Write a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Jul 27, 2021

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✍️ 144 stories

“Not A Friend In The World ” by Meg OReilly

Submitted to Contest #60

(Trigger warning: body horror) Your twenty-first birthday is supposed to be a super fun night spent bar hopping with your friends, which is why I believe I deserve some sort of cosmic redo. See before I even had the chance to use my now legal ID, a bunch of aliens from planet who gives a shit, in a galaxy far, far away, invaded Earth and decided to use the human race for their transgenic experiment. Or something like that. The Alien’s gurgle voice boomed out of their spacecrafts and echoed across the world but I was too overwhelmed to really...

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“Redemption” by Izzy Marie Asteri

Submitted to Contest #60

Not a single wind blew here anymore. The land was barren, and it had been this way for thousands of years. Even the slightest traces of life were banished from its surface. All that remained were the marks of the previous inhabitants’ failure: buildings decaying to the elements, bodies strewn around in the streets, crazed messages hastily scribbled, and mass graves. The cause was unknown, as no one intended on actually examining the bodies, despite their curiosity. As a result, they forced me to do it. All I had to do was gather one s...

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“Fly the Coop” by Eli Tobin

Submitted to Contest #60

It wasn’t always like this. ‘Course, I don’t need to tell ya that. Ya already know that, don’t ya? Yeah, ‘course ya do. Most folks do, if only for the stories of my sisters and such. What those beasts did to us ain’t right. It ain’t natural what they did to us. It just ain’t. Most creatures, see, most creatures, they’ll hunt, right, they’ll chase down their prey and catch it and eat it and that’s that and that’s nature. That’s natural. What they did? It ain’t that. I know I don’t need to tell ya, but I’m gonna tell ya anyway. Got not...

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“Monster Husband” by Akilah Babb

Submitted to Contest #60

I was staying at a male and female shelter in NYC and this man approached. He tried to hit on me, but of course I did not give him my attention. Don't ask me why, but later on, I decided to call him to me and planned a kiss on him that he'll never forget. Next thing you know we clicked quickly and it was love at first sight. Well, my case manager reminded me of their no fratenizing rule but we and other couples in that shelter did not give a crap. That's what happens when your alone in the midst of those kinds of situations. I must admit, I...

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“The Election” by DIANA UZZELL

Submitted to Contest #60

I really thought they cared about us. I thought above all else life was thee most essential factor. From my point of view, it was and still is. I guess that’s where I went wrong. Right before the whole world turned upside down, I responded to a letter from a friend. She was trying to understand how the other side got it so wrong. She said, “I am tired of trying to figure out these idiots. I’m joining the movement. John’s dead. There is no reason to stay here.” It was weird reading this because out of all my friends, she was the most levelhea...

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“Sick of it. ” by William Bloodlust

Submitted to Contest #60

Dark green curtains blew softly in the wind. Behind them stood burnt orange walls, paint peeling. The room range with dull static—an outline of a square bottle on an old wooden bedside table. A rustling noise came from dirty green and orange sheets, a sandy blond-haired boy poked to read the clock. The red numbers burned 3:00 AM into his retinas. Squeezing his eyes, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, "No." he moaned, pulling himself further into the covers' arms. The acute pain developed into a sensation of agony as if the two sides ...

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“Ghosts and Shadows Walk the Streets” by Jack Dixon

Submitted to Contest #60

Ghosts and shadows walk the streets. Some run late for work. Late for school. Some plod home from the night shift. Echoes of tyres and treads mark the roads and sidewalks where the bustle once bustled. Where the chatter once blended with the natural cries of traffic. Zach sees the city thrive. Or the memory if it at least. He cannot tell any more. There is only him now. As he wanders down the main street, spec...

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“Mafia” by Bronze Nova

Submitted to Contest #60

“In the wasteland, it’s kill or be killed,” so many posters had once read many slogans just like that to promote their new post-apocalyptic movie, book, or game. Just another reminder of humanity’s hubris. Or is it the world’s sense of irony this time? I’m unsure, all I know is that such slogans now become the codes which people live by, including myself. It’s been many years since the apocalypse started. Barely anybody can remember just what started it. A rogue president with the codes to a nuclear arsenal? A benevolent god ending the fool...

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“New normal” by Jose Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #60

Steve McKay turned on his television and wanted to know what was going on in his beloved city. Mass unrest with lockdown and protest over police brutality was taking a toll on his city. The system had let him down. Had let everyone down. Mass unemployment and these politicians not caring. He prepared breakfast with one eye on the television. He made sure to tune into the governor's public briefing. Keep informed of the goings on in the city. Every day the city was descending towards chaos. Cops getting shot. People getting shot walking the s...

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“The Storm ” by Gabriel Torres

Submitted to Contest #60

The storm brought a winter-like-chill to the middle of summer and we smiled. The heat was destroying the scrap we called our homes and we were close to joining those that filled the sewers, but the rain changed that. It was the first we felt on our skins in months. We thought it would be the last for several more. Animals were hard to find but water was harder. We followed the animals and we found our pocket. It gave us just a little bit longer to live. This simplicity brought us back to our cores. Problems seemed to fall away. People were l...

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“Pestilence” by George Thomas

Submitted to Contest #60

It was the first time Billy saw someone die. His grandpa was sitting in his grey leather recliner, craning his neck to talk to Aunt Carole behind him. He suddenly looked bewildered, and his body stiffened. Aunt Carole, confused at first, walked closer to grandpa. Then she screamed, her hands clawing at her mouth. Billy wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he knew it must have been bad because his mother scooped him up and ran into the nearest bedroom. Tears were soaking her face. “Stay here Billy, ok?” She said. “What’s wrong mommy?” A...

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“Dead Days” by Kailani Mercury

Submitted to Contest #60

A few weeks ago, my life was blissfully normal. The Nevada city I lived in was teeming with life. I didn't have any concerns or worries. But that seems like an eternity ago. Hard to believe it's only been three weeks. God knows what state the rest of the world is in. They blocked off Spring Valley a few days after all hell broke loose. They shut off the city's power, water, and communication. As if shutting us down and pretending Spring Valley never existed could stop this problem from going global. Dang government. I remember when...

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“The Harvest” by Amy G

Submitted to Contest #60

Irene yawned and stretched in her chair. Crunching numbers and balancing the books was mentally exhausting. Her fingers were sore from typing. “Ugh, my back is stiff.” Snap. Crack. Pop. The tension in her shoulders gave her a headache, so she decided to walk outside. Irene loved her house in the country. Isolated and living alone, she tended to the farm and livestock. Bright sun filtered through colored le...

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“The Soleil Gem” by Carolanne Flowers

Submitted to Contest #60

When the explosion occurred, they fell to the floor. The walls began to shake, and the noise was louder and deeper than they had ever heard before. He shielded her body with his own, covering her mouth with his and keeping her pinned down on the floor. There was fear in her eyes, and she trembled underneath him. She could hear glass windows smashing, doors being ripped off their hinges and terrifying screams that got caught up in the wind and taken to the next world. Her dog laid down beside her, nuzzled his nose into her hand, and feebly at...

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“We're Done For” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #60

My boyfriend’s shaky, scared breath jutted in short, quick puffs. “Yeah,” he panicked into the walkie-talkie, his eyes darting as they widened and then normalized under this flickering science laboratory. The lights dimmed and then brightened—no, it was too nerve-wracking. No, scary and brain-numbing. The only thing I could think of was to stare right at the chocolate haired, white-faced, slightly freckly guy in white Converse sneakers. Who was staring straight up at the thunder and lightning ruling the sky as they took turns crackling and b...

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Write a post-apocalyptic thriller.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 144 stories

“Not A Friend In The World ” by Meg OReilly

“Redemption” by Izzy Marie Asteri

“Fly the Coop” by Eli Tobin

“Monster Husband” by Akilah Babb

“The Election” by DIANA UZZELL

“Sick of it. ” by William Bloodlust

“Ghosts and Shadows Walk the Streets” by Jack Dixon

“Mafia” by Bronze Nova

“New normal” by Jose Gonzalez

“The Storm ” by Gabriel Torres

“Pestilence” by George Thomas

“Dead Days” by Kailani Mercury

“The Harvest” by Amy G

“The Soleil Gem” by Carolanne Flowers

“We're Done For” by Christine Hungerford

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a funny post-apocalyptic story.

Write a post-apocalyptic story that features zombies.

Write a post-apocalyptic story triggered by climate change.

Write a post-apocalyptic romance.

Contest #60

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

762

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: