Dead But Dreaming

Part 2

The band on stage plays a couple of FEAR songs, but no matter how much I yell, they won’t play “Fuck Christmas.” It’s almost midnight, and half the state must be here waiting for Sado Massachrist to take the stage. In the beer line, I run into some kid that’s been fascinated with me since my first movie. He’s always dogging my friends, acting like I’m some kind of star. He hesitates a second and asks, “Aren’t you...”

“No,” I snap. You’re thinking of someone else.”

“No, it really is you!” he cries, elated. “We went to school together! You were a few grades ahead of me. I think you’re awesome!”

I appraise the kid and disappointedly cock an eyebrow. “You need to give me a ride,” I tell him, taking a cigarette out of the pack in my jacket pocket. “Let’s go.”

He’s got a FEAR album on in the car. He prattles on to me while I give him directions to my dude’s house. He asks me not to smoke cigarettes in his car, and I say all right, but do it anyway. He doesn’t complain anymore.

When we get to my dude’s house, I tell him to wait in the car. He seems nervous. Dude's got some friends over for Christmas Eve. They're casting spells at the table, listening to Slayer's "Rockin' Around the Sacrifice" album. I work my way through two rotations before dude and I step into the “temple,” which is the bathroom. I hand him a gem and he drinks blood from the wound he opens in my arm.

The kid's still waiting outside, so we drive back to the show. He doesn’t say anything on the way. There’s been a riot at the Arena, and the show ended early. Dickie is already at the Spot with some friends, so I make the kid drive me there and tell him to wait until I return.

Continued tomorrow