Anastazia Rudolph

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (13)

13 Stories

265 karma pts

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“Kabul” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #85

We take shelter in the clay-brick building, in the center of the village. I follow along behind my mother, clutching the sleeve of her robes with one hand and carrying my baby sister in the crook of my other arm. I hear the sounds of horse hooves and shouting growing nearer as we descend down the carefully-cut stairs into the underground basement. The walls and floor are stained with blood – dried, but still a vibrant red against the dull brown surface. We take shelter in the clay-brick building, in the old part of the city. I follow along...

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“Badge and Broke” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #76

“I got a letter this morning.” “A letter?” “Yeah, a letter. From my girl on the outside.” “How’s she doing, with the baby and all?” “She’s uh… She says she’s leaving me. She’s taking little Emily and they’re leaving.” “No shit? Damn it, man. Where’s she going?” “I don’t know. She wouldn’t say. Probably thinks I’m too dangerous to be around my daughter. I only even got to see Emily once. She was born the day before I got locked up.” “That’s fucked up, dude. Real fucked up.” “I probably deserve it, man.” “What are you talking...

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“Concentration” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #75

Muffled voices fade in and out of the infinite black void. I strain to hear what’s being said, but it’s no use. I can’t make out a single word. The feeling in my body slowly begins to return, bringing with it a throbbing pain in my head and my chest. I can’t move my arms. A groan escapes my lips as I open my eyes, worsening the pain in my head. Blurred shapes come into focus around me in the small white room. I must be in some sort of hospital. The voices have stopped, but I can now make out three people standing around my bedside. One is ...

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“Countdown to Execution” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #74

“No blindfold, please. I’d prefer to see my death coming.” The guard let out a cynical laugh. “You think you’re so tough saying that, don’t you?” He stepped in front of me, leaning his face inches away from mine. The minty-fresh smell of his breath was quite a contrast to his psychotic grin. “Nearly every person executed here has said the same thing. And you wanna know something? They all died the same way, with their brains splattered across the wall that you’re leaning on. You’re not anything special.” He turned away from me, stuffing ...

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“Partners in Justice” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #70

I lay strapped to a sterile white table, the restraints tight against my torso and arms. The small, white room smells of death and antiseptic. A lone warden stands against the far wall, his silver badge shining beneath the white lights. I can raise my head just enough to peer out the wall of glass windows. Two men walk slowly towards the door; one of them wears white, the other wears black. A doctor and a priest. They enter the room in silence, closing the door softly behind them. A row of onlookers has begun to gather outside. I recogniz...

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“What I Saw” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #67

The woman’s piercing scream tears me from my sleep, shattering my blissful dreams as I explode out of bed in the moments just before dawn. I can’t see a thing. The woman screams again, her cries of desperation rising up from the street and through my third-floor window as I frantically kick my way out of the tangled blankets. I crouch beneath the window, poking my head up just far enough for my eyes to clear the sill. I look down into the street below in a desperate search for the source of the blood-curdling screeches. A nearby lamppost ...

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“Life on the Edge” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #66

“You know, it doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. From a stranger, no less. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “What ‘doesn’t count’?” A man stood beside me on the bridge. I hadn’t heard him approach; he sort of just appeared. He was handsome, I have to admit that. His three-piece suit looked as though it had been freshly ironed and tailored to perfectly fit his body. He was young and clean-shaven, with dark hair slicked back behind his ears. He looked like some sort of busi...

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“Grave Betrayal” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #65

“James, I’m scared. I think we should go home.” Anabel peered through the wrought iron gate into the sprawling cemetery. The sun was just beginning to set, and so the sky was filled with vibrant shades of pink and orange deepening into a dull purple tone. Rows of tombstones and sepulchers – some of them dating back to the Civil War – stood among towering oak trees, tendrils of ivy clinging to their crumbling stone façades.   “Oh come on, you never want to do anything fun! Where’s your Halloween spirit?” James’ voice betrayed his ir...

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“Rose in Bloom” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #64

I can’t move.My body is completely numb. The world is nothing but darkness, a velvety black curtain stretching in every direction.Rose!What was that? The voice faded almost before I could hear it, lost in the infinite void. Once again there is silence.Rose, can you hear me? I hear it again, louder this time. The sound pierces through the inky veil, like an invisible hand dragging me up from the murky depths.Rose, wake up! Please wake up…..My eyes flutter open, immediately blinded by the sun’s bright light. Pain shoots through my body. My lun...

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“The Forty-Eighth Day” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #58

Forty-seven days. For forty-seven days, Staci Richards was held captive at the hands of a madman. Pulled from her bed in the dead of night, her mouth was stuffed with dirty rags so she couldn’t cry for help. Her hands and feet were tied, leaving her to lay helpless on the floor as her assailant crept into the next room, putting a bullet in each of her parents’ heads. He carried her out the door as tears streamed down her face, tossing her into a van as though she weighed no more than a sack of flour. He drove for what seemed like ages....

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“The Fallacies of Lady Justice” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #57

“What would you like for your last meal?” The guard’s typically menacing voice had taken on a softer tone, almost one of pity. He stood just outside the heavy metal door, a slot open in its face so he would be heard. Aside from that, a small window near the ceiling was the only indication that the outside world continued to exist. “Apple pie, please. Some ice cream with it, if you can.” “Flavor?” “Vanilla. Just vanilla.” The slot snapped closed with an echoing click, cutting off the cell once more. Terrence Crawford was left alon...

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“Grandpa's Stories” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #51

           Sergeant Oliver Crowe raced across the war-torn hillside. Barbed wire tore at his feet, threatening to pull him down into the mud. If only he could make it to the forest, then he might have a chance at hiding. He held his helmet tightly against his head, bullets whizzing past from every direction.            “Grandpa!”            Branches snapped under his boots with e...

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“The Potted Plant” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #50

           “Owen!”            Claire’s piercing voice rang out through the cluttered apartment. She stood in the kitchen, her slender frame dwarfed by the mountains of junk piled across every available surface. The sink was filled with pots and pans without a cupboard to call home, and the countertops seemed to bend beneath the weight of unopened letters and overdue bills. Even the dishwasher was filled with an assortment of kitchen...

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