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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 – 177 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic story triggered by climate change.

Adults – 134 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Thriller and Suspense – 143 stories

Write a post-apocalyptic romance.

Dystopian – 196 stories

Stories

“We're Done For” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #60

My boyfriend’s shaky, scared breath jutted in short, quick puffs. “Yeah,” he panicked into the walkie-talkie, his eyes darting as they widened and then normalized under this flickering science laboratory. The lights dimmed and then brightened—no, it was too nerve-wracking. No, scary and brain-numbing. The only thing I could think of was to stare right at the chocolate haired, white-faced, slightly freckly guy in white Converse sneakers. Who was staring straight up at the thunder and lightning ruling the sky as they took turns crackling and b...

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“3 takes from time” by Neelab Karimi

Submitted to Contest #60

It was on the 234th day of the revolution. At this point registered doctors, nurses, and all professional health care workers were under hideout.The neighboring country Jung-chay finally attacked after years of a silent war. Their plan was to initially kill off the health care workers to eliminate the chances of Pellica. Pellicano and Jung-chay are the world's two most powerful and influential countries, although for the last couple hundred years they have been competing in becoming the world’s strongest. Jung-Chay’s government destroyed our...

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“Beauty Is Not Always in the Eye of the Beholder” by Jill Noelle

Submitted to Contest #60

The Pledge of the People to The Great Healer: On this day, the 8th of November, we mourn the losses of the Irreparable Despair, We remember the days of old and the time before now, We realize our faults, beg forgiveness for the past, and look forward to the new. We praise the Great Healer and all Her works. She is our great provider; the one true savior. The books say the world wasn’t always like this. They say that it once was cruel and dark and full of anger and hatred. I am glad I never had to live in that world. I don’t kno...

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“Protecting the realm” by Julie Adamson

Submitted to Contest #60

It’s not every day you survive the apocalypse. Then it’s not every day they have one. It was meant to be the journey of a lifetime. I was in Scotland when the news announced that a large meteor was to hit the Earth in three weeks. I thought at first it was something out of a Hollywood movie. However things changed overnight, people were scrabbling to stock up on food, trying to get home or find a safe place. I wanted to go home, however it was near impossible to get a flight home. The phone lines w...

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“Roxanne and the Viral Pandemic” by Perry Baker

Submitted to Contest #60

Perry Baker perrybaker316@yahoo.com Roxanne and the Viral Pandemic The date: April 23, 2354 Location Fort Santiago Space Complex , Manila, Philippines. “Hello Tim honey, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I am just walking in the space lab's garden thinking things through and watching the rioters at the front gate.,” Roxanne said. “I Just wanted to say I love you and please be careful. Don't forget to stay away from others. You don't want to catch the virus,” I said. “Where are you now, exactly?” Ro...

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“There's no weed in the apocalypse.” by Rachel Rowan

Submitted to Contest #60

One would think the biggest problems encountered during the apocalypse would be staying hydrated, foraging for food or maybe even finding a not-so-dirty dick to sit on. But, in 2022, that wasn't the case.There was still a ton of food and water because most poeple had died from the virus, and the giant Costco's and Wal-Mart's and BJ's and Sam's clubs were still filled with miles of unperishables and dams full of unopened water bottles. We considered this the one consulation prize for being a capitalist society. The need to consume may have be...

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“N.U.R.S.E.R.Y” by Spirited Wings

Submitted to Contest #60

The helicopter lands, blades slicing the air. The pilot turns the engine off, stepping out and setting the ramp. He salutes his passengers as they march down, crisp uniforms on their backs. Black sunglasses glint in the sun, reflecting the image of the cottage. Gloria wrinkles her nose at the smell of soggy sheep coming from the nearby stable. Sheep, Gloria thinks, such useless creatures. The only things they do are give scratchy wool and dung. She steps up to B. Osi, waiting for the signal. He was holding a BD (Baby Detector), and was scann...

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“The Bite” by Peachy Kiku

Submitted to Contest #60

My leg wouldn’t leave me alone. I could feel a slight tension over my thigh, like someone was touching my skin. The pants had now two small cuts over the bite, they wouldn’t catch attention, they were casual. I didn’t know what to do, what would have happened after. Would I transform myself? How long would it take for that to happen? I wasn’t feeling any different, I could only sense the physical pain. I tightened my belt over my hips, rotating it to partially cover my thigh with one of the small bags. Could I tell so...

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“Backpack” by Belinda Bardot

Submitted to Contest #60

“I think they saw us!” Faith whispers shakily to Ryan who has an axe gripped tightly in his hand, his breathing labored from running. The two crouch down tensely behind a pile of hay inside the wooden barn, littered with half eaten animal carcasses. Faith snaps angrily “We should never have volunteered for this!” “Shut up!” Ryan whispers harshly at Faith as the sound of footfalls break the silence and next came the all too familiar rasping noises that makes Faith cower in fear. “Oh no! “Faith groans as Ryan readjusts his backpack and steals ...

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“Belong” by Gerardo Godoy

Submitted to Contest #60

"Jesus Christ…" Sam said lowly as he peered through the telescope. They stood on the second-floor balcony of their ski cabin overlooking the hill that led to their front door. "That is a lot of zombies…" "I've never seen a horde this big…" Nico said. "Where are they coming from?" "They have to be from the city. Probably because of all the bullets Daniel fired getting back here." Sandra glared at Daniel who sat on a beanbag chair in the corner of the room. "Y'all wanna sit here pushing blame around?" Daniel said as he took a...

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“Birthday Party” by HBR Patel

Submitted to Contest #60

The Sun just woke-up. Nature announced the arrival in its rhythm. Birds were busy chirping. The wind was blowing with utmost speed & it rattled the trees. All elements were cheering in their unique way to create a peaceful & calm environment. Amidst that peaceful atmosphere, there was a magnificent villa. The owner of that villa was a Tech-Company CEO. His name was Kevin. His name was associated with at least 72 patents that revolutionized the world and gave Humans another chance of survival. Kevin uplifted humanity w...

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“Just Camping” by Miriam Benarroch

Submitted to Contest #60

"Wake up, it's time to go camping!" said my dad as he pulled the blanket off of my head. I groaned, going camping with my family was never much of a treat; there was usually lots of burnt food and at least one tent cave in. Still, my dad had been talking about it for the past few days so I managed a weak smile. It was like he was getting the idea every time he turned on the news. He'd start to watch it then start talking about all the fun times we had had camping (definitely not fun on my end), and switch off the tv. I gu...

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“Brain Dead” by Nat S

Submitted to Contest #60

Zombies. Jessie hated apocalyptic novels because they were always the same. It was always zombie virus this, infection that. The novels had bored her to no end before The Event. Now, she just wished she could go back to the normal world with zombies that were only present in stories. The Event was the zombie outbreak, but no one wanted to talk about it. It was given a neutral nickname and then speaking of it was forbidden. At first, The Event did not seem overly terrifying. Scientists had found a new speci...

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“Shooting Lessons” by Alana Lawlor

Submitted to Contest #60

I watched my brother with a sense of unease, as he jabbed the zombie crawling beside him with a stick and laughed in amusement. The zombie let out an offended groan and swiped its withered hand at him. “This one’s still a bit wiley.” “It really is a miracle you’ve managed to survive this long.” The zombie seemed unlikely to make a sudden lunge for him, in his defence. It had been a woman, at least I thought so because it had long hair. Its legs had been shredded to ribbons. They dragged after the creature’s torso like decaying, m...

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“The undeserved hate” by Zineb Dear4am

Submitted to Contest #60

The announcer on TV started to speak: “ ‘Is she still relevant?’ ‘Why is she still here?’ ‘Go away!’ ‘Go die, you’re ugly!’ These are the majority of comments on the recent picture of sage. Sage is an influencer, Zomgram is the app she uses, she often posts pictures and videos. Sage gained a huge amount of popularity quite fast. She gained millions of followers, you could say she went viral. One of her pictures made her rise to fame. Sadly, her fame quickly changed. After three amazing months, the audience quickly changed. A lot of people th...

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$50

Prize money

760

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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