You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you.

Posted in Mystery on Jul 15, 2021

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✍️ 412 stories

“Killer Love” by Natalie Larsen

Submitted to Contest #52

Ava stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice. His voice. She didn’t want to turn. Every nerve in her body was screaming for her to run. But she couldn’t run. If he found her here, he would find her anywhere. But… how? Her mind cried. “Ava?” The voice tauntingly repeats. It’s cautious, but mocking in tone. As if his voice controlled her, Ava turned to face him. She thought he was dead, but there he was, right in front of her on the street, smiling at her. Run! Her mind screeched at her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she took...

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“Charlie ” by Nyra Azavedo

Submitted to Contest #52

Ivan collapses to his knees and wipes the sweat off his forehead. The shovel drops onto the dirt, landing beside his blistered fingers. His shirt is coated in blood that wasn't his. Rumor had it, Charlie had no family. And if he did, no one loved him, which is probably why his family deserted him and never came for him since Ivan moved into the neighbourhood seven years ago. Charlie wasn't all right up there. People maintained their distance. So if anything were to happen to Charlie, would anyone even notice he was gone? Ivan met the...

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“Breathing” by Tiffany Lau

Submitted to Contest #52

“Well... My apartment’s over there. Talk to you later?” “Yep,” I replied, waving, and then looked to the side. My eyes locked onto another’s pair. Two holes, dark and soulless, and a face, strained to plaster a smile on, looked back. I averted my eyes down, watched the toy train choo choo around the snowy village on display, sipped my coffee, and then continued on my way. Two holes, a mouth to pump steam out, and a strained smile... I thought he was dead, but there he was, smiling at me. ------ “Ah good morning Be...

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“Present” by Patty Wojtach

Submitted to Contest #52

Why won’t Ivette just shut up? Lauren thought to herself. Lauren never sucked up to Ivette and was never truly considered a member of the team. This zoom meeting will never end! If it wasn’t a pandemic, she would be in the office and could just sit at her desk avoiding the meeting altogether. She was sure Ivette preferred it that way. Lauren would roll her eyes at the way Ivette preached about her devotion to her religion, which, in Lauren’s perspective, had no business in their meetings. Ivette was ramb...

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“Dopamine” by Lauren Veit

Submitted to Contest #52

The thing about death is that it takes a very long time. There’s planning to be done. There’s the wake and the funeral and the food and the gifts. There’s phone calls and texts to be answered. First there are sleepless nights. Then you have the days spent staring at the ceiling. Then afternoons clearing out the house. All of this turning into weeks in your planner that you never bothered to fill out. You knew there was someone in charge of watching you. There was always someone to usher you to the church or the house or the grief counselor. ...

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“Good Friday Resurrection ” by Gilbert Were

Submitted to Contest #52

The Good Friday was my first major denominational celebration since my infamous decision to join the Opus Dei. I perceived this day as conceivably one of those day’s that binned believers somewhere between grief and joy; not sure whether to mourn or celebrate the glorious but painful death of Christ. Of course, Christ had died to free us from the burden of sin as per the lessons, and who would mourn being relieved of their burdens, no matter what the cost had been. But again, how would you celebrate someone much superior losing his life for ...

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“Culpable” by Cheyenne Niel

Submitted to Contest #52

“I’m coming!” Sheri sprints through the house while narrowly avoiding tripping over the unkempt floor with garments and beer bottles on the way to the door. She swings it open to see that a man who looked about 6 feet tall, dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes that looked more green, was standing there. “Can I help you?” “My name is Jared Smith. I’m a detective for the case of your missing son.” He holds out his hand for me to shake it. “Oh! I was told you wouldn’t be able to come till later to discuss the case.” I shake his hand and open the...

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“He's still dead.” by Sejal -

Submitted to Contest #52

WARNING: mentions of self-harm and gender dysphoria. My feet pounding on the floor, trying to escape his grasp, his slimy fingers reaching for me. "Please stop." I wail, turning back. "You left me. You think you'll ever be a true wom-" I wake up in a cold sweat, for the 4th time in a row. I shiver and sit up, reaching for my water. After trying to calm myself I try to go back to sleep, but I just can't. 'I'm not going to sleep, might as well do something.' I sigh and slip out of my blankets, heading to my kitchen. I pour cold ...

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“Jahannam is Jahannam” by D. Hares

Submitted to Contest #52

The flames had barely reached the roof. Now the only taste left on Asem’s lips was that of gin. There had been a taste of ashes, of smoke entirely drowned out by the all compassing smell of smoldering plastic as the fire began to lick at the power lines and to eat away at the insulation like a starved dog. But the flames had barely reached the roof, when he turned around. They had not touched the car at all, but even so he had not considered taking it. Maybe he should have. The night had been surprisingly cold, considering that it had starte...

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“Why Roscoe Why” by Judith Buskohl

Submitted to Contest #52

Jamie had another dream about her last boyfriend, Roscoe being alive. All she could see was Roscoe standing in front of her with his hand out stretched toward her. His mouth was moving and she knew words were coming out. The words sounded weird and like it was another language that she couldn’t understand. It sounded like she had heard it before ,but she couldn't understand what he was saying. It bothered her when she had the dream because she always felt like she was letting Roscoe down. Their relationship hadn’t been what an...

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“Going down in Denver” by Lee Teschler

Submitted to Contest #52

“If you’re screwing with me, I’ll kill you..” That was how Jimmy first heard about his dad’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. He thought nothing of those words then. Doug, his father, often talked that way without really meaning it, particularly on the phone. What got Jimmy’s attention this time was the silence that followed. No light-hearted insults, no stupid jokes at the caller’s expense. The silence was odd enough to make Jimmy look up from the video game he was focused on. Doug en...

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“Making a Deal with Death” by Tracie Jekel

Submitted to Contest #52

“In Reverse” Submitted by Tracie Jekel I didn’t know that when I woke up that day, it would be the start of my demise. My mom came over and asked if she could take my son out for ice cream. Of course, I said, “Yes”…it was his grandma; he loved her so much! On the way to the ice cream shop, there was an accident. A horrible accident. An arrogant teenage boy, with a fast car, thinking he was untouchable, and texting, insta-gramming, Facebooking his friends. “Look how fast I’m going!” He showed a picture of his spee...

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“Revenants” by Antonio Aponte

Submitted to Contest #52

“That’ll be $5.89, sir.” I gave the cashier at ten dollar bill, quickly telling him to keep the change before grabbing my hot dog and walking away from the strong smell of smoke and grease into the hustling crowd of people walking along the concrete. It didn’t matter if they were a walking suit and tie or just a mundane tourist; no one paid any mind to me holding something that would probably give me a heart attack in a decade. I wasn’t too far from my forties now, and aside from a few occa...

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“Intoxication” by Jess Wood

Submitted to Contest #52

For the first time in months, everything was fine, but I couldn’t ignore the doubts in the back of my mind. I shook my head as I carried the last box into the living room where Dylan was already setting up his Xbox. ‘We’ve lived here for all of ten minutes, I can’t believe you’re already on that, Baby Bro.’ ‘I told you to stop calling me that,’ he complained but he didn’t stop smiling. His joy was infectious. With a matching, uncontainable smile, I set about moving items to the right rooms. For months I could only visit Dylan at the orphan...

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“THE DEAD DO NOT GET WET” by A Caesar

Submitted to Contest #52

THE DEAD DO NOT GET WET. Time does not heal all wounds, it merely helps in forgetting. That is the only explanation for my shaking hands and quivering lips, for the shattered cup and spilt coffee, and the erratic beating of my heart. Of all the places I imagined, of all my twisted fantasies I never expected it to be this way. He was just right there, right in front of me, staring at me with the same crooked smile I see when I dream. My eyes, brimming with tears, roamed down his form, rewriting and correcting everything that was fade...

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You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 412 stories

“Killer Love” by Natalie Larsen

“Charlie ” by Nyra Azavedo

“Breathing” by Tiffany Lau

“Present” by Patty Wojtach

“Dopamine” by Lauren Veit

“Good Friday Resurrection ” by Gilbert Were

“Culpable” by Cheyenne Niel

“He's still dead.” by Sejal -

“Jahannam is Jahannam” by D. Hares

“Why Roscoe Why” by Judith Buskohl

“Going down in Denver” by Lee Teschler

“Making a Deal with Death” by Tracie Jekel

“Revenants” by Antonio Aponte

“Intoxication” by Jess Wood

“THE DEAD DO NOT GET WET” by A Caesar

🌟 Similar prompts

Twenty minutes before you are about to get married, you find your mother and your fiancé kissing passionately.

Every year, one person is sent to the moon. This year, though you hid in terror, it is your turn to enter the rocket.

"Come with us,” two burly men in gray suits say, grabbing you by the arm and handcuffing you. “You know what you did.” But you have no idea.

You are the only one in the supermarket during a blizzard. Feeling creeped out, you decide to leave, when suddenly you find a baby abandoned on the floor.

Contest #52

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

958

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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