A Safe Place: A Nightmare Novella

By N.B. Ventura

About the Book
This story is my worst nightmare. A future where freedoms are sacrificed for the common good. It is set in the not too distant future, a time when all individuality is lost, only to be replaced with the comfort of "safety". Follow the story of Alan Noble, a quiet and cautious man who lives in a world where saying the wrong thing can put you in prison. Freedom of speech is limited by fines and jail time until he meets Sarah, a mysterious and bold woman who is part of a group that calls themselves the ‘Keepers’.

About the Author
Originally from the California Bay Area, N.B. Ventura is a former student and admirer of Philosophy and Psychology. He currently lives in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his Wife and Boston Terrier. He is an outdoorsman; fishing, archery, hiking, and camping. His greatest passion is love of the written word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: May 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887299754

Book preview

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The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by N.B. Ventura

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

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eISBN: 979-8-88729-975-4

A Safe Place

A Nightmare Novella



Alan Noble stepped off the platform at MacArthur Station and onto the B-A-R-T train bound for the SFO airport. He wasn’t going to the end of the line - at least not in a literal sense.

The station was nearly empty at this time of night and the train car was desolate. The bare walls of the train’s interior, where ambulance-chasing lawyers and Bay Area events were once advertised, made Alan feel even more alone. The train’s seats had been removed years ago to make space for the people filed in like sardines during commuting hours. With nowhere to rest, Alan held tightly to the cold, steel bar overhead and looked at his reflection in the window.

He was horrified - but not surprised - by what he saw. All the color had left his face, leaving a pale mask of his usual self. Dark rings – from too many sleepless nights - formed under his bloodshot eyes.

His hands were clammy and kept slipping off the bar as the train jostled to and fro. The hum and whine of the railway would’ve normally sent Alan into an uncontrollable doze.

Not tonight.

Tonight, Alan felt hyperaware of every little nauseating movement of the train. Every sound he heard was deafening.

Tonight, Alan was doing something he never thought possible. Tonight, he was doing something dangerous, inconceivable - not to mention illegal. The long list of variables that could go wrong flooded back into Alan’s mind, but he remained determined.

Alan was not deterred because a little voice in the back of his mind said it was worth it. He had to go on,