Forever and 8 Days

By Xlibris US

Have you ever died in your dreams? For Aaron Adams, a rookie cop fresh out of police academy, it was a routine experience. Once possessing the rare ability to Lucid dream, he is now haunted by an uncontrollable nightmare that reoccurs frequently. After being involved in an off duty incident he is forced into a coma where his dreams become a reality. In a world of mystery and wonder he discovers his dreams to be more than just fantasy. Now in a race against time he must find a way back to his reality and awaken before its too late. The journey won't be easy as he experiences the pain of loss, betrayal, and love in a world where the super natural is only natural.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499050370

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Copyright © 2014 by J. M Boyett.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/16/2014

Xlibris LLC

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www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 Reality

Chapter 2 Expectation

Chapter 3 Tragedy

Chapter 4 Encounter

Chapter 5 The 1st Day, Meeting

Chapter 6 Investigation

Chapter 7 Impression

Chapter 8 The 2nd Day, Creation

Chapter 9 Betrayal

Chapter 10 The 3rd Day, Emotions

Chapter 11 Trust

Chapter 12 Deception

Chapter 13 The 4th Day: Treason

Chapter 14 Discovery

Chapter 15 Purpose

Chapter 16 The 5th Day: Escalation

Chapter 17 Ghosts

Chapter 18 Goodbyes

Chapter 19 Abomination

Chapter 20 The 6th Day: Revelation

Chapter 21 Invasion

Chapter 22 Hopeless

Chapter 23 The 7th Day, Infamy

Chapter 24 Awakening

Chapter 25 Confrontation

Chapter 26 Showdown

Chapter 27 The 8th Day, Fate

Chapter 28 Faith

Epilogue

SPECIAL THANKS

FROM THE AUTHOR

To all of my family and friends who stood by me during the production of this book. Without your love and support this could never have been possible.

Thank you Xlibris, for making this dream come true through publishment and impeccable guidance.

A very special thanks to my mother, Mahalia Boyett, for her undying support and motivation. I love you mom.

Prologue

Have you ever died in your dreams? The cold embrace and the need to breathe escape you as you float in darkness with only your thoughts? This was something that one young man, a small town amateur criminal, had experienced more than once. It was on this night that the dreams would return and haunt him constantly.

It was a hot night in a small town off the east coast. It had rained heavy earlier that day, making the roads glitter In the street lights. A teenage trouble maker named Aaron was in a car with some friends and other wannabe criminals looking to stir up trouble. They pulled up about 10 yards from an ATM outside a small bank.

Aaron, one of the thugs spoke, you ready to be a debt free man? Everyone except Aaron seemed to be enjoying a natural high from the upcoming scheme. The guy in the front passenger seat stuffed his hoodie with pillows and wore a mask. The pillows were to hide his size, making his body structure hard to identify. He turned to Aaron and laughed maniacally.

This is the golden ticket boys, he said. A vending machine of pure financial relief.

Aaron felt uneasy. He had accumulated a massive debt of student loans and local credit cards since he had enrolled in college. It was something that weighed on his mind often, hindering his fun with the other guys. He wasn’t stupid, either. He knew cameras were all over that spot. This was a bogus mission that had a high failure potential.

You know they rig those, right? Aaron informed. The cops will be here before you even pull the money out. This is crazy!

They all paused, then laughed all together loudly. His friend reached under the seat, exposing a stick that resembled dynamite. Not exactly dynamite, but a homemade explosive no doubt.

All we do is chunk this at it, his friend assured. Then D.J grabs this sledge hammer, finishes what’s left, then collects.

D.J was the pillow filled masked maniac with the hammer. Aaron’s friend pulled out a lighter and opened the car door.

Here we go ladies! Watch the fireworks!

He lit the explosive and ran a little closer to the ATM. He tossed the bomb then ran back to the car.

Ready … Set … BANG BABY!

The bomb exploded with unexpected power that shook the ground. The sound made Aaron’s ears ring. Slight debris littered the car like rain. D.J let out a loud cry of excitement and jumped out of the car, running toward the disaster. An alarm sounded from the remains of the ATM. D.J was smashing wildly, exposing the inner safe box. He somehow managed to pry it open and began collecting the money into a duffle bag.

HURRY UP, YOU PSYCHO, cried the guys in the car.

He filled the bag with everything bill he could grip and ran back to the car, tripping on the way. The others laughed and shouted, GET IN! COME ON! He finally made it in, and they sped off.

Going almost 90mph down the highway they cheered and celebrated.

D.J, you crazy idiot, said one of the thugs. You got balls of steel bro! Aaron was shaking and wanted to go home, but he didn’t want to seem like a sissy. D.J turned and threw money in Aaron’s face.

There’s your share my friend D.J said. No more worries about bills, you got that? YOU’RE WELCOME!

It looked like a lot of money, but it was only 20s and 5s. Aaron was drastically collecting the money that fell on his lap and the car floor. As he collected it, he noticed he was like a hungry child picking food off the floor. Was he that desperate? The money felt dirty. It wasn’t the feeling he’d expected.

I can’t take this man he told D.J. I don’t feel right with it, just take it back. D.J took off the mask and gave Aaron a look that could kill. He seemed confused and irritated all the same. D.J let out another laugh and responded, You’re taking that cash. I just rushed for that. You’re taking it and you’re gonna shut the hell up. You’ll feel better once it’s gone and your bills are paid off. Aaron grew agitated. Peer pressure was one thing Aaron had suffered throughout his high school years, but enough was enough. He just couldn’t bring himself to being a part of something like this. Aaron swallowed his pride and defended his decision.

No man, I can’t, Aaron protested. I’ll just get the money some other way, like a loan or something.

D.J laughed sarcastically and responded, Loans are the reason you’re in this financial cesspool of yours. Be smart boy! Don’t piss me off. Trust me. Everyone in the car was dogging on Aaron now, calling him names and teasing.

The more that was said, the more Aaron got angry. At that moment he snapped.

I said take it back , he shouted.

Aaron threw the money back at D.J, hitting him in the back of the head. He had enough. Aaron continued to shout, You’re crazy man. I don’t want your filthy money. Now take me home, I’m done with you creeps.

It got quite for a moment. D.J looked at the driver and quietly commanded, Pull down this road and stop the car.

Come on D.J,’ the driver said. Let’s just go. We got the feds to worry about first."

I SAID PULL THE CAR OVER, D.J yelled.

Hesitant, the driver pulled to the side of the road. D.J violently opened the car door and stepped out. Quickly he opened the back passenger door. GET OUT, he yelled.

He waited a moment to see if Aaron would comply. Growing impatient, he pulled Aaron out and slammed him to the ground. He reached back into the car and pulled a wooden baseball bat from under his seat. The ground was wet from the rain earlier, making it hard for Aaron to pick himself up. As he tried to stand, D.J delivered a swift kick to his stomach. Aaron rolled onto his back coughing and gagging. D.J placed his foot onto Aaron’s neck and raised the hammer.

Punk , D.J yelled, You don’t know who you’re talking to like that, do ya boy? Dude come on man, lay off , yelled someone in the car.

SHUT UP OR YOU’RE NEXT, screamed D.J. The tension was almost unbearable now. He pushed his foot harder onto Aaron’s neck and screamed at him.

You don’t disrespect me, YOU UNDERSTAND? DON’T TEST ME, EVER! I’M ONE PSYCHO YOU DON’T WANNA MESS WITH!

He removed his foot, prompting Aaron to hold his neck and gasp for air. D.J looked up and smiled, as if he had an evil thought. He laughed and said, You know what guys? I smell a snitch here. I say we leave him.

Aaron’s friend got out of the car and attempted to calm D.J down, but he wouldn’t listen. D.J grabbed some of the money and stuffed it all into Aaron’s pockets. The others were in slight panic, begging D.J to stop and get back in. When he finished, he stood up and placed the hammer on Aaron’s forehead. … Nighty Night, Aaron!

D.J raised the hammer. Aaron tried to move, but it was too late. D.J swung, striking Aaron on the head. He could hear everyone in the car panicking as D.J jumped back in. As he began to pass out he heard the car drive away. They had left him there to die. His vision blurred … then it was lights out.

The nightmare that haunted him as a small child resurrected from the deepest pit of his soul. It began in darkness. Darkness so thick it could be felt. He had hoped it was just another dream, flickering like a candle with flurries of random thoughts behind a curtain of eyelids. Some memory scenes were happy while some were sad, interrupting themselves with strange events that seemed to happen naturally. Everything was fine. In fact it was the perfect playground for a lucid dreamer. Not many people can control their dreams, but for those who can it’s a free ticket to paradise.

After a while the dream scape returned black. It was dark and quiet, void of interaction, until a small light appeared. It slowly brightened and swelled, growing more and more, revealing the scene of a great field.

It was peaceful, a stage of beauty that stretched for miles, so green and lush it could only be rivaled to a description of paradise. The grass waved in the wind, sending ripples across the scape. The weather, perfectly warm with a cool breeze, matched the tranquility accompanying the sweet smell of wild flowers blooming at random. Small hills could be seen in the distance with a sparkling river flowing through.

The sky was a deep blue, filled with cotton white clouds that casted moving shadows across the land. The sun peeked through with piercing rays that shined down the distance.

At the center of it all stood the statue of a man crafted entirely of many precious metals. The sculpture shined brightly, reflecting light in many colors, so polished he mirrored the landscape. He was on both knees, his gaze slightly fixed upward, as if he was watching the sky. The man bared no ears, hair, mouth or nose. His eyes were the only feature given. One eye was like crystal, wide open and clear and filled with reflection. The other was dark, black as the night, nearly shut and void of detail. His arms hung lazily to the side, his hands open with the fingertips touching the grass. It was as if the sculptor tried to portray a man with no hope. The missing facial features and blind eye resembled the See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil wisdom shared throughout time. Even with the eyes being different, they told a separate truth. The dark eye peeked into never ending darkness, while the clear eye witnessed never fading light. It portrayed in astonishing detail a man that knew too much.

A marble slab rested at the base of the statue with a message engraved reading Pretium scientiam.

Day turned to night and the moon shined full, covering the land in a blanket of pale light. Stars littered the sky, displaying many constellations lost to time. The wind ceased and the grass stilled. It was quiet.

A light appeared next to the moon, rivaling the size of the North Star.

It grew brighter and brighter, swelling bigger and bigger until it was half the moon’s size. It remained steady for a while, illuminating the land more and more with each passing moment.

A loud noise resonated through the field. It grew louder as it pulsed from the sky to land. The ground shook, causing small constant earthquakes. The light in the sky began to move like a shooting star, forming a tail as it moved faster. Winds increased and the air grew hot. The light ebbed, revealing a meteor racing toward the earth, moving faster each second. It was going to crash just behind the hills over the horizon.

The meteor now burned red with fire as it neared collision. Now a giant ball of fire, it blazed in the distance, gaining speed and momentum. It rushed through the clouds, fireballs breaking away and raining down into the hill’s valley.

The meteor fell far into the distance. Not long after it was out of view, it struck. The boom from impact was deafening. A strong hot wind shot across the land at high speed, forcing all of the trees from afar to sway and fall. The statue endured, only shifting slightly to the quake beneath its base.

The ground rumbled, trembling violently as a great noise swelled in the horizon. A red tint smeared the sky from the direction of impact. Everything became intense. The red sky, the quakes, the wind … all unifying to an overpowering crescendo.

Far away, coming into view, a giant wall of fire peaked. The more it approached, the more the land crumbled. It was almost instantaneous. The fire tore through the hills, evaporating the river. Then it swept the field, burning the grass and wild flowers.

The statue remained standing, glowing red from the heat. The metal began to melt away, exposing flesh. More and more the structure melted down, leaving the fleshly figure of a man still frozen in posture. As more flesh exposed, his fingers began to twitch.

The horror wasn’t over. Next a wall of water appeared, so tall it scraped the sky. A massive tidal wave followed the destruction, washing away all in its wake.

The water sprayed as it smashed the distant hills, filling the newly formed cracks in the ground. The hot wind grew salty as the wave approached. The noise was unbearably loud. The statue, now a man with burning flesh, took a deep breath. Before he could finish inhaling, the wave hit, crushing and sweeping him away.

A woman’s voice could be heard whispering through the noise, reverberating off the corners of the dark. Only one thing could be understood from her speaking.

I’m here …

Chapter 1

Reality

The bedside alarm clock chimed loud, pulling Aaron Adams out of deep sleep. Covered in sweat he untwisted the bed sheets and waited a moment to make sure he was really awake. He rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the darkness of the room. He’d just awoken from a dream, the same nightmare that’s plagued him for years. It was always the same, accompanied by a burning sensation, which seemed to intensify each time. Although he experienced the dream countless times it always felt new, awakening him just before the fire consumed.

The apartment was cold from the air conditioner running all night. No sunlight yet, it was too early, just a street light glowing through the bedroom window. He sat up and caught himself fumbling from dizziness. He’d been dealing with constant headaches, resulting in intense symptoms resembling Vertigo. Medications littered the bedside table, but he was reluctant to take any. Even when he was a child he refused to take medications. Just one good night’s sleep was always his pill of choice, even if it was rare to get a good night’s sleep.

He reached over and grabbed his cell phone. Emails, notifications, updates, text messages … his phone was busy all night.

He noticed a message from his mother sent only an hour earlier. His parents had always been early birds. His father woke up before sunrise to go to work and mother would rise and shine with him, taking care of the house and animals. He was a workaholic, choosing work over anything else, including his own children. At least Aaron’s mother knew how to take care of things and spend time with them. Though they only had a dog and 2 Parrots, they were like family, especially the dog, Geisha, an old plump Chinese pug with a tongue that hung out past her jaw. Aaron was still in junior high when Geisha was given to them.

The two Parrots were passed down from his older brother, who moved out when he transferred to a university out of state. He stayed in touch, but had his own thing going on. A close family with distance and conflicting schedules. Aaron opened the text from his mother:

"missed hearing from you yesterday. Have you been keeping up with your dream journal? Take your medications, k?

I love you Angel Face! Have a great day and call me later! 77999.png

He couldn’t help but smile at the picture she attached to the message. She had taken a picture with her phone of another picture at home. It was a photo of him hugging her at his high school graduation.

He was always tall and slightly husky. Never overweight by normal standards, but never skin and bones. Not exactly prince charming but very photogenic, looking handsome in his pictures. The most compliments he received were of his eyes, which resembled emeralds from how the green reflected light. Aaron wasn’t a bad looking kid, just a little awkward and shy.

His mother would always text either late at night or early morning, just in case the nightmares kept him up. It had only been a few years since the nightmares began.

When he was younger he would always have pleasant dreams, like flying, or being a superhero. He would brag about how he always knew when he was dreaming and how he could do whatever he wanted. Aaron was what many call a Lucid Dreamer, having vivid dreams that he was able to shape and control. He was told it was a blessing to have this ability.

He enjoyed dreaming, but for the past few years the dreams have distorted into uncontrollable nightmares, including the reoccurring dream about the meteor crash.

His parents sought treatment and consulted many doctors, but after many tests all theories proved negative. The doctors instructed him to keep a dream journal and continue to live a normal life. He was also given medications to calm him if the nightmares increased. Aaron’s parents were happy that the tests proved he was okay.

They helped him lease an apartment when he started college. After a while he seemed to drift into a depression that he refused to talk about. Going through a late rebellious phase he dropped out and associated with the wrong crowd, choosing to put his goals on hold. Even through that his family still helped him as much as possible. It was humbling, but ineffective. Not long after dropping out he found himself in debt and morally unstable, focusing only on himself and questionable remedies to relieve stress and anxiety. It all led to one night that changed everything.

Aaron slowly shifted out of bed and walked to the window. His memory of the incident replayed in his head like a movie. Long story short, the police found him lying in a ditch on the side of the highway. After agreeing to cooperate, the D.A worked out a deal to drop all charges if he gave information leading to the apprehension of the others involved. He told them the truth and they let him go, no felony nor records. He was just an 18 year old idiot hanging with the wrong crowd. As time passed it all became just a nightmare to Aaron.

Next thing he knew, he moved a couple states away with a clean slate expecting to start a new life attending local college and meeting new people. He’d taken up residence with an old friend, Don Mathis, a tall slender guy with a tendency to keep a beard. Don attended the same college and helped Aaron get a job at one of the local grocery stores. They both had enjoyed the same hobbies, such as video games and movies.

Don was also a well known conspiracy theorist, posting videos and blogs all over the internet with ideas and evidence supporting his beliefs. He named his web series Fact From Fiction, which everyone referred to as Triple F.

He was also a soon to be dad to a baby boy. His girlfriend, Claire, was due within the month. Claire was a short, beautiful Brunette with eyes so blue she could stop a heart from beating. Although she was a couple years younger than Don, she was mature beyond her years with brains to match the beauty. It puzzled others as to how such a gorgeous girl could be taken by a conspiracy junky, but she genuinely loved Don and was waiting for the day he popped the question. Don’s excuse was he wanted it to be the perfect moment before asking her to marry him.