I'm Lewis, Lou to my friends.

For those old enough to remember, cast your mind back to the early 90s. It was all about the rave. Rave culture really took off in the UK as I turned 18. And boy; did I partake!

The best raves were illegal, of course. The ones you'd only hear about if you knew the right people. There were no fliers, the internet wasn't widely available. It made it feel all the more special and exclusive.

Sure, a handful of times the police intercepted and shut them down. As far as I know there were never any arrests made, at least in my area. You'd just pack up and leave, eagerly anticipating the next one.

The last rave I ever attended was in August '92. It just so happened to be the night of my first sexual experience too.

My best mates were Dan and Kirsty. We'd been inseparable since before primary school, having grown up in the same neighbourhood of our small town. We stayed friends throughout high school, and even went to the same college.

Come the summer of '92, it really hit home that it could be the last summer we spent together. University called, and we were all relocating to different parts of the UK. We planned on making it a summer to remember. Day trips to Alton Towers, wild camping, nightclubs, and drugs. Lots of drugs.

I should mention that I was pretty much in the closet back then. Well, kinda. I told Kirsty I was gay one drunken evening. She hugged me, told me she loved me, and swore to secrecy. What I didn't mention was I had the biggest crush on her older brother, Gaz. He was 21 at the time and our best contact for hearing about any planned raves.

That man was beautiful, and oozed cool. He had a silver hoop in each ear, a nose ring, and a bar through his eyebrow. He had a buzz cut and sometimes rocked a goatee, which he somehow pulled off. But his eyes sealed the deal. They were a piercing blue, easy to get lost in during conversation. Yeah, I fancied him something rotten! Alas, he had a girlfriend. Fliss.

Dan and I were at Kirsty's one evening smoking a joint in the garden shed, which was a cosy den filled with cushions and blankets. Tie-dyed sheets laced the interior walls and there was always the smell of patchouli incense. The door flung open, and Gaz stood there with his arm around Fliss.

"What's up, hippies!" he yelled, a big grin on his face.

"Just having a lil smoke," said Dan as he passed the joint to me.

"We're camping at the lake tomorrow night," said Kirsty. "You two can come along if you want?"

"Yeah," I said with a croak. "Got more than enough Carling for everyone!" Gaz held out his hand to signal he wanted a toke. I passed it to him, my heart skipping a little at the glint in his eye.

"What d'ya say, Fliss," he asked. "Fancy it?"

She scrunched her face. "Sounds kinda lame." She took the joint from Gaz. I remember thinking what a bitch as she toked on it.

"Say it how it is," laughed Kirsty, and Fliss just shrugged as she handed her the joint.

"Maybe another time," said Gaz. "Anyway, the reason I'm here. Keep Friday open guys. Word is there's a rave on the airfield."

On the outskirts of town was an abandoned airfield, complete with hangar and control tower. It was mostly used by young learner drivers those days for practising on the runway.

We all looked at each other, eyebrows raised, nodding collectively. I had a bag of mushrooms saved for just the occasion, but when Gaz was involved there was never a shortage of drugs. He confirmed with us on Thursday that it was very much going ahead, and he had 'something special' for us.

Rave fashion was… interesting.

We got ready at mine. Dan wore a tie-dye t-shirt and jeans so baggy they could make a clown envious. It was finished with a blue bucket hat. Kirsty wore a yellow crop top, pink combat trousers, and a neon green visor. I settled on a green and purple shell suit jacket, and Bermuda shorts covered in palm trees and sharks. I didn't wear a hat but spiked my hair with gel and hairspray.

We looked ridiculous, but also kind of amazing.

Before we left I made a pot of mushroom tea, which tasted like shit but was worth it. We each chewed on a couple of edibles too for an extra kick. My mum dropped us off at the airfield. She wasn't thrilled about it, but never tried to stop me from enjoying myself.

"Be careful," she said as she stopped on the side of the road. "I do worry about you kids."

"We'll be fine," I said with a giggle, already feeling a buzz.

"What time shall I pick you up?" she asked.

"Don't worry mum, we'll make our own way home." Depending on how the night went, the chances were we'd end up sleeping rough anyway.

"I'd rather you didn't," she said.

"I love you mum," I said, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too," said Kirsty from the backseat, leaning over to kiss my mum too.

"Hey, and me!" said Dan, doing the same.

My mum chuckled. "I'm not going to ask what you kids are on."

We walked across the field in the direction of the hangar, the bass pulling us in. There were groups of people illuminated by the flashing lights coming from the hangar entrance.

"Your mum is beautiful, Lou," said Dan.

"That's why I'm so handsome," I laughed.

"She's a beautiful person too," said Kirsty.

"All our mums are beautiful," I said, feeling it within my soul.

There was a table set up outside the hangar with a selection of glow sticks. An older man stood behind it shouting about his goods for sale.

"Ooh, pretty!" said Kirsty. "How much?"

"Bracelets are 30p, darlin'. Necklaces 50, sticks a quid."

"This one's on me," I said, pulling out a tenner. I opted for two bracelets, one for each wrist. Kirsty wanted a necklace and a bracelet, and Dan asked if he could have two sticks despite them being the most expensive.

"Alright Dan, don't take the piss!" I laughed, paying the man.

"Super appreciate it, mate!" he gushed, his face lighting up figuratively and literally as he snapped the glow sticks into action. There was something so satisfying about that crunch. I assisted Kirsty with hers and she reciprocated.

Elsewhere around the hangar were several drums filled with canned beers, ciders, alcopops, and bottled water. We decided we weren't feeling alcohol at that very moment, enjoying the light effects of the edibles. Everything burned that little bit brighter.

We headed into the hangar and mingled with the other wildly dressed ravers, some more wild than others. There were cyber goths, hippies, several just in underwear!

The DJ, wearing a silver sequined cowboy hat, was on a slightly raised platform at the back of the hangar. Various tripods were dotted around with lights. We danced like nutters, watching Dan put on an energetic light display with his neon sticks.

Gaz made an appearance. He was dressed more on the conservative side compared to most of the ravers, wearing a black vest and camo combats. He looked hot regardless!

"Hey!" he yelled, gathering us for a group hug. "Glad to see you guys!"

"Hey bro," said Kirsty. "Where's Fliss?"

"Ah, she wasn't in the mood," he said.

I couldn't help but feel a little pleased to hear that. "That sucks, mate," I said, trying to sound sincere.

"Her loss, right?" he beamed. "This is amazing!"

We continued dancing. At one point a naked bald man covered in body paint and blowing on a whistle infiltrated our group. It was hilarious! He was high as a kite. Like, ridiculously high!

"Shit!" said Gaz. "I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small baggie.

"This must be the something special?" said Dan with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"It is indeed," said Gaz, pulling out a small tab from the bag. "Sis."

Kirsty stuck out her tongue and Gaz placed the tab. He turned to Dan, who was already waiting with his tongue out. Then he turned to me.

"Lou," he said. I felt a shiver over my body as he approached me. He held up his finger and delicately placed a tab on my tongue. Without breaking eye contact he placed one on his own tongue. I had just enough time to see an acid man symbol before he closed his mouth. His eyes sparkled as he smiled, then he winked.

"Enjoy guys," he said, dancing off into the crowd.

Some few minutes later I started to feel static on my skin, like a gentle wave of adrenaline. As I grinned at my friends I noticed auras appear around them, beautiful emerald green auras. The sensation of electricity pulsed down my arms, and I held them out to observe them. I had a shimmering gold aura. I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers, laughing to myself.

When I looked back at Dan and Kirsty I felt tears stream down my face, despite feeling on top of the world. I put my arms around them.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much," I said, laugh-crying. I could feel it was mutual as our auras mingled, creating new colours.

"I can't remember a time when we didn't know each other," said Kirsty, eyes glazed.

Dan wiped his cheeks as he laughed. "Don't, you'll start me off!"

We put our heads together in a huddle, then collectively looked up and screamed like warriors, releasing the sad feelings.

Following that my body kind of did its own thing. My limbs felt like liquid as they flowed to the beat. I observed the other ravers. They mostly had green auras but there were some other gold ones too. I'd say around a third were gold. The DJ was green, and the naked guy was gold.

That being said, there were a couple of red auras in the crowd that stood out. Something about those unsettled me, but I was conscious enough to tell myself it was only the effect of acid.

When my gaze fell back to my best friends I was surprised to see them embraced in a kiss. My jaw dropped and I stood motionless until they noticed. They both looked a bit sheepish before laughing, Dan's arm around Kirsty.

"Err, guys?" I said, holding my hands up. "What's going on here then?"

Kirsty giggled as she covered her mouth "I'm suddenly parched," she said. "I'll get us water."

She made her way through the crowd. Dan stared at me with his lips pressed firmly together.

"Mate," I said. "You and Kirsty?"

He nodded. "It's kinda new. We were waiting for the right time to tell you. But, you know, drugs."

I laughed. "Fuck, that's amazing!"

"Really?" he asked. "You're not upset?"

I felt a bit confused as I shook my head. "Why would I be? My two best friends getting together? That's beautiful."

He smiled and looked elsewhere briefly, his eyes glazing over. Then he hugged me tight. "Thank you, Lou. You know I love you no matter what, right?"

I felt another wave over my body, one of overwhelming happiness. "I love you too, mate."

Kirsty returned with water for all and I didn't realise how thirsty I was, almost finishing the whole bottle in one go. There was plenty of time to talk about their relationship in the following weeks before we left for university.

After dancing some more I left the hangar to relieve myself. In the absence of toilets it was a case of pissing somewhere in the field, so I found a secluded spot. I took some time to appreciate the beauty of the grass and trees in the vicinity. On my way back I could see the outline of the old control tower, and a glowing green aura at the bottom of the stairs. When I got closer I realised it was Gaz.

"Lou!" he yelled, raising an arm. "How are you feeling, mate?"

"Fucking incredible!" I said, leaning against the rail of the metal staircase.

He laughed. "Told you it was special. I just came out to look at the stars." With that he looked up, and I did the same.

"Wow," I whispered. It was stunning, like those close up images of galaxies. Clusters of sparkling dots and swirls of colour.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said. I turned to him, absorbing the details of his body within the green aura. Muscular arms, tribal sun tattoo on his left bicep, chest hair emerging from the low cut of his vest. He had such a cute expression of awe on his face. He was sitting in a relaxed manner, legs apart. I bit my lip.

"It sure is," I said, then continued without thinking. "You're beautiful too, Gaz."

He looked up at me and didn't say anything for a while, making me feel foolish. Then he smiled. He got up from the stairs and stood in front of me.

"Maybe it's the acid, maybe not. But fuck it."

He pressed his lips against mine and I felt a jolt of pleasure through my body. I was 18 years old and had literally never kissed another man that way before, let alone someone I'd crushed on since I realised I was gay. It was such an intense sensation.

"Fliss said you liked me," he chuckled.

I felt my face warm up as I laughed. "Seriously? I thought I was being discreet."

"I think it's cute," he said, putting his hand under my chin. His eyes were like an ocean, and I wanted nothing more than to swim. I took action, not really feeling completely in control but enough to know I wanted it.

"Come on," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the side of the tower. I pushed him against it and he gasped, letting out a surprised laugh. I quickly looked around, checking if anyone was nearby. The only people I could see were by the hangar, which was at least 100 ft away. I unfastened the button of his combats and unzipped.

"Fuck Lou," he said. "You don't hang around!"

I put my hand inside and felt his growing hardness. "Is this okay?" I asked breathlessly, trembling with excitement and nerves.

He quickly nodded. "It's fine with me Lou, if you're sure it's what you want?"

"More than anything right now," I said, dropping to my knees. I felt the cool grass against my bare legs as I pulled down the front of his combats, and took him in my mouth.

He started to moan which made me feel like I was doing something right, being a complete novice and all.

"Oh fuck!" he let out after a short while, making me smile.

"You like that, huh?" I asked, looking up. But he was looking in the direction of the hangar, mouth open. I turned my head.

"Oh fuck!" I yelled.

There was, for want of a better term, a UFO hovering around 50 ft above the hangar. It was a cube, larger than the entire structure. It looked like it was made of marble, smooth with swirls of white and grey. And it was silent. All I could hear was the music. And screams.

Gaz fastened his combats as I got to my feet. We both stared in disbelief.

"Please tell me you see it too?" he said.

I nodded. "If you see a giant floating cube then yes, I see it too."

A few people ran from the hangar, then something happened that made my heart stop.

Those with a green aura began to levitate. I could hear their screams and see their limbs scrambling in the air, as if trying to reach something to grab on to. They disappeared as they met the cube.

Those with gold auras only got so far. Bright blue beams shot from the hangar, making them drop to the ground as it made contact.

I covered my mouth as my hands trembled. "What the fuck is happening?"

"I don't know," said Gaz, unnerved. "But my sister is in there!"

He went to leave and I grabbed his arm. "Wait, do you see the auras?"

His brow furrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I held up his arm and put mine next to it. "You don't see your green aura, and my gold one?"

He pulled away from me. "Sorry if you're having a bad trip Lou, but I've gotta help Kirsty!"

He started to run towards the hangar and I panicked. "Gaz! The green ones are being pulled into that thing!"

He didn't get far before he started to levitate himself, but something bizarre happened first. His clothes appeared to just rip from his body and fall to the ground. He let out a scream as he struggled in the air.

"Lou!" he yelled, holding out his arms.

"Gaz!" I cried, reaching to the sky. But there was nothing I could do. I watched helplessly as he was taken to meet the other green orbs, then was pulled into the cube.

Both Dan and Kirsty had green auras, so I could only assume they suffered the same fate. As I saw another gold aura hit by a blue beam, I gathered that was to be mine.

Keeping low, I slowly crept to the pile of Gaz's clothes. Some of the seams were torn. Looking closer I saw something glistening. It was a silver hoop from one of his piercings. It had a little bit of blood on it like it was ripped through the skin. Then I saw another; the bar from his eyebrow, also bloody. I winced at the thought.

Screams could still be heard over the beats that continued to play. I looked up at the cube. The underside was like a swirl of clouds. The green auras would be visible for a moment before being masked entirely.

When I reached the hangar my heart was pounding. There was a small opening on the side and I peeked through it. It felt like most of the acid's effects had worn off, the things I'd witnessed being incredibly sobering. I could still see the auras though.

I saw a gold raver shot point blank by something with a red aura. I covered my mouth as I watched in terror. The raver's body turned in on itself. It was just a bloody mass of muscle and bone, trembling on the hangar floor. When they stopped moving their aura slowly fizzled out.

The thing wasn't human, though similar in stature. It didn't walk; it slithered. That's the best way I can describe it based on the way it moved. I counted four arms on its upper body, one of which held a metallic device: the gun that shot the beam. Its head was insect-like; large vacant eyes with mandibles and antennas.

There came another scream as I saw what appeared to be the last green raver's naked body vanish out of the hangar. Two of the things with red auras slithered around and began to feast on the inside-out bodies. Pincers attached to their faces picked at the flesh as smaller looking 'arms' guided it into their mouths. It was horrific, but I couldn’t look away. I was grateful that the music still played, as I imagine the sounds would have added a new layer of disturbing.

After a few minutes they slithered out of the hangar, where they ascended to the cube. I crept through the opening and assessed the scene. There were several dead bodies in pools of blood, and piles of clothes and other personal belongings. Glow sticks were everywhere, illuminating the gruesome scene.

I eventually found Dan and Kirsty's clothes, thanks to the unmistakable pink combats. I picked up Dan's bucket hat and held it to my chest before putting it on my head. Tears began to fall as I reflected on everything, but then a piercing light filled the hangar, followed by a loud bang.

It was one of the red things, holding up the strange gun in my direction. I froze as it stared at me, suddenly aware of my gold aura again. Like an idiot I raised my trembling hands in surrender. But then, it staggered to the side. It shot the beam which missed by several feet, causing a loud bang from behind me.

It couldn't stand up straight. It kept slouching, and its head wobbled around. It shot another electric blue beam, making me flinch. It missed by a significant amount more that time. After that it slithered, or should I say stumbled out of the hangar. It even fell down and crawled on its arms at one point. Once outside it began to levitate until it was out of sight.

It was fucking high. That's my logical explanation for its behaviour. It had feasted on God knows how many drugged up ravers.

The aftermath is something I can't go too much into. It became a classified incident. I met people from organisations I had no idea existed, and feared for my life at times. When asked how I survived the attack, I left out the part about giving head. The reality is I would have been inside-out myself had it not been for spotting Gaz at the tower.

I hold out hope that Dan, Kirsty, and Gaz are still alive out there somewhere. It's been a long time, but stranger things have happened, right?

Before I go I just want to mention one more thing from that night.

After the drugged up alien thing left, I heard a rooster crow. It confused the hell out of me for a while until I realised it was coming from the speakers. The decks had been repeatedly spinning Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb since the DJ had been carried off by the cube. I went to stop the music, acknowledging the DJs sequined cowboy hat on the floor. But I was distracted by a whistle. My blood ran cold.

I'm 99% sure it was the naked guy. He was still dancing, surrounded by a fading gold aura. He was so high he was oblivious to his surroundings. Even oblivious to being inside-out.

dd