Nexus: Expanded Edition

by Gary M. Martin

“No. No. Stay away! Ughhh. No!”
He was out of breath and had to stop a moment to prop his weight against the trunk of a sturdy pine. He looked about anxiously, but saw nothing lurking in the darker reaches of the forest.
He wasn’t sure how he got here. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was after him and if he paused here too long it would catch him.
He wasn’t sure what it was, whether it was beast or man, or a combination of the both. What he knew with a certainty was that it was a killer, and that it wouldn’t hesitate a moment to snatch the life from him.
This thing, whatever it was had traveled a very long distance to get here, just as he had done so many years ago. He knew this, but didn’t know how he knew this. He was nothing like this … monster.
Then he saw it. It was scrambling through the underbrush, its eyes darting in one direction then the other. It was searching for him. Though he didn’t think it saw him it was moving progressively closer. It wouldn’t be long before its eyes would stumble upon him.
He couldn’t wait here any longer. He was easy prey just standing here leaning against the tree. He pushed off the tree and began running again.
He wasn’t as fast as he was at first. His rest was too brief. He was still badly winded and his legs felt like bags of cement. It caught him almost right away, leaping upon his back driving him face first into the hard ground.
“Ahhh! Ahhh!”
He pushed, squirmed, and twisted trying to roll over onto his back. At the same time he expected to feel the death blow smashing into him at any moment.
Then it was shaking him. Which made no sense at all. What was it trying to do to him? Why was it simply shaking him and not making more of an effort to kill him.
Suddenly the ground beneath him began to vibrate and brake apart. To crumble and dissipate into so much air. At once he was on his back. His eyes sprung open. He was staring up at a set of big blue eyes. A woman looked down at him with a mixture of concern and irritation. It was his wife, Becky.
“Wake up,” she said. “You’re dreaming.
He groaned and sat up. “I’m awake,” he mumbled. He looked about the room to confirm where he was. “Had another one of those damn nightmares,” he said.
She sat down on the bed beside him. Mostly she looked worried, but he could see a spark of anger, or perhaps exasperation, that she was trying to cover up. “Do you want to talk about it,” she asked with little enthusiasm.
“Not really. It was pretty much the same as the others. I’m beginning to think it’s some kind of sign of sorts. A premonition.”
“Of what?” she said. Her voice was low but infused with irritation. “That you’re going to be killed by some monster?! Oh please, Sam, I’m tired of hearing about all these crazy ideas of yours.” She walked away shaking her head.
He watched her leave the bedroom and disappear into the living room then wiped the sleep from his eyes and made his way into the kitchen. At the refrigerator he removed a bottle of water. He drank nearly half of it before bringing it down from his lips.
He jokingly guessed that a good nightmare made one thirsty. Or, maybe it was all the running he had done while he was trapped in it.
Despite the nightmare he felt rested. It was rare for him to nap in the daytime, but the problems he was facing—real or imagined—had stressed him to the point of exhaustion. Even the fitful sleep was better than nothing.
He wondered if these nightmares were due to him stopping the medication he had been on for so many years.

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2012

About the author

I was born in Alabama but spent my years as a toddler up to age 13 in Baltimore, MD. Then my family moved back to Alabama.

After high school, I joined the Air Force, where I spent five and a half years. Two and a half of those years I spent in Misawa, Japan.

After the Air Force, I went into the electrical business. I became a foreman and received a Georgia state license.

I started writing books several years ago. It was a rocky start. I made some mistakes. But I learned.

As of May 2nd, 2025, I am offering a complimentary eBook, "The Nexus", to everyone who signs up for my newsletter.
This is NOT Nexus. That is an older book that is no longer in print.
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s...

Reviews

[Janie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really not what I expected at all, which could be good if you enjoy a science fiction. The beginning was very confusing to me and I find that I am still somewhat confused. There was not enough information to help connect the dots.

The prologue is what threw me off the most as it ran into the first chapter which is one year later, it seems like something is missing there to better explain how we got from one point to the next.

There seemed to be a lot going on at first too which made me further confused until it started to level out about midway through the book and I could understand more about it. The premise of the book I think is good but I feel it had too many unrealistic ideas that get you to say, there is no way that would happen.

I feel the author has a good strong imagination, but his writing seems to be just a bit incomplete in areas.

[Gary Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like to review my own book, but this was the only way to get it
put back on Goodreads so I could put it up for giveaway. I don't know why I lost it.

Anyway, there is a lot of action. The story is quick and is full of
memorable characters. There are some sad moments in there, but for
the most part it's a good, fast adventure. Don't take my word for it, though, check out excerpts that are offered. Then try the book.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of Nexus through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Martin definitely has potential, and I strongly encourage him to continue writing. However, a few suggestions: be more careful in your editing process, there were numerous spelling and grammatical errors that irked me, and detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
Stick to one theme and expand on it, don't jump around so much. You introduced so many people so quickly it was hard to get attached to any one character. I think your basic premise was good, if a trifle overdone; but overdone isn't necessarily a bad thing if you come at it from a new angle. There were things you definitely could have expanded on, such as where Walter got his psychic capability. Did his dead family gift him with it? The aliens? God? What?
Also, the ending was a bit weak, definitely could have expanded the bounty hunter notion a bit. There's sequel possibility with the alien bounty hunter, I think. Hands was a cool character, some more development there in a future novel might be worth exploring also.

So, to sum up: a 2 star novel. -1.5 stars for poor editing, -.5 star for an overdone theme, and -1 star for jumping around in the narrative with so many characters so quickly to the point of confusion.

All in all, a decent attempt at a novel. Please take this as constructive criticism, and good luck in your future writing endeavors.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a good reads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book - the multiple story lines in the beginning kept my interest and I think the the timing of the main story convergence was good; it wasn't drawn out. I think the book became a real page turner after the main story convergence and I loved how the story just kept getting bigger and more fantastical.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting and complex story which links the characters in so many different ways. It keeps guessing about what is going to happen next. It is well written and keeps you interested.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.