In the Mud (En el barro)

EVENTS AND CHARACTERS ARE FICTIONAL.

ANY LIKENESS TO REALITY IS COINCIDENCE.

Of course. Look, tell the governor that I need an answer now!

LA QUEBRADA PRISON, JULY 2020

We're all good? All right, perfect.

We finally have the remote medical attention we so badly need!

Do understand people are dying here? No, this is not a joke! Talk to you later.

-Hey! Wait! Come here, you bitch! -Keep your distance!

Hey, let her go, man! Jesus!

Tell him to put that gun down and let her go!

I told you to calm down and put an end to the protest,

or I was gonna do things my way! Didn't I tell you?

And this is your way?!

What are you doing? Put that thing away. You don't even know how to use it.

-Moron! Dumbass! -You'd better clean up!

-María! What'd we agree on? -Tell that to your grasshopper.

Things are popping off in here, and it's gonna get a lot worse.

You know that, right?

I told you we were going to negotiate and sort everything out.

No, no, no, no! You said you were gonna negotiate.

Then you said, "I'll have the answer in two hours."

Guess what, we've heard nothing!

How about you move the sick out of here? Like to a hospital?

Because they're gonna make us sick if they stay here!

Anyone who's infected stays put. Everyone stays here.

No one will be transferred.

That is unacceptable. No!

-But how-- -That's unacceptable! You understand?

-Everyone's gonna get sick! -They're gonna make us sick!

Speaking of, why aren't either of you wearing masks.

Please! Wearing a mask won't do shit!

-"Put on a mask." -We're like sardines.

-That's total bull! -Like sardines!

I mean, are you serious? Gimme a fucking break!

You know what it's like in hospitals right now, do you?

You know how many people are dying in hospitals right now?

-All crammed in next to each other. -Exactly!

-No idea! -We don't know what it's like!

We know nothing about the outside! We're in the same boat!

-This affects all of us! -Please, just please.

Visitors won't be allowed.

-But I have something for you. -What?

Consider it a gift, assholes!

Yeah?

I got you cell phones.

Those who have relatives with phones can get one from them.

So you, hand out the ones you confiscated already.

There won't be a cell phone for everyone though.

Just the ones that we can get from your families

and the phones that Rubén returns to you. You got that, Rubén?

Now, I'm asking you to please get rid of the people you had sent here

to watch this shit show unfold, the TV reporters, the media, all of it.

Okay.

And can you please do me a favor and clean up this mess a little?

Let's go and get the cell phones. Come on.

Listen, you're gonna manage the phones they give us

'cause obviously there won't be enough of them for every girl in here.

-Sure. -Well, let her go, Rubén.

Moron. Dumbass.

Let's go. Come on. Come on. Let's go. Get up.

Let's go. Come on. Let's go. Come on.

IN THE MUD

LA QUEBRADA PRISON, TODAY

What a shock. This doesn't usually happen.

This girl tried to escape by going through the roof apparently.

And she fell.

Or she jumped.

What a mess.

Slow down, slowly.

Slowly.

Now relax your jaw.

Let's see it with sound.

-The hell?! -You should've already taken care of this!

My girls were there, the ones that protect me.

So you must've seen them.

My people pay your husband very well, and the deal did not involve me having

to fight off some bitch that was trying to take me out.

I wanna know who gave the order.

Or is that too difficult for you idiots to find out?

Is it? You're both so incompetent.

-I dunno! -It's amazing you've made it this far.

Enough.

You got that? Who knows? Maybe it came from outside.

You wanna know whose fault this is? Yours! Not mine! Got that?

-Stop. -You and your husband like money?

-I bet it was you! -Yeah, but you don't, right?

You sold me out.

Let's take it down a notch, okay? Why don't we all just relax? Take it easy.

You don't know Lefty like we do.

Lefty is not a traitor.

Yeah? Well, prove it.

I'm going to figure out how this happened. Is that clear?

Whoever fucked you over will pay.

You go with her.

That Galician can go to hell. Fuck that bitch.

Relax, would you?

It was María. I swear. It's María.

-She's responsible for all this bullshit! -All right. Enough. Just calm down.

Here's what I think. I think it was that nun that took Bubi

because she's not satisfied just touching children.

So now she wants to touch my rabbit as well.

I think she took him because I left him right there on the bed, you know?

He was in bed, all tucked in. And you know what worries me most?

What if she isn't feeding him?

-Do you know about a rabbit's digestion? -Hey there.

-Hello. Rabbits have something… -Can I sit?

It's called direct digestion.

-It's just the way it works with rabbits. -Mm-hmm.

-They eat and poop. -Sure.

They eat and poop.

So they need to be eating all the time.

So he can't just sit there for ages like this.

Who knows if they are feeding him, know what I mean? It's awful!

-Right… -But I know it's that fucking nun.

I'm sure she took him. It was her.

Hey, can I take some of that for my little girl?

-Sure. -Okay, okay.

Don't worry. I won't spiral out of control, but I'm worried.

I'm not gonna let them just come and take the rabbit away from me like that.

I have my suspicions. I won't say more, just in case, but I have my suspicions.

Thanks.

The bread fills me up.

Not me. This is nowhere near enough food.

'Sup?

Oh!

-Why is she leaving? -What's got her all pissed off?

She doesn't want to sit with traitors like her.

That's why she is switching tables.

-What's going on? Traitor? -Enough.

Hold on. I went, did what I was told to do,

and if it didn't go well after that, that's not my problem anymore.

No. We all did what we had to, but I'm not getting involved with this.

-She is messing with the wrong bitch. -I'll go and talk to her.

-Don't say anything. -All right.

She thinks it was me.

-That I went and told Lefty. -Why?

I mean I didn't, obviously.

But she's so wrapped up in her own bullshit, and she won't listen.

-What a shit show. -Well…

Hello there, witches. The silence is deafening.

At least try and hide your jealousy.

When your ass looks that good on video, you get privileges.

Enjoy your meal.

Listen to me.

Are you sure you didn't let something slip when you were talking with Lefty?

Are you joking?

-No, I'm really asking you. -And I'm telling you, no.

Let's not start pointing fingers at each other.

-I'm not accusing her. -Stop it.

I'm just asking. Someone had to. Someone did.

All right.

It's my fucking sciatica.

You know full well why you're here, don't you?

-Correct. -Well…

The girl that killed herself. That's what this is about.

How awful…

It reminded me of my niece.

But there was never an investigation for her though.

Not that I know of.

Do you have something to do with her death or no?

Moranzón, do you remember when

you and I used to help each other out?

What happened to that?

'Cause now you're using this place

as a springboard for all kinds of other things.

I'm the one asking questions.

Well, I have some more questions for you now too.

Tell me about Patricia. You know, the pregnant girl.

She had a botched birth, so they say.

You wouldn't know anything about that, huh?

Seems like I'm not the only one with secrets, am I now?

Daniel.

Take her away.

Come on. Let's go.

Bad boy.

Are you still angry?

Not with you.

As for the others, I don't know. I don't trust any of them.

-Oh no, don't say that. -Mm…

You've already done so much for us. We're all grateful.

You really think we're going to betray you after all we've been through?

No, come on. Don't be like that.

You're the only one I can really talk to around here. Mm.

They offered me this, uh… Oh, what was it?

"An arrangement," outings so Brisa can go outside.

-What? -Yeah, the director offered it.

Basically, so she can get out for a few hours and see the world.

She doesn't have to be trapped in here.

Who takes her?

The governor's wife, Eugenia.

-I think I told you about her. -Yeah?

I told you that.

But hold on. What do you mean she'll take her out?

Doesn't that seem strange to you?

-Hmm? -I mean, I dunno.

They're politicians, so they're up to something.

I don't doubt that at all.

But it'll be good for her.

Hmm.

Moranzón is so generous with your little girl,