Start your story in the middle of the action.

Posted in Short Story on Jun 16, 2023

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✍️ 69 stories

“The Red Phone Booth” by Kai Moon

Submitted to Contest #203

John ran as fast as he could through the dark and cold night trying to swallow him whole. The barrage of raindrops soaked his jacket and jeans, and his hood wasn’t helping much, for the rain always had a way to attack one’s face, even with an umbrella. The water covering the ground like a plastic wrap dirtied his white sneakers with each splashing step he took. His breaths were becoming rapid and white. His eyes were locked onto the end of the alleyway, the colorful neon lights. He needed to escape this alley first. That was round one. Joh...

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“Since When Was 30 Seconds Forever?” by Zoe Zarubin

Submitted to Contest #203

**This story contains descriptions of a traumatic event. Reader discretion is advised.**My toes gripped the edge of the diving board. I shivered as the early morning air rushed past me, daring me to dive in like my friends who stood behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at my four partners in crime, all giggling in anticipation. This was what I got for sticking ice cream down James’ back. I smiled. It was worth it. I was to race my brother, who was five years my senior, down to the bottom of the pool and hold my breath for thirty second...

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“Malicious Designs” by Emma Kansiz

Submitted to Contest #203

Malicious Designs Emma Kansiz 1815, South England As I have been telling friends and associates since the ruinous day he moved into the manor directly across from mine, I have been completely out of sorts. This man, this ball of conceit they call Walpole Collingwood, has offended me on two counts. I will now elaborate upon these assertions. Before I learned of his identity, I already nurtured a certain distaste for the man. Firstly, Collingwood bought a manor that I, myself, had in my sights. It was a tale as old as time: he beat me to...

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“Eternal Seconds” by Alyssa Mamuszka

Submitted to Contest #203

A broken pipe dripped onto the unforgiving concrete floor nearby. I hoped the echo would somehow mask my labored breathing. That the cavernous building would capture the sounds of old pipes, innocent breaths of wind, scurries of hidden rats, before it would project my nervous shuffling. He must not hear, I must stay quiet. I swallowed nonexistent saliva. My back ached from crouching behind the rusted boiler. The dirt and dust from years of neglect coated the insides of my nose like hot, suffocating cotton. The gash above my left eyeb...

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“Crash and Burn” by Kevin Kenealy

Submitted to Contest #203

FADE IN: EXT — NIGHT A raging fire consumes a large residential home in the Chicago Beverly neighborhood… EMILY MURPHY, 35, sits on a curb across the street, staring in horror at the flames engulfing her home. The middle-aged housewife flips her auburn hair to the side with her ashy fingertips. She twirls her burned wedding wing around her delicate finger and sighs as plumes of smoke billow out of the upstairs windows. Firefighters try desperately to save what’s left of the housefire. Neighbors gather across the street, ...

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“Blood for Blood” by Anne Reed

Submitted to Contest #203

The ICU room was quiet except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitor. In the hospital bed was an unconscious man. He had a full head of brown hair, but his skin was paper white and his cheeks gaunt, so that he looked old. Beside him stood a tall woman dressed in pink scrubs, clashing with her orange hair and bright, red cheeks. Her eyes were blue but oddly flecked with purple. She warily eyed the hospital visitor standing at the foot of the bed. The visitor appeared ordinary, close in age to the patient, who was thirty years old. He had...

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“Final Escalation” by William Nguyen

Submitted to Contest #203

Silence is often defined as the absence of any sound, or anything that is loud. However, for the city of Manhattan, nothing could be louder than the silence. A city that was known for being immensely populated, and busy, was now completely abandoned. Buildings that once stood tall and proud, were now nothing more than the rubble that they left behind. Janktrons walked around the city, randomly slashing at buildings, and attacking anything that moved in their vicinity. A man wearing a black cardigan, with a white t-shirt underneath it, ...

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“The Recusants” by Amalee Bowen

Submitted to Contest #203

I wished the streets would just swallow me whole, but this city had teeth, and it had dug deep into my skin and stripped me down to the bone. My whole life flayed open, my identity ripped from me, all the joy devoured in one bite. All that remained was the rain pouring into the dark, muddy alleyways, and the shelter of shadows beneath boarded up windows. My hand dripped blood into the puddles at my feet as I limped through the alleyway, pressing close to the concrete walls when red and blue lights flashed through the damp night. All I...

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“Realism” by Michele Seidelman

Submitted to Contest #203

"WE NEED TO GO NOW." The panic in his voice echoed through the house hard and loud. He insistently threw random objects into the luggage bag and screamed at me to do the same. Still sobbing hysterically, but obliging his demand, I asked, "What does that even mean?!" He repeated, "WE NEED TO LEAVE, WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, IT'S NOT SAFE. WE NEED TO GO HOME." Tears unyielding, and voice heaving, I asked again, "Isn't this home?? Where is home?" The journey we took wasn't an easy one. We had just left one state to start all over again in...

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Start your story in the middle of the action.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“The Red Phone Booth” by Kai Moon

“Since When Was 30 Seconds Forever?” by Zoe Zarubin

“Malicious Designs” by Emma Kansiz

“Eternal Seconds” by Alyssa Mamuszka

“Crash and Burn” by Kevin Kenealy

“Blood for Blood” by Anne Reed

“Final Escalation” by William Nguyen

“The Recusants” by Amalee Bowen

“Realism” by Michele Seidelman

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story during which two conversations happen simultaneously.

Write about how a single event affects a seemingly unrelated area of a character’s life (their friendships, career, romantic relationships, etc.)

Write about two friends getting into a fist fight.

Write a story that experiments with tone — perhaps a difficult subject dealt with in a playful way, or an ostensibly happy scene that hints at darkness lurking beneath.

Contest #203

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: