Set your story during the night shift.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 53 stories

“ARE YOU READY?” by Gerard Watson

Submitted to Contest #109

It was 8:00 P.M. when the repairmen finished installing the boiler.“Hey, Leo, let’s get the hell out of here, man. I don’t like being in the morgue’s basement when it’s dark!”“What’s wrong, Charlie? You afraid of ghosts?”“Later for you. I just want to get outta here! So hurry up, will ya?’ “Okay, keep your shirt on. Let me pack up my tools.”As Leo stuffed his tools in his toolbox, he dropped a wrench and nicked a rubber tube.“Damn! What the hell is this tube for?”“C’mon, Leo. I wanna get out of here!”Leo shook his head as he...

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“MIDNIGHT MAN” by Moss Hall

Submitted to Contest #109

MIDNIGHT MAN by Moss Hall &n...

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“The Museum Comes Alive” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #109

Every night at exactly midnight the Smithsonian museum comes alive. Midnight has come, Hazel, a paleontologist is working the night shift when something unexpected happens. I hate working the night shift, but my work demands it. The work I'm doing is too important to put down. The exhibit I'm putting together is called the beginning of life, which explores earths early past all the way to the time of the dinosaurs. This project has been my baby for over a year. I am very proud of the work I've been doing. Hazel looks at her watch, ...

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“The Haunting” by Donald King

Submitted to Contest #109

CW: murderIt was four in the afternoon, but the sun was already down as Charlie pulled into a spot across the street from the old clapboard house. The air smelled of decay. Fallen leaves, long since faded to a late November brown, dammed the gutter leaving a rotting stew against the curb. He stepped over the morass and kicked his car door shut behind him. An old crow squawked angrily and launched off its perch on the power line. Charlie took a few more steps down the street, looking for a better way back across the puddle before deciding to...

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“The Confession Counselor ” by Princy K. Writes

Submitted to Contest #109

James parked the minivan in front of the open cemetery and turned the wheezing engine off. He checked his Apple watch- half-past eleven at night. His shift as the Confession Counselor for Departed Souls kicked off in fifteen minutes.Lifting the briefcase resting on the passenger seat, he shoved open the driver-side door and stepped out. The intimate breeze petted his neck, tickling the spine. Shivering, James scribbled on his mental pad to pack a scarf for the next visit.Waddling up the pebbled pathway, he continued in the familiar direction...

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“Extreme Customer Service” by Liz Skelton

Submitted to Contest #109

Lauren tugged on her backpack and walked through the parking lot, heading the opposite direction of the burnt out office workers. As usual their day was wrapping up just as hers was getting started. It took a special kind of person to work the overnight shift at Swifty Pizza’s corporate call center, but Lauren loved it. She made double what she would on day shift, she got to sleep peacefully while her roommates were in class, and she never had to worry about the evening classes on campus filling too quickly. “Hey Marco,” she said with...

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“Night Falls (and so do you)” by Charlie Bright

Submitted to Contest #109

Passing through the fifth and final checkpoint, you suppress a shutter as the magic dampening runes wash over you. It’s been over six months since you started working as a security guard, and having your magic stripped from you every night was just as unnatural and obtrusive as the first time. But it’s not like you can complain; non-magicals couldn’t feel the runes, after all. Confessing that you could… You shake your head, strands of dyed-black hair falling in your eyes before you brush them back again. Tonight was your last night working h...

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“That Good Night” by Johannes Heinonen

Submitted to Contest #109

The lights were turned down, and the corridors were empty. John’s steps echoed in the empty space as he slowly made his way down the corridor, stopping at every door to look through the small windows into the dark rooms, making sure the patients were in their beds. The playroom and the prayer/meditation room were empty, as they should be. He noticed faint light coming from a window two doors down. He crept up to the window and peeked in. The boy in the second bed from the window was sitting up, reading a book in the light of the night lamp. ...

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“The Gray Mask ” by Sayda A

Submitted to Contest #109

Gray Mask by: Sayda A. The full moon glistened in the dark night, lighting up the street outside my office. I couldn't get the thought out of my head, where had I seen this mask before and why did it appear in Mr. Grover's attic. About an hour ago I was sitting in my office and thought that no cases would come in at this time so I was reading a book. I love to read books. Then surprisingly the phone rang. I picked up and said "Hello, this is detective Hazel, is there anything I can assist you with?" I asked. "Hello this i...

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“The Night Shift” by Jamiyla Campbell

Submitted to Contest #109

11:48 pm There was something he always found interesting about blood splatter. It was like art, abstract art. It leaves such a distinctive mark, beautiful and fascinating. He used to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, his favorite thing was the human heart. The distinctive curvature and vein pattern that reminded him of a snowflake. Many people would think he's still a doctor with the way he talks about human anatomy. He's far from a doctor now, he's the opposite actually. Instead of saving lives, he was ending them. He looked down at his watch....

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“Myles Price” by Kevin Vang

Submitted to Contest #109

CW: strong language, violence In the year 2912, the month of Ulani, or shall I say, "14/10/2912," in the world of Tyrenkia. My name is Myles Price, age eighteen and 5'7.5 foot tall, and I am a black teenager who just graduated from high school. Yeah me. Now that is what's up. It's another day at my workplace; I hate it. In most places I work from before, the bos...

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“Lemons and Lightning” by Kerry Goldsworthy

Submitted to Contest #109

“Well that’s it from the Channel 8 news team, enjoy your Saturday night. Let’s hope the predicted storm isn’t too bad. It’ll be back to work on Monday before you know it, so try to enjoy the rest of your weekend. Goodnight.” The newsreader nodded and the lights in the studio slowly faded out, leaving the newsreader to shuffle papers and wait for the theme music to finish. Casey got the remote and turned off the television. She was on night shift tonight, the fourth night out of seven. She’d been a nurse for over twenty years, and a Saturday...

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“Shattered Nightmare” by Floria Yang

Submitted to Contest #109

Trigger warning: Attempted rape, violence, blood <I> Someone was shouting my name: it started from afar, and gradually came closer. It woke me up from a nightmare, the worst one I had in a while. In my dream, I dashed through a dark tunnel attempted to escape someone chasing me. As I came close to an exist, something thumped my shoulder. I tripped and fell into endless darkness. Waking up from the weightlessness of falling, I immediately felt pain: soreness combined with...

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“Dasvidaniya” by McKeon Gardella

Submitted to Contest #109

My name is Roger Woods. I was a U.S. Marine serving in Vietnam. In 1964 my normal life ended when the right side of my face became disfigured. I don’t remember much, just a yellow spark and a burning sensation. The left side of my face was untouched by the blast. The right side was a hilly terrain of bumps and scars after the melted skin cooled and solidified. In a flash, I became a freak. My Mother cringed when she looked at me. The saying, “You have a face only a Mother could love,” did not apply to me. My Mother died two months later. ...

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“The Hero” by Shantal Darby

Submitted to Contest #109

“Hey, pass the controller, man. You’re trash on the field!” Eddie Bailer enjoyed the brotherhood in the 14th Street station. Having graduated from the firefighter training academy only seven weeks prior, he fretted that it would be a challenge for the veterans, bearing a decade or more of service, to warm up to him. And his fears were proven wrong. He was welcomed. He had found his people. “DeMarco, I have the next round when Banks demolishes your Giants!” Bailer, the rookie, had no choice but to wait for the veterans to finish up their game...

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Set your story during the night shift.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 53 stories

“ARE YOU READY?” by Gerard Watson

“MIDNIGHT MAN” by Moss Hall

“The Museum Comes Alive” by Melinda Madrigal

“The Haunting” by Donald King

“The Confession Counselor ” by Princy K. Writes

“Extreme Customer Service” by Liz Skelton

“Night Falls (and so do you)” by Charlie Bright

“That Good Night” by Johannes Heinonen

“The Gray Mask ” by Sayda A

“The Night Shift” by Jamiyla Campbell

“Myles Price” by Kevin Vang

“Lemons and Lightning” by Kerry Goldsworthy

“Shattered Nightmare” by Floria Yang

“Dasvidaniya” by McKeon Gardella

“The Hero” by Shantal Darby

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who has landed their dream job, only to discover it isn’t quite what they imagined it to be.

Start your story with a character quitting their job, or getting fired.

Write about a character who leads a secret double life outside of their day job.

Your character sits down at their desk on a Monday morning and finds a completely unexpected email in their inbox. Write about what happens next.

Contest #109

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

162

Contest entries

149

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: