Start your story with a character being followed.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 16, 2024

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✍️ 100 stories

“Stolen Code” by Kami Drake

Submitted to Contest #252

Eris "Whisper" Voltaire moved through the neon-lit alleyways of Erebos Prime, her pink hair shimmering under the glow of flickering holographic billboards. The rhythmic hum of distant machinery and the soft buzz of her cybernetic implants were the only sounds accompanying her steps, yet she felt an unfamiliar presence—a subtle shift in the air, a shadow where none should be. Her instincts, honed by years of navigating both the digital and physical realms, screamed at her to remain calm. She had learned long ago that showing any sign of awar...

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“Who Lies Beneath the Headstone?” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #252

After the funeral for Fred Harris the line of well-wishers among his family and friends stretched from the living room of his large Colonial home, out into the street and well down the tree-lined block. Greetings and expressions of sympathy lasted well into the evening. Since the family had chosen me to help manage the reception, I hadn’t returned to my home until well after 10 pm. &n...

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“2” by Victoria Shellady

Submitted to Contest #252

To our readers -- the following is a transcript from an interview between our Investigative Reporter, Maggie Maine, and Eliza Slater. Historically, Slater has not been open with the press about what happened fifteen years ago at Clarmont College. In an odd turn of events, Slater reached out to our Editor to speak with someone on the record concerning the events that were so heavily publicized. The interview, while short, was electric. As a result, we believed this story was best told through her exact words. HEREverything comes down to who'...

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“The Hidden Pursuit” by Marcellus Brown

Submitted to Contest #252

Emma quickly glanced over her shoulder for what felt like the hundredth time. The shadowy figure, just a few paces behind, matched her every step. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ducked into a narrow alleyway, hoping to lose her pursuer in the labyrinthine streets of the old city.The evening air smelled of rain, and the cobblestones glistened under the dim streetlights. She could hear the steady drip of water from the rooftops and the distant hum of traffic, but the sound that occupied her mind was the persistent footfall echoing behin...

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“Our Little Game” by Moshe Davidovici

Submitted to Contest #252

It was a game. Of course it was a game. That’s how it had always been. Of course he knew she was there; she probably knew that he knew, even as she sat on a nearby bench “reading” a newspaper with little eye holes cut in it. such a cute amateur tactic, the little flirt. He fancied she knew when he was there just as much as he knew when she was, that she knew when he peeked through her conveniently opened blinds. Of course, he couldn’t rightly rule out that there weren’t times when she was following him, watching, waiting, and he was non...

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“Just a Little Blood…” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #252

Raina held her breath. She closed her eyes and pressed her back further into the towering oak behind her. She felt its jagged bark digging into the sensitive skin on her back, exposed where her thin tank top didn’t cover. She felt prickling goosebumps on her arms, her soft blonde hairs waking up and wondering what is happening. Please, don’t hearâ€¦don’t hear, she thought. A branch snapped somewhere in the distance. She quickly opened her eyes, unable to see more than a foot ahead in the barely breaking moonlight, a small crescent hidd...

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“Kidnapped for Hire” by Hannah Foust

Submitted to Contest #252

Harper knew she was being followed, she didn't dare look, it was better to remain as if she was a typical oblivious girl, but in reality, she was aware of all her surroundings. Had it been an hour? Two? Was there more than one? No matter how many corners she took, or crowds she immersed herself in, someone or something was always near. Harper followed every evasive maneuver she could think of, why couldn't she shake them? Whoever they were they were good, but she wasn't ready to give in. She had counted three shadow's, but she mu...

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“Stalked” by Bob Builder

Submitted to Contest #252

WARNING: This story includes content like swear words, signs of psychopathy, torture, etc. If you are sensitive to these subject matters, please feel free to not continue. I hear footsteps following me, the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the smooth concrete sidewalk, my head still replaying the happy memories from this morning. It was strange that I didn't see Hudson today, but I guess he's sick. Instinctively, I turn around to see... no one. Unease makes its way down my spine and I turn back, ignoring my fear. My backpack heavy against ...

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“Darkness” by Shawna Burge

Submitted to Contest #252

DARKNESS By Andy Pearson © 2024 Darkness was on my side. I knew the house. The owners of the footsteps didn’t. When the lights went out, I knew they were finally here. I didn’t know who they were, but I knew they were here. I spotted the followers a week earlier. Perhaps they were there earlier. Probably. Who knows. I know I spotted them on Friday. I saw the first one at the gas station. With my arms draped over the side of my truck bed, sticky with sweat from the afternoon humidity, I listened to the pump whirrin...

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“All the subjects combined but with one main persistent follower” by Joshua Coulstock

Submitted to Contest #252

Heath settled down into his comfortable couch, he had just paid a pretty penny for it. It’s not that he couldn’t easily afford it after he had just been paid by his boss, but it was the painful memories of how he never could have paid for it before he landed this most recent gig job of his that was currently plaguing his mind. However, waiting around for his newfound boss and supplier to show up at his house made Heath feel like something didn’t sit quite right with him about the day. He knew that it was getting close to his m...

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“In Pursuit of...” by Daniel R. Mangru

Submitted to Contest #252

Macy Gleason was sitting on a park bench near a lakeside on a Saturday afternoon. She held her mochi snack in one hand and took a sip from the straw of her raspberry boba tea in the other hand. There were a dozen children playing in the nearby area where the swings and slides were. Their voices weren’t loud enough to distract her from watching the weeks-old ducklings follow their mother as she swam from one side of the algae filled pond to the other. When her troubled mind satiated by the calm of the scenery, she walked to the trash bin toss...

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“Cobblestone Symphony” by Galaxy Grandeur

Submitted to Contest #252

Sensitive Content: Violence, Physical Abuse, Stalking The cobblestone streets rattled in a quiet symphony under her feet, heels gently clicking with her footsteps. Moonlight lit the roads with a pale glow, the occasional street puddle reflecting the great lunar orb so few bothered to even look up at. It was a well lit night, and yet things still clung to the shadows, trailing in silent undertones behind the symphony. She rounded the corner to find the lively watering hole she frequented in her younger days already bustling, warm glows emitte...

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“At First Sight” by Allison Hanmer

Submitted to Contest #252

We didn’t leave the apartment all weekend. The bruises on the right side of my body are nearly gone, the scratch on my head has healed enough that I can cover it with foundation and my mental health is in a way better place then it was a couple days ago. Alyse and I ordered take-out every night and paired it with a binge of Grey’s Anatomy episodes. “I think I might go outside today,” I say, looking out the window from my desk. Alyse’s head shoots up from the couch and looks over at me, “Really?”“Yeah. I think it’s time.”“Well, let ...

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“MASTER OF DECEIT” by Andrea Young

Submitted to Contest #252

Gary left India in an awful hurry. All he said was, “I have to leave for the UK. I have a job lined up. You will have to follow when you can. Trust me”. “Why do we have to move each time. We’ve only lived here barely two years. You’re not related to Charles Sobraj, are you?” Gary looked at me with fire in his eyes. I carried my son and held my daughter’s hand as we made our way through the guests at the welcoming party. Craig, Cindy and I had arrived in London from New Delhi a week before. I...

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“Fish Out Of Water ” by Séamus McNally

Submitted to Contest #252

Fish out of water. Sebastian O’Leary had never entered the fishing tackle shop before, although the shop is known far and wide among the fishing fraternity. Sebastian’s only contact with fish is from the chipper two doors down. ‘You’re taking up the fishing, so?’ SeÃ¡n Lydon said in his quiet, droll way. ‘They say it could relax a fella; get him away from people for a while,’ Sebastian replies. ‘It could do that all right, Sebastian, but don’t you live nice and peaceful on your own?’ SeÃ¡n says as Sebastian looks through the glass case...

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Start your story with a character being followed.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 100 stories

“Stolen Code” by Kami Drake

“Who Lies Beneath the Headstone?” by Bob Faszczewski

“2” by Victoria Shellady

“The Hidden Pursuit” by Marcellus Brown

“Our Little Game” by Moshe Davidovici

“Just a Little Blood…” by Nina H

“Kidnapped for Hire” by Hannah Foust

“Stalked” by Bob Builder

“Darkness” by Shawna Burge

“All the subjects combined but with one main persistent follower” by Joshua Coulstock

“In Pursuit of...” by Daniel R. Mangru

“Cobblestone Symphony” by Galaxy Grandeur

“At First Sight” by Allison Hanmer

“MASTER OF DECEIT” by Andrea Young

“Fish Out Of Water ” by Séamus McNally

🌟 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 🏆

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