Living in a Devil Town
"I was living in a devil town,
I didn't know it was a devil town,
oh Lord, how it brings me down,
about the devil town
All my friends were vampires,
I didn't know they were vampires,
turns out I was a vampire myself,
in the devil town..."
This is a bit of an alternate universe – OK, honestly, it's straight out of the Bizarro World. Anyway, over the weekend I re-watched the State episode and this story idea sort of popped together for me. Either enjoy it, question my sanity, or both, but I swear on my honor – no alcoholic beverages were involved at any stage of the proceedings.
Matt and Julie walked around the lake holding hands as the late afternoon sunlight began to fade.
"Matt, why aren't you talking to me more?" Julie asked her boyfriend, the Dillon Panthers' quarterback, with a gentle squeeze to his hand.
"Sorry, Julie," Matt turned to look at his sweetheart. The breeze sometimes blew her long blond hair around her face, which in his objective opinion just made her even more attractive. "All this football stuff, the Expectations everyone has for us, that either we win State or we're failures, it really brings me down sometimes."
"Well, listen a second, honey. I can tell you something that'll make it a lot easier for you."
Julie's words made Matt Swerve and then stop in his tracks. He looked straight at her. "What do you mean?"
She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Time for The Confession, I guess." She sighed and then continued. "There are a lot of things going on around here that are bigger than you and I can imagine, and some people can't see them no matter how much time they Keep Looking with their Eyes Wide Open."
"Julie Taylor, what on Earth – or off it – are you trying to say to me?" Matt's eyebrows were halfway up to his hair. "If you think this was a Bad Idea, we can just Stay and hang out like we're doing now. Or if you want me to take you back..." And he began to move away from her.
"No, Don't Go, Matt, this is important. Stay with me, please!" He turned back to her after these words with a quizzical look on his face. "If you just let me tell you what I need to, everything will be fine. With you and me, with the football team, all of it."
"Uh, okay, I'm listening, but..."
"I know, it doesn't make much sense. I was freaked out when I found out about it too. You remember that guy at the gas station who told my Dad he had to find his inner pirate if he wanted the team to win?"
"Right, was he crazy or something?"
"No, he was talking in code. There are supernatural forces at work here. The fact is, for a Texas football team to succeed, it doesn't matter how many drills they do, how many Wind Sprints they run - as many of its players as possible have to be vampires. The guy was telling Dad he needed more players on his team to become vampires."
"Vampires? This is really Crossing the Line into something really strange."
"How did you think a town as small as Dillon has won that many state championships? It's from the blood thirst that being a vampire gives you."
"Julie, I'm not getting this – what does football have to do with vampires? You're not a vampire! I'm not a vampire. Jason Street, Smash, Tim Riggins, Bradley, are they vampires?"
"Yep." Julie gave him a bright smile to counter his incredulous look. "Every single one of them. I'm one too, because of Dad, I just haven't realized my potential yet."
"Your potential? This is really getting crazy, Julie. And Who Is Your Daddy really?"
"Oh, he's Coach Eric Taylor, just like you know him, but he's also a vampire." Julie took Matt's hands in hers again. "Matt, I really do love you, just hear me out. It's not something horrible like you see in the movies. No killing innocent victims, or bats, or going crazy with the full moon. What I mean by my potential is that I haven't ever bitten anyone on the neck. If you let me bite yours, then you'll be a vampire too, and you'll be that much stronger of a football player, you'll be able to take the Panthers straight to the state championship, I guarantee it. And if you bite mine after that, our blood will be mixed together in a special bond and we'll Always be together."
"I think I can go along with that last part." Matt smiled for the first time in fifteen minutes. He took Julie's face in his hands and kissed her on the lips gently. After a few more kisses, he spoke again. "So – you really just need to bite my neck?"
"That's right. That's why so many of the players hook up with cheerleaders and rally girls – the more necks get bitten, the more vampires get produced. It's Upping the Ante."
"That would explain Tim Riggins, I guess. He's been with a ton of girls and he even looks a bit like a vampire." Matt shook his head slightly, but he was still smiling.
"He's like a special agent. Spreading the special blood wherever he can; that's his duty. The same thing's true for Smash. And of course some of those girls hook up later with other players and pass on the special ability to them. Why do you think Bradley lets so many players come to his family's lake house with their girlfriends? Not just for sex, Matt, to keep the tradition going."
"What about Jason Street's accident, then? If he was a vampire, how come he got hurt?"
Julie shook her head and her face darkened. "That was a freak accident. Nobody said vampires are perfect."
"Is that why Voodoo Tatum left Dillon so quickly? Somebody told him about this and he freaked out?"
"No, not exactly – he has that nickname, Voodoo, because he really is involved in voodoo. And voodoo people and vampires don't get along well."
Matt took Julie's hand again and they continued walking. "So Texas football is run by vampires."
"That's right, Matt. How did you think Buddy Garrity became president of the Booster's Club? All the boosters are involved in this. Their Extended Families are too." She patted his hand to encourage him.
"Can I tell Landry about this? He'd be fascinated."
"Only if he agrees to join the team next year. We need more new blood. And of he course, he has to keep the secret."
"Who's going to bite his neck though?"
"Tyra, probably. Tim Riggins passed on the gift to her, and she knows he'd let her bite his neck any time as long as she let him kiss hers. She's just playing hard to get."
"Landry is the least bloodthirsty guy I know." Matt was shaking his head again.
"I'm sure Tyra can convince him." Julie smiled. Then her cell phone rang. "That's probably Dad." She took out her phone and answered it. "Hi Dad!... We're fine... just having a nice walk around the lake... yes, I told him, and he's all right with it... hold on a second." She held the phone out to him. "Dad wants to talk to you."
Matt's heart instantly began to beat faster. Gut Check time. Coach Taylor had been very clear about how if he didn't want Matt seeing his daughter, it wouldn't happen. "Matt, it's okay, really." Julie smiled at her boyfriend to encourage him. Matt hesitated a few seconds longer and then took the phone from her.
"H-hello, Coach."
"Congratulations, son. Welcome to the family and welcome to the Dillon football tradition." Coach Taylor's voice was warm and friendly.
"C-coach, I thought you d-didn't want me around your daughter at first. I mean, you s-scared me." Matt often began to stutter when he was nervous. "J-julie told me about this, but do you r-really approve?"
"Julie and I talked a lot, Matt. I had to watch you and make sure you were the right man for her. And the right man for this, as well. I had to be sure we could trust you. You've passed the test, and now you'll become an even better quarterback and take the Panthers to State."
"I really th-thought you didn't l-like me at first, Sir." Matt said.
"That was just Keeping Up Appearances. I am Julie's father and have to watch out for her, but now I'm all right with the two of you being together. Now you just have to remember never to hurt her, or all the vampires of Dillon will be after you."
"Y-you don't need to w-worry about that, Coach. I love your daughter, I really do."
"Then go ahead, be her first and only man." Then Coach Taylor's voice softened almost to a whisper, probably to make sure he wouldn't be overheard. "Git 'er done. You have my blessing, In the Name of the Father. Have a great time." And then he hung up.
The expression on Matt's face was still slightly quizzical as he handed the phone back to Julie. "I'm just surprised you're involved in all this, Julie. I thought you hated football and football players."
"W-well," Julie drawled slowly, "the fact of the matter is that I'm a romantic. I wanted somebody who could love me and not just see me as a conquest or a 'piece of tail.' And also – well, I resisted my nature for a long time. It's not that I didn't like football players, I just didn't like their necks. All thick and broad and ugly. But you're different. You're a sweet guy – and I really like your neck."
"Know what, Julie? I really like yours. In fact I like all of you. You're beautiful." He took her into his arms and she tucked her head just below his chin. "Little girl, I wanna marry you."
Julie tilted her head up and gave Matt a quick kiss. "I do too, but we can't let it happen this early. What I said about that special bond, it's true. It'll always last. But I Think We Should Have Sex first."
They walked back to the house arm in arm, in awe of the supernatural journey that they were about to begin together.