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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#272: Fright Night

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyFright to share your stories (and potentially be featured on our social accounts)!

Spooky season has arrived, and what better way to embrace this time of year than by diving into some spine-chilling writing? I’m constantly amazed by the variety of enthralling narratives we come across in this contest — from subtle, eerie stories with sinister undertones to tales that are outright macabre.

So, as one of the year's most popular holidays approaches, let’s get into the Halloween spirit and conjure up some creepy tales. Grab your coziest sweater and favorite hot drink, and let’s get writing!

This week's prompts

Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Short Story – 111 stories

Start or end your story with someone running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Dramatic – 84 stories

Write a story from the point of view of a ghost, vampire, or werewolf.

Short Story – 143 stories

Center your story around someone trying to resist their darker impulses — and they’ll either succeed or fail.

Angst – 63 stories

Write a story in which the narrator or a character says "Did you hear that?"

Short Story – 83 stories

Stories

“Burt and Jeff and Not Darci” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #272

Jeff and Burt are two sick-in-the-head individuals, who met, saw the psycho in each other and became fast friends. As their friendship grew, they opened up to each other, candidly discussing their darker sides. Over the years they came to the conclusion that both of them wanted to kidnap torture and murder someone, and on a sunny Saturday in September, they decided it was time. They were almost giddy as they chatted, taking their time as they dressed the kill room. They draped the walls and floors with plastic sheeting and cleaned and sharpe...

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“Baby on Board” by Peter Spering

Submitted to Contest #272

Grave digging is hard work.The shovel I'd found in the cabin shed is rusty and my hands are dry and cracked from the bitter cold. The bare forest trees hang over me like the claws of devils waiting to drag me down into the ground, down to the burning embrace of hell. If I have to go there, at least I'll be taking him down with me.We bought the cabin from a coffin maker. A hunched-back old man with spindly fingers and searching eyes. He was supposed to have someone come and collect the remaining three coffins in the shed, but he never did. Lu...

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“Hollyweird ” by Sabrina Rose

Submitted to Contest #272

That’s the thing about this city, a beautiful cacophony of junkies and starlets, misfits and artists. Full of gods and monsters, angels and demons, the normal and strange. As an aspiring journalism student, it was my deal to what it was really about, what lie beneath the shiny gold surface. And that was my next assignment; Devin Bohmer, an infamous vampire underlord, allegedly anyway. Eternally on the edge of 17, growing an empire from the g...

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“The Treats of Halloween” by Nikolaos Tsiantis

Submitted to Contest #272

As the sun is setting, and the shadows grow,the silver rays of moonlight glow.Bright and comforting, they keep away the darkness.They keep the night alive, and protect the prey from the predator’s madness. The silver light,a welcome sight,for parents and guardians most of all,‘twin known and unknown, an eternal wall. The one night of the year when children’s laughter echoes through the street,and all their little voices sing: “Trick or treat!” On this night of mischief, beware the wandering child,in their youthful careless stride, they might...

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“Family Disrupted” by Kathy Hayes

Submitted to Contest #272

Family DisruptedA Short StoryBy Kathy Hayes Kirsten knew she should go with grandma, but didn’t want to leave her mommy. Grandma keeps calling Kirsten.“Kirsten, please come with me. It is time for you to come with me darling and I will look after you.”“Grans, I want to stay with mommy. She needs me. She is so sad all the time, and I need to be with her.”“Kirsten, your mother, will heal in time. It will never be the same for her, but she has your father to lean on and your brother and sister.”Kirsten moved away f...

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“ A Shadowed Legacy” by Aylin Jalil

Submitted to Contest #272

I float through the remnants of my past, a ghostly figure tethered to the decaying halls of Blackwood Manor. My name is Victor Blackwood, and I am a wretched shade, cursed to haunt the very place where I once wielded power. I was a tyrant in life, a master of manipulation, reveling in the fear I inspired. My days were spent in a luxurious prison of opulence, where whispers from the shadows told tales of my cruelty. The grand dining hall, with its towering ceilings and ornate chandeliers, had witnessed countless feasts filled with laughter th...

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“From Cursed to Cuddled” by Michael Palmieri

Submitted to Contest #272

Dear Court of the Supernatural, Being a werewolf sucks! Well, at least it does for me. Sure, there are a few obvious perks of being a human who can shapeshift into a K-9. For instance: I can lick myself (yes, in that way). I’m stronger when I shift. My sense of smell is off the charts—I can find most things I’ve lost in my human form. Unfortunately, this doesn’t include things like my pride or dignity. Though considering how long it’s been since I had a date, I might have found my virginity again. Aside from those minor bonuses, though, bein...

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“Informed Consent” by Savannah Campbell

Submitted to Contest #272

You’ve likely encountered one of my kind before. The odds are in your favor to that fact. Among a group of four people, I think the numbers now put it at about a twenty-five percent chance you’ll need my help. The thing is, I’m not like any of the others who practice my craft and skills with you. No, I don’t follow the buzzworthy treatment trends. It’s not for me to do the latest method of cures. I’ve always followed my own brand of care. My style is more, shall we say, s...

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“Eternity Lies In The Weeds” by Trenton Moody

Submitted to Contest #272

I drive by it every day from work, right before the bridge, on that desolate road pinched by trees. Work allows me to lock it away in my mind, fall into a routine, but on that road I know I’m approaching it. I know where it is and feel it emanating before it's even in sight. My eyes twitch at the thought of it and I desperately reel them back into position, but not before I make note of the decay–lost promise. It still has its eyes… Eventually, I make it back to the gravel driveway to my first floor apartment of a dingy old house, rot fester...

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“The Stranger” by TheLastShepherd Gaming

Submitted to Contest #272

The Stranger The stranger emerged from the cool cavern, hair slicked to his head with two days desert grime. For the briefest of moments he thought he felt a cool breeze on face, just a mirage like the water he saw. Hopefully the town up ahead was more substantial, grimacing against the heat he strode into the sun. “You there, woman. I require shelter from this accursed sun, how you people live here is beyond me.” The young woman stood sentinel on the large rough wooden deck of her simple home shaded from the blistering sun and heat o...

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“The Weight of Shadows” by Donavyn Haley

Submitted to Contest #272

Trigger Warning:This story contains themes of violence, mental health struggles, and animal harm, which may be distressing to some readers. Discretion is advised. With every passing second, life leaves behind a shadow of someone I despise. Yet I know—I do not hate myself. I cannot hate the self that exists now, for we are bound by the same loathing for who I once was. Is this the way of existence? For the present to scorn the past, while treading warily into the uncertain future? Yet here I am, curled beneath the bed, hiding from my m...

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“The Terror of Angil Yvor” by Altair Griev

Submitted to Contest #272

The grassy plain spanned the horizon in all directions. No trees. No rock formations. Just slight undulations of verdant terrain bathed in the comforting rays of sunshine radiating from the cloudless, azure sky above. A well-manicured horse darted across the plain. Atop the saddled steed rode an equally well manicured young man, pushing his mount towards the horizon with the reckless haste of youth. The pair rode until they reached the edge of a forest. The young man tugged at the reins, bringing the horse to a stop. This uninspiring cluste...

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“Pascal's Paradox” by Anu Oloyede

Submitted to Contest #272

***A solitary raven's feathers, as black as night, silently glided while the bird’s shadow stretched long across the cracked streets. No sound followed its wings, only the whisper of wind, like a hand stretching across a chessboard, pondering if the king's time had come. It looked down at the mere civilians and knew its enemy was yet to arrive. After all, the people were busy. Some laughing and smiling. Long thin lines cut through their skins revealing sets of white, turned up.As the bird continued its journey north, a wave of despair diffus...

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“Fancy Nancy” by Cristina Ochoa

Submitted to Contest #272

Nancy loved chicken salad, which was odd for an eight-year-old. Most people she knew her age did not like chicken, much less salad, but here she was—sitting at her kitchen table eating chicken salad. She had prepared it herself. Well, not entirely by herself. Her mother had roasted the chicken, after plucking and draining it the day before. Her older brother Mick had fed the chicken nearly every day since birth. Her father had gently ushered the chicken into its next phase of life. Nancy could take some credit for it, though. As soon as thei...

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“Echoes of a Past Life” by Ana Mares

Submitted to Contest #272

Amalia and Victor stood amidst the chaos of moving—boxes strewn across the floor, stacks of unwrapped furniture scattered throughout their new apartment. After years of living in rentals, this was their first home, their own space. The apartment was unique, with an old-world charm that felt almost too perfect, too alluring to pass up. From the moment they’d stepped inside, something about it had called to them. “This place feels strange but in a good way, don’t you think?” Amalia asked, her eyes wandering to the large, baroque-style clock th...

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$250

Prize money

484

Contest entries

175

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 18, 2024 EST

Won by Mortimer Ridgewood 🏆

Title: Drone

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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