There it is.
- Real big. - Mm.
Want to go in first?
- Really? - I don't see why not.
Are you coming?
So?
So what?
So what do you... what do you think?
You already know what I think.
I did it, Dad!
That's great.
Lou!
They're here!
- Dad, we don't have any milk. - I know. I'm sorry.
I didn't realize that no one in town delivers.
And you forgot Marmalade's litter box.
I'll go into town tomorrow, and I'll pick one up.
No, thank you.
I'm finished.
We're finished.
girls don't like jerky.
For dinner.
You going to unpack tomorrow, hon?
How are you going to do this?
Do what?
Be our father. You don't have much practice.
I guess, um...
I guess we'll find out.
What are you writing?
A letter to Mom.
"Thanks for abandoning us. You're a slut,
and your new boyfriend is a shit head. "
Well...
I agree with, uh, the second part.
Did you ever even love her?
Excuse me?
You didn't do anything. You let her go.
She made a decision, Louisa, okay? I couldn't stop her.
But if you cared enough, you would have.
There was nothing I could do, honey.
And your mother...
your mother isn't a slut.
Fine.
I don't want you using that word anymore.
Fine.
Can I come in?
You, uh...
you really did some work in here.
All by myself.
Yeah. All by yourself.
That's great. Thank you.
Louisa doesn't like it here.
Yeah.
What about you?
I like it if you like it.
I think it'll be good for us.
Is Mommy going to visit?
Maybe, if she saw how much work I did unpacking,
she might.
Maybe you'll see her for Christmas.
- Okay? Good night. - Good night.
Daddy?
Daddy!
Yeah?
You have to leave the door open a little.
Oh.
Sorry.
Daddy's, uh, forgetting a lot lately, huh?
- Good night. - Good night.
You excited about your first day of school tomorrow?
Yep.
You going to have some fun?
Yep.
Yeah. Good.
Well, good morning.
I couldn't sleep.
It was too quiet, and it was too dark.
This place sucks.
Please don't use that word.
- Doesn't mean what you think. - I know what it means.
Okay, then really, don't use it.
What does sucks mean?
John, how are the children?
They're missing their mom, but we're doing okay.
I hope there will be a good therapist there.
Yeah.
You never know when your daughter needs one.
Yeah, I'd say we're all staring at some therapy.
Well, anyway, how's the book coming?
When are we going to see some changes?
- The writing? - Yeah.
Well, the writing's, uh... the writing's coming great.
- Yeah, John? - Yeah, it's coming great.
I think I've already got the first couple of chapters done.
How about I call you in a couple of weeks when I have something to show you?
- Sounds good, John. - Good.
Bye.
- Sam! - I just found it.
Sam, put that down!
- Louisa... - Daddy!
Daddy!
Sam, put that down.
Louisa, I just found it.
Sam!
Point that at the ground.
I need for you to listen to me very carefully.
Louisa, come on.
I... I was playing the piano.
I want you to bend your knees, Sam.
I want you to bend your knees
and gently, gently lay that on the ground.
It was in there.
Sam, that's all right.
- That's okay. - I'm going to tell...
Everything's all right. You're not in trouble.
I want you to gently hand it to me.
I...
All right, all right. Hey. Hey.
Am I grounded?
Hmm?
Am I grounded?
No. You're not grounded.
And even if you were, Sam, it wouldn't make any difference.
We're a hundred miles from anyone you know.
Not now.
What are you going to do with it?
Want to let me worry about that?
Okay.
Come on, Sam. Let's go exploring.
Where?
Everywhere.
Come on.
Wait up, Lou.
- Oh! - Be careful.
What the fuck?
- - Look at that. - Whoa!
Hey, it was loaded, all right? It was loaded.
Okay, John.
Nobody got hurt, right? I am sorry about that.
I thought you might want to, you know, contact the seller,
let him know that he left a piano loaded with a shotgun
for my 7-year-old to find.
- Wow. You got a piano. - Yeah.
All right. Well, thank you, John.
Okay, Stewart. Thank you very much.
I am sorry about all this.
Putz.
- Lou? - Yeah.
Does Mommy not love us anymore?
No, Sam. Mom still loves us.
Did I do something?
No.
Did Daddy?
No.
What is that, Lou?
I don't know.
Louisa?
Dad.
We found something.
Are you coming?
Yep.
It... It's outside.
Yeah? We going to need jackets?
What is it, Daddy?
I don't know.
The realtor never said anything about it.
Doesn't seem to be any sign of a tractor dig or...
Feels old.
Sam, come up here. I can almost see my window.
It's all right.
Come on.
No.
I... I don't want to.
Whatever.
Okay.
You can walk with me. I don't want to go up there, either.
Marmalade. Marmalade.
Marmalade.
Marmalade?
Marmalade.
Here, Sam.
- What's that? - Lunch.
You forgot to do it. You were too busy losing Marmalade.
I'll find her.
- John James? - Yes.
I'm Cassandra Parker. We spoke on the phone.
- Hi. Hello. - Hi.
You must be Louisa.
- Hi. - Hi.
You are going to be in classroom 7 with Mr. Anderson.
- You're Sam, right? - Uh-huh.
You're going to be in my class, number 4.
Why don't you two follow the rest of the kids inside?
Sure.
- I'll see you at 3? - All right.
Do I have to go?
Can you give it a chance for me, Sam?
- Okay. - Okay. Good.
How did you know who I was?
Oh. It's a small town.
I know most of the parents and kids.
But, uh, I read your book, Lines of Fire, twice.
I'm kind of a fan.
Is that weird? Should I have not said anything?
No. No. It's always better to meet a fan than a critic.
You're not perfect.
It was nice meeting you.
Nice meeting you.
You're in my seat.
Sorry.
I don't want it now.
Do I? You put your ass on it.
Oh, what? Is little baby going to cry?
Did you find everything all right today?
Mm-hmm.
So are you visiting? On vacation?
No, we just moved here and bought a house.
Oh, well, welcome to Mercy.
Thank you. I can barely believe it myself.
You buy that house on Bacon Street?
No, we're... we're off, uh, we're off 38 up a dirt road called Red Creek.
Really?
Pam.
Ooh, uh, what is it?
It's nothing.
Really, man, it's nothing.
Okay, okay.
Really what?
it's nothing. It's just stupid local stories.
Rumors, really.
- Rumors? - Pam.
What about that woman?
Sarah Wayne? And her daughter?
Dear God, Pam, enough with the gossip.
Anything else for you?
No, this is it.
And most of the ants inside these farms are harvest ants,
but they have a nickname. Does anyone know what that is?
- Yes. - Beard ants.
Bearded ants. That's right. And why is that?
Because they have tiny beards.
That's right. They have tiny little beards.
They're kind of hard to see, though.
Now, there is, also, inside here a queen ant.
A queen ant spends a lot of time building all these tunnels,
and she finds a nice soft spot where she can lay her eggs.
And after she does, she pretty much stays there.
Marmalade!
Kitty!
Oh, God.
Uh...
I've been learning about all different kinds of ants.
- Yeah? - Uh-huh.
There's the army ants that never stay in one place for too long.
- Yeah? - And then there's these kinds of ants
that stay in their colony forever,
only to send out a scout to look for food and stuff.
- Mm-hmm. - There's only one girl ant
in the whole family. She's the queen ant.
- The grownup. - And she's in charge.
What else did you do?
Well, after we all got ant farms,
me, Steven, and George played ping pong during lunch for, like, hours.
Miss Parker's really nice.
What about you? What did you...
What did you do?
What's wrong with her?
I don't know.
Is little baby going to cry?
Aah! God.
Mm.
Son of a bitch.
Louisa?
Sam?
Daddy?
Have you, uh,
have you seen Louisa?
Did you find Marmalade yet?
No, I haven't.
I haven't found Marmalade yet, honey.
Were you playing outside?
Uh, bedtime soon, okay?
Okay.
Louisa?
Louisa, is everything all right?
Louisa!
Yeah?
Were you just, uh...
Were you just outside?
I'm in the bathtub.
Are you all right?
Yes.
Okay.
Okay, but just... next time,
just be back home before it gets dark.
Louisa, you, uh...
I'm coming.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Come here, baby.
Daddy?
We have to go to school.
Oh. Okay.
Louisa.
God damn it.
What happened?
I'm sorry.
Honey, we're going to be late.
I'm ready.
Sam, where's your backpack?
My room.
Go get it.
Uh, when...
when did you, um...
Are you hungry?
No.
How did you, uh, sleep last night?
Fine.
You don't remember sleepwalking?
I had to put you back in your bed.
Well, did you take Molly?
What?
My doll. Molly.
I woke up this morning, and I couldn't find her.
No, I... I didn't take Molly, but I did...
I did find this.
- What's that? - I don't know. You tell me.
Did you, uh... Did you make this?
I don't know what that is.
You were holding it last night.
I'm ready.
Let's go, Sam.
Come on, Dad.
And his grades are much better this year.
I can really tell that he's been picking up a lot.
I can see all the work that you've been doing on his reading and...
Good morning.
Louisa!
Hey, you.
Are you hiding from me?
You're scared, aren't you?
What is wrong with you?
Are you deaf?
Say something.
- Hi. - Hi.
Where's Louisa?
She's resting in the nurse's office.
We had another girl slip and fall.
Broke an arm.
- Hey. - Hey.
How are you feeling?
- I don't feel good. - Yeah?
After I called you, she threw up a few more times.
My stomach hurts.
All right, let's go home.
Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?
- Carry me. - Okay.
- Oh. - I'm sorry, Daddy.
It's okay, honey. You're going to feel better soon.
It's a tough age for girls.
Hormones, puberty... boys.
- It can be tough on fathers, too. - Yes, it can.
She's, uh...
They both had it rough for a while.
My... My wife and I just got divorced,
so now with this move, it's just...
it's a lot for them to take in.
They might surprise you, though.
Kids have a way of coping with change, sometimes better than adults.
Yeah.
And I've had experience with adopted children,
- and they in no way... - What?
Adopted?
Louisa's told me that she...
Oh.
Louisa said that she was...
- Yeah. ...adopted?
Yeah. And with her dark hair, as opposed to yours and Sam's...
- She... She takes after her mom. - Right.
Sorry.
Here.
My home phone number,
in case you ever need someone to talk to.
Thanks. I, uh, I better get going.
- Bye. - Bye.
I told you I want you home before it gets dark, honey.
Louisa.
We need to talk.
It's okay. I get it, all right? I get it.
You're not a child anymore. You're changing.
And I know, all right?
I know I got a lot to learn about being a parent,
but I promise...
I promise you I'm doing the best I can.
If this move doesn't work for you and you hate it...
I don't hate it, Dad.
No?
No.
Honey, what's this? Where did you get these?
Don't touch me.
Hey, I was just...
Why do you always have to ruin everything?
- Honey, I was just... - Just leave me alone.
I just want to see if you're all right.
I went to San Francisco on a signing tour,
and a week later, when I got back to, uh, Charleston,
she'd already hired a divorce attorney and... filed papers.
- Wow. - Yeah.
So sudden doesn't really cover it.
No.
So...
how did you end up with the kids?
That's the part that I still don't understand yet.
I mean, my wife, uh...
my... my ex-wife Isabel, she wanted to start a family.
She wanted us to move to Charleston so we could be next to her parents,
and then, all of a sudden, she, uh...
she didn't want anything to do with us.
And now I'm, uh, I'm here,
and I know this is the most important thing that I've ever done.
I know that, and it...
and it scares me...
more than anything.
John, you're not going to fail them.
You're doing a great job.
Oh, yeah. I'm doing great, you know. I'm doing really great.
I don't even know who Louisa...
I don't even know who Louisa is anymore.
One minute she's my, uh, my little girl,
and then the next minute she's telling me to go, you know,
screw myself.
You want to know what I think?
I do.
I think you're probably a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.
Thank you.
Louisa?
Louisa, is that you?
Honey?
Louisa.
- Dad. - Go inside.
What happened? Dad? Is everything okay?
- Just go inside. - Daddy.
Were you just outside?
No.
I don't want you playing out in the fields anymore, honey.
I don't want you playing out on the mound.
So you take me away from all of my friends,
- and now I can't even go outside? - Louisa...
Look, I don't care.
What's wrong?
All my ants are dying.
I think it got too hot.
Or maybe it got too cold.
Did I kill them?
Well, ants usually don't live that long anyway, honey,
and remember what you were saying about there only being one girl ant?
You know, the queen?
Do you think she died?
They can't live without her.
Usually, before one queen dies, another one is born, and...
See, there's, uh...
See? There's still some moving around in there.
We'll just... We'll just have to wait and see, honey.
What happens if the queen dies before then?
Well, I don't... Honey, I don't think that she will.
But what if she does?
Sam, I've got to go talk to somebody, okay?
Can you watch some cartoons?
Could it have been a kid throwing rocks?
No.
Well...
I don't know, then.
We don't get anything out here bigger than a pig.
Former owners never mentioned anything.
All they ever asked about was that old Indian burial mound.
Is that what that is?
Oh, I don't know.
Probably.
Was that the only thing you wanted to talk about?
No, I wanted to talk to you about the sale of the house
and the woman that went missing... Sarah Wayne.
- What? - Sarah Wayne.
She lived here with her daughter.
I read about it.
- Right. - Right.
- About that... - And when I bought the house,
you told me that the seller was Roger Wayne.
Yeah. No. He was the seller, John.
- He was co-signer on Sarah's loan. - Right.
When she disappeared, he became the heir.
You never told me anything about this.
Well, there was no crime committed.
Okay? It was just assumed that Sarah couldn't make payments,
so she bolted.
Yeah, but she left her 16-year-old daughter, Stew.
You don't think that was an important piece of information?
- Oh, come on. - If not a little strange?
Look, John, the world is full of deadbeat parents. Hmm?
You're going to love this.
What did you find?
You have to see.
What's up there, Lou?
After Sarah disappeared,
Roger took his granddaughter Emily away.
Where?
I don't... A suburb of Charleston.
Suburb of Charleston. Okay.
Anything else?
And there was a house fire,
and the girl died.
There was a house fire, and the girl died,
And you never told me anything about this.
It doesn't have anything to do with you, John.
You're going to give me the address of the house that burned, Stewart,
and then I'm going to find this Roger Wayne.
I have to know if my family is safe.
Louisa?
Lou?
Seven stitches, Lou.
Seven stitches. What in the world were you thinking?
I didn't even scare him He just let go of the ladder.
You're his older sister. You're supposed to look out for him.
Sorry.
And he said you were out at the mound again.
- Is that right? - Yeah.
Yes? Well, what did I tell you?
- Well, you don't let me do anything. - You...
You just sit here and wait.
You understand me?
We'll be going home soon.
- Hello. - Hi.
Thanks for coming on such short notice.
Oh, no problem at all.
Cassandra Parker has given you a glowing recommendation.
Oh, that was nice of her.
Please, uh, come in.
- This is Sam. - Hi, Sam.
Hi.
My daughter Louisa's upstairs, okay?
I'm only going to be gone four or five hours, all right?
Okay.
So if I'm delayed for any reason, I'll call you.
- All right. - Okay?
You'll be good? Yeah? You'll be okay?
- Big boy? - Mm-hmm.
- Hmm? All right? Okay. - Okay.
Um, one more thing.
Louisa is, uh, grounded.
She likes to play out in the fields in the back,
but she's not allowed to right now.
I'll make sure she doesn't.
Okay. Be good.
Professor Evan White's office.
Yeah, this is John.
Hello, Mr. James. We just got your email.
Listen...
- It's very interesting. - Yeah.
The professor's looking at your photos.
Listen, I really...
- Evan, it's our writer. - What?
The one with the mound.
- Evan. - Okay, I'll be...
Evan!
Sam.
What?
Come play with me.
Where?
The mound.
We're not supposed to, Lou.
- Get out! - Okay.
- This is my house! Get out! - All right.
- You're not wanted here. - Wait.
- Get out! - Roger Wayne?
Oh. I'm sorry. Are you...
Are you Roger Wayne?
What did you say?
I was going to get rid of that house.
Did you ever go out there?
Just once. I hadn't heard from Sarah in over three weeks.
I was worried. I drove down.
She was gone.
And Emily...
I heard about your... granddaughter.
You live there now?
Yeah.
Have any children?
Yeah. A boy and a girl.
She changing?
What?
Your daughter, is she changing?
Emily changed.
What do you mean?
When I went out to that house, I found her locked in the bedroom.
From the outside. Sarah had locked her in there.
What are you talking about?
I brought Emily back to the city, but she was sick.
Something inside of her had changed.
One night I woke up. It was pouring rain.
I went to check on her.
She wasn't in bed.
I found her in the backyard, covered in mud
and digging in the ground with her hands.
She wasn't really awake, but she wasn't really asleep, either.
She didn't even seem to notice,
and I thank God for that.
When I picked her up and brought her inside...
I started the fire.
What?
She wasn't my granddaughter anymore.
I had to do it. So will you.
Wait a minute. You started the fire?
My Sarah couldn't do what needed to be done.
That's why she locked Emily in the bedroom.
A father will do anything for his daughter, even the worst thing.
Even the worst thing!
Taking her away from that place did nothing!
You can't stop it!
Good night, Sam. Sweet dreams.
Good night, Mrs. Amworth.
Oh. Oh, Louisa, you scared me.
Have you been outside?
You'll definitely have to have a bath before bed, so go wash up.
Look at you. You have...
Damn it.
Sam? Louisa?
Open the door, please.
Open the door!
Sam!
Open the door.
Louisa?
Louisa, open the door. For God's sake, open the door!
Oh, Jesus!
Louisa!
Louisa! Louisa!
Please help me!
Mrs. Amworth?
Louisa.
Sam?
Sam, are you in there?
Sam?
Sam!
Sam. Are you all right?
Sam, are you okay?
What's wrong?
Hey. What's wrong?
What's wrong?
I heard screaming.
Louisa.
Louisa, wake up. Wake up.
- Daddy. - Where's Mrs. Amworth?
- What? - Mrs. Amworth, the babysitter.
Where is she?
I don't know.
So I just went to bed.
Um, I woke up when my dad came into my room.
And you didn't hear anyone screaming?
You, Sam, you said you heard the sound of screams, right?
I heard her.
It was scary.
Okay.
Ms. Parker.
Maybe it's not too far down the road.
Yeah. Yeah.
So, uh, what happens now?
Well, I'm going to take a ride over to Evelyn's.
Hopefully, she's just left and gone home.
That wouldn't be like Evelyn at all.
You'll call me as soon as you hear everything?
I will. In fact, Mr. James, make sure you stay where I can reach you.
Good evening.
Do you want me to stay?
Better not.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Okay.
Your girlfriend's not staying over?
No.
Don't you want her to?
Cassandra's going home, and it's time for bed.
Why, because you say so?
Yes, Louisa. Because I say so.
I'm the father. You're the daughter.
Well, you don't know how to be a fath...
Daddy.
I'm so cold.
It's okay.
Everything's going to be okay.
Are you going to leave me?
No. No.
I'm not going to leave you.
But Mommy left.
Why did Mommy leave?
You'll leave me, too, won't you?
Louisa.
I'll never leave you.
You have to try and rest, okay?
Daddy.
Can I sleep with you tonight?
Daddy!
I'm your new daughter.
All right, get your stuff.
I'll be right here when you guys get out, okay?
Okay, Daddy. Bye.
Have you heard from the police yet?
- Yeah. - And?
And there's still no sign of her.
She's going to turn up, Cassandra. She has to.
Can you...
Can you keep an eye on Louisa for me?
Absolutely.
All right. Thank you.
Oh, no.
- Rick? - Yeah.
I'm taking the mound down today.
These things can be tricky.
Maybe these things can be tricky. I don't care.
Many root systems go down pretty deep.
- Yeah, I... - You have to get way below surface.
- I don't... - I'll bring the diesel...
- Listen to me. - Ammonium nitrate...
- Rick, look. - Yeah.
Get that bulldozer up here as soon as possible, all right?
- Sure, Mr. James. - Thank you.
- Yeah? - Mr. James,
this is Evan White from the University of Charleston.
Hello, Professor.
I've taken a look at the photos of your property.
- I'm very intrigued. - Well, actually, um...
Would it be possible for me to come down there today and take a look?
I do appreciate you taking the time,
but there's been a change of plan.
I'm actually going to be taking the mound down today.
Could you at least wait until we get there?
I can't talk about this anymore. It's something I have to do today.
- Please... - Thank you very much.
Mr. James, please...
This baby's going to blow.
Don't stop.
Hello?
Professor Evan White. We spoke on the phone.
Oh, that's right.
Look.
Alexis Danella.
- I'm the professor's TA. - Hello.
Mr. James, an excavation wouldn't take much time,
and ritualized mound burial...
its study, it's important.
No, I'm doing this today.
What a waste.
Mr. James, mound burial is something
that links many civilizations all across the globe.
I'm sorry.
This wants to be studied.
Hey, how come they bury their dead like this?
Mostly, they didn't.
Mound burial was only for the most revered
because, at least in some cases, the mounds themselves were worshiped.
We found some evidence in a limestone cave in Mississippi.
There's drawings that might depict a mythology
of the gods that existed inside the mounds.
Inside?
They called them mound walkers.
Mounds were places of power,
and the walkers were believed to be a dying race of deities,
weakened over thousands of years
by the encroachment of humans onto their land.
Rick, go on.
I've even found depictions of a ritual,
an exchanging of gifts between the walkers
and children of some of the native tribes.
Dolls?
Straw dolls?
Yes, that's right. Um...
...how did you know that? I haven't...
Rick, wait.
What did they want?
What any species wants... to survive.
So, when faced with extinction, the gods themselves began to pray.
Pray for what?
A savior, a chosen one.
And she would come from the unlikeliest of places.
She would be human...
...young girl...
and then the mating ritual would begin.
The myth was that the walkers were an all-male race.
They needed a mother, a queen, to give birth to the next life's eggs.
And then a new age would begin.
Mr. James...
Do it now!
Mr. James, please.
I've had officers combing for blood in and around your house all day.
My... My house? Look, I didn't...
Hey, I didn't do this.
Okay. All right.
I'd like to believe that,
but we're going to do this right.
But you're going to have to be helpful and patient.
Understand?
Can I at least call my kids at their school?
I called Cassandra Parker already.
She, uh...
She's going to take your kids home and stay with them.
Look, I promised my kids that I would pick them up.
I understand that.
But I'm just going to need you to stay here for a little while, all right?
If your, uh, story checks out, you're going to be with them soon enough.
I give you my word, okay?
My ants are dead.
What do you mean? What do you mean, Sam?
My ants are dead.
Those are eggs.
Daddy was right.
There's a new queen.
Look how all the other ants are surrounding her,
guarding her until it's done.
What's wrong, Sam? Are you all right?
I think something bad is going to happen now.
Nothing bad is going to happen. Hmm?
There's something wrong with Louisa.
Hello?
- Hello, Ed? - No, this is John.
It's Skinner from the lab for Officer Lowry.
Hold on. I'm with Officer Lowry. Let me put you on the speaker.
Ed, hi. Look, we did a preliminary autopsy on the body,
and it appears she was eaten alive.
- What could have done that? - Ed, we're not sure.
The bite marks don't match any known creatures,
and really, we've never seen anything like this.
Shit!
What the...
Ed, are you there?
Look, we're going to have to call you back.
- Ed? - Jesus Christ, I think I hit someone.
No. Where are you going? No, no, no. Stay in the car.
What happened to the light?
Come on.
- Oh, my God! Oh, my God! - Hey!
Oh, my God!
Cassandra!
Sam!
Louisa!
God.
Oh. Cassandra.
Louisa. What happened?
Daddy!
Sam?
Daddy!
It's okay, Sam. It's okay. We're going home now.
She won't let us.
We're leaving, Louisa.
No.
We're not.
Louisa, listen to me. Please, honey, just...
Louisa, just come...
Okay. Don't move. You don't move.
I'm going down there with them.
If you go somewhere, I can't follow you.
You will follow.
Shut up!
Shut up.
Please.
Louisa!
Daddy!
Don't move, Sam.
Daddy!
No, Daddy!
Daddy! Daddy!
Please, no!
Daddy...
Daddy.
Don't! Please, Daddy!
Don't!
Sam, you need to wait here, okay?
Wait here until the police come.
Here.
Where are you going?
Tell the police to call Mommy, okay?
Dad.
I love you, Sam, okay?
Okay. You want your monkey?
Your monkey will be safe with you, okay?
You be a big boy.
Be a big boy.
Come on.
Louisa?
Louisa.
Daddy?
Louisa.
I can come home now?
Yes, I will take you.
Take you out of here.
Okay. We're almost home, but you're going to have to pull yourself.
You're going to have to push.
Hurry.
Louisa.
Daddy.
Don't leave me, Daddy.
Daddy?