Start your story with someone saying, “We’re running out of time.”

Posted in Middle School on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 77 stories

“If Time had wings” by Jennifer Braveheart

Submitted to Contest #154

I looked at my sleeping 11 year old angel baby girl next to me. "We’re running out of time", I whispered under my breath, ferociously hitting my hands against the steering wheel. I let out a roar worthy of a lioness, no one in this jungle heard it; it was silent, not wanting to wake my child. Her time was running out, her life was running out, her childhood had come to a sudden stop. No turning back now..."keep driving, how much I should tell her, will she be in pain," My heart felt like it was ripping out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. We...

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“A Night in the Peruvian Andes” by Chris Rohe

Submitted to Contest #154

I was standing at a small tienda or store, if you can call it that, trying to ask the Quechua girl standing in the little box about Coca leaves. I am not sure she understood what I was asking, but she reached up to the back wall and pulled down this bag of leaves. “Es esta la hoja de coca?” I asked in my butchered Spanish, she smiled and gave a little laugh and nod, so I took them. I am always impressed at how pretty she looks. Even though her face was dirty, her colorful outfit, jet black hair pulled back into two ponytails under ...

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“A Stone's Throw” by Nina Strelov

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time. We have to hurry,” said the man rushing me through the woods to safety. My friend had told me he could help me, that if I got myself to the edge of the forest before dawn, he would arrange for someone named Michael to meet me there who could help me escape. I had run out of choices and time. I couldn’t ask what he knew of this man, or why he had the skills to escape the law. The government had issued me a warning after my last art exhibit, and after the show I performed last night, they weren’t going to let me wal...

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“Bushwacked” by KBK Miller

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” he said, yanking my arm harder, “come on.” An hour earlier… My breath quickened as I started to wake. The air was stale and tight. My eyes only saw darkness due to the black handkerchief tied tightly around my head. Thoughts were running through my mind like a train that had just hopped off the tracks, but I attempted to focus on the outside noises. I flinched as the van sped, hitting a bump causing me to flop, slamming my tailbone into the cold metal. Wincing as I resituated, I listened. I could only hear soft...

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“Spider and the Heist of the Brood Crystal” by Jeffrey Moncrief

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time. Zylon forces are closing in on your position.” Sylas says to Spider as he primes his holo-clone generator. Spider rolls his eyes and says “You’re just being paranoid. For a female interface, you sure complain like you’re a human.” Sylas responds “That's because this is an intercom link and I am human.” “Oh yeah. Y’know you sound like one of the female A.I voices.” “This is why people hate you Spider.” “That was rude. What are you even worried about anyway?” “The Galactic Federation is sending bou...

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“A Passage of Time” by Jocelyn Yeomans

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” I said to myself. “Or at least I am!” I don’t think I said the words out loud but they were certainly in my thoughts. Very soon we will be told to put down our pens and pass our papers forward. And I havn’t even answered one single question. My mind has just gone blank. I am just sitting staring at the questions. Why was I having problems. This was one of my favourite subjects. English Literature and miraculously the book chosen was Shakespeare’s Merchant in Ven...

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“First comes love...” by Jessica Baker

Submitted to Contest #154

"We are running out of TIME!" Jazmine's father had never been a patient man, but I never thought I'd live to see him reach the end of his rope. And I never thought I'd be wearing a bright purple bridesmaid's dress while doing it. "Is it his baby or not!?" he shouted. "It is! It is!" Jazmine was in hysterics; The wedding dress they'd had to alter five times in the last week to accommodate her rapidly growing stomach was straining to contain her in all her vastly pregnant glory. "Honey I am a gynecologist, PLEASE don't lie to me. Yo...

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“From Darkness, Comes Light” by Janetra Waters

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” I whisper to myself. My steps are steady, my posture straight and calm, a carefully crafted facade to hide the inner turmoil eating away at me. I can feel The Darkness creeping in, like iced covered hands gripping my mind, body, and soul. It plays at the edge of my consciousness… waiting for me to let my guard down. It becomes harder each day to keep the fragile grip I have on my sanity. I step outside into the cold of the new summer, making my way to the settlement. The air’s become frigid since The Light...

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“No Regrets” by Amie DeStefano

Submitted to Contest #154

"We’re running out of time, captain!” I yelled above the explosive impact. Across from us, a rogue pirate spaceship approached, medium-sized and decorated in painted skulls, and horseshoes. It was lighting up our ship with streaks of red ammunition. Pelting us it seemed from all angles. “Ready the fire blasters, Ava,” said the captain. He was hanging onto the back of the bolted-in chair, bracing himself. His long body hunkering down and away from the force of battle but ultimately unable to absorb the full shock. One sauce...

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“Grace is all we need” by Kaylee Johnson

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time, Leave it!” I yell as Liam runs back to grab something. “I need to grab it, Grace!” Liam yells back as he retrieve’s his weapon. It was home-made, created from the spare parts of a broom, a butter knife, and some rubber bands. But then again, everything had to be home-made in a apocalypse. I run back and pull his wrist just as he touches the spear. We run with all our mite back to the bunker. “What did Noah say again?” Liam askes, “Did he say left turn on queens or right?” “Left” I answer turning the conner, ...

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“Expectations” by Manolis Kokogiannakis

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” 1 hour ago: “Ok mum,” I sigh as I go down to get Billy who is playing in the fields with his friends. “Billy, mum says to go back up cos’ dinner’s ready.” “But…wh.wh.why…No,” Billy whines, which makes his friends giggle quietly(you don’t want to get on the bad side of Billy). “I will tell mum,” I reply quite sternly. Billy finally agrees and comes back up to our small nest where mum has worms ready. In an instant Billy complains that we always have worms (we do not). In the end Billy finishes al...

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“The Volcanic Date” by Ria Aggarwal

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time!” panicked Brayden. “You got us into this situation, and now you’re going to get us out,” replied Angela. “Well, yeah I would. But how was I supposed to know that the hot air balloon would malfunction?” “Maybe you shouldn’t have lowered the hot air balloon into a volcano,” Angela spoke firmly. She walked towards him. Her eyes were filled with rage. “Listen, I was just going to lower the hot air balloon a little bit and then raise it back into the air. This whole thing was supposed to be a joke anyways! Nothing ...

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“Pressure” by Whitney Devor

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” Paula Groves said as she flipped through the JCPenny magazine. “Your graduation party is in three weeks, and if you don’t choose a dress I’ll have to pay for expedited shipping.” Paula’s daughter Alice was silent across the table as her mother rambled on about pastels being popular colors this year but, in her opinion, Alice looked best in darker colors like navy or plum. Alice didn’t tell her mother that she didn’t like any of the dresses from JCPenny, she didn’t tell her about the long cornflower blue dress wit...

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“No Year Ends in June” by Hannah B

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” But I know that. He tells me again when my silence fails to give way to the fight he wants, or to the decision, or to anything, and then he says, Look at me. He begs. I can’t – no – that’s not true. I don't. I find an ant wobbling across the ground and I watch it. We can’t rid the house of them. Every windowsill, every place where wall meets floor, I’ve traced over and over with peppermint oil, and then with salt, as though an ant could be treated the way a foul spirit might be treated. When we still cooked in ...

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“Please Don't Cry” by Jim Hirtle

Submitted to Contest #154

Please Don’t Cry “We’re running out of time,” she tells him. He knew the look. He had seen it a thousand times. When she gets this way, he knew to just remain calm. Anything he said that was not a confirmation of her assessment would lead to crying. He couldn’t tolerate her crying. He loved her more than words could ever describe, but her crying was…it was just ugly. Glistening snot accompanied by the vexatious gulping of air like a beached whale choking on a truckload of sand, and then the end…the end was the worse. Hiccups always followe...

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Start your story with someone saying, “We’re running out of time.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 77 stories

“If Time had wings” by Jennifer Braveheart

“A Night in the Peruvian Andes” by Chris Rohe

“A Stone's Throw” by Nina Strelov

“Bushwacked” by KBK Miller

“Spider and the Heist of the Brood Crystal” by Jeffrey Moncrief

“A Passage of Time” by Jocelyn Yeomans

“First comes love...” by Jessica Baker

“From Darkness, Comes Light” by Janetra Waters

“No Regrets” by Amie DeStefano

“Grace is all we need” by Kaylee Johnson

“Expectations” by Manolis Kokogiannakis

“The Volcanic Date” by Ria Aggarwal

“Pressure” by Whitney Devor

“No Year Ends in June” by Hannah B

“Please Don't Cry” by Jim Hirtle

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who feels increasingly irrelevant.

Write a story — romantic or not — about two characters who can’t find the right timing.

Write a story about an object that has been around for centuries or passed down generations.

Write a story featuring an element of time-travel or anachronism.

Contest #154

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

112

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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