Flux

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Flux Page 36

by Jeremy Robinson


  He’s nervous. Rambling. “What are you really here to say?”

  He smiles. “Not going to let your old man beat around the bush, huh?”

  “You aren’t so old,” I tell him.

  “Life sure has thrown us a screwball…” He exhales, watching his breath rise into the nighttime air. “And I reckon what I’m gonna ask you is par for the course at this point.”

  “Shoot,” I tell him.

  “Well, I was wondering… Well, I was hoping you’d be my best man.”

  “Are you serious?” I say, voice booming. If not for the smile on my face, he might have taken my outburst as anger. “Holy shit. When?”

  My father chuckles. “Well, I’m not exactly fond of living in sin. Inola and I aren’t sleeping in the same room…and she’s not a patient woman. So...”

  “Soon, then?”

  “Very.”

  “Who’s livin’ in sin?” Owen asks. He’s standing behind us, holding a bowl of ice cream out to me.

  “You know it’s below freezing out here,” I say.

  He shrugs. “It’s our favorite.”

  I take the ice cream and look back up at the stars. I stand there with my impossible family, admiring the cosmos.

  “So.…” my father says.

  “Of course,” I give him a sidelong smile and take a bite of the ice cream. The flavor transports me through time to memories that are far fresher for Owen.

  Then I wince as a sharp pain slams into my forehead.

  “What is it?” my father asks, an edge in his voice.

  “Should I go get the others?” Owen asks, worried. “Should I fetch the guns?”

  When the pain clears, I give my head a shake, smile, and put all their fears to rest.

  “Brain freeze.”

  While the pair has a good laugh at my expense, I do my best to laugh along while eyeing the dark forest around us. But it’s a challenge, because I’ve just lied to the two of them for the first time. It’s faint, but I’m struck by deep feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion, none of it belonging to me. The pre-human…the cryptoterrestrial…has explored our world, and doesn’t like what it’s found.

  I try to emote a welcoming message for it to receive. Despite Delgado’s experience, I still consider the ancient creature an ally. But its presence fades, and I realize it had come only to say goodbye.

  I linger by the door after Owen and my father enter my home. I look out at the dark once more as wind swirls snow across the open mountaintop. “Stay out of trouble,” I whisper, and then I step inside to rejoin my family.

  Older e-reader? Click here.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  If you’re a long-time reader, you’re probably thinking, “Will there be a book merging The Others and Flux?!” The answer is, “I’m not sure.” As always, it depends on sales. Honestly, I hadn’t planned on featuring the pre-human cryptoterrestrial until I reached the Cretaceous and had an “oooooh” moment, where I realized I had inadvertently set up the overlap. Once I realized it was possible, I couldn’t resist.

  If you’re a new reader, you’re now thinking, “What is The Others?! Who the heck was Dan Delgado? What in tarnation is going on, y’all?!” Good news: I have a better answer for you than I did for the long-time readers! The Others is a novel that came out about a year ago, featuring Delgado and Winnie. Their search for a missing little girl leads them down a rabbit hole of Mormon cults, corporate espionage, and alien abductions. If you enjoyed Flux, you’ll love The Others!

  Now, if you enjoyed Flux (or The Others) and would like to see them continue/merge, the best thing you can do is post reviews on your favorite online vendor or on Goodreads. Every review helps a ton, and I read every single one (even the bad ones).

  As always, thank you very much for coming along for the ride, and I hope you enjoyed the books. I wouldn’t be here without the support of my awesome readers!

  —Jeremy Robinson

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to Kane Gilmour for the awesome edits, as always, and to the best proofreaders an author could hope for, Roger Brodeur, Lyn Askew, Elizabeth Cooper, Dee Haddrill, Dan Delgado, Kyle Mohr, Sharon Ruffy, Becki Laurent, Kelly Tyler, and Julie Carter. Thanks Hilaree, Aquila, Solomon, and Norah, my very own tribe spanning generations. Love you guys.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jeremy Robinson is the international bestselling author of sixty novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

  Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.

  ALSO by JEREMY ROBINSON

  Standalone Novels

  The Didymus Contingency

  Raising The Past

  Beneath

  Antarktos Rising

  Kronos

  Refuge

  Xom-B

  Flood Rising

  MirrorWorld

  Apocalypse Machine

  Unity

  The Distance

  Infinite

  Forbidden Island

  The Divide

  The Others

  Space Force

  Alter

  Flux

  Nemesis Saga Novels

  Island 731

  Project Nemesis

  Project Maigo

  Project 731

  Project Hyperion

  Project Legion

  SecondWorld Novels

  SecondWorld

  Nazi Hunter: Atlantis

  (aka: I Am Cowboy)

  The Antarktos Saga

  The Last Hunter – Descent

  The Last Hunter – Pursuit

  The Last Hunter – Ascent

  The Last Hunter – Lament

  The Last Hunter – Onslaught

  The Last Hunter – Collected Edition

  The Last Valkyrie

  The Jack Sigler/Chess Team Thrillers

  Prime

  Pulse

  Instinct

  Threshold

  Ragnarok

  Omega

  Savage

  Cannibal

  Empire

  Jack Sigler Continuum Novels

  Guardian

  Patriot

  Centurion

  Cerberus Group Novels

  Herculean

  Helios

  Chesspocalypse Novellas

  Callsign: King

  Callsign: Queen

  Callsign: Rook

  Callsign: King 2 – Underworld

  Callsign: Bishop

  Callsign: Knight

  Callsign: Deep Blue

  Callsign: King 3 – Blackout

  Chesspocalypse Novella Collected Editions

  Callsign: King – The Brainstorm Trilogy

  Callsign – Tripleshot

  Callsign – Doubleshot

  Horror Novels

  (written as Jeremy Bishop)

  Torment

  The Sentinel

  The Raven

  Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Novels

  Hunger

  Feast

  Viking Tomorrow

  Comics & Graphic Novels

  Project Nemesis

  Godzilla: Rage Across Time

  Island 731

  © 2019 Jeremy Robinson. All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Jeremy Robinson ©2018

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

&nb
sp; No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more information e-mail all inquiries to:

  [email protected].

  Visit Jeremy Robinson on the World Wide Web at:

  www.bewareofmonsters.com.

 

 

 


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