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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#60: Face Your Fears

This week is a special edition of the Reedsy Prompts contest because our friends at IndieReader are taking it over with their own theme, prompts, and bonus prize! We'll let them take it from here...

Hi! Amy from IndieReader here. If you’re not familiar with IR, we’re one of the original (paid) review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, providing professional book reviews since 2009, in addition to unique marketing and distribution solutions.

We know that 2020 has been a memorable (aka stressful) year for many. According to experts, one of the recommended ways to manage stress and anxiety is by thinking about what scares you most and then writing about it. So fittingly, this week’s theme is post-apocalyptic stories.

Don’t worry if that doesn’t sound like your genre, as we’ve written 5 prompts below that work whether you’re into that kind of thing or not. So pour a glass of wine, take a few deep breaths, and start typing. And we wouldn’t be surprised if, after you’re done, the world around you doesn’t look so bleak. At least there aren’t any zombies!

(As a bonus prize, the winner of this week's contest will receive a discount code for 20% off an IR Pro Review.)

This week's prompts

Write a funny post-apocalyptic story.

Funny – 110 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic story that features zombies.

Science Fiction – 178 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic story triggered by climate change.

Adults – 134 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Thriller and Suspense – 144 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic romance.

Dystopian – 196 stories

Stories

“The Haunted House ” by Dorothy Claybourn

Submitted to Contest #60

Around it came again, Halloween. I loved this holiday normally, But this year I wasn't feeling it. I had been down and was enjoying moping around the house in my pajama shorts and a tank top. I had been eating snacks and watching all the stupid zombie movies I could find and drinking all Dr. Pepper I could handle. I was down and dirty and could smell the Body odor I was putting off. My phone rang and I looked to see who was calling me, Most people just text me and be done with me. The caller was my daughter Jordan so I answered sounding li...

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“Wild and Curious ” by Wendy Duncan

Submitted to Contest #60

David Spencer and Marcus had voulentered to to go out into the dark grainy very unpleasant night to search for life and food.And being as none of the other occupants of the dim little bunker had put their hand up to take on the task."I guess were off then you all ok with that?." David sarcastically bowed down to them. "Nothing then quiet as the grave in here it is and it will be if we don't come back with anything. "They set off into the post apocalyptic night. And yes it was that time, deadly viruses and global warming had taken its toll on...

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“Porcelain” by Silvia Bartolini

Submitted to Contest #60

Tok whirled around, eyes wide with panic. "Where's the pan?" Although his movements slowed down by a tiny fraction and his ears tilted back as if trained on a possible conversation, Tik kept rummaging in his rucksack, pretending he hadn't heard. On a good day, Tok already had no patience for it. Today wasn't a good day. He jumped up and in two strides was towering over Tik, drowning the older boy in a long, pale shadow. "What have you done with the pan?" "All our lines are busy at the moment," Tik said, clipping the words in a robotic wa...

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“SLOW NIGHT AT THE NAJM AL-ZAWIYA” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #60

Safe is a relative term in Baghdad. Najim’s was the closest thing to being absolutely safe in a place smack in the middle four sets of people, each with their own funny hats and dead-serious weapons, who hated each other. The habitues of the joint were the cashiered-out vets running hustles, expats who would rather be in the fire line rather than where they originally came from. The sort of people who knew how to set a watch for terrorists and malcontents and could smell c-4 or ammonium nitrate from 300 meters. It was a place a man...

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“No Country for Olde Gods” by Kal Zone

Submitted to Contest #60

“Snow leopards.” God said, mustering whatever remnants of bravado he still could. “Snow leopards are the future. They are a beast of majesty, of principle. Um, of gravitas.” He trailed off as he gazed over the boardroom. Of all the angel investors he had ever dealt with, this batch was surely the worst. Not one of them understood his vision, his craft. The intangible beauty of a mind unladen by cynicism. That sometimes, to make a Master Species, you had to break a few Earths. “Ahem, God,” It was Egbert who spoke, one of the ambrosia swi...

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“Apocalyptic Blessings” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #60

The woman felt the warmth radiating off of the man next to her. She could still feel him inside her as she rolled over to lay an arm across his chest. She listened to his breathing steady and slow in the darkness. The man wasn’t very attractive, small and scrawny by any standards. He had survived this long with his wit, not his strength. The woman moved in closer to the man, his flesh chasing away the chill of the night. Then with one swift movement she dragged a dagger across his throat. She dressed while he bled out, and by the time his b...

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“Domination” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #60

- Wasn't the Big Bang our starting point for the domination of other galaxies? - Asked the humanoid zombie, with a face half meat and half metal that showed the differential characteristic to that of Commander Fermico: a pressurized collar to hold the slave, typical of the crew of the colonization space fleet. - Well - Commander Fermico answered - we must observe that the system where we find ourselves, that is, this world, did not come out of nowhere. In truth, we were the technological survivors of said explosion, and we co...

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“Ice Cold” by Zion Hintay

Submitted to Contest #60

"Guys come this way," A man gestured, face covered with a scarf. "They haven't heard us yet."A woman and a child came rushing out of a nearby alley in the cover of darkness making their way into the convenience store.The boy stumbled along the way. The man cursed under his breadth. As he made his way to come and help the two of them. When he heard the most horrifying sound. A screech that rang out into the night. Shattering the silence that had lay solemnly over the city of Surrey. A large urban city just north of Washington.The woman rushed...

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“The Settlement” by C Britt

Submitted to Contest #60

Day 1 A bell jingles in the distance and Olivia sits bolt upright. Her heart pounds against her chest. Another bell, closer this time, starts to jingle. She slowly slides out of the sleeping bag, careful not to make a sound. With one hand, she slips her safety glasses on; with the other, she grabs the axe. As she creeps forward, out of the tent, a third bell sounds. It's almost upon her. Her breathing quickens and she takes a few step backwards, until she's hidden behind a large oak tree. Now, she waits. A few moments later, a figure s...

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“The day the earth stood CHILL” by Mo' Scherrie

Submitted to Contest #60

I always hated ice. Not the playing in the snow and making earth angels kind of hate. It was more that my molars weren't much enthused by cold drinks and ice-cream. I also seemed to have an unnatural affliction to brain freeze. I told my sister Terry once, "If I am gonna fuxkin die in the apocalypse, it would probably be from ice and brain freeze". She laughed and threw her plushy dog pillow at my head. Who knew that the end of the world would have had me facing one of my greatest fears. Well, this is how it all began. It was also on exa...

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“Road to Tumbleweed” by J.M. Topp

Submitted to Contest #60

West Texas – 1857 A soft breeze blew through the tops of the reeds on both sides of the small creek, whistling slowly as a summer sweet song across the prairie. She dipped her feet in the cool waters and wriggled her toes as she spotted a large black catfish roaming the bottom of the creek bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen waters so clear. The calm trickle of water lapped over a large rounded rock covered in moss like a green cap in the center and was wrinkled like her father’s bald forehead. She stood up and then, l...

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“Meg to the Rescue” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #60

“Mum.” Paula called out. “What is it?” “I’m going for a run on the hills.” “Isn’t it a bit late in the afternoon for that?” “I won’t be long. I’ll be back before dusk, anyway I’m taking Meg, she can look after me.” “All right then but do be careful. I’ll order a pizza when you get back and we can watch a movie.” “See you later Mum. Come on Meg, let’s get your collar and lead on.” Meg wriggled with anticipation as Paula placed the collar around her maned neck. Outside the fresh scent of salt and seaweed had drifted in on the sea breeze,...

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“One Last Night” by Ultimate Quizzes

Submitted to Contest #60

“Run!!” Henry yelled over the torrent of noise that blared through the flooded station. “We gotta run, Ash!” He could barely hear himself. He could only hope Ash, who was staring at the departing train with raw anguish in his eyes, could. He grabbed his friend by the shoulder and somehow managed to drag them both out of station and back under the sun.“Ash? He did not expect the boy to respond; his mother and sister had been on the train that had left the buzzing city just minutes ago. Henry swallowed. He had no idea where his own family was,...

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“The Soulless ” by Cynthia Grove

Submitted to Contest #60

It started with a gasp. It continued with a scream. It ended with a tear. The Apocalypse had been long overdue. Millenniums of anger, war, hatred, and hostility towards each other had persisted. Mankind had finally been conquered. Man was conquered by the refusal to conquer his harmful tendencies, his poisonous emotions and his damaging, careless habits. However, the price paid was not brought on as much by mankind, as by his judges, extraterrestrial visitors from another universe.It was a torrid, seething day around the world. B...

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“The Mortician” by Kevin DuPont

Submitted to Contest #60

Story abridged for word count:Another day, another body. The grey-faced corpse sat on the cold metal table amongst the various autopsy tools like it was a butcher’s block. The amount of dotted lines the mortician had drawn across the skin made it look like he was indeed outlining the various cuts of meat.Dr. Oleksonder Loudermilk tugged at the strands of grey hair that had suddenly started to infest his beard like crab grass. The clock on the wall ticked performatively—it didn’t matter what time it was, it never mattered anymore—yet he eyed ...

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$50

Prize money

762

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 25, 2020 EST

Won by Ruth Midgley 🏆

Title: Unpaving Paradise

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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