Start your story with a character being followed.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 16, 2024

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✍️ 100 stories

“Make Things Right” by Corey Melin

Submitted to Contest #252

Trigger Warning: stalker, thoughts of suicide, and murder Susie continues walking down the dark alley, wondering if she is doing the right thing. “Should I trust my saviors?” she asks herself. For weeks, this man has been following her wherever she goes. Whatever establishment she visited; this man would be there. “Why?” she asks herself. “There is nothing special about me. I am not popular and no beauty contest winner.” But in this crazy world, you never know what is going through someone’s head. All she knows is the stalking needs to end...

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“Follow Me” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #252

Follow MeCaution: Contains passing of a pet.His eyesight was poor, his gait was labored yet he followed me. Through the flowering meadow, over the babbling stream, along the dusty country road he followed me. There was a time, (was it only last week?) he would have explored along the way. Venturing off on his own quest to examine an interesting flutter near a sweet clover or search out a foreign smell capturing his attention or take a cooling splash in the water. But today if he lingered behind he was slow to catch up, hesitated like he didn...

37 comments 37

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“Not A Bad Man” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #252

“Oh, for the love of…” Selina muttered the curse under her breath, biting off the profanity at the end with gritted teeth, aware of the little ears flapping on the other side of the bathroom door.“Mama!” the snot-faced, adorable terror that controlled her life hollered loudly enough that the neighbours would likely call 911.“Mama needs to pee. Give me a minute.” Ha! As if a two-year-old understood the concept of time or personal space. From the moment he toddled his first steps—actually, from the moment he could crawl—Jasper had followed Sel...

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“The Ball Pit” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #252

The man decided a ball pit was the only place to go. He hadn’t been in one since he was a child. Every Saturday, his father would get to keep him for the weekend as part of the custody agreement. Never having been an imaginative man, his father dispensed with trying to plan engaging activities that he could do with his only son. Instead, the two of them would show up to KidzLand as soon as they opened at eleven and they would stay until closing. KidzLand offered a variety of play areas including a miniature ferris wheel, several large and tw...

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“Dielight” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #252

Something fluttered out of the night sky and landed on the road a short distance behind her.Kyla Gilbert let out a tiny yip of excitement. Nobody saw such a dorky response. She had the street to herself. And it was a good thing, too. If anyone had observed her, they’d have likely asked her what she was up to. And how would she have answered them? ‘Oh, don’t mind me; I’m off to lure a vampire into biting me and turning me into an immortal being’? No chance. Kyla zipped up her leather jacket – the zip was on the side, like Bella Cullen’s – and...

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“Take Me” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #252

Anabel shifted her weight uncomfortably. A strong ache had been working its way through her fleshy backside while it was crushed between her bones and the wrought iron park bench where she waited. She lifted her left leg and crossed it over her right knee, glancing hopefully up at the bench across the way where a man sat, scanning casually around the park. He didn't seem to notice her, despite her criminally short skirt, low cut crop top, and tight, smooth ponytail. She was sure he'd notice her, but was she sure she wanted him to notice her?...

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“The Chase” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #252

Lucy had a great evening at her friend's, Stacey’s. It was an evening of sitting on pillows on the floor around the coffee table, drinking wine and eating chocolates. Celebrity gossip turned into local gossip and before they knew it, they were discussing the deeper aspects of life. Stacey had her playlist playing softly in the background. Occasionally a song would interrupt their discussions, bringing out song and dance like they were still a couple of teenagers at a sleepover. The evening began after dinner, around seven o’clock. They were ...

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“I...t” by Lucia Wei

Submitted to Contest #252

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains depictions of murder being committedNOTE: For clarities sake, It with an uppercase refers to an individual** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **I was scared, the running was getting to me and I could feel my bones ache in desperate need of a break, but I knew I could not stop or It would catch me. It followed me wherever I went, never leaving, its laugh haunting me to the very depth of my core. My once mundane life with no change or excitement was forever altered with It ingrained into every piece, every mem...

3 comments 3

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“The Burning Past” by Martin Maynard

Submitted to Contest #252

Elizabeth Walker stood on the porch of her charming, two-story house in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana. The evening sun cast a warm, golden glow over the neatly trimmed lawns and picket fences, but Elizabeth couldn’t shake the chill that settled in her bones. She brushed a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, glancing nervously down the quiet street.Inside the house, Allen Foster, her boyfriend and the town’s Police Chief, was helping his daughter, Anne, with her homework at the kitchen table. Allen’s broad shoulders and calm demeanor...

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“Ghosts of Loyalty” by Megan Weiss

Submitted to Contest #252

Samuel’s return to Arlington was indeed a delicate dance, each step laden with memories and the weight of unfinished business. The snow whispered secrets, and the eyes that followed him bore into his back like shards of ice. Who could be watching him this time? The possibilities swirled like the snowflakes falling around him. The Barkeep—a seemingly innocuous figure wiping down glasses behind the tavern’s frosted window. But Samuel knew better. The barkeep had seen him arrive, noted the tension in his shoulders, and observed how he scanned t...

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“The Woman Beside Me ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #252

It started in Target, where I was picking out some creme-colored, large towels for the bathroom. She, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-40s with a blonde, short, choppy, inverted bob with a side-swept fringe and chunky highlights, looked like the definition of a Karen. Because I never did learn her true name, she inwardly, was always "Karen" to me. 'Excuse me," said Karen when she bumped into me when I unfolded a bathroom towel to make sure it was the right-sized towel. She looked almost comical in her baggy capri pants, t...

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“Shadows of the Past” by Mark Parsons

Submitted to Contest #252

The streets of Edmonton were eerily quiet as Liam walked home from the pub. The chill of the night air bit through his jacket, and he pulled it tighter around himself, quickening his pace. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw nothing but the empty street and the dim glow of streetlights. Yet, the sense of being followed persisted, gnawing at the edges of his mind.Liam was a barman, known for his easy smile and ability to mix the perfect cocktail. His regulars loved him, but tonight, ...

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“Family Business” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #252

As Bill walked home he put his unease down to the fact that he had not been feeling right all day. The day itself had taken against him from the outset. Rising from the messy pit of his bed he’d paused in his half-arsed redistribution of his duvet. Dumped the forgotten duvet at the foot of the bed and patted at a spot on the sheet that looked about as wrong as it had any business looking. The situation of this patch was embarrassing, being in the area where his crotch and backside vied for position as he tossed and turned in the grip of the ...

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“A Resurfacing” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #252

Now:Miriam loved Sundays. It was the one day a week that was just for her. She’d get up around 9am, go for a run, have coffee at her favorite cafe, and then go to the nearby park and read for several hours. Today she was reading Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient. Sprawled on the blanket she brought, she lost herself in the creepy thriller, stopping occasionally to look up at the others in the park. Couples having a picnic, children on the swings, teenagers playing basketball. She smiled and was about to go back to reading when she noticed ...

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“The Cold Eyed Kidnapper” by Katelynn Seavey

Submitted to Contest #252

His dark green eyes seem to stare into Addison's back relentlessly. She could feel him watching her since she walked into the grocery store. She went aisle by aisle, picking up random produce and snacks as she walks around. Her heart is pounding loudly and she thinks for a moment that it might come out of her chest. Her hands tremble slightly as she picks up the chicken noodle soup, her eyes not even registering what she put in the cart. She is too focused on the man at the end of the aisle, who seems to appear at every turn. At first,...

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Start your story with a character being followed.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 100 stories

“Make Things Right” by Corey Melin

“Follow Me” by Mary Bendickson

“Not A Bad Man” by Michelle Oliver

“The Ball Pit” by Story Time

“Dielight” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Take Me” by Brian Haddad

“The Chase” by Ty Warmbrodt

“I...t” by Lucia Wei

“The Burning Past” by Martin Maynard

“Ghosts of Loyalty” by Megan Weiss

“The Woman Beside Me ” by ER Castaneda

“Shadows of the Past” by Mark Parsons

“Family Business” by Jed Cope

“A Resurfacing” by Sophie Goldstein

“The Cold Eyed Kidnapper” by Katelynn Seavey

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who struggles to do the right thing.

Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Contest #252

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

360

Contest entries

143

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: