Episode 7 of American Rust commences with a haunting melody that echoes through Billy's prison cell as he stirs from slumber, greeted by the unpleasant sound of his cellmate's morning ritual. The dawn breaks with the doors creaking open, signaling the start of a day where Billy swiftly becomes the focus of unwanted attention from his fellow inmates.
The aftermath of the car bombing casts a pall, and Grace finds herself in the crosshairs of suspicion. The list of potential enemies is not short, with Kelsey's name topping the chart, yet her supervisor at the warehouse also looms large. The union deal has stirred up a hornet's nest, leaving many with a bitter taste in their mouths. Desperate, Grace turns to Harris for aid, but his hands are tied, officially removed from the case.
Determined to unearth clues, Harris ventures to Lee's side, who had grown close to Billy. Grasping at straws, he inquires about drugs and the elusive figures who may have been present at the Mill that fateful day. Adding to the intrigue, Isaac's silence fuels Henry's fury, who lets his guard down, baring his teeth in a growl, "Step off my land and keep your distance from my family."
Harris' fortunes take a turn when he engages Tom in conversation. Amidst Tom's recovery from his overdose, Harris delves into the murky world of drugs. Tom's lips loosen, revealing Pete Novick as his occasional supplier. But beneath the surface lies a tale of turf wars, as a "newcomer" emerged, claiming dominance. The pieces begin to fit, and we can all but guess who that shadowy figure might be.
At the pharmacy's dimly lit interior, Harris's keen eye catches a glint of metal beneath Jackson's cash register—a handgun, concealed and sinister. Alarm bells clang in his mind, setting off a chain reaction of suspicion. Determined to uncover the truth, Harris plots to infiltrate the premises after hours.
As nightfall shrouds the street, Harris severs the pharmacy's power supply, plunging it into darkness, then stealthily breaches the locked doors. Using Jackson's computer as his guide, Harris delves into a labyrinth of digital files, ultimately uncovering a monthly, recurring prescription for Fentanyl, addressed to Novick. The revelation hits him like a jolt of electricity, but his investigation is abruptly cut short by the beckoning of a house party later in the evening.
At the party, the festive atmosphere is shattered by tragedy as a young boy succumbs to an overdose, his life extinguished by a snort of Fentanyl. Harris's mind races back to his findings; his list of Fentanyl prescriptions, a grim tally of 32 names, now seems to be a death roll. Each of those individuals, according to Steve's grim estimation, consumed over 2000 pills per month, painting a chilling picture of Jackson's illicit dealings. Yet, Harris sees Jackson as a mere pawn in a larger game, using him as bait to flush out even more nefarious players.
Meanwhile, within the prison's steel-clad walls, Billy finds himself in the eye of a storm. The guards' watchful gazes frame a grim arena as Billy is thrust into a brutal confrontation with another inmate. Surrounded on all sides, with no escape in sight, the two engage in a visceral battle, fists and fury the only language they understand. Billy emerges victorious, his opponent a battered mess, but at a heavy cost—his shirt and lips stained crimson with his own blood.
"You did good," his cellmate murmurs, offering a tacit acknowledgment of Billy's victory as he slides a chilled beer can beneath the door, a makeshift salve for Billy's wounds. But as the night wears on, the question lingers: how long can Billy endure in this brutal environment, where every breath is a test of survival?
