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

“The Stampede” by Cindy Pereira

Submitted to Contest #122

Well now, what can I say? It is an annoying experience to be caught in a traffic jam. There’s dust, there’s smoke, and there are fumes and vapours, blaring horns, angry engines, whining motors, swears and curses, heat, sweat and impatience. Have you ever been in a cattle drive that has stampeded? I most surely have not; that sort of experience is confined to those who inhabit the Prairie and the Pampas and the Downs, but I will take the liberty to draw comparisons – we are in the middle of a cattle drive where the swirling dust has been repl...

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“One Federal Street” by Nix ♞

Submitted to Contest #122

He starts—brakes——brakes again.There isn't—there can't be anything worse than this.Barely moving—Stuck—In spot—Worst of all he's on a—bridge.He remembers when the Tobin didn't have fencing——barricades.The state said they'd be too "cost-prohibitive." Isn't everything—everyone—Don't we all cost—something? Won't it all—something?Of course, the Tobin has fencing now. Since Chuck Stuart. Didn't Chuck Steward know it all cost something? He didn't know that. Or we'd assume that based on the—verdicts. But maybe—he did. In the end, maybe he did. The ...

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“The Bridge of Lake Roho” by Rebecca Perez

Submitted to Contest #122

In a rush to get home after my long and trying day at the office and the extremely long lines I had to endure on my shopping spree. I decided to take a shortcut that I normally wouldn't take. My normal route is the highway, which takes me about 5 miles around Lake Roho, or the Lake of Lost Souls as the crazy locals like to say. Instead, I took a winding dirt road which led to a bridge that crosses the massive lake. On the other side is my small sleepy town, and my warm soft bed. Which I was dying to climb into right now. Once I reached th...

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“Dad” by Destinee Renae

Submitted to Contest #122

He lets out a sigh. Getting stuck in traffic certainly wasn’t on his holiday itinerary. With it being Black Friday, there must be hundreds of cars pressed nearly bumper to bumper as they rush to go shopping. And the ones who aren’t going shopping are probably trying to get home to their families. He’s not going home to his family. Well, not really. He’s going back to the house he used to live in, but only to drop Sarah off, and then he’s driving back to his apartment to spend the holidays alone. Which, though not ideal, has been the usual ...

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“Florence and the Machine” by Amelie R.

Submitted to Contest #122

Florence pressed her palm into the horn. It bleated like a wilting goat, and her car reverberated from the noise, coughing. This would have been productive, if she had been the only one honking. Alas, the sound of her blast just drained into the sink of yammering traffic around her. After standing still for ten minutes on Shepperton, she croaked her Volkswagon into park, and stuck her head out of the window, on the lookout for an explanation. This hadn’t been how her morning started. She woke up early, picked up hot coff...

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“A Black Friday” by Iyebiye Olawuyi

Submitted to Contest #122

The soft air breeze that blew at his face smelled so much like uncertainty. The really friendly nature of the cab driver, the high-rise buildings of Victoria Island or the beautiful early- sunrise view of the Lekki-Ikoyi road meant nothing to him. The only thing that mattered to him was making it out of the traffic jam early enough for his interview. As cars kissed each other's bumpers and his world seemed to be at a standstill, Fred’s heart was racing at a speed that only anxiety can sponsor. Fred had always heard of Black Friday and t...

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“Orbicular Gridlock” by John Brannon

Submitted to Contest #122

New York City on a Friday afternoon, was everybody headed out of town? Traffic would suddenly move as if now it was clearing, but then nope. Sitting, waiting, the frustration was oppressive. As a NYPD detective, Dave had a blue light on his dash and a siren. Dave hated using the siren, it was so loud. But even using his lights and siren he would literally have had to drive on the sidewalk to escape the confining traffic. Dave had driven on the sidewalk before during a pursuit, but sidewalk driving was stressful and pretty high...

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“Traffic Troubles and Dad Drama” by GE Chris

Submitted to Contest #122

“Don’t make me stop this car!” Helen’s squeaky voice pierced the loud noises coming from the backseat of the van. Immediately, her children fell silent, fearful of their mother’s wrath. She had been tense for the entire six hours they had been on the road, and they didn’t dare make it worse when they had several more hours to go. Rubbing her temples, Helen stared out the window at the sea of red taillights, the never-ending line of traffic that was promised every Thanksgiving weekend. This year, Patrick had convinced her to go vi...

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“10 Weeks Later” by Vardaan Pandey

Submitted to Contest #122

(The story contains specific references to a mental health condition and substance abuse. Reader discretion is advised.)This story is a dialogue between Francis and Alice, a separated couple currently going to the hospital to meet their 18-year-old daughter, Megan. Francis is a 41-year-old advertiser, while Alice, also 41, is a freelance writer, unemployed 300 out of 365 days every year. Their daughter is a college student and an excellent soccer player, attending one of the best colleges in the country on a full sports scholarship and being...

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“Drive in Silence” by Allyne Betancourt

Submitted to Contest #122

We’ve moved a couple of feet in the last five minutes. No matter what time I return home to Culver City, I can’t seem to escape the south bound 405 gridlock. I thought traffic would be northbound the Monday after Thanksgiving. People should be back at work and school, but I still see the Mall parking lots congested with anxious shoppers waiting for a spot to open. I hate to shop; sales cannot entice me to fight my way through the crowds. Black Friday lasts too many days. It’s Monday, three days later. My mind flits ...

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“Bottleneck” by Maureen MacLennan

Submitted to Contest #122

Bottleneck They were in the middle of an argument; it was the kind you had as a married couple with a young child. You didn’t say anything frightening within earshot, and you adjusted your tone and volume but kept the words. They’d been doing it for well over a week now and she was exhausted. “Mommy when are we getting to the mall? How’s Santa going to know what I want?” Her son was squirming in his child safety seat and she didn’t blame him. Traffic had ground to a complete halt ten minutes before. She turned to look into his big brown eye...

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“Radio” by D.a. Marullo

Submitted to Contest #122

Prisella knew Matt didn’t want to go shopping. She gave him all the typical excuses why they needed to go; it was Black Friday and everything was 50-80% off, they needed stuff, they didn’t have much money {so best to take advantage of these sales} and Everyone shopped on Black Friday. He did not agree with any of this. He wanted to stay home, sleep and then watch a few black and white old noir movies on TCM. They would never agree, so they got into the car at 6am for the Mall. They sat in bumper to bumper traffic. Twenty minutes had already ...

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Contest #122

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Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 27 stories

“The Stampede” by Cindy Pereira

“One Federal Street” by Nix ♞

“The Bridge of Lake Roho” by Rebecca Perez

“Dad” by Destinee Renae

“Florence and the Machine” by Amelie R.

“A Black Friday” by Iyebiye Olawuyi

“Orbicular Gridlock” by John Brannon

“Traffic Troubles and Dad Drama” by GE Chris

“10 Weeks Later” by Vardaan Pandey

“Drive in Silence” by Allyne Betancourt

“Bottleneck” by Maureen MacLennan

“Radio” by D.a. Marullo

🌟 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: