and gloomily stares at the now-empty court.
Billy walks out of the library and heads to the parking lot. As he approaches his car, two masked men leap out from behind other cars. They attack Billy. A black hood is placed over his head. Then fade to black as he’s knocked out. The hood comes off and Billy finds himself in a dimly-lit warehouse. The kidnappers stand before him. He’s strapped to a chair, his arms and legs bound. He’s surrounded by four MEN in all black clothes. Their faces are covered by masks. They told him to quit asking questions but he chose to ignore them. Kidnapper #1 grabs Billy’s left hand and holds it flat on the table. Kidnapper #1 slaps Billy in the face to quiet him. Kidnapper #2 brings a hammer down on Billy’s fingers, breaking them in multiple places. He screams. Kidnapper #2 brings the hammer down again, breaking two more fingers. Billy screams again. They tell him to listen this time or else. Through his tears and cries of pain, he croaks out an answer.
At the Stroke Recovery Center, Austin, Texas. The Texas night is dry. Barbra stands at the door to Charley’s room, staring through the small window. Inside, Charley is coding and several DOCTORS and NURSES work furiously to revive him. Barbra starts to cry. They try a little longer, but Charley is coding. They keep trying to revive him, but it doesn’t work. Charley dies. The doctors and nurses stop trying to save him. Dr. Carter Artest declares him dead. Artest comes out of the operating room to consoles Barbra. He hugs her. She lets him. Artest says she can have some time, but they need the room. Barbra breaks the hug and thanks him. Artest goes back into the operating room. Barbra starts crying again.
At the Hasley Home the phone rings. Russell answers. Barbra asks if Billy or George are home. They aren't. She tells Russell his father passed on. Russell bursts into tears. He tries to hide them even though no one’s around. She says she’ll be home later. She’ll tell his brothers. She’ll be home as soon as she can. She says she'll fix everything. Russell hangs up. He starts sobbing.
At Rincon’s Hardware Store, the rain has stopped. Reporters and cameramen are everywhere. Dwayne fights his way through the throngs. The reporters harass him. Dwayne goes inside. He pushes the reporters back as he goes, keeping them outside. Dwayne walks up to the counter. The clerk, Freddie greets him. Freddie asks how’s the Smith & Wesson working out for him. Dwayne says it's a damned nightmare. Freddie shoots him a quizzical look. Dwayne places the pistol on the counter and asks Freddie to buy it back. Freddie picks the gun up and examines it. Dwayne tells him what happened. He says his wife told him to get it out of the house. Freddie says he can’t give Dwayne a full refund, but he can buy it from Dwayne at a discount. Half price. They dicker and end on $55. Freddie grins. He opens the register and counts out the money. He hands it to Dwayne.
At the Santa Rosa Mall, three black Humvees approach the mall. They park in the roadway, blocking the mall entrance. Armed Soldiers get out of the Humvees, led by a Squad Commander. He tells them to get inside quickly and keep their eyes peeled. He waves the men inside. The men act frightened, approaching cautiously, but they follow the command. He follows the last of the men inside. The armed soldiers fan out in a wedge pattern. The squad commander points at the men to keep going, following the monster’s trail of destruction. They keep moving deeper into the mall. They don’t see the monster, but they start to see a faintly-glowing blue mold covering various surfaces. It’s more common the further they go. They move forward slowly.
The commander says if they see anything blue move, they have free reign to shoot it. Something runs from a book store to a candle store. It’s fast. Soldier #1 fires off a few rounds, but doesn't hit it. They move towards the candle store. Soldiers stand on either side of the store entrance, out of the monster’s sight, weapons on the ready. The commander says to blast the beast when he gives the signal. The soldiers look at each other warily. The commander gives the signal. The soldiers rush into the candle score, firing their guns, indiscriminately at first. Then they spot the monster and concentrate their fire on it. The bullets tear the monster apart. It falls to the ground, dead. They keep shooting. They stop firing. They take stock of the damage they’ve done. They've killed it and call for the clean-up crew. Everyone safeties their guns and puts them away.
At the Early home, Dwayne sits on Karl’s bed, next to his son. He says they need to talk about the gun. Dwayne asks Karl if he knows what he did was wrong. Karl says yes. Karl asks Dwayne why he bought the gun. Dwayne says he bought it to protect the house and his family. Karl says that's why he did it, too. Dwayne says he had to get rid of it because it's too dangerous to keep in the house. Dwayne asks Karl thinks his punishment should be. Karl says it's a trap and they discuss. They settle on a month. No socializing, no games, no allowance. Dwayne says Karl can play basketball if the reinstate him. They hug.
George walks into the house. Russell greets him. He tells George their mom said to call her. George goes into his room. He takes out his phone and dials his mom. She answers on the second ring. George asks why she cut off his account. She says he doesn't have an account. He was drawing off her account. She says don’t bother her with that money stuff until she gets home. His father died and she's trying to finish up there and go home. George is speechless. Barbra hangs up. George stares vacantly at the wall. Then the tears come. He cries for a while, then wipes his eyes dry. He calls Ricky. He asks if he can live with Ricky. Ricky says yes and asks what's wrong. George says his father died and his mother lost her mind. George hangs up the phone. He pulls a ratty suitcase out of the closet and starts packing.
At Ricky’s home, it has started raining lightly. George knocks on the front door. Ricky opens the door. He kisses George and lets him in. Ricky and George sit on the couch, sipping red wine. George asks if it's okay that he doesn't have any money. Ricky says sure, he’ll find some way for George to work it off. Ricky leans in and kisses George. George thanks him and says he's still running for mayor. Ricky kisses George.
Billy works on cleaning up the junkyard, which is still a mess because of the hurricane. He’s wearing dirty, sweaty Budweiser t-shirt and jeans. He’s dirty and sweaty all over. His broken fingers are in a cast and they slow him down, but he’s a man on a mission. Several reporters and cameramen pull up in news vans. They get out and approach Billy. They harass him and he gets angry. They ask if they can interview him. He says no. He moves closer to the reporters. They hesitate and back away. Photographers snap photos of Billy’s bandaged hand. He chases the reporters off the Hasley property.
Judith sits at her dining room table, working on her speech. With pencil and pad. Her phone rings. She answers. On the line is Judith’s literary agent, Marty. Judith says things are going good. The leads she's been following are paying off. There’s definitely a pretty heinous conspiracy behind the massacre. Marty says they’ve got a deal. It’s with Penguin. He'll e-mail the details.
It’s raining lightly. Karl waits outside the high school, his hoodie up to block the rain. He’s clearly waiting for someone. Nervous. Looking around. Scanning every face that approaches the school. He sees Tameka. He approaches her. She eyes him warily. Karl say they need to talk. Tameka says there's nothing to talk about. Her father said she can’t see or talk to him. Karl wants to keep seeing her, but she can't.
It rains slightly as a man, Ned, sets up a table on the sidewalk of Main Street. He covers the table with a sign that say “National Rifle Association.” Ned nods to white passersby. He ignores people of color. He addresses two white men who walk by. He grabs them a brochure one from a box behind his table. He comes back and hands it to the man. He waves them on, then greets more white men.
At the Early home, Dwayne carries a bag of trash out to throw it in the can on the side of the house. He takes the lid off the can. A blue many-legged snake jumps out. It knocks Dwayne down. The trash bag goes flying. Dwayne lands on his back, the monster on his chest. He tries to push it off, but it flails its legs and maintains its place atop Dwayne. It lunges forward and bites him on the arm. Dwayne screams in agony. Judith and Karl come running outside. Dwayne yells for them to get it off of him. The monster flails it’s legs, scratching his arms. Judith asks for a nearby shovel. Karl grabs it and hands it to his mother. She takes the shovel and smashes it down on the monster. It emits a high-pitched screech. Dwayne grunts. He pushes the monster off his chest. Judith smashes it three times quickly. It stops moving. Karl helps Dwayne stand up. Dwayne says it bit him. He points to the bite mark, which bleeds. He breaks into a coughing fit. Dwayne says he'll sleep it off and if he doesn’t feel better by the morning, he’ll go to the E.R. Judith and Karl help him inside.
Dwayne lays in the bed. He’s clearly sick. Judith puts a cold compress on his forehead. Judith asks what that thing was. Dwayne says it was one of Dr. Tagachi’s blue animals. He breaks into a coughing fit. Judith frowns. She say she'll call Tagachi. Judith asks what's going on in Tukabatchee. Dwayne doesn't know, but he knows the BSCS was involved. He coughs. Judith doesn't know the abbreviation, but she recognizes the full name. She says they're behind the Tukabatchee Massacre. She tells him to get some rest, then tell her everything he knows about the BSCS.
At an FBI Field Office, at a undisclosed location, Neyland and Vaught are cuffed to an interrogation table. Bundy sits across from them. Numerous masked soldiers stand in the shadows. Bundy says he's gonna give them a chance to come clean. Otherwise, things could be very rough for them. Neyland and Vaught exchange concerned looks. Neyland stays quiet. Vaught asks for a lawyer, but Bundy says this isn't that kind of thing. He says they don’t have any rights here. Tell him what he wants to know, they’ll leave here healthy and happy. If not... Vaught says he'll tell them what they want to know. Neyland calls him a snitch. Vaught says Neyland has helped kill a half dozen people. Just this month. Neyland says Vaught helped him. Bundy says they’ve got enough to link the two of them to numerous murders. They’ve got DNA, surveillance tape, and eyewitnesses. Vaught tries to attack Neyland. Only his restraints stop him. The masked soldiers take Neyland and Vaught out of the room. Vaught continues to try to attack Neyland. The masked soldiers keep them apart.
Reporters and cameramen fill the cafe. They all drinks or bagels and such. They’re customers now. A group of national reporters sits near the front of the cafe. One asks what do they think is going on in this town. Another says there sure seems to be a lot of stories bubbling under the surface. Another says they all seem like they’re about to explode. One says he's not sure it’s safe. He might get out of here. They keeping shooting the shit.
Judith an Audrey sit at the same table as last time. Judith has kinda taken over that table. Audrey asks what’s on the agenda. Judith says a lot. First they need a press release to announce the campaign. Then we need to get fund raising going. Judith slides a piece of paper across the table. Audrey picks it up. It is a list of fund-raising meetings Judith has already set up. Audrey scans the list and says it's a good start. Judith says people are wary of anyone with the last name Hasley. She means to get off to a fast start. They need an office, a treasurer, a volunteer list, a website with online contribution capability, a list of physical locations where they can hold events. Audrey takes notes.
At the Black Sheep Civic Society Lodge, it’s starting to rain harder. Four black SUVs pull up to the lodge. The Tugenbund men get out. They’re dressed in all black and carry holstered sidearms. The leader is among them. He leads them inside. Bryant and Boone are the only BSCS members present when the Tugenbund men enter the meeting room. The Tugenbund leader, Cole, sits across the table from the locals. Cole asks if they know why he's here. Bryant says no. Cole says the BSCS, as they know it, is over. Consider it gone. Bryant and Boone exchange looks of fear. Cole says the Tugenbund Corporation now controls all activities of the BSCS, and you gentlemen are relieved of your duties. Boone asks if they are going to kill them. Cole says not unless they have to. A man and woman, Curt and Bev, step forward. Both are completely dressed in black and wear mirrored shades. Cole says Bev and Kurt are going to keep you in lockdown until the feds leave town. Bryant and Boone exchange looks of fear. Cole tells them not to do anything crazy, or they’ll pay for it. If they cooperate, they’ll walk free. Cole waves them away. Bev and Curt unlock them and march them out of the room.
Audrey sits at Judith’s usual table at Sid's. Wanda approaches the table. Wanda asks when the next meeting of the Business Roundtable is. Audrey says not until after the mayoral election. Wanda is surprised. Audrey explains she's Judith’s campaign manager. Wanda grins. Audrey asks Wanda to volunteer and slides her a sign-up sheet. Wanda fills out the sign-up sheet. Audrey smiles.
Over at the counter, Kyra awkwardly approaches Allie. She tells Allie she thought about what Allie said and she thinks Allie's right. Allie says of course she is. Kyra looks frustrated and asks Allie to let her do this. Kyra says it felt wrong when she did it. She was so hurt by George using them to win his election, she struck out in anger without thinking. Kyra apologizes. She says she'll figure out a way to balance out the scales. She hasn’t figured out what yet... but she will. They exchange expressions of love.
A black panel truck moves cautiously down the driveway toward the Early home. Trees are down and the driveway is a muddy mess. The truck parks in front of the barn. Four men in black jumpsuits get out. The men head into the barn. They deploy nets to make the monster easier to carry. They carry the monster out of the barn and put in the back of the truck. They get back in the van and drive away.
The rain has picked up. Judith approaches the library with an umbrella. She closes it and goes inside. Judith sits at a microfiche reader, perusing old county records. She comes across ownership transfer papers for the bonsai tree farm. Irving Buss inherited the land from Morty Buss and owned it until he sold it to the Earlys. Judith looks at another article, one that notes that Morty Buss was president of the BSCS, but he was kicked out for stealing from the organization’s treasury. Judith looks at another article. This one says Irving was sent to prison for attempted murder. Apparently he tried to kill Sheriff Bryant, but two deputies--Vaught and Neyland--stopped him and subdued him.
George sits in his living room, drinking a beer at watching hockey. Billy opens the front door and rushes into the house. He locks the door behind him. George asks what's up. Billy says the BSCS broke his fingers and threatened to kill him. George is shocked. They said it was because he was asking too many questions about the BSCS. Billy asked why George is at the house. He says he's picking up some things he forgot. Billy asks if their mom knows George is there. He says no and they should keep it that way. And he says they need to do something about the BSCS.
Tameka opens her locker and puts her old books in and taking new books out. Karl approaches. She asks what he wants. He wants her. She says her dad... Tameka stops and kisses Karl on the cheek. She tells him good bye. Tameka walks away. Karl watches her go, a tear in his eye.
Three black semi trucks pull up to the smashed entrance to the Santa Rosa Mall. A dozen black-clad men get out of the trucks. The leader approaches. He waves them towards the entrance. They move cautiously inside. The black-clad men fan out inside the mall. The leader tells then to burn everything. Each of the men lights their flamethrowers. They start burning everything: the stores damaged by the monster and the undamaged stores as well. The grunt who spoke before turns off his flamethrower and approaches the leader. The grunt asks why they are burning the undamaged stores. The leader says anything in here could be contaminated. They burn it all to contain the spread. Both men reignite their flamethrowers and start burning the mall.
At Channel 7 Studios, Judith sits at the news desk across from Kiki Williams. Out of view of the cameras, Rina Hause looks on. Kiki asks what the picture Judith brought them is. Judith says it appears to be the dead body of Irving Buss. Sources say the prison guards killed him. Kiki asks how she knows that's true. Judith says she trusts her source, but she won't reveal who it is. She says their life is in danger if it comes out who they are. They’ll be at the trial. She says that while the current sheriff is caught up in all this mess, I will make sure that there is a full investigation into everything. Kiki says the voters will like that.
In the MSNBC staff lounge in New Yok City, two women watch a news feed. Janice, is a producer. Ángela is an anchor. Judith’s interview comes on the feed. Ángela turns down the sound and asks who the woman. She wants to get her for the show. Janice picks up her phone.
At Town Square, Anna strolls through Town Square, walking her Doberman. Curt and Bev fall in behind her. Anna sics the dog, TERRY, on them. Terry bites Curt on the thigh. He screams. Anna runs. Bev tries to follow her, but Terry jumps on her and knocks her over. Terry tries to bite Bev. Anna makes it out of the square. She whistles. Terry chases after her. Curt and Bev collect themselves. Curt says he's gonna have to go to the hospital. He shows his wound. Bev recoils. Bev helps Curt to his feet.
Barbra pulls up in front of the house and parks. She gets out and scans the mess that is the junkyard. She goes inside the house. Barbra walks inside. Russell and Fred watch hockey on TV. The house is messier than usual. Barbra looks around, taking in the mess. She frowns. She says this place is falling apart without her. Russell and Fred look up at the sound. Fred rushes over and gives Barbra a hug. Freddie says he missed her. She says the same in return. Russell stands and approaches her hesitantly. He doesn’t hug her. She tells him to hug his mama. Russell reluctantly complies. She asks where his brothers are. He says Billy was drinking, he went to a bar or something. Barbra looks puzzled. She asks what about George. Russell says George moved out. Barbra looks at him sharply, examining his face for loyalties. She says it looks like someone needs to whip this family back into shape. There’s going to be some changes around here. Russell and Fred look at her nervously.
Judith prepares dinner. Her phone rings. She dries her hands and answers. It’s Anna. She says she's okay now, but they tried to kill her today. Judith is shocked. She asks who tried to kill her. It was the Black Sheep Civic Society. Judith says they’ve got their fingers in a lot of pies around there. She asks Anna what she's gonna do. She says she's gonna get out of town It’s not safe for her there. She says she'll come back for the trial. Anna says she'll call again.
Judith and Dwayne sit on the couch, watching the news. Chet Gaines stands in front of a radar image of Hurricane Carl. Chet says Hurricane Carl is approaching landfall again. It’s now a category 5 with upper winds of nearly 200 miles per hour. Judith mutes the TV. She says they need to talk. She wants to talk about the gun. Dwayne says he got rid of it. Judith says good. But it’s too late. Karl shot someone. Dwayne says Karl shot a looter. Judith asks if he thinks that makes it okay. He says no. She asks him why’d he kept it. He doesn't know. Judith says he's scared. The revelation hits Dwayne like a ton of bricks. She says he's supposed to be this big man who can take care of his family. But he's afraid he can’t do it. Dwayne is silent. She goes to bed.
She walks out of the room. Dwayne watches her go. She comes back a few seconds later. She puts a pillow and sheets on the couch and tells him to sleep on the couch. She goes in the bedroom and shuts the door behind her. She locks the door. Dwayne looks down and mumbles to himself. He clears his head and turns the sound back up. Thew news says the storm is gonna hit them again, only stronger this time. Dwayne turns off the TV and lights. He lies down on the couch.
Judith scans documents on the library's microfiche reader. She comes across a document registering the sale of the BSCS lodge. The name on the documents is Jacob Koy. She writes the name and phone number in her notes. She walks outside. Judith pulls out her phone and dials Koy’s number. It rings a few times and he answers. She tells him they should meet. She wants to talk about the BSCS. For starters. He's in. She tells him she'll send him the details. Judith hangs up.
Karl sits across the desk from Coach Gallant. He tells Karl he's not gonna be indicted. Karl didn’t know. He’s relieved. Gallant says there's no reason for him to be suspended, he can suit up for tonight’s game. If they win, they make the playoffs. If not, their season is ever. Karl says he’ll be ready. They shake hands and Karl leaves. Gallant lets out a sigh of relief.
The rain falls pretty steadily as the crowd goes into the gym.
In the fourth quarter, Tukabatchee leads by 6 points over Tallahassee Rickards. Karl’s playing again. He runs the point and takes the ball across midcourt. He passes to an open Theo, who dunks the ball. Tukabatchee leads 80-72 with a minute left. A Rickards Player drains a three. 80-75. Karl dribbles down court and passes to an open Aaron, who spots up and drains a three. 80-78. There are 41 seconds left in the game. The Rickards point guard makes his way to mid-court. Karl is covering him and goes for the steal. He pokes the ball loose and Theo recovers it. Karl and Aaron head towards the goal with only one Rickards defender back in time. The throws a strong pass to Karl.
The defender commits to Karl. Karl sees that Aaron is wide open. He zips a pass to Aaron, who takes a three. Nothing but net. Time runs out. Tukabatchee wins 81-80. The crowd erupts. They rush the floor. The fans lift Karl and Aaron up as pass them around in celebration. The Rickards players and handful of fans sulk their way out of the gym.
Judith sits before a camera in a remote studio. A TV sits next to the edge of the studio. It shows Judith appearing on MSNBC with anchor Ángela. Ángela thanks Judith for joining her. Judith flashes her most professional smile. Ángela asks if her family is safe. Judith says as safe as can be. Ángela notes that Judith is running for the mayor of Tukabatchee. Then she asks if Judith has evidence of crimes at the state prison. Judith says she does. Ángela asks if Judith has a conflict of interest? Judith says no and explains that it will be her job to serve everyone in the community, not just the favored citizens. Ángela says that's refreshing, a politician willing to stand up for people on both sides of the aisle. Judith says that’s why she's certain the voters of Tukabatchee are going choose her on election day. Ángela calls her Madame Mayor.