Write about a contest with life or death stakes.

Posted in Adventure on May 22, 2021

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✍️ 145 stories

“An Unearthly Game” by Shiri G

Submitted to Contest #66

One day the newly-appointed King's Assistant went to Hell. He was ordered by King of Heaven to choose a soul. King of Heaven was an optimistic God. On the previous day, he had won a game of Chess against King of Hell. As his prize he asked King of Hell to let one soul from Hell go free. Hell's King accepted his request and told him to come to Hell and choose a soul for himself. When Shamodhar, King's Assistant, arrived at Hell he was stunned by the number of souls living there. There were hundreds of thousand times souls living ...

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“Life, Death, or Freedom!!!” by Cliff Henderson

Submitted to Contest #66

Prisoner 567198 stepped out of his cell on the first day of his incarceration. He saw all of the prisoners heading for the back of the common area to stand in front of the big screen TV hanging from the ceiling. Curious, he joined the hubbub. He wound up in the back of the crowd as a gameshow started. All around him the other prisoners were taking bets. He sidled up to one of the other prisoners to see what was going on. “Hey” he said. “Hey yourself” came the reply. “Oh, I remember you. You cost me a pack of smokes. I’m Rick.” Rick was 5’1...

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“BLOOD AND SWEAT; THE HEART'S FUEL” by Emmanuella Enekhai

Submitted to Contest #66

The little African island of Samore stretched into the distance; thirty thousand square miles of lush green vegetation interspersed with sparkling brooks glinting like diamonds in the morning sun. Just another beautiful day on the island but Joshua Vaughan was stewing with rage. Poachers. Those bastards were trespassing on the forest enclosure. Tala'a Hanau, his right hand man had discovered the traps placed all over and quickly put a call to him. It was clear they were after the island's pride; the Samorean albino Jaguars. Alighting from th...

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“L3” by Diana Espinoza Banegas

Submitted to Contest #66

Puke covered the walls, harsh odor penetrated the skin, grim on the floors made the place look smaller and more claustrophobic than before. Leah covered her nose with a handkerchief, glancing at the windows where the sun hardly entered. She walked cautiously into the run-down hospital grabbing a scalpel from one of the old tables that were beside the moldy beds. She quickly made her way outside, tired of the smell, and fled into the woods that led to an unknown adventure even for the most intelligent. She had regretted her decision in downlo...

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“Quest in Dreams” by Alyana Reina

Submitted to Contest #66

"Don't love me", he warned. "I'm just going to hurt you." it was a faint whisper barely audible. She shrugged it off thinking maybe it was just something someone said. The train station was crowded anyway. "People these days are too dramatic," she thought to herself. She went home to see her lover waiting at their apartment just standing by the kitchen, "How was your day?" he asked with a small smile and a kiss on the forehead. It was during times like this when she wondered what had she done in her past life to deserve someone such as him. ...

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“Carla's Well” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #66

I'm going to die. The thought that ran through my head. No matter how hard I tried to shake it, the words echoed like a dark mantra.The sun hung low in the sky, daylight running out on me. Force of will kept my legs moving, a long-stride lope that ate miles faster than it ate my energy. My only hope for survival was the fact that I had survived this long already."Clara, it's up to you," Micah had said, his long grey beard flapping with every word. He fixed me with his steel-grey eyes, his oil-tanned leather face craggy with years of exposure...

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“Phoenix Rising” by Aubrey Spencer

Submitted to Contest #66

I almost died on a dare. It was stupid, but I have a temper and I probably would have done it anyway because of the money I could have gotten, the new life. I'm dirt poor- poorer than poor and hated because of it.It was called The Trials- the contest that almost killed me.The origin of The Trials was told to us from a young age as terrifying horrors or action-packed heroics. Either way, the details were pretty blurry. No one really knew the exact story because all we can do is tell secrets.Those with knowledge don't share it and lie about it...

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“Missing Clues” by Vanessa Kilmer

Submitted to Contest #66

Raymond was dead. So are Becky, Josh, and Melissa. Sylvie may or may not be. I only have a few heartbeats left. We decided to have a Friday Fun Night after being cooped up for the last seven months. Six friends at a puzzle room, masked for our own protection and in compliance with the pandemic rules of life. Three boys and three girls together since kindergarten. A clique, a company, a troop, a gang. Friends without benefits. At least, that’s what I always thought, but apparently, we have been lying to one another. We arrived at six. Since...

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“Mere Instinct” by Eliza Post

Submitted to Contest #66

One moment she was sleeping. The next, she was falling past bright lights with hot air scraping over her. Sam hit the ground hard, muscle memory keeping her from shattering her knees on the rocks. She stumbled only slightly as she pushed herself to her feet. Where was she? A sound like an airhorn shot through the air, burrowing into her brain and triggering some deep-implanted instinct. Her body lowered into a crouch and she found herself looking over her shoulders, surveying the terrain, without consciously deciding to do so. She was o...

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“Do or Die” by Lola S

Submitted to Contest #66

I’m a very selfish person. I don’t have to be, but I am. If faced with helping someone else and self-preservation, I pick me. Every. Single. Time. It’s not because I don’t want to die. That’s not a huge factor in my M.O., no, but I guess you could say it was my hamartia that does it. I will be selfish to the end. No one’s better for me than me, and if I have to go out, it’ll be with a bang, dammit, and I’ll look better than everyone else while doing it. So that’s why I’m here, standing in front of the Lanvedre mansion’s doors, along ...

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“A Run With The Foxes” by Asha Cole

Submitted to Contest #66

🍃 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم I have something to think about today. The endless humdrum of machinery drilled on. But, is it better to have something bitter to think about, or no thoughts at all? Drilled into his soul. “Hey. Sadiq, man. Why are you still here?” Sadiq blinked up at his friend, whose voice disgruntled the drilling like a cheeky sports commentator coming over a crackling radio channel. Silver chips fell into Sadiq’s white glove. “Last batch.” Sadiq winced at his own word choice. As if these devices were...

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“Escape Room” by Diana Black

Submitted to Contest #66

It didn't immediately register to me that I was looking at blood. For a second, at first glance, it looked beautiful. The way the red contrasts against the white linoleum had a simple beauty to it. But slowly, my mind came to a realization. That beauty was the essence of life. Seeing Jackson laid out with a meter-wide red polka dot under him was not beautiful at all. Instead, it was hysterical. Not hysterical as in funny, but hysterical as in I don't know how to control my reaction. I remember looking over at Suzy, who just stared back at me...

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“Tough Competition” by Keith Burdon

Submitted to Contest #66

A chant rose from somewhere in the audience, the thud of feet in the auditorium sounded like a continuous rumble of thunder. The clapping hands beat out a furious counterpoint to the rhythm from the feet. There was an air of barely contained violence. This crowd wanted blood. Not for the first time Nathan asked himself just how the hell he had got himself involved in this situation. It was like a scene from Gladiator. He was terrified. Pure and simple. Adrenaline was firing round his system, his legs were locked, his bladder howling in pr...

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“The Price of Freedom” by Angela K. Bellwood

Submitted to Contest #66

Her lips curling in disgust, Cassandra retrieved her blade from the man’s abdomen and turned around. Instead of stopping to catch her breath though, she was forced to immediately jump back after catching the glint of the sword racing towards her neck. In her haste, she tripped over the now dead body of her previous opponent and fell heavily to the ground. The world around her spun as her head bounced from the impact it made with the floor and she distantly heard the metal clang of her blade as it slipped from her grip. Her face scrunched u...

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“WAS IT NECESSARY??.....” by PRISHA SHARMA

Submitted to Contest #66

It was a dark winter night. The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one autumn evening. There had been many clever men there, and there had been interesting conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment. The majority of the guests, among whom were many journalists and intellectual men, disapproved of the death penalty. They considered that form of punishment out of date, immoral, and unsuitable for Christian States. In the opinion of some of t...

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Write about a contest with life or death stakes.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 145 stories

“An Unearthly Game” by Shiri G

“Life, Death, or Freedom!!!” by Cliff Henderson

“BLOOD AND SWEAT; THE HEART'S FUEL” by Emmanuella Enekhai

“L3” by Diana Espinoza Banegas

“Quest in Dreams” by Alyana Reina

“Carla's Well” by Sjan Evardsson

“Phoenix Rising” by Aubrey Spencer

“Missing Clues” by Vanessa Kilmer

“Mere Instinct” by Eliza Post

“Do or Die” by Lola S

“A Run With The Foxes” by Asha Cole

“Escape Room” by Diana Black

“Tough Competition” by Keith Burdon

“The Price of Freedom” by Angela K. Bellwood

“WAS IT NECESSARY??.....” by PRISHA SHARMA

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?

Write about a character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted.

Write about a character who’s finally on the verge of achieving their lifelong dream.

Contest #66

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

584

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: