Surviving The Nightmares

Year One; Day One

Before Humanity knew what hit them it was too late. They came from nowhere and spread like a plague. The dark creatures were in the far East at first. Few in number, or so humanity thought. They didn't want to admit that these were truly the end days. They called the creatures "Nightmares". These Nightmares literally fed on the minds of humans.

They have wiped more than half of human life off the Earth. Now, the combined forces of The United States Military and Militia, Canadian Military and Mexican Army and Cartels stand with their guns pointed at the East coast awaiting the hoard crossing the ocean, ready to futilly protect mankind's remnants. But even they knew that they were just delaying the inevitable extinction.

The General stood on the podium to address the massive army at his command, mere hours after being named "General of the Army", the first since World War II. His uniform laden with medals and ribbons and the five stars in a circle on each shoulder. The soldiers look up at him with part admiration and part hope. All they can do is hope for the best under these circumstances.

"Men," He addressed them. "As you are well aware, we face the gravest threat ever seen by mankind. Our brothers and sisters in the East are gone. But as this menace crosses the Atlantic, we have had time to prepare for their arrival. I would like to introduce Doctor Stanley. He will brief you on the monsters we will face. Doctor."

A bearded man who looks like he hadn't slept in weeks comes out. Unlike the clean shaven, proper General, he is slouching, jumpy and generally a mess.

"The monsters are called 'Nightmares'" He addresses the men immediately after being given the floor. "They are called such because direct eye contact will cause fear fueled paralyzation. This cannot be prevented by any means of visual protection such as goggles, glasses or contact eye lens. They appear tar black with flat, white teeth and large eyes without eyelids. Direct eye contact will not only result in total paralyzation, we have also discovered it's how they feed. They..." He pauses and looks down, almost unable to believe his own research. "To put it in the simplest possible terms, they feed off... Sanity. If this does not kill you then you will almost certainly be a vegetative state or you will become a tracker for them called a 'Vessel'. Vessels are people with a cognitive link to their Nightmare master. They are unable to feel pain, cannot recognize loved ones and will attack on sight. Their sense of smell is triple that of a Bloodhound and they have almost perfect hearing but their vision is horrible. If possible, use this to your advantage. They are exceptionally dangerous, much like their masters. The Nightmares themselves are exceptionally dangerous up close, as their arms are razor sharp and they can easily grind you to death with their teeth." There is murmuring heard among the crowd at this.

"They are not indestructible however" The doctor said, relieving many soldiers. "Enough ballistic trauma and they'll die, like any living being. When engaging, look at their nose or the space between their eyes, I cannot possibly stress this more, no matter the distance do not look at their eyes! That's all I have men. May God help us all."

The civilians along the coast were told to evacuate and checkpoints were set up to allow a limited number of people into Safe Zones. The militaries gather along the coast and form a massive firing line as the last line of defense in case the Navy fails to hold back the approaching horde of water walking Nightmares and their Vessels. As the civilians ran, the largest and most diverse Army in human history stood waiting. Waiting to face the biggest threat to their existence.