Set your story during the night shift.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 53 stories

“The Ghost Trap” by Lorraine Evanoff

Submitted to Contest #109

Tom Blasius had lived an accidental life of intrigue. A romantic at heart, he had married his high school sweetheart. But his youthful ambitions and proclivity for getting ahead quickly set him on a sketchy path. By high school graduation he had landed a lucrative job running meat for Chicago thugs. It wasn’t pretty, but it provided everything from fascinating mafioso characters to crazy capers, and fast under-the-table cash.Then, at twenty-five years old, after five years of marriage to the love of his life, Joanne, everything changed, lite...

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“The Grave Shift” by Sophie Smith

Submitted to Contest #109

My luck had finally run out. Somehow I’ve avoided this misfortune for the two years that I have worked here. That doesn’t mean I haven’t heard the stories. The feeling of being watched. The ominous shadow figure. The mysterious doctor. And to top off working the night shift in a hospital, today just so happens to be Thursday 12th October. That means that when the clock strikes midnight it will be Friday 13th. Great. Pulling up to Hope Gardens Hospital, the heavens opened painting everything in its pa...

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“Glad To Be Of Service” by Levke Schaarschmidt

Submitted to Contest #109

“Flying Carpet Taxi Service, Rita speaking, how can I help?” A melody of panpipes swings in the background while the operator plays with the djinn facepalm sticker she just bought. It is dark outside, almost midnight. Light boxes on the walls send waves of brightness into her workplace, more like a living room than an office. Her table accommodates a computer, a keyboard, a mouse, and a magic lamp. Her toga is a bit ruffled as is the makeup on her face. Several carpets float just below the ceiling, waiting to be called upon. “I need a ride....

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“Eat sleep rave repeat” by Melissa Damico

Submitted to Contest #109

I hadn’t been in London that long when I started flyering to pay for the weed I bought from the Somalian shopkeeper on the corner. I was in my early twenties and very naïve. I didn’t mind standing in the West End during the twilight hours in the freezing cold. Stuffing flyers into the hands of ravers gurning with their eyes wide and chaotic as they sauntered out of clubs and into illegal minicabs. I didn’t mind as I was one of them, choosing to rave on a Sunday daytime at a club under the arches after a breakfast of bananas and a nourishme...

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“The Gateway” by Tanya Smith

Submitted to Contest #109

Sitting in the office watching the cameras. All of a sudden there is a bright flash of light across one of the cameras that is in the main lobby area. I blew it off as just car headlights hitting through the windows at a particular spot as it drove by. A few minutes later it happens again. I figured it has to be the same thing. I continue to watch the cameras in the rest of the building and outside the perimeter and everything is dark and quiet. Two hours later I got up to make my first rounds of the night. As I make my w...

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“The Graveyard Shift” by Erica Grady

Submitted to Contest #109

“Don! Did you take your medicine?”, I heard my mother yell from the stairs, uttering seemingly the only words that she said to me every day, twice a day, like clockwork. Her footsteps escalated as she made her way up to my room, that happened to be the lovely basement of our home. Go figure. I didn’t mind though; I liked the isolation and the fulfillment of my desires to be secluded from others. That includes my own family, or lack thereof since it was just mother and I that resided in our home. Even with those living conditions and arrangem...

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“The Night Kitchen” by TR DO

Submitted to Contest #109

CW: cannibalismEverybody starts on the day shift, learning the rhythms of the restaurant during its tamer, more public hours. Not everybody is given the opportunity to work a night shift--only those with the aptitude for it, the stomach for it. I prefer the night shift.Twisted Dishes in the morning is an upscale, popular brunch spot. We specialize in traditional American cuisine, incorporating new flavors, twisting the old classics to fit a more refined and mature palate. At night we cater to an even more select palate. We provide a one of a...

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“Going solo” by Vicki Zafiropoulos

Submitted to Contest #109

Going SoloIt is lonesome at the check-out after eleven pm. There are rarely more than a handful of visitors sauntering the aisles at any one time and no more than two or three bodies lining up at the register at any given point. They are also in no particular hurry and want to have a friendly s...

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Set your story during the night shift.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 53 stories

“The Ghost Trap” by Lorraine Evanoff

“The Grave Shift” by Sophie Smith

“Glad To Be Of Service” by Levke Schaarschmidt

“Eat sleep rave repeat” by Melissa Damico

“The Gateway” by Tanya Smith

“The Graveyard Shift” by Erica Grady

“The Night Kitchen” by TR DO

“Going solo” by Vicki Zafiropoulos

🌟 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: