Set your entire story in a car.

Posted in Dramatic on Jul 28, 2023

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✍️ 96 stories

“Get Your Kicks on Route 66” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #209

Get Your Kicks on Route 66“You sure about this, Zak?”“A little late for second-guessing, Cal.”The ’55 Chevy was packed to the gills, and the wheels were already rolling out of the driveway of Zak’s parents’ home within a stone's throw of Lake Micigan in Evanston, Illinois.“It’s just such a big step.”“No kidding, Cal, but you’ve had like 50,000 hours to think about it. There’s no turning back, partner. California here here we come!”And so the sky blue Bel Air convertible, tagged with a sign on the back reading “California or Bust!”, headed fo...

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“Lollipop” by Seah Kim

Submitted to Contest #209

Lint-rolled lollipops are delicious. There’s absolutely no other satisfaction when you take your “Cherry flavored” lollipop at a low price of 3.99 a bag from Walmart and gnaw it (rebelling from your mother is the best way to get cavities and fulfill your hunger), and drop it on the floor of your crust covered Honda Civic, as starting fights is the number one thing siblings are for. You make an “I’ll kill you” face at your sibling (whether or not they notice,) because your mother doesn’t allow “potty words”. Going against the tigh...

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“I never felt so much alike” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #209

TW: His Dad is a bigot, and it shows in his language.I’m just leaving Harrods on Brompton Road when a skinny young man waves me down. He’s wearing a white shirt, light gray suit, and he’s empty handed, so I figure he’s probably in the money business, going to the Square Mile.I twist in my seat to face the passenger, “Where are you headed, guvnor?”.He consults a piece of paper, “Saint Mark’s Place, off Wimbledon Hill….”.I’m stumped for a moment, “Isn’t there an old brick pub there? The… the Alexandra?”“Yes, that’s right!” says the m...

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“Seven Series Saloon” by Chris Miller

Submitted to Contest #209

The car was stifling, so airlessly warm that Martin could smell the static tang of the new plastic interior. He’d let it get like that on purpose, stuffy and stagnant, despite the cold blasting against the two-millimetre-thick steel skin as he bucketed down Route Three towards Zurich. He’d wanted it to be cosy so Clare could sleep, but now he opened his window. Just a dab on the switch to let an inch of the world whistle in and chase away the soporific fug of body and nylon. This wasn’t the time for him to start feeling drowsy, and he wanted...

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“In the Passenger Seat” by K. Espinola

Submitted to Contest #209

It seemed that, even in death, Jared liked to drive. As Casey sat beside him, she told herself to keep her eyes on the road. Sometimes her brain liked to split in two: the mature side, with the good advice, and the lethally curious one that enjoyed, deep down, to be shocked. Now the mature voice was saying: Don’t fill your head with that crap. Looking will only upset you. But it was the other side that always took action. So she let her eyes wander to him, the man in the driver’s seat.Or was he a man? Casey didn’t always know how to cla...

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“Sunk and Found” by Tsvi Jolles

Submitted to Contest #209

Lisa lowered herself into the shotgun position of the pristine Ford Mustang, her heartbeat keeping a wild cadence of incredulity and awe. The rich leather seats, the dashboard gleaming like a well-polished heirloom, the potent fragrance of untouched machinery all swirled around her like a summer whirlwind through a field of magnolia blossoms. Perhaps it was the sheer unexpectedness of the gift, a stark contrast to the customary religious tokens she received from her family. This Mustang, this embodiment of American prowess, was devoid of fam...

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“The Getaway” by John-Paul Cote

Submitted to Contest #209

“Clyde, you hold on, man, you hold on.” “It hurts, Gill, it hurts so bad.” Clyde lay in the back of the 1974 Chevy Impala, dying. A gut shot had him bleeding all over the seat. It had been a lucky shot by the cop. Gill returned the favour with a shot to the chest. The heist did not go as planned. It was a cluster fuck. Billy was lying on the floor of the bank. A hole in his head. The car was shot up. It was pretty obvious who and what they were. There was no time to stop and steal another one. The cops were hot on their tail. Gil...

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“Canned People” by Jorge Soto

Submitted to Contest #209

The bus was screaming down the desert road, and I still couldn’t nod off. Two fucking hours and somehow this greyhound seems to have made no progress toward any discernible civilization. A few shacks and shanty gas stations sprung up here and there, sure, but I’d hardly venture to call them signs of life. Just as I was about to put in for another crick-necked nap a wall of little buildings flashed past the window. Finally. Some scenery.” I thoughtA blurry mirage of washed-out yellows and earth tones made up the majority of this dilapidated s...

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“BACK SEAT DRIVER” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #209

“End of Line for longtime fugitive Darrell Benjamin.”“Extradited from Canadian border, accused killer to face multiple charges.”Media outlets throughout the country ran similar headlines.And then:“Winter blizzard grounds multiple airports; record number flights cancelled across American Midwest.” * * * Rookie Police Officer Hap Davis sat behind the wheel of a partially thawed patrol vehicle. He had the heat turned up as high as it would go. He’d spent the better part of the morning scraping ice, brushing snow and cl...

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“Last EX-it” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #209

“Please tell me you haven’t left for the weekend yet!” Zoey instantly dreaded answering her phone. The desperation in her sister’s voice made her stomach turn and mind wander into the danger zone. This was going to cost her something; money, time, or worse, her dignity. “Nope, still in the driveway.” she responded reluctantly, placing her bags in the trunk and slamming it closed. Zoey was completely desensitized when it came to her sister Bryn’s propensity for drama and began to imagine possible scenarios before Bryn could explain. Of c...

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“Empty Road, Full Mind” by Paul Tucker

Submitted to Contest #209

He doesn’t know, and to put it frankly, I don’t want him to. “How was work today?” he asks me. I glance over at him, trying not to show him more attention than the road, and push out a response. “It wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t anything special either. Truthfully, it’s the same old, monotonous routine that I have been stuck in since I started there.” My hands grip the steering wheel a bit too tight as I finish my response; a sensation of anger tends to consume me when I ponder too long on this aspect of my life, and really it happen...

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“Road Less Taken” by Richard Seven

Submitted to Contest #209

“I'm headed to Spokane. That on your way?”“I can take you two-thirds of the way. To Odessa. There are people there.”That was good enough for me. I crawled into the passenger seat of the bare, early-model van and tossed my duffle onto the middle row of seats.“Thanks, man. You’re the first ride I’ve seen all morning.”“Yeah,” the driver said. “They call this the other-other-other Washington for a reason.”The highway, which spans 130 miles, pierces eastern Washington state’s Big Bend country. It's flat, straight, sparse and wide open. It cuts th...

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“And Miles to Go Before I Sleep” by Sarah Xin

Submitted to Contest #209

The couple is young, with rosy, supple cheeks and wide grins. Happy. In love. The woman, brown hair and warm eyes, is beginning to show, and the glow of an expecting couple surrounds them. His last owner had been happy, too. They need a bigger car for the little one on the way, they tell the salesperson, who smiles and congratulates them. The three go inside to discuss terms, and then the couple returns with keys. The first drive home shows that they are also gentle, as happy people often are. Brakes, pedals, wheel, seats, doors—all tr...

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“Gender Reveal” by Alex Flores

Submitted to Contest #209

The slam of the car door instantly cuts off the music coming from the backyard. Slumping into the driver seat, Gustavo waits. Feeling the glare of Gloria’s gaze, he knows this routine. No words at first, just the stare. He stares ahead through the windshield, knowing Gloria won’t say anything until he does. Gustavo’s impatience, along with his irritation at Gloria, overtakes him after a few short moments. “Well?&nbs...

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“Redeemer” by Nathaniel Miller

Submitted to Contest #209

“The sun doesn’t rise anymore.” “What? No. It rises.” A brown chip bag and an empty can blow in the wind, pirouetting next to the car. “Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.” Keila brushes a strand of her short, purplish-red hair behind her ear. It’s eerie, being driven through an empty city. No other cars are on the five-lane highway. The skyscrapers are jam-packed with people. But nobody goes out on the streets anymore. The altitude and the smoke mean that the city is always covered in a haze. A thick ha...

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Set your entire story in a car.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 96 stories

“Get Your Kicks on Route 66” by Murray Burns

“Lollipop” by Seah Kim

“I never felt so much alike” by Luca King Greek

“Seven Series Saloon” by Chris Miller

“In the Passenger Seat” by K. Espinola

“Sunk and Found” by Tsvi Jolles

“The Getaway” by John-Paul Cote

“Canned People” by Jorge Soto

“BACK SEAT DRIVER” by Susan Catucci

“Last EX-it” by Myranda Marie

“Empty Road, Full Mind” by Paul Tucker

“Road Less Taken” by Richard Seven

“And Miles to Go Before I Sleep” by Sarah Xin

“Gender Reveal” by Alex Flores

“Redeemer” by Nathaniel Miller

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about two strangers who are both heading to the same destination and agree to do a long distance drive together.

Write a story about someone going on a life-changing journey.

Write a story about someone getting lost, but discovering something they didn’t expect along the way.

Start your story with someone walking into a gas station.

Contest #209

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

271

Contest entries

154

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: