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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#215: Monstrous

Monsters have haunted the human consciousness forever. Or, more specifically, for as long as we’ve had the ability to wonder what might be lurking in the darkness. They might have teeth, claws, and an insatiable thirst for blood. But not all monsters are made like this. Some of them look just like you and me, and that makes them all the more terrifying.

So then, what makes a monster? Is it outward appearance or terrible deeds? Where’s the line between monster and human anyway? Because sometimes, the fanged beast might be less of a threat than the familiar.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Dark – 100 stories

Set your story in a haunted house.

Horror – 70 stories

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

Thriller and Suspense – 60 stories

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Adventure – 45 stories

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Dark – 112 stories

Stories

“Her pretty face.” by Cirrus M.A.D

Submitted to Contest #215

She waved at me today, she actually waved at me. She was walking that dog, the new puppy she had gotten last month. She looked so beautiful in the morning light, she saw me on my porch and waved to me. She flashed that perfect smile and tossed her hair. She was on the phone talking to someone, she seemed to glow with joy. I was so stunned I barely got my hand up in time. She had combed her hair back from her pretty face. The gold curls swayed in a ponytail behind her as she passed. I missed the cut-off shorts she would wear in the summer but...

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“Monsters & Shadows” by Mia Taglia

Submitted to Contest #215

Dark grey shadows appear as I enter the room, there is a sewing machine with dishevelled thread unspooled and hanging, dusty industrial machines hidden in the middle of the room under a cloth and an assortment of discarded fabric, faded and worn with time; a window with the venetian blinds drawn and light barely shining through. Everything is in disarray. In the corner is a radio, the old fashioned type with bakelite dials and a crackling sound although the room is silent and foreboding. A large desk is prominent as if to display a sort of a...

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“The Void Eater” by Gianluca Angelucci

Submitted to Contest #215

I’ve seen people unleashing their monsters countless time, so much that I’ve grown numb to it; but I remember the first time I really understood what it meant, like it was yesterday. I was just a little boy, watching the traffic crawl by my dad’s car window, when a small collision happened just in front of me. Nothing more than a dent in the bumper, but the driver of the front car came out, all burly and eager for a fight. He shouted words that my dad told me never to repeat, and kept on taunting the clumsy driver that hit him. He came o...

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“Your Blood Looks Best Inside You” by Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #215

Warning: This story contains moments of self-harm, violence and gore. There is a lot of references to blood in this story. The color of blood is the truest red there is. It never disappoints. Even when it dries, you can still see the deep strength of the red. It is so beautiful how it flows, thick and elegant. How could anyone not enjoy the sight of blood? When I was eight, my eyes opened to how beautiful blood could flow. Jacob Henry, who was in my class, cornered me on the playground. He delighted in telling me how ugly and weird I was...

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“In For a Penny” by Lucy Pettijohn

Submitted to Contest #215

As a child, I’d dreamed of a fairy tale life, as most spoiled little brats tend to do. Marry for love, but only if they could afford the price tag I put on myself. If I put all of my effort into finding a man to make enough money for both of us, I wouldn't need any actual skills. My father insisted I go to college, and I begrudgingly stomped and whined my way into a degree. If he hadn’t demanded so, I might’ve bided my time searching for a self-proclaimed god among men to wrap diamond-studded cuffs around my wrists and a golden chain around...

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“Sentence” by Lyle Closs

Submitted to Contest #215

Barry Guinard was 56 years old when he died in August 2022. Everyone in Winberm, Nottingham knew him. He had been homeless for the last 21 years, spending virtually every day of that time in the park opposite the police station. He always wore the same clothes - a checked shirt and denim jacket, denim jeans, heavy leather boots and a grey mackintosh. He kept them fairly clean, even though, as far as anyone could tell, he slept in them. Strands of his long grey hair wafted about his tanned, heavily-lined features – a beaked nose, deep-set gr...

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“Every Woman ” by Juanita Morris

Submitted to Contest #215

I looked through the kitchen window of my house and saw my little sister out in the backyard sitting in a weathered lawn chair staring at the sky. Normally, we don't go out there much unless we are cooking something on the grill, but there are rare occasions. Evenings like this, where the colors of the sunset are too hypnotizing to move from, we tend to take a few minutes to sit outside and admire Mother Nature. It's been a while since I spoke to her anyways. You would think we talked more only being a floor away in the same house but we are...

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“Driven Mad” by Lilliana Hazel

Submitted to Contest #215

A hand that was not her own curled around her wrist, the touch cold, turning her skin to ice underneath its caress. “Just do it,” the voice whispered into her mind. “Imagine the power you will gain.” Stiffening under the words uttered to her in a way only she could hear, Lyssa stood there, mind whirring. Long ago, the voice had been a faint whisper, something she could ignore — push aside. Now, it had grown. Its hunger for her and her actions was becoming more difficult to disregard. And she was beginning to think she didn'...

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“Siblings Reunion” by Misa Romero

Submitted to Contest #215

“Where to?” She slides her finger on her phone as it pulls up a green hologram of a map of the forest. “My guy says there have been sightings of an individual with fire like abilities at these three locations.” Three red dots appear at different locations. “This could be where she frequently goes, maybe she’s staying somewhere near those dots.” I say as she puts her phone away making the hologram disappear. She ...

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“Seth's Nyctothropy” by Meghan Brooks

Submitted to Contest #215

They say you can never tell anyone about the curse of being a werebat, out of fear of being killed, ostracized, or both. I've had this curse for five years. I was a careless teen when I got too close to a bat, trying to help it when it was trapped in my family home. I grabbed it in mid-flight and then it brought down its fangs into my hand as I threw it outside into the darkness. My vision blurred from seeing the blood coming out of the bite, but when I woke, I was in a hospital room, hand all bandaged, my parents worried about how I could...

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“I Am Unravelling” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #215

There’s urgency and chatter in town about Lee and how he’s going to arrive on Saturday bringing a ton of shit with him from down south. He is one evil son of a bitch, getting stronger by the hour. He killed on the islands, and now he’s headed to Truro, where they’re probably scared witless. When he gets here on Saturday, he’ll still be in a fighting mood, knives out, ready to rumble, like when Bob came through here years ago, ripping stuff up and spreading terror. More than a few kids in town were named after that evil mo...

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“Possessed ” by Michael Hellwig

Submitted to Contest #215

Marcus was getting antsy. He had completed every aspect of MEPS, Military Entrance Processing Station, required by the Marine Corps. To include swearing in and being placed in the delayed entry program. Which meant that he was in limbo as to a departure date. His recruiter had told him that a slot could open as early as next month. Or it could be several months depending on the needs of the Marine Corps. Regardless, he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Because he had so much free time on his hands the recruiter had told him to “lay low” w...

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“When Evil Came To Town” by Michael Sheahan

Submitted to Contest #215

The drive to Fallen Leaf Lake brought back memories from a time that no longer existed. It had been a year since Jeff Burgmann and his wife last enjoyed their little cabin on the lake together. It had been a year since tragedy struck, and a split second changed their lives forever. After the sudden death of his wife and two innocent people in another car, he was left with only overwhelming grief and unbridled guilt. Jeff sat in the driveway for quite a while. His last clear memory was of him and his wife driving away from the cab...

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“Bloodwind” by Michael Novak

Submitted to Contest #215

“Hurry up! The sooner we start, the sooner we can make it to the next inn and I can get out of the cold!” The frozen Alpine wind stung the coachman’s face as his breath turned to mist in the freezing January air. He sunk his head as far into his high-collared wool coat as he could, waiting impatiently for the coach to finish loading. Granted, he was being paid handsomely for this job, almost double his usual fare. Even so, transporting passengers over the Alps in January was a hard burden to bear. Soon after, an elderly, balding man emerge...

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“Haunted Memories” by Logan Hessek

Submitted to Contest #215

The one thing I can’t stand more than anything else in this world is the smell of rotting corpses, and that foulest of stenches consumes every part of my nose. This is supposed to be a haunted house, not a graveyard. Or did they simply up the scare factor by making things all too real? I can’t see anything. I tiptoe through what feels like an endless underground tunnel, each step inviting a new level of uncertainty. Sometimes I imagine I’m on a railroad track because a hard metal digs into the soles of my feet. Other times it’s a squishy m...

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$250

Prize money

387

Contest entries

135

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 15, 2023 EST

Won by Danielle Barr 🏆

Title: What Kind of Mother

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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