The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

We were out with some friends. It had to have been 2am because all the bars were closing. That's the cut off here. 2am. When you live in this area there's a blindness to counter culture and deviants. Once it's guaranteed darkness is upon us they know that it's time to close up shop.



We were with some friends when decided to try one last place. To our disbelief the one place that was usually open until 4am and sometimes 5am was now locking its doors at 2am. We were a drunk and careless but we needed a plan. We wanted to stay out. We needed to be present when the deviants came out.



As we stood by our respective vehicles discussing where to go next we hear pulsing music and the sound of hard rubber soles meeting hard wooden floors. Stomp-2-3-4. We knew it. There was a party at the community house down the block.



We put away the important stuff. Money, smartphones, liquor bottles disguised with paper bags.



As we march to the community house, the smell of sweat and cigarette smoke greets me like an old friend.



On the community house porch are three guys smoking cigarettes and complaining about the air conditioning inside. The community house air conditioning hasn't worked for anyone in decades.



Charles and I stand next to a shrub near the road and wait for a report from Joe and TJ who had gone in ahead of us.



"It's awful in there."

"Yeah, I can't take the smell."



Wait.



Charles and I share a glance and immediately push past Joe and TJ.



"We have to go! Our people are inside!"



As we scramble up the stairs to the unloved, un- air-conditioned Victorian house, we see flashing lights coming from the windows. We take note of the colors. Red, purple, red, purple, red, purple.



The door flies open and a face peers through the smoke and misted sweat in the air. It's a man. A man whose image and forbidden we hadn't seen in a very long time. His hair was heavy with sweat and dripped with oil and incorrectly applied black dye. His clothing chimed like sleigh bells.



I took a deep breath and it all came back to me.



He looked into my eyes and said, "You look like to need something."



He opened the door wide and welcomed us into the dark, humid, community house.



"Thanks for coming to TEKNOX"



I found the diamond. I found my goth/techo/cyber/etc family.



I found them in a tiny house. We were packed tighter than a vacuum sealed bag of peas.



It was hot and humid but we danced.



We dripped with sweat and it didn't matter because we were with family.



And this family doesn't care that you sweat when you dance. They only care that you made it to the reunion.