The Book of Joe: A Fictional Piece Inspired by True Nightmares

By Joe Gallegos, Maria Linnikova and Devin May

Twelve real nightmares about the end of mankind, The Book of Joe: A Fictional Piece Inspired by True Nightmares, picks up where the authors dreams ended; a dark vision of a New World.

The End of Days complete, Joe, along with eight other survivors, must survive the horrors of being left behind. Monstrosities roam at every turn as the world around them has become a desolate wasteland. The shining light, the group he travels with, gives him a new purpose. They must learn to live again, love each other as family and be willing to die for each other at any moment. Their journey to build a new life lead them to discover that some endings, not even The Creator knows.

• Language: English
• Publisher: PublishDrive/The Ghost Guy Publishing House
• Release date: Apr 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798988692614

Book preview

Foreword

There’s a million people I need to thank and could dedicate this book to...

And will do so in time...

But right now...This one is for the world.

The Book of Joe

A Fictional Piece Inspired by True Nightmares

Table of Contents

The Nightmares

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Chapter nine

Epilogue

Afterword

The Nightmares

Nightmare 1: The End

There is screaming outside, coming from all around. I run out my door to find huge, golden crafts hovering in the air. There is no one around. I'm all alone. My family is gone. I don't know where they have gone. The crafts move slowly and with ease. In the distance I can see people rising in the air, screaming as they float. What the Hell is going on? They get pulled up into the crafts and vanish. Is it Aliens? Then I see a symbol on the side of the ships and realize they aren't ships at all, but rather the Golden Chariots described in the Bible. Really??? Judgement day has come? It has to be, but....Why am I left behind? Am I not worthy? I drop to my knees and pray for forgiveness, hoping the craft will come back my way and take me. That's where my family is. I just want to be with them. It rises up now, leaving this world without me. The screams have dissipated to almost a whisper. He has everyone that’s going, and I'm not one of them. The crafts vanish and I'm left alone, in the silence, with tears burning my cheeks. But, the silence doesn't last long. Howls of terror start to fill the void. I will not die like this. I run inside and start gathering the swords I collected over the years. I never liked guns, but now I wish I had. I head for my door, with a picture of my family in my pocket, and prepare for the worst...I wake up.

Nightmare 2: Realization

I'm leaving my front yard at this point, sword in hand, when I hear a deafening screech above my head. Have the ships come back? I look up into a hazy sky to see a new craft, this one dark and burning. Only it's not on fire from damage but by design. Hells’ fire. What's really going on? I can't be sure, but I know I'm in danger. I hide in the brush and watch as the ship comes full circle towards me. It may know I'm here. It descends towards the Earth and sits motionless in the air. About five hundred yards away, a man jumps out of a tree and runs across my field of vision. I'll never forget the look on his face. Sheer panic. I watch as a long, flesh-colored tether projects from the craft and spears the man through his back. He explodes as if he were just merely a water balloon filled with blood. He vanishes in the blink of an eye. He didn't even have time to scream. I hope my own end comes just swiftly as it did for him. I realize that this must be the end of Humanity. I can't be the only other one left behind. I wait for the ship to move on and decide I

must look for any survivors. Maybe they will have answers. I wake up.

Nightmare 3: Face to Face

So much time has passed. I'm no longer in the comforts of my neighborhood. My home is miles away and I haven't found anyone else. The world around me is no longer recognizable. Homes are half way standing and towns look more like landfills. My swords are clean of blood and gore and seem to be the only thing left clean in this world. No ships, no people, just me. I approach a town. I have no idea which one.

My clothes are filthy and torn and are reminders of a long journey. I enter a building looking for food. It has a wall missing. Maybe it will just fall on me and end my suffering, I hope. I look at my families photo. I pray I will see them again, face-to-face. I'm still so confused about what the first crafts were. I haven't found any answers. Nor will I find any food here. Everything is rotted. I think about all those I have loved in my life. I hope, if it was God, He took them. I don’t even care anymore about being left behind. I just hope they are safe. I hope I can greet them all one day, in-person again. Panic grips me as I hear the growls behind me. I run...and I don't look back. I wake up.

Nightmare 4: Just run

Running. Its all I can do right now. I hear it behind me, gaining ground, snarling and giggling all the while. It’s going to kill me, this I'm sure of. What else can I do, except...just run? I have my swords, but the beast behind me shakes the ground with each step. I can only assume he’s giggling at the thought of killing me. Swords would be useless against such evil. My legs burn up from the running(I actually wake up from this nightmare with sore legs)but I have to keep running. I'm scared shitless at this point. I want to stop and let it be over with, let this monster have his way. He would relish killing me. He would laugh at my death. However, I've never given up on anything and I can't give up now. I'll keep running until it's over. The steps grow louder until his breath is on my back. I stop dead in my tracks and turn around screaming my last battle cry and swing my sword...at nothing. He's gone, but, I can still hear his laughter. I run again...until I wake up.

Nightmare 5: Now I know

I can't stop running. I think about the growl, the laughter, the sheer delight my death will bring one of these creatures. Are they Demons? Aliens? Monsters? Who the fuck knows at this point? (I remember feeling real confusion in my dream.) I see a small cottage, still in good condition, in a clearing ahead. A small ray of sunlight shines down on it, as if a beacon. With my luck, it's just going to be trouble, I think. Maybe, it's a sign that I need. Maybe there will be food in there. I can only pray. Still running, I leap into the air and kick the door in, as hard as I can, and go tumbling inside as I can't catch my footing. My head hits the leg of a table. I stand up and am greeted by a Bible on that same table. At least I can have a good read before I die. I ask whatever God is up there for a sign and flip the Bible open to a random page. Revelations. Now I know. This is the end of me. I close the door behind me and begin to read about the end of things as I know them, until I wake up.

Nightmare 6: Wandering

I've left the safety of the cottage at some point and now walk along a dirt road, just wandering aimlessly. I have no idea where I'm going. As I approach a nearing hill, I hear a man screaming. I crouch down next to some bushes and make my way up the hill and I see him. He's running, doing his best impression of me two nightmares ago. He's scared, like me, and looks just as confused as well. My first instinct is to call out to him, but then I see it. Another ship. This one resembles a windmill, long and slender with a sort of wheel on the front of it. It moves slowly, as if it's not trying to make the capture. Anxiety rises up in me when I realize it's just watching things unfold, some sort of a hunt in progress. I hear the growling, followed by the giggles and the laughter. I know what's coming, so I make my way down the hill and head in the direction I came from. Suddenly, there’s screaming. Loud and deafening, shaking me to my core. He got him. It got him, whatever the Hell it is. I break out into a full sprint again as fast as I can move. Looking over my shoulder I see the ship turned towards me. It sees me. A new hunt is about to begin. I want to wake up...and force myself to do so.

Nightmare 7: Aware

I made it to a clearing, surrounded by trees. I hide in the only bushes I can find and pray it’s enough. The sky is full of ships now, of all designs. Some big, some small, some designed for killing and others for capture, but all are on fire. They have become aware of me, I believe. A woman runs out from the tree line and is tethered like the man in my second nightmare, and like the second nightmare, she pops. Gore scatters across the field and she’s just...gone. The ships move on slowly, but they aren't finished with their search. I watch from a distance as a hoard of creatures make their way towards the tree line across the field. They are too far away for me to see in detail what they are. They look big. My swords would be no match for them, almost like fighting a Rhino with a toothpick. They are aware that people still remain. If I could find someone before they do, I may get answers to what's happening. I start to run again. I feel the need to get away from this place. I feel the need to wake up.

Nightmare 8: Time

Much time has passed. I can feel the beard on my face growing longer. I'm walking down another street, only this time I have made it to a city. Buildings barely stand anymore. Bricks litter the streets. The ships are still everywhere, only I must be tired of running. I walk along, alone, waiting. I feel hopeless. I feel like I'm waiting on Death Row, only my sentence can be carried out any minute with no warning. I hear screams in the distance. I don't panic or flinch, too much time has passed and I guess I'm getting used to it. The first screams I heard were of confusion as people didn't know what was happening. These screams I hear now are of the end. Lives over in an instance, and such a cruel way to go. I hear them coming and know its another group of those demons. I hide under a pile of rubble as they pass. I don't ever want to crawl out from under these rocks. I start shaking in my sleep and wake myself up.

Nightmare 9: Cattle

I open my eyes to a world of trees, once again, as I have

left the city. A golden field rests in front of me. The grass is knee high, perfect to dive in if I need to hide. I'm already scared in this dream. I sit in the highest grass I can find and rest for a minute. Then, I hear it. Here we go again, I think to myself. A group of steps. There are many of them. I listen, too afraid to poke my head above the grass line. Soft talking fills the air.

PEOPLE! Before I can rise, I hear the grunts of those demons right behind and it causes me to sit motionless. Then the growls begin, followed by screams. I hear them being slaughtered like cattle. I freeze. I can't even cover my ears. Too afraid to rise, I sit and listen until the end. I don't even know what their captors look like, but I won't dare peek. I've heard enough to know I don't want to see. The shaking begins in my sleep again. I feel it as I wake up.

Nightmare 10: My face

Back in a town, I drift around looking for...something. Anything. I know this is the start of another nightmare as the world around me is in shambles. I hear the growls in the distance. The creatures are still looking for me. (I start to think inside my own nightmare about looking for signs or symbols as to what these nightmares mean. I know I'm dreaming, but why does it feel so real?) A terrifying and crazy thought enters my mind. I've dreamed of things before they've happened in the past, what if I'm seeing another event before its happened? Can I really be having a vision of the end of the world? (This is the scariest part of my entire nightmare as I feel my vitals pick up in my sleeping body.) If this is in-fact, a vision, then I need to see my face. It will give me an idea of what year it is, based on the aging of my face. I start to do a mad scramble through a

building nearby to find a mirror. Nothing. Suddenly the world is devoid of windows. Not a single glass shard big enough to see more than my eye. A sense of urgency falls over me as I look everywhere to find something shiny. (I feel my body starting to stir. I'm about to wake up.) Panic grips me tightly as I search now at what seems like a hundred miles an hour. I’m throwing things around like a crazy man, looking for anything. I hear steps in the next room. Big steps. I look up to see a tall, slender mirror resting in a corner. It's dusty and old. I run over and wipe it off as fast as I can and am shocked to see...my face. I've hardly aged at all. That means this will come in my lifetime, sooner rather than later. There is no time to think about it now. The creature is entering the doorway into the room directly behind me. I run, full speed, through a hole in the wall, knowing he has seen me. His steps are loud. He's coming right behind me as I wake up.

Nightmare 11: My death

I'm almost dead now, running like my life literally depended on it. This nightmare is more intense than any other. I'm in the woods. I'm covered in sweat and its flying off me as I can’t seem to stop running. I can't breathe. (My sleeping body reacts to it. I can feel it.) I stop running long enough to catch my breath and realize I lost my would-be captor. I'm shaking so hard now, in sleep and in this nightmare. I catch my breath and look up only to see that I'm not alone. He found me. He stands around eight feet in height, with white, milky skin covered in black veins, and is almost as wide as a garage door. A huge lump on his back that resembles a turtle shell pulses. He looks like a scary-ass warped version of a turtle. Only he has eyes as white as his skin, and a small, black misshapen pupil in the center. He smiles and giggles that horrible sound he makes. This is, without mistake, a Demon. This is Hell. I look down and realize I've drawn my sword without thinking about it. Why the fuck do I even still have this thing? The terror sets in and I know I'm fixing to die. I finally break, accepting the end for what it is. I will not cry, not for this fucking thing, but I can barely hold it together. I draw a long, shaky breath as the Demon sets on all fours, beginning his charge. He laughs in the same moment that I begin to scream. I run forward with my sword drawn. If I'm going to die, I'm going out swinging. The distance between us shortens dramatically fast. Impact. The world is spinning. I can see trees and sky and dirt and grass all at once. I feel the twigs and leaves under my back. I close my eyes and scream and fight. Everything goes quiet and black. I know that, in my dream, I may have truly found my death.

These eleven nightmares would span twenty-two days. It was eight days later that I had one last nightmare that connected with the last eleven. Twelve nightmares in thirty days.

Nightmare 12: The True Hell...The Beginning.

There’s light. I see light coming into my field of view. It's bright at first, but dims slowly. Then, I realize I'm looking at the sky. Standing and staring straight up through the trees at the sky. My face feels swollen until I reach up and feel that half of it is. I feel the hot blood pouring over my forehead and down my back. I look down...and I find myself in complete amazement. The demon has fallen beneath me and I'm standing on him. I drop down to all fours, still on his chest with my face inches from his now lifeless eyes and let out a primitive scream. "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK

YOU!!!! I jump up to my feet, still on his chest, and give him both hands with both middle fingers. Yeah, one for you and one for your master. Let him know fear. Let him know that I'm coming and THE TRUE HELL IS COMING WITH MEEEEE!" I tremble with real hate as I spit on his face. I feel heat wash over my shoulders, only it's not the Hellfire I feared all this time. I begin to laugh and cry at the same time. It's just the Sun. Only, it's not the Sun alone. I feel some sort of revitalized life pump through me. I feel His presence. I wasn't meant to go. I was meant to stay for a reason only He knows. I look up to the sky and laugh harder than I ever have. I have dark times ahead of me, yet I'm standing in the light...And all I can see is the Sun.

Two months later.....

Nightmare 13: Dream

I can't really call this a nightmare but it is connected with the last. It was brief, only lasting seconds. I'm standing on a hilltop. It's the evening, right before dusk. A sea of grass is in front of me, illuminated by the Sun. Trees are in the distance blowing in the wind. My face is dirty and stained, as well as my clothes. I hear steps behind me. I turn and see that somewhere along my journey, I made a few friends. A small group of people are with me. They look tired and just as filthy as me. I give them a look of reassurance and look forward. I begin to walk...I wake up.

Chapter 1

The grass has grown long and feels like a literal Hell to walk in. Every long blade grabs at my feet, pulling and creating resistance. I'm so tired, wanting only to fall over and make a bed in my tormentors. I can't dare to stop though, not when people are depending on me. I hear them dragging behind, creating a song of shuffling, tired feet in unison with my own. It will be dark soon and we will need a safe place to sleep, if such a place even exists anymore.

It's going to be okay, I call out to those behind me.

Only, I have no idea if that's true. The world has turned into a living Hell, a place not fit for this sad band of misfits now begrudgingly trekking through it. How the Hell can any sane individual come back from something like this?

We're with you, Joe...Just fucking hungry and tired is all.

Meet Sasha.

Dangerous and beautiful with a soul to match. Long, brown hair hangs past her shoulders and graces the body of an Angel, with blue eyes that shine ever so radiant. She isn't like your average pretty person. She's...different. A true survivor, surviving her own personal Hell before we all met the real one. She remains a mystery, along with the other seven souls that are with us. The time for a meet and greet doesn't exist when you're fleeing for your life. The only fact known about each other is that we're still here, when everyone we love was taken. A single agreement was discovered in the only conversation we had; We must be paying for some sort of mistakes.

How can a soul like Sashas’ deserve this? How can any soul?

In a clearing ahead, a small hill sits with a cave leading into a dark abyss. A small group of large stones lay scattered near the dark entrance. It’s the first time we’ve seen a shelter that hasn’t been laid to waste.

We could hide in there for the night and barricade ourselves in.

Guys...Let’s head for that cave and check it out. It may be a place we can lay our heads for the night.

I do my best to project confidence into my words, knowing they need some kind of reassurance. After a brief stroll, we near the cave entrance and I can see that it looks smaller up close. All nine of us may not fit in the small, little hole in the Earth. Our group consists of five men and four women. It will be an uncomfortable ‘Sardine Can’ environment no doubt, but, we can't risk splitting up. I can't let anyone go. They are all that I have left in this world, and I don't even know their last names. Still though, I feel a true connection with them all. Strange, but stranger things have happened. They are my people, and none will be sacrificed to the monsters that hunt us. I'll stand guard all night if I can cram them all in that small little space, as I'm the only one to slay one of the beasts. I wouldn't have anyone else stand out in the open, alone, in the dark. Besides, I still have my sword, and it has already proven itself resourceful.

Shit, man, this ain't gonna work, he says with clear frustration in his voice before pointing his small, stubby finger, "

We aren't going to fit in there! Not all of us! FUCK!"

Danny was a Hothead before the world collapsed. I didn't need to know his past to understand him. A short, stocky guy, bald with tattoos covering both arms, who was probably picked on as a kid for his short stature. Small people tend to be like angry Chihuahuas, but only because they have to be. The Old World was full of assholes before it ended.

I'll make it work, Danny. I'm going in first to check it out. Danny, you come with me. Greg, Will, John, stay with the ladies. Listen for anything when we go in. If it sounds like we’re in trouble, just fucking run. Head for the tree line behind us. We came from there so we know it's somewhat safe. Climb a tree, hide in a bush, just...fucking hide...wherever you can.

Their faces become pale and grim, but they nod in agreement. I had always been a natural leader in the Old World, and now find myself a willing sacrificial lamb who’s ready to die first, if needed. I enter the hole first, with Danny closely behind me, crouching down low as it is barely three feet tall and just as wide. We make our way into the darkness, slowly, knowing full well that the darkness in this New World tends to be filled with living nightmares.

Here, Bro.

Danny hands me a lighter, but the small contraption is stubborn and unwilling to cooperate. I flick the lighter a couple times before the flame ignites, and I can see a wider entrance in the flashes. My eyes adjust to the pitch black in front of me, a dark body of blackness, masking the fact that the cave goes further than it appears at first glance.

Looks deeper than we thought. We may all fit in after all. Let's go a little further...See how far it goes. Let’s make damn sure there is nothing waiting for us inside, I instruct.

No, Danny replies quickly.

No? I ask in a louder voice.

"Fuck no, man! I ain't going down there. You can go, but I'm staying right here."

I can't see his face, but don't need to in order to understand that he’s frightened. I often forget that not everyone was like me, before, in the Old World. I enjoyed the darker things in life. I rarely felt fear, until the New World began. I decide that I won’t torture him with his newfound fear by making him go.

It's cool, Danny...Just, wait here. Head to the tree line if it all goes bad. I'll find you guys there, I assure him.

I'm fucking scared, man. I went through some real shit before this all happened, but nothing like this. Did you see those fucking things? Fucking demons, man! Real demons!

His soul is shaken and it pains me to hear it in his cracking voice.

I've killed one before, but it wasn't easy.

That's your story and you're sticking to it, huh? He scoffs. I can almost see the small smile creeping across his face. I am. You must be to. Why else are you still following me? I ask.

Silence answers me, along with his labored breathing.

Look, Danny. I don't have the answers. I'm just as fucking scared as you are. I want to live, man. I want you to live too. I'm not going to do something that gets us all killed. Just get the fuck out of here if it goes bad, alright? You'll have to warn them if I die.

He begins whimpering softly in the dark and I’m relieved I’m unable to see his face clearly.

Okay...Yeah...Okay, I'll wait here...Be careful, man, he finishes quietly as his voice dies down to a soft whisper.

It's going to be okay, Danny, I assure once again as I turn and repeat the words in a softer voice.

It’s going to be okay.

It’s just the ‘Little White Lie’ I keep telling everyone, including myself.

**************************************************** The walls of the cave are surprisingly warm. I had been underground before, on several occasions, and always found the ground cooler than being above. The revelation sends a warning signal through my clouded mind and creates an urge for me to turn around.

This is strange.

The ground around me gets hotter as I progress, burning my knees and palms, before the ceiling rises and I find myself able to stand up and walk. The lighter grows hot, threatening my fingers, but I hardly notice it. I'm too busy searching the darkness for the first sign of trouble. I walk along, my steps like air, until I find the back wall of the cave. All seems well, and a likely place to sleep...Finally. The lighter screams at my fingertips, which have become unbearably hot now. I kill the flames while standing as still as stone, allowing it to cool while listening to the environment, straining my ears as hard as I humanly can to hear the others back at the entrance. It's eerily quiet, leaving me feeling like I've spent an eternity in this new dreadful chamber. Hopefully, it only means that we haven't been discovered. Reigniting the lighter, I make my way back to the entrance as fast as I can move without the flame dying out. I don't want to be too optimistic yet, but it would be wonderful to deliver good news for a change. Everyone craves a good rest, and a peaceful night looks promising.

Danny?

Silence greets my hushed voice. I wrestle with my nerves and fight the urge to raise my voice too loudly.

Danny!

Still, no words return from the darkness where I left him.

Shit...did he leave me?

The darkness falls quickly outside, robbing me of the light needed to illuminate the entrance. His voice would have been my guide.

DANNY! I shout, with panic starting to break through my voice.

I'm here Joe! He finally responds after a couple more seconds of silence.

Well, motherfucker, answer me next time! He lets out a soft chuckle.

Sorry. Man, I dozed off for a second. I just woke up and went out to check on the others. Everyone is okay. What's it like down there? Is there enough room for us all?

Well, it seems...wait a minute. Did you say you dozed off? What the fuck, man?! You're supposed to be listening out for me, Goddamn it! We could of all been killed if something happened and you wouldn't have caught it cause you were taking a fucking nap? Really?

I snap at him without thinking, which is an easy thing to do, considering none of us had slept in a week or more. A dark, quiet environment would of pulled any of us to such a sweet, long overdue slumber. I feel like such a prick, a far cry from who I was in the Old World.

I'm sorry, Danny. Lets get the others and get some sleep. My nerves are on edge. My words fall as softly as I intended. I force myself to remember that I’m supposed to be the sane one in our little tribe.

How long was I down there?

It had to be over an hour...Sorry I fell asleep, he mutters.

An hour! Fuck, I say and pause as surprise overtakes me before regret invades me,I'm the one who's sorry. Everyone was out in the open for a whole fucking hour...because of me. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened.

I really wouldn't have.

Joe, you amaze me, he blurts out, catching me off guard with this off-the-wall comment.

A hushed laugh escapes my lips before I find my words. What? How?

I hear him chuckling in the darkness in front of me.

You still haven’t figured out a bunch of strangers were prepared to head for the hills and leave you as an appetizer. It’s cute that you think we give a fuck.

He roars with laughter and I join in. I feel excitement for

once, finally being a harbinger of good news. My hope is that we will sleep better than babies tonight.

We fumble the last few feet to the entrance with no light to guide us. The lighter is empty now, sputtering out it's fiery last breath. At this point, it really doesn't matter. We'll find a way back into the comfort of our new safety.

Danny climbs out first and falls to the ground as I follow quickly behind. My legs suddenly don’t want to cooperate. Sasha reaches down and helps me to my feet as Greg helps Danny to find his footing. She looks into my eyes while her eyes reflect cold ice, so blue, and her face sits expressionless. I know the look all too well. She has no expectations anymore. She doesn't like to be disappointed. I wonder if it’s a quality she also

possessed in the Old World, and my gut feeling tells me as much.

Well, good news, I think, I begin.

YES! Finally, Friend, my old bones can get some rest!

John stands the oldest of us all. None of us had ever talked about our age, or anything personal for that matter. We're all on a first name basis and nothing more. He's a large man with pearly white skin, with a ‘salt and pepper’ beard littering his face. His short, brown hair is matted and appears to be falling out at the crown of his forehead. If I had to guess what he did before the Old World ended, I would guess he was in the Oil Field industry, or a Truck Driver, or a Professional Wrestler. He stands such a big, burly guy and yet, he reminds me of a harmless Panda. It suits him.

"I do have some bad news too, guys. The lighter I was

using ran empty. It's going to be tricky making our way down there with no light, but, it's safe," I inform them.

Wait! I have a bag of Glow Sticks. They won't last all night, but at least it's something.

Greg is a young kid who must be about nineteen, covered in acne and sporting short, black hair. Skinny and lanky, it's a wonder that he survived the Hell we're living in. He didn't look like he could survive High School, but here he is. He's an intelligent kid, and it never hurts to have a genius in your corner.

He removes the stash of Glow Sticks from a small bag he's held closely for all of our trip. They glow a nice, bright green, and it’s good enough for us. I wonder to myself what else he might be hiding in that bag. Hopefully some liquor, I pray. He hands me the bag as we make our way into the entrance. I crawl in about a foot and turn around with a feeling of dread that won’t seem to release its grasp on me.

This doesn’t feel right. Why are the walls of the cave so hot?

I feel an obligation to bring it up.

"Before we make our way down, I need to say something. If anyone has any kind of knowledge, please speak up. I've been underground before