Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Posted in Dark on Sep 8, 2023

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 100 stories

“The Dragon in the Dragon Slayer” by Steven Lente

Submitted to Contest #215

The Dragon in the Dragon Slayer Gilroy California is about thirty miles southeast of San Jose, and we pridefully call our community the Garlic Capitol of the World, even though we know growth output from China, India, and Korea is over ninety percent of the World’s garlic. The heat from the afternoon sun carries the scent from the fields in waves and travelers on Highway 101 can smell the garlic for two miles downwind, in which case they usually wrinkle up their noses and drive through Gilroy as quickly as possible. Most of us who...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Ted's Sinister Craving” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #215

“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I must not.” Ted paced the room. He turned on the television and sat on the edge of the bed made neatly by a maid hours prior. He tried to concentrate on Columbo on the television. But his focus was elsewhere. His focus was on his urge. He had to give into his urge. He could not stand it anymore. If he was to walk out of this motel room and give into his urge, it would not be the first time. In fact, he had gotten quite good at hiding his urge from his friends, fam...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Last One” by Jennifer Ward

Submitted to Contest #215

I’m not who she thinks I am. Sure, I’m the guy next door who always gives a friendly wave of hello, the guy who picks up her newspaper and puts it on her front porch every morning, the guy who is always watching out for her. I’m nice to a fault. Maybe it’s overbearing. I can’t tell. At this point it’s hard for me to pretend to be normal. I pull the sheer living room curtain to the side at the rumble of the garbage truck. It will stop at my house first, then hers, giving me the perfect opportunity to talk to her again. I didn’t see her at...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A perfect, little girl” by Chiara Porcelli

Submitted to Contest #215

My grades are perfect and I have two part-time jobs, even though I don’t need to have a job: I just feel guilty asking my parents for everything. This year I moved to the other part of the Planet, but I lived my entire life alone and I don’t mind being here, alone again: my parents weren’t there because my dad wanted to live his career and my mom wanted to be an emancipated woman. I kinda get it, I would have done the same thing. Before moving, I cried a lot. I left everything I had there, just to move on with my life. I moved just bec...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Entering a Demon's Lair” by Paul Shears

Submitted to Contest #215

Matt climbs out of the car and tilts the back of his seat forward to let me out. I squeeze through the space left between the front seat and doorpost and stretch my legs and back. These old British sports cars were not designed with rear seat passenger comfort in mind. The school building – our destination – looms large in front of us, dominating our surroundings and screaming for attention. I look at Peter through the car windscreen, he doesn’t move, just sits in the driver’s seat of his green E-Type Jaguar, his expression a mixture of fe...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Master and Prisoner” by Katie Moon

Submitted to Contest #215

Some people will say it was nature. They’ll call me an unfortunate soul, unable to deny the lurking demon that whispered my name as I was cradled in the sanctuary of my mother’s first embrace. They’ll say the unforgiving claws of Fate were fastened to my flesh the moment I touched body to earth. They’ll watch as the world crashes down around them and I feast on its remains, and still they will only murmur in pity for my inescapable, doomed being. Others will say it was nurtured. They’ll mutter behind closed doors of an innocent creature co...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Riot ” by Nuri Wennekers

Submitted to Contest #215

RIOT By Nuri Wennekers Television had turned me into a social shut-in. At Least, that’s what the doctor told me. He said I spent too much of my free time watching mindless television. Too many sleepless nights watching cop dramas, reality shows, or the nightly news. Every single night, I’d watch actors have fake sex, or shoot fake guns at one another. In the daytime, I’d work at the mall’s electronics shop, selling TVs to families and students. I got the job while I was a high school student. A decade later, I...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The walking dead” by Tímea _

Submitted to Contest #215

You always think about how you want to get better. But maybe it's just a lie you keep telling yourself to feel better. To keep the darkness away. I thought so, too. That if I got rid of the darkness, I would get rid of the struggle. But it also used to scare me a little. Losing it. Because it´s there, living inside of you for so many years, and the thought of not having it anymore – the darkness – well, it kind of scared me, honestly. It´s inside of me. Part of me. You can´t just rip some of your part out and move on. &nbs...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Euphoria is Gray” by Jasmin Romero

Submitted to Contest #215

The moral compass of our society is flawed. Nobody really knows the difference between right and wrong. Take lying for example. Lying holds such a negative connotation, yet we rely on lies to be the foundation for which we build relationships on. ‘Are you kidding? You look amazing in that dress!’ Lie. ‘The food you cooked is absolutely delicious.' Another lie. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.' The biggest lie of all. It's all a means to an end really. Building up the trust until that mo...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Infernal” by Ariana Gregovich

Submitted to Contest #215

Furiosa slipped through the darkness, making absolutely no noise, keeping close to the cold, stone walls. She carries with her a simple dagger, for she needs nothing more. Her heart is calm in her chest as she ventures deeper into the chambers, her nimble, gloved fingers trailing along the rough surface of the ancient bricks. Soon enough she spots a dim light at the end of the winding tunnels. She quickly drops into a crouch, and stalks over to the source. A tall, burly looking woman paces, not sensing Furiosa’s presence. She wears light arm...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Chronic” by The World Is Ending And Im Late For Work

Submitted to Contest #215

*Trigger warning: Physical violence and Suicide.They were screaming again. My gaze fell onto my air pods resting beside my book, they were drained all because I didn’t have the patience to wait till I arrived home to use them. Who can blame me though when I have to take it in every single day that I’ll be coming home to this.“You’re always away! What did you expect me to do?!” The coarse words of my father shattered through the air to most if not all rooms of the house. Before my mother could reply, the smooth flows of pop music blocked out ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Game of Life” by Chris Brennan

Submitted to Contest #215

Felicity waved ‘Hello’ to Pierre as she entered and let him know that she was heading straight down to the back table, he nodded and waved back. “Bring you some drinks?” he called. Flick smiled back at him and nodded as she focused her attention on her target at the end of the room. As she arrived at the table, Luc looked up and smiled. “Hey Felicity, I was hoping to run into you tonight.” Flick responded, “Was starting to think I might have scared you off or something. Thought maybe I was just too good for you.” He laughed, “Nooooo, ju...

0 comments 0

Read story

“They Are Only Games After All” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #215

The dark and stuffy room was silent. Linda was nervous, she knew that she shouldn’t be doing this, but it was just because she cared. She walked on tiptoes – she knew he was at work but it was just instinct to keep her heels from touching the tiles. And to shut the door. Switching on the light she blinked with the sudden brightness and looked around his bat cave. It was a tip. Chip packets and empty coke cans lay on the arms of the couch and the floor. One of them must have had some liquid left in it as a dried up brown puddle stared at her ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Perturbed” by Josh Hairston

Submitted to Contest #215

The ant scurried across the hot concrete in the summer afternoon sun. A large dried bread crumb was clutched between its jaws. Timothy's shadow engulfed the ant as the boy stepped forward to observe. Timothy squatted down to take a closer look. The ant was far from its colony, wandering aimlessly. Timothy had read up on ants. He knew they communicated through pheromones, as opposed to sound or sight. This little one was searching for the pheromone trail. "Hey Timmy" said a kid. Timothy hated that nickname. He looked back. Immedi...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Shadow Hunter ” by Robin M. Farella

Submitted to Contest #215

The Shadow Hunter The first rays of sunlight pierced through the sheer curtain like fiery daggers, jolting Tabitha awake. She blinked and tried her hardest to go back to sleep. But it was pointless. Her mind was racing like a runaway goose-jay. She couldn’t ignore the nagging thoughts that had caused sleep to elude her last night. Throwing off the covers, she abandoned her cozy sanctuary of pillows and blankets. She tossed a pillow onto the bed, hitting the night table, knocking over the Azurewood candle, and with it, the miniature po...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a haunted house.

Horror – 70 stories

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

Thriller and Suspense – 60 stories

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Adventure – 46 stories

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Dark – 112 stories

Contest #215

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Monstrous

$250

Prize money

388

Contest entries

135

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 15, 2023 EST

Won by Danielle Barr 🏆

Title: What Kind of Mother

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 100 stories

“The Dragon in the Dragon Slayer” by Steven Lente

“Ted's Sinister Craving” by Madeline Honig

“The Last One” by Jennifer Ward

“A perfect, little girl” by Chiara Porcelli

“Entering a Demon's Lair” by Paul Shears

“A Master and Prisoner” by Katie Moon

“Riot ” by Nuri Wennekers

“The walking dead” by Tímea _

“Euphoria is Gray” by Jasmin Romero

“Infernal” by Ariana Gregovich

“Chronic” by The World Is Ending And Im Late For Work

“Game of Life” by Chris Brennan

“They Are Only Games After All” by Valerie Preston

“Perturbed” by Josh Hairston

“The Shadow Hunter ” by Robin M. Farella

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a haunted house.

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Contest #215

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

388

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: