Finally, the day we’ve been looking forward to for ages came and went quickly in swift succession. So was it good? Was it an excellent adventure into the realms of excitement? No, it started out that way, but as soon as Darren and Terry showed their faces it went downhill within seconds.
Ok, I’ll start at the beginning… Sam arrived at mine whilst me and my bro Mark – who’s staying at mine for a week – were conducting a new search through the Den of LeatherFace, he was about an hour early but I’m not gonna complain about that. We sat back and watched the director’s cut of ‘Dawn of the Dead’ – which is just the version I saw of it when I was out in New York – and then followed this by a debate on a few conspiracy theories and shit. Was fun. Sam then phones Terry and we start to get ready, with Bro helping us apply the blood. Whilst getting ready, my phone rings… it’s my college apparently I’ve been voted as a class representative!! How the fuck did that happen? Hmm who knows.
All Zombied up, we leave the house and go to Guildford main station to await getting picked up by Darren and Terry, on the way we get several beeps, shitloads of weird looks and a few people asking us why and commenting on how we looked. Eventually, they arrive to take us to London… it’s now 6:30, we were meant to have been on our way by 5:30, but they were too concerned about fucking each other to give a shit about the night that was planned.
After spending 3 hours in Darren’s car, we finally arrive at Terry’s… the two haven’t even been bothered to get ready, so we have to wait around until they do. Sam and I just touch up our blood, and play around with the glow-sticks Terry’s mum gave us. 10pm, the two cunts are ready and after wasting time waiting for a bus, we all pile back into Darren’s car once again and set out for central London. It takes us a hour to get there.
11pm… we arrive at G-A-Y Bar, I’m fucking glad but a bit ratty as I’ve been in a car when I should have been drinking… so when two old people stare at me then Sam, I say audibly: ‘If those two cunts look at us again, I’m gonna smash their OAP heads against the floor.’ We get let into the bar and are greeted with a few cheers from some girls, and some camp guy goes ‘Oh, look at his neck’ – prodding his finger at my blood line as he says it. We go upstairs and force our way to the bar. Darren has the decency to buy us all drinks and a toasted peanut butter and jam bagel, I took it as payment for having to waste my evening sat all hunched up in his car.
Two pints of cider after arriving, the bar closes and we’re herded back onto the streets. We march to a cash point to get some money, and then head for G-A-Y. Whilst waiting, our costumes get commented on by some lesbians standing in front of us… ‘We don’t need to dress up’ they say, ‘We’re scary enough.’ I didn’t hear anyone debate that fact. When we get to the doors, we all get IDed… well all except Darren… and because Sam don’t have any we decide to go home. As we walk past one club, Sam suddenly swings around me and shouts ‘HA, he’s mine so nerrr’ at some dude who had apparently checked me out.
Eventually we finally get back to Sam’s.
Alone together, we take a few photos on his camera. We fuck, then curl up and go to sleep. We hug each other all night.
A Memory: 31-10-2004 was published on author Dennis Cooper’s The Weaklings blog. It was featured as part of a larger collection titled: Self-Portrait Day: Halloween Party (Pt. 1 of 2).