Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 27 stories

“Red Blood, Cold Winds and Green Knights” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #122

There were hundreds of refugees. Lines of shivering survivors stretched off into the swirling white snow. At the south gate of Leonor, they were crammed together while soldiers of Crann Kingdom tried to make sense of the influx.“They’ve burnt it to the ground,” said a desperate woman’s voice. Danielle Longbow did her best to avoid being crushed by the caravan of men, women and children pushing to be closer to the gate.“The empire killed everyone. We’re all that’s left. Yo...

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“Featherless Bipeds” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #122

The morning traffic jam at the high school peaked at 7:47 a.m., short tempered fathers slowing down to jettison their surly sons, mothers asking their daughters if they wanted to take an umbrella just in case, seniors cutting off all other cars to drive diagonally through the parking lot.Mister Carlton angrily tapped the steering wheel of his 2000 Toyota Tercel. It had been his mother’s, a car he inherited when he graduated from college with a teaching degree in social studies and more student loan debt than his entire first year salary. He ...

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“Late to My Own Wedding Day” by Rose McCeldry

Submitted to Contest #122

My head falls into my hands and I groan as the car in front of me slams on their brakes once again for the millionth time. Of course on the most important day of my life not only did my driver cancel on me, but now the traffic is insane and I'm probably going to show up to my own wedding an hour late with my hair and makeup looking like it was done by a caveman. I could almost cry, but I don't. I can't let my mascara run. I can't give the universe the power to say I boohooed on my wedding day - and not a good boohoo.My phone rings and I jolt...

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“The Season of Evil” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #122

(Content Warning: Violence, Language, and Holiday Frights.)Honk! Honk! ’Tis that time of year when the whole world is heart to heart, or in this case, bumper to bumper on Christmas Eve. The Johnson’s have been stuck in a traffic jam on I-89 for the past three hours, inching their way to Boulder Springs, Ohio. Spending Christmas with Uncle Drew for the past ten years had become a family tradition.Uncle Drew is not one for being polite, and over the years, he developed a Grinch-like attitude towards Christmas. So, every year his brother, Gary ...

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“I'm Late” by Mariah Heller

Submitted to Contest #122

Twins. She and Van were going to have twins. Jenna’s head was still reeling from the news she’d just received from her doctor. They’d been trying all of five minutes for baby number two. Having their daughter, now two years old, it seemed like a good time to aim for a brother or sister for little Amy. They’d just decided to start trying after she ended her last cycle. She was late by the time she was due for her next period. She remembered that conversation. “Van, I’m one day late.”“Yeah, you’re pregna...

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“Please Come” by Rebecca Loften

Submitted to Contest #122

“Come on, come on, come on,” Angie muttered as her fingers drummed the steering wheel. Leaning as far as she could within the confines of the driver’s seat, she craned her head, trying once again to catch a glimpse of whatever was causing this nightmare of a traffic jam. Thirty-four minutes, she’d been stuck in this exact spot. Thirty-five now, and the cars around her had barely moved an inch. She’d put her Volvo in park twenty minutes ago and might have turned off the engine as well, if it weren’t just on the wrong side of freezing outsid...

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“Mushroom Jam” by Forrest Folen

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #122

Note - Substance abuse, mental health trigger warnings ———————— If I was still in High School, this would be forgivable. If I was in College one might say I was experimenting with new states of mind...like taking on an internship with Terence McKenna or hanging out in a Grateful Dead parking lot before Jerry Garcia died. Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Clemente at dusk, the horizon bursts with orange and purple, and you feel connected. With the weekend in front of you, anything you're doing feels like it has...

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“Christmas Crisis ” by Delaney Roberts

Submitted to Contest #122

I’ve been in the car for way too long. I’m running out of songs to play and I refuse to listen to Christmas songs on the radio. My phone is ringing for the eighth time in a row. Ugh, of course, it’s Mom again. “Hey, Mommy!”, I say as I answer the phone with faux joy. “Vanessa, you’re going to be late”“I know Mommy. I’m stuck in traffic, I’ll be there soon”“I told you to stick to the back roads, you never listen to me. Ever since you left for college you never come to visit and the family only gets to see you around the holidays. And whe...

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“Unstuck” by L Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #122

It was time for Aurora to shift into park and release her stiffening leg from the brake. Nearly a quarter of an hour had gone by since traffic came to a standstill on the northbound highway. As her grip on the wheel loosened, along with her focus on the road, the busyness that she had forced on her mind also made an abrupt halt. The trip to the mall this morning was to be the culmination of days spent checking holiday sales and making up a shopping list, but all of that was on hold now because of black ice and distracted drivers. The...

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“Dashing my way” by Kate Irwin

Submitted to Contest #122

The traffic jam wasn't bad at University and Glenn Avenue. But, the bright afternoon sunlight hit my eyes, making me squint and barely see the light turn green. I was on my way to the first call.It was the week of finals, most papers were graded and my base salary covered the necessary bills. But, nothing was left over to pay for a much-needed adventure at the end of the semester. So, why not earn some extra money while forging a work-induced adventure in my four-door silver Hyundai? I accepted the app's challenge as a teacher/middle-aged mo...

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“Damn, This Traffic Jam” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #122

Damn, this traffic jam How I hate to be late It Hurts my motor to go so slow Damn, this traffic jam Time I get home my supper'll be cold Damn, this traffic jam Capella song by James Taylor runs through my head every night at quitting time when I am stuck in this traffic jam to get on the highway home. I should’ve written that letter to the mayor letting him know that an fifty percent increase in population means we have to widen the roads to accommodate it. Nothing ever gets done and we sit in this traffic wondering how long i...

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“A Hour in Traffic” by Words By Mary Isaboke

Submitted to Contest #122

Mr. and Mrs. Hall were looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with their son, daughter n law and two grands. As it turned out, they got stuck in the middle of a traffic jam for a hour. They were on their way to North Carolina from New Jersey. Three more hours of driving was in front of them. On a major highway, everything stopped. They got stuck in the middle of a congested traffic jam and their anxiousness turned to fearfulness.This couple are in their middle fifties. Mrs. Hall does not drive long distance. So Mr. Hall is at the wheel. M...

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“The Good Dog” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #122

In an effort to overcome her extreme impatience and frustration with the completely stopped traffic, Emilia was reading a sign out email about the patients she would be responsible for over the next week, provided she didn’t miss her flight home. She had been in this Central American country, her father’s homeland, for six days. Most of her time here had been spent meeting with local physicians and nonprofit board members to discuss the next steps in formalizing a partnership between thei...

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“Things happen in a house by the Sea... ” by Kathy Frizzell

Submitted to Contest #122

Stories always start with {Once a Time}, well not this one, it's about a silent house by the sea...cozy fire, sitting snuggled up, and a very stormy night, clouds rolling in, thunder just right around the corner!On this stormy night; in the garden of a forbidden forest, the pathway goes for miles and miles. There is a story I should share, but before I get ahead of myself, where I was, I was in, warm, cozy little silent house by the sea. A warm fire, burning, lights were low, thunder roaring and by myself deep in thoughts... Out o...

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“The Shorcut” by V Hew

Submitted to Contest #122

THE SHORTCUTHe can’t believe it. There is traffic on this road. He pounds his fist into the steering wheel and brakes to a full stop. There has never been traffic on this road. That’s why he deemed it a shortcut. Nobody knows about this shortcut. “I hate traffic!” His eyes get wide, and his mouth drops open as he realizes he did tell t...

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Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 27 stories

“Red Blood, Cold Winds and Green Knights” by Graham Kinross

“Featherless Bipeds” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“Late to My Own Wedding Day” by Rose McCeldry

“The Season of Evil” by Daniel R. Hayes

“I'm Late” by Mariah Heller

“Please Come” by Rebecca Loften

“Mushroom Jam” by Forrest Folen

“Christmas Crisis ” by Delaney Roberts

“Unstuck” by L Rodriguez

“Dashing my way” by Kate Irwin

“Damn, This Traffic Jam” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“A Hour in Traffic” by Words By Mary Isaboke

“The Good Dog” by Maria Avisal

“Things happen in a house by the Sea... ” by Kathy Frizzell

“The Shorcut” by V Hew

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.

Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.

A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next.

Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Contest #122

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

149

Contest entries

104

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: