A group of three GangstersSteele, Lomax, and Billyenter a hotel room and await Aubrey, a local man who owes them money. Aubrey arrives shortly after with his male lover, and Lomax shoves a burning cigar down his throat before beating him to death. Aubrey's lover leaps to his death from the 12th-floor window. Afterward, Steele, Lomax, and Billy drive through the countryside. Billy is remorseful for the crime they have perpetrated, while Steele and Lomax are indifferent. During a stop at a grocery store, Steele and Lomax relentlessly terrorize a female clerk, tearing off her blouse before firing a gun above her head and pouring Coca-Cola on her.