Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Posted in Dialogue on Jan 26, 2024

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✍️ 65 stories

“Requiem for a Runner” by J.R. Alton

Submitted to Contest #235

Rubber soles slapped the damp pavement as heated breath dissipated in the chilled morning air. The fallen leaves had turned hazel underfoot as the last of autumn gave way to winter. There was no need for music; every step was the beating of a drum, and the shrill bird calls like a melody in this symphony of sweat and toil.Four minutes.Aaron picked up the pace. His lungs and heart begged for mercy, his legs a slave to his mind. The world record for fastest one mile would be his and he would torment every fiber of his being to make it so.Three...

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“Can't Stop” by Heidi Hanson

Submitted to Contest #235

My hospital room is cold, my sheets too thin. The TV across from me plays through the millionth infomercial, with me staring at it, mouthing along with the words I now know by heart. Three days. I've been in here for three days. I feel fine physically. Mostly, anyway. Certainly well enough to leave. But apparently that's not what the doctors are worried about anymore. Until I show some sign of improvement, they aren't going to let me leave. Not since I slipped up and spoke my mind for once. Now they're talking about transferring me to anothe...

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“The storm ” by Laura Haffenden

Submitted to Contest #235

John sat at the worn oak table, the warmth from the stove against his back as he ate his eggs and drank his strong, black coffee. This little cabin wasn’t anything fancy but it was a palace to John, his sanctuary in a world that was full of stress and people just a bit too quick to throw you to the wolves. The wind began to whistle outside, rattling the single pane windows and groaning inside the chimney. He got up and stoked the fire, which swirled and Jumped as the wind harassed it. He topped up his coffee. He usually took a walk outside m...

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“The Space Between Us” by Amanda Wisdom

Submitted to Contest #235

“Please, let me help you,” the land whispers. “Hush and let me lay you to sleep.” “Never yield,” my bones answer back. “Never again shall I yield.” And so I stand. And then I climb. ***Why can’t I forgive myself? It’s a question I ask far too often. Me, myself, and I, cursed with an incessant conscience. You know how people get sick, like, with the flu? And they have a fever or sore throat? Well sometimes I get like that, but only in my mind. I’ll catch this mental cold, this downright depressing spiral of thoug...

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“The road to freedom” by Crystal Tees

Submitted to Contest #235

Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and her lungs were on fire. It felt like she had been running for hours, but he was still so close behind her. She was small and weak. That's what happens when you're five years old, mal nourished and locked in a tiny room for weeks on end. How long had she been trapped there? Had it been weeks? Months? Longer? She didn't know. She just knew that one day she would get away. She had to get away. She had finally seen her opening. One split second where his back was turned to her and he hadn't cuffed h...

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“The Secrets Within” by C.N. Jung

Submitted to Contest #235

It all started when dispatch sent him to Newberry Street to investigate a domestic disturbance call.Newberry Street…It was an unremarkable name, one that he never anticipated would haunt his nightmares for years to come. Newberry Street was situated in a rundown part of town, with chain-link fences enclosing the houses. Signs warning "No Trespassing" or "Keep Out!" glared at him from every door and gate.The house he’d been called to, one with a faded 27 painted above the front door, had a fence higher than any other. The driveway was riddled...

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“Soul Asylum” by AS Hardin

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can’t run forever.” The voice echoed off the dingy, tiled walls in a burst of pulsating static. I cowered behind an old rack of medical brochures, clutching my aching chest. My breath came in such gasping bursts I was afraid it’d give my position away. Though I’d spent the last three years on the track team, the run up the stairwell had been taxing and I doubted I’d make it out alive. A trickle of blood dripped from my hand as I gripped a long shard of glass. Even though I’d wrapped it in strips of a pillowcase, the sharp edge still...

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“The Strange Encounter” by Daphne Anderson

Submitted to Contest #235

It was a miracle that I even made it out alive. I have been coming into these woods since I was a kid and my father was strong enough to put me on his shoulders. As a young woman in today’s society a girl always has to be prepared for literally anything, even if it sounds crazy.The forest was over 500,000 acres and crossed in between two states, North Carolina and Virginia, you could hike, hunt, camp, and then some all in one area with the most natural beautiful tall white waterfalls. One year ago my dad and I had our last hike togethe...

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“Basement Jeff” by Agris Engelis

Submitted to Contest #235

My name is Jeff and I used to be an everyday office worker till She caught me. It has been 3 months since I last been outside. She keeps me locked down here. I was coming back from a pub one night, celebrated my best friend’s engagement. I was quite drunk, so when a dark Mercedes stopped next to me, I did not think too much about it. “Hi, where are you going so late?” I just laughed and bent into the window. “Heading home.” And she just smiled a sweet smile. “Do you need a lift?” And stupid old drunk me, could not say no to a pretty face and...

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“The Lookout” by Amy B

Submitted to Contest #235

Trigger warning: this story depicts moments of sexual assault, violence and domestic abuse. I lay in the squishy mud and prayed silently. Hoping I could hold my breath just a little bit longer. Every sound, every movement spiking my heart rate to an aggressive degree. I was going to die in this pile of mud and leaves. Never seeing my family again. My life may disappear because of a simple mistake. A quick reply on a dating site. He flattered me and I ate it up. Agreed to a date. And now here I am in the dark forest barely breathing, prayi...

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“Art Acquisition ” by Mia Twysted

Submitted to Contest #235

Kurt took a long, painful breath before contorting his body to fit between the dumpster and the side of his brick apartment building. The Grand Am's screeching tires sent shivers up his spine. Closing his eyes, he listened as Mark and Orlando exited the car and shuffled by the alley."Where did he go?" Orlando said."Damn, he's fast," Mark said.The two men stopped at the opening of the alley. They kicked through some discarded boxes as they peered into every dark corner. The men growled, unable to see Kurt, who had wiggled into the middle, all...

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“HIDE AND SEEK” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #235

"You can't run forever." My sweet girl. No matter where you go, I will always find you. Hiding from me only makes things worse. My sweet Sadie, I'm coming for you. I've been running for so long I don't know what day of the month it is or even the year. Is it Monday or Friday? I just don't know. I don't even know where I am. It's been so long since I stayed in one place. I'm scared. I witness something horrible. Something that has haunted my memory for the last two years. Do you want to know the worst part? I knew them. Oh God! I knew the...

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“Mind of a Flying Bird” by Sophie Riley

Submitted to Contest #235

[This is the first chapter of a novel about grief, based on a runner. It contains themes of death and mental health.] It was April, the first year without my brother, and I was throwing up in a bed of hyacinths. I only knew they were hyacinths because Mom had some planted in our garden back in New York, and for days she talked about how the landscapers put them in lopsided. I didn’t know flowers could be lopsided. That’s what I thought about as I sat there in the dirt, staring dizzy at the flowers, wet and blue and bright. ...

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“There Is Always Hope” by Alexandra Costigan

Submitted to Contest #235

Droplets rained down from the rooftops above, fat globs of water that crawled their way down Alex’s face as he carefully, frantically made his way down the alleyway. He peered around the corner with bated breath. The coast was clear. Quickly, swiftly, cat like he made his way down the cobblestone street, the voices behind him barely making themselves known, a whisper on the wind. He wondered what they were saying, but he let the thought go as soon as it arose. He couldn’t afford to lose a second of his focus, or it could be all over.&nb...

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“Tired” by Lucius Doon

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can't run forever,” I heard myself say aloud. Physically. Idealistically, nor emotionally. You can’t outrun memories, feelings, regret, nor the past. The past lives with us forever. It is who we are. Without the past we are nothing. Without the future we are never becoming. Becoming what? Well, that is the question. Can you ever truly become someone if you spend your life running? You can’t outrun your problems. You can’t outrun your choices. The best you can do is accept the consequences. Knowing this, and...

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Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 65 stories

“Requiem for a Runner” by J.R. Alton

“Can't Stop” by Heidi Hanson

“The storm ” by Laura Haffenden

“The Space Between Us” by Amanda Wisdom

“The road to freedom” by Crystal Tees

“The Secrets Within” by C.N. Jung

“Soul Asylum” by AS Hardin

“The Strange Encounter” by Daphne Anderson

“Basement Jeff” by Agris Engelis

“The Lookout” by Amy B

“Art Acquisition ” by Mia Twysted

“HIDE AND SEEK” by Melinda Madrigal

“Mind of a Flying Bird” by Sophie Riley

“There Is Always Hope” by Alexandra Costigan

“Tired” by Lucius Doon

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Write a story in which a character is running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Make a race an important element of your story.

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

120

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: