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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

“R.E.M. and Other Musings ” by Never Lane

Submitted to Contest #60

It all started with that god forsaken sword. Yes, the one so famously thrust into the stone, only to be removed by the ‘one true king’. Excalibur, if the myths are to be believed. But those stodgy old storytellers got it wrong, every last one of them. It didn’t bring peace or prosperity, it brought death and destruction on a scale that the world had never before witnessed. A virus of some sort swept across the globe, killing off a vast majority of the population. Those lucky bastards, they didn’t have to witness what came next. Droughts foll...

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“circles” by Snjeguljica 33

Submitted to Contest #60

When he listened to the stories of the End of the World as a child, he never expected something like this. Admittedly, he never really thought he could reach the so-called end of the world, especially as he grew up… and now… so now he seems to have to figure out how to proceed. Yeah, but if he wanted to describe to you what life looks like in the post apocalyptic era, he would laugh out loud. First of all, because there is really no one to tell, because he is quite alone, at least as far as he managed to understand, that it to examine this...

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“Human Nature” by Sadie Black

Submitted to Contest #60

Author's note: This is one part of the Melted collection. These stories can be read individually or in any order. Harlan was a hermit, but preferred the term solitudinarian. Some called him Sasquatch or even Bigfoot, but that was a bit offensive. Yes, he was over seven feet tall and yes, he was an exceptionally hairy man who lived in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. He was in harmony with the animals in the forest, but he was one hundred percent human. He just didn't care for any of the others. Human nature repulsed him. Their i...

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“The des morts-vivants” by Benny Njuguna

Submitted to Contest #60

"I think I'll urinate on myself," she says in almost a whisper. "Gosh, I have already urinated on myself. Can you believe that?" "Do you think they are them?" she asks him. "I am not sure. The voices sound strange," he says. "What should we do?" she asks. "I'm thinking," Carl says. "You're thinking when they have intruded to our house? Can you stop thinking and do something?" "How are you expected to do something without thinking through it?" his voice is marked with irritation. "Do you have an idea what we should?" 'No!" He shakes his head...

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“Rules Of The Zombie Apocalypse ” by KYRA ROBIN

Submitted to Contest #60

"Shit! Run!" Taylor sprinted towards us, feet barely hitting the ground, spraying gravel behind him when they did. "Really? Because I thought we could just wait here for you, maybe sip some tea?" Grace turned to run, Taylor close behind. "Shut up, you stupid Brit," Taylor scowled and shot a glare at me, "I knew we should have left this little sheila were we found her." "Come on, you know you like me," a grin made its way to Grace's face as she sped up a little when Taylor came up beside her. "You guys fight too much," I breathed. Tay...

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“Massive Rubber Duck” by Teresa Sullivan

Submitted to Contest #60

It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is go straight to the front door to find…ok, ok fine! First I get my coffee, because, well, coffee, but you’re not supposed to know that. Why? Because it’s the law to go to the door before anything else and find what’s there. So, I go right to the front door. Do I stop on my way to pet my adorable fluffy dog? No! Nothing would distract me from...ok, yes, I do stop to pet him, but so what? Anyways. At my ugly front door. I now struggle with t...

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“Decimate” by Soph Hopkins

Submitted to Contest #60

I’d learnt to master survival mode, but I’d forgotten what it was really like to live. Three weeks ago, the world which I once knew came to an end. The thing I remembered the most about that day, was the constant ringing of phones, the screams and sobs, the frantic praying to every God I’d ever heard off echoing off the walls. I thought that was the end, part of me wished that it was. I had spent the last three weeks trapped in a hotel lobby with my classmates, my best friend and my twin sister on the other side of the country. Everyd...

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“This Is The Way The World Begins Again” by Julia Anderson

Submitted to Contest #60

Vera didn't think it was real at first. She almost expected someone to come out with a camera and yell, “Surprise!” But no one did; they never would. It was something she had to remind herself of regularly. No one would care enough to help her if she couldn't help herself first. Not that she met many people in this hellscape. Not any that were alive, at least. But that seemed to be the luck for those that actually followed the guidelines. Vera had backed out of class when she started coughing. Of course, she wasn’t actually sick, sh...

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“ “The War against time”” by Kashaf Fatima

Submitted to Contest #60

Once upon a time, when the world was about to fall apart there were only two clans left. These clans had always been hating towards each other since the start of time. There were always wars and fights going on until finally there were only two clans left to fight each other. There had been so many wars that even the world was about to end with only a few creatures left in it. Yes creatures, these two clans were the resurrected clan and the mortal clan. The resurrected clan was made up of zombies. Yes you heard it right, zombies. The mortal ...

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“All Because of A Summer Day” by Robin ✿

Submitted to Contest #60

There was once a day in my childhood, when I met a boy who told me about the future. This is not a joke. Well, it happened when I was at least eight, and write now, I am 35.I will tell you my story.It was summer.The scorching sun in the sky was so terribly making people hot.Especially Penny.Penny coughed. She was now walking at the sidewalk. Here there were barely trees, so there was no shadow to hide in.Sweat dropped from the back of Penny's neck. They slithered everywhere, mostly her hair.The people Penny saw were all enjoying the sun.Seri...

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“Bitten ” by Emma Radford

Submitted to Contest #60

Day 1, You never expect the world to and until it actually does. I am writing this I think to leave something behind, so I don't become one of the millions whose voices vanished. When the first reports came out it was warmer out, I remember me sitting in Justin's car talking about our issues, our fears, our plans for the future. How much we took for granted back then, even journals like this one were just a mundane task but now this is a little part of humanity to cling on to. The day the world ended Justin and I were sitting...

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“Storm” by Mahnoor Fatima

Submitted to Contest #60

STORM Boom! Clack! The storm was getting more and more stronger. I turned on the tv. “This storm is what we need to save us from the drought and Its reviving us…but it’s also reviving some rather odd creatures’The Zombies!’ These creatures are spread all over the country because of the storm! Scientists are trying to find a way to prevent these nasty creatures from making our country into a zombie planet! Scientists also discovered … a zombie bite can make a person a zombie”.The news reporter was shaking while reporting. I turned the tv off....

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“The 7th Corpse” by Hannah Sobczak

Submitted to Contest #60

I remember the day of the first apocalypse. Bridget was watching the Disney Channel, Mom was cooking in the kitchen, and Dad was sitting in the armchair, glasses on and newspaper in hand. That was the last moment of normal I ever knew. It was 5 years ago, I was only 14 years old. I can’t forget that. It was the single most horrifying moment of my life. Sirens started to wail as our door burst open, making us all jump. I remember the one that had ended my family’s life. It was a mature adult male, it’s nose and most of its fingers missing. A...

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“The Awakening ” by Louise Muller

Submitted to Contest #60

It happened on a Thursday, the end of life as we knew it. No more lazy Sunday mornings. No more pizza take out with ‘Netflix and Chill’ on a Friday night. No more grabbing a Starbucks latte on the way to work. The pandemic took all of it. Death fell over the city, a city that was once so alive, so bubbling with life. The awakening happened on the Saturday. The infected, they were named. The few survivors lived in fear, hiding, and hoping for a future that would somehow resemble what they took for granted before the pandemic struck. The cit...

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“Zombie Invasion” by Deekay V

Submitted to Contest #60

Griffin looked at the sky and sighed contently. His school was over; along with the wonderful battle training other kids thought as treacherous. Why do people think it's treacherous? Beats me. Well, but then what will they do in an invasion? Just cower inside like a baby? Well, at least I know something. He thought. "GRIFFIN! Want to play fencing? I feel bored! Even horse back riding is fine! LET'S JUST DO SOMETHING!" Kawan, Griffin's elder brother roared. Still have to beat Kawan. He thought. he is even stronger than me; He is able ...

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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.

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