Brave young cowboys
Of the near north side,
Mount those bridge rails,
Ride all night,
Scream when captured,
Arch your back,
Let this whole town hear
Your knuckles crack
Sapphire Trans-Am,
Highbeams in vain
Drive wild broncos
Down the plain
Push up to the corner
Where the turbines hiss,
Someday we won't
Remember this
Crawl 'til dawn
On my hands and knees
God damn these vampires
For what they've done to me
Tie those horses
To the post outside,
And let those glass doors
Open wide
And in their surface
See two young, savage things,
Barely worth
Remembering
Feast like pagans,
Never get enough,
Sleep like dead men
Wake up like dead men
And when the sun comes,
Try not to hate the light
Someday we'll try
To walk upright
Crawl 'til dawn
On my hands and knees
God damn these bite marks
Deep in my arteries
Crawl 'til dawn
On my hands and knees
God damn these vampires
For what they've done to me...
The doors of the bus opened at the check-in station for the reservation land, a humble building out in the desert that acted as a liason for comings and goings into the territory. Normally, Salem would just have Murphy drive on through, but as the freshly showered wrestler stepped off the bus, he was greeted by a similarly aged black man, a sheriff, with his cruiser lights flashing almost as wide as the smile on his face as the two men shook hands, Salem reciprocating the grin despite himself.
"Hey, Nick." Salem said, embracing his long-time friend and old school buddy since elementary school. "Mom put you up to this?"
Nick had always been taller than Salem, and still stood a few inches over him, but Salem saw the man like a brother and the two never once had a dispute with one another over height or anything else, except maybe their own nerdy interests. Returning Salem's shake with a one-armed hug, he nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, you know it. Wants you out at the farm with everybody - I'm just here to bring you in style. But I was told if you give me any fuss, I should cuff you and take you up there in the back."
Salem laughed, the first genuine time he'd done that since losing his match. Turning back to Murphy, Salem nodded and waved, gesturing a phone with one hand to indicate he'd call later before turning back to Nicholas, the bus engaging and beginning to depart back up the road.
"Nah, I'm not gonna fight with her on it. Better to get this over with." he answered, starting over to the passenger side of the sheriff's car as the two got in, starting off down the main road leading into the reservation.
The road was a bit bumpy, mostly worn into the ground rather than laid out and developed, but the pair seemed relaxed and casual as they drove alongside fields that seemed to stretch out for days. It'd been a while since Salem last saw his childhood friend, but no matter the time that passed the two always were comfortable in each other's company, even when just sitting quietly through the desert. Ultimately it was Nick who broke the silence.
"Not used to riding up front, eh?" he teased, giving Salem a friendly smirk. Salem chuckled reflexively, shaking his head.
"No, not typically. Please tell me Mom doesn't have you doing favors while you're on duty."
"Nah, man, I'm off duty," Nicholas replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I just wanted to look good to come get you. Saw the match, bro - you really took it to him."
"Yeah..." Salem said, his tone weakly friendly but trailing off a little as he looked out into the familiar fields. "Just didn't do enough, apparently."
"Man, that guy's been wrestling some twenty years," Nick answered, cutting off the impending pessimism with some contextual words of support. "I guarantee that fight could've gone your way a dozen times. I mean - that guillotine? Sheesh. I thought you'd tap him out right there. You're the toughest son of a b***h I know, Salem."
Letting out a laugh as he thought of a joke on the fly, Salem couldn't help but share it.
"Yeah, and you can say that because you know my mother." he remarked glibly.
As the car took a turn down the road leading to his house, Salem's eyes were fixed on the dirt in front of the headlights, his earlier dream fresh in his mind. Nicholas knew about the incident, and was smart and polite enough to just be silent as they went up the dirt road while Salem relived the incident in his mind.
It felt like an hour had passed, staring at the dirt like that, but before he knew it, the car was slowing down at the front gates of his family's farm, the electronic doors parting to allow them access to the property.
"Guess momma knows her baby boy's home," Nick teased, pulling up the drive and stopping by the front door, where Salem's parents stood to welcome them.
Getting out of the car, the pair of men approached the couple, Nicholas making his pleasantries before wishing them a good night and departing, leaving Salem and his parents to watch the sheriff's taillights get swallowed up in the darkened distance.
"So...I'm here." Salem said, expectantly turning to his mother and father. "What's this all about, y'all?"
"Let's talk inside, boyo." Salem's father, William, replied, the short, middle-aged Irishman's voice firm and a touch cold as he turned and went back in, followed by his wife and son.
"Hey, Nick." Salem said, embracing his long-time friend and old school buddy since elementary school. "Mom put you up to this?"
Nick had always been taller than Salem, and still stood a few inches over him, but Salem saw the man like a brother and the two never once had a dispute with one another over height or anything else, except maybe their own nerdy interests. Returning Salem's shake with a one-armed hug, he nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, you know it. Wants you out at the farm with everybody - I'm just here to bring you in style. But I was told if you give me any fuss, I should cuff you and take you up there in the back."
Salem laughed, the first genuine time he'd done that since losing his match. Turning back to Murphy, Salem nodded and waved, gesturing a phone with one hand to indicate he'd call later before turning back to Nicholas, the bus engaging and beginning to depart back up the road.
"Nah, I'm not gonna fight with her on it. Better to get this over with." he answered, starting over to the passenger side of the sheriff's car as the two got in, starting off down the main road leading into the reservation.
The road was a bit bumpy, mostly worn into the ground rather than laid out and developed, but the pair seemed relaxed and casual as they drove alongside fields that seemed to stretch out for days. It'd been a while since Salem last saw his childhood friend, but no matter the time that passed the two always were comfortable in each other's company, even when just sitting quietly through the desert. Ultimately it was Nick who broke the silence.
"Not used to riding up front, eh?" he teased, giving Salem a friendly smirk. Salem chuckled reflexively, shaking his head.
"No, not typically. Please tell me Mom doesn't have you doing favors while you're on duty."
"Nah, man, I'm off duty," Nicholas replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I just wanted to look good to come get you. Saw the match, bro - you really took it to him."
"Yeah..." Salem said, his tone weakly friendly but trailing off a little as he looked out into the familiar fields. "Just didn't do enough, apparently."
"Man, that guy's been wrestling some twenty years," Nick answered, cutting off the impending pessimism with some contextual words of support. "I guarantee that fight could've gone your way a dozen times. I mean - that guillotine? Sheesh. I thought you'd tap him out right there. You're the toughest son of a b***h I know, Salem."
Letting out a laugh as he thought of a joke on the fly, Salem couldn't help but share it.
"Yeah, and you can say that because you know my mother." he remarked glibly.
As the car took a turn down the road leading to his house, Salem's eyes were fixed on the dirt in front of the headlights, his earlier dream fresh in his mind. Nicholas knew about the incident, and was smart and polite enough to just be silent as they went up the dirt road while Salem relived the incident in his mind.
It felt like an hour had passed, staring at the dirt like that, but before he knew it, the car was slowing down at the front gates of his family's farm, the electronic doors parting to allow them access to the property.
"Guess momma knows her baby boy's home," Nick teased, pulling up the drive and stopping by the front door, where Salem's parents stood to welcome them.
Getting out of the car, the pair of men approached the couple, Nicholas making his pleasantries before wishing them a good night and departing, leaving Salem and his parents to watch the sheriff's taillights get swallowed up in the darkened distance.
"So...I'm here." Salem said, expectantly turning to his mother and father. "What's this all about, y'all?"
"Let's talk inside, boyo." Salem's father, William, replied, the short, middle-aged Irishman's voice firm and a touch cold as he turned and went back in, followed by his wife and son.
