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H.K. Slade

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2019

Stories (7)

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20 Followers

4 Following

7 Stories

216 karma pts

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The Doll House

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #149

Stephen Graham leaned on his handlebars, staring at his watch and fighting the compulsion to turn his bike around and race home. In bed by 8:30 PM. Even in the summer, his parents permitted no exceptions. As the seconds ticked away, the knot in his stomach cinched down so hard that it hunched him over. His fingers went weak. He wanted to vomit. Alone in the twilight, on a newly paved street tucked in the back of a working-class subdivision, Stephen watched 8:30 come and go, and the winding tension… evaporated. He was late. ...

12 likes

Battle Worn

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #135

Note: Contains mentions of death and violence. Battle Worn By H. K. Slade The waiting was like an itch. Tim just wanted to scratch it and be done. He’d prepared for this day for eight months in the academy and now that it was here, he was terrified. He couldn’t wait for the following morning when he could sit at home and think back on his first shift as a memory. No matter what they say or one day come to believe, no cop enjoys their first day on the job. “You lucked out,” people told Tim so often he couldn’t remem...

14 likes

Dead Position

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #76

“He’s terrified. You at least understand why, right?”“No, James, I really can’t.”On the table beside them, Vincent the Prodigy checkmated his opponent. They shook hands, Vincent made a quip at the vanquished player’s expense, and a new challenger took the empty seat. The process was as ruthless as natural selection.James’s eyes never left his game. Focus. That was his watchword.“I find that hard to believe, Marty,” he said, and pulled his bishop back under the protection of his knight’s pawn.Marty took a long pull from his water bottle. Back...

12 likes

A Fitness Center Christmas

H.K. Slade

Shortlisted for Contest #73 ⭐️

Rex had worked so hard to get on the show. The weeks of practice, the grueling auditions, the utterly convincing look of interest he’d developed and maintained during the director’s lengthy anecdotes: all for naught. The tour didn’t even have the decency to die someplace interesting. New York, Chicago… even Baltimore would have at least been closer to home. But no, they called it quits in Cary, North Carolina of all places. Most of the cast left town on the bus that afternoon, but Rex had subleased his apartment when he got the job. He...

61 likes

Champ's Diary

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #36

Monday, March 23rd- Great, great, great day. I woke up this morning to my guy rubbing my ears. I love it when he does that. Kibble for breakfast (my favorite), then I stood by the front door and watched my guy go on his daily car ride. Where does he go? I love a good car ride. He must love them, too, because he’s gone all day. Later, same day- Was feeling bored, so I took a nap. Mailman tried to break into the house. I barked until he went away. My guy came back from his car ride and we ate hotdogs. Great day.Friday, March 27th- Worried. The...

8 likes

Resolve Has Many Forms

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #25

Ripping the vest off felt like cracking the top on a pressure cooker. Garcia let her body armor drop and join the pile of equipment on the floor. She stood in front of the window unit and let the blessedly cool air wash over her. Her undershirt, sodden with a shift’s worth of sweat, caught the cold. It took less than a minute for a chill to hit the deputy. “Better than Ir...

7 likes

Things They Don't Teach in the Police Academy

H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #15

Foster held his position behind the tree, his eyes locked on the big bay window where moments before, a frumpy, middle-aged man in wire-rimmed glasses had appeared and made his demands. Those demands boiled down to Foster and his fellow police officers leaving the property, but since the man making the demands had recently threatened to kill his ex-wife, that wasn’t one of the choices available. The man’s options narrowed even further when a gunshot rang through the otherwise peaceful suburban neighborhood. The sound froze Foster in place. ...

5 likes