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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of suspense short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

150+ Suspense Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From bizarre characters to creeping threats, this collection of suspense short stories gives you an exciting array of bone-chilling tales.

Suspense Short Stories – Page 2 of 10

Against the Heat

Submitted to Contest #314

It was the hottest day of the year. The streets shimmered under the scorching sun, and most of the town had retreated indoors. But not the firefighters—they were out in the heat battling a blaze burning at well over fifteen hundred degrees.At Station 24, the team gathers, sweat already starting to trickle down their faces, as the radio tones them out, again, for a brush fire spreading fast at the edge of town. Without hesitation, they suit up and head out, engines roaring.Lucy swung into her gear—boots, jacket, helmet. Every movement was sha...

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The Dent in the Grass

Submitted to Contest #314

I can’t sleep.The heat sits on you like a second body. It presses into the mattress, into your hairline, into the hollow behind your knees, and when you turn your pillow, the other side is already warm with the memory of your head. The fan above turns, pushing the same air around in slow, lazy arcs. It hums like a patient too far gone to complain.The red digits on the clock read 2:11. Outside, the street has the hushed, suspended quality of a photograph—no cars, no voices, only the long, metallic rattle of insects in the plane trees. Somewhe...

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Heatwave

Submitted to Contest #314

The television forecasters had been calling it a heatwave, but that was such a drastic understatement as to be laughable, according to Alejandra Jiminez. She would have said just that if anyone had bothered asking her, but no one did. They should, she thought grimly, following the trail towards the sound of voices ahead. Alejandra often thought of her job as a Death Valley National Park Ranger in two ways: protect the park from the people and protect the people from themselves. The latter was more difficult. As her smart watch started buzzin...

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And So We Melt

Submitted to Contest #314

Sweat dripped down from her brow, sliding down the side of her face and dangled from her chin a milisecond. Like the condensation on a glass of cold southern iced tea, before it attempted to continue its journey. Instead it was stopped by the top of her housecoat. If she was brazen enough she would sit here in the nude but even at five a.m. the mosquitos were still buzzing. Apparently they cant sleep for the heat either. My Lord its hot she said vehemntly to herself. Swiping at the mosquito and her head that was matting in a wet clump. Five...

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Night Mission

Submitted to Contest #314

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more NIGHT MISSION MIKE AUG 7 A Night Mission with Navy SEALs and Their Dog Shadow. Night Infiltration in a Remote ValleyA low moon hangs over the Afghan valley, casting faint silver over rugged terrain. Six Navy SEALs move in a loose file through the scrub and shadows, virtually invisible in their camouflaged gear. At the head of the formation was a lean, muscular Belgian Malinois, the team's military working dog. His name is Shadow, and like hi...

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You should lighten up if you're gonna be a fungi

Submitted to Contest #314

The odour of warm damp earth, like the first rain as summer wanes, clouded Sam’s dream. Not unpleasant, almost soothing. But beneath hung subtle undertones of decay. He was running through the woods in the growing dusk of his nightmare, pursued by an invisible presence. - He rolled over in the tangled sheets, faint daylight crept around the edges of the curtains -. A branch in the undergrowth seemingly leapt up and tripped him. He clutched at the bed covers that felt like loose damp soil between his fingers and woke with a gasp as he hit the...

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Fighting the Truth—Canine World Version

Submitted to Contest #314

Dawn prowled the sleeping woods, clawing at our den with chill and promise. Comfort was not a lie we told each other as all of us siblings pressed close to one another. The night before, our world belonged to us. Our world was safe. Or so we thought. By morning, it was all gone. I stepped out into the frigid air, which gnawed stinging teeth into my nose, a purple and navy sky streaked above me. The rustle of leaves whispered secrets, and I could sense the forest holding its breath. The mournful howling from beyond the den made my fur bristle...

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Mojave Blaze

Submitted to Contest #314

For the better part of a month in the Mojave landscape of Bullhead City, Arizona, Rudy Sinclair found herself starting her mornings at 4 am. A car crash had left her with a herniated disc, the sciatica a relentless fiery stab down her leg, mirroring the blazing desert beyond her window. Rising from bed was a struggle. She eased herself down to the cool hardwood floor and, with gritted teeth, arched into cobra pose, the gentle stretch coaxing sweat from her brow. Another month, she figured, until her body moved freely again. Until then, sleep...

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The Update

Submitted to Contest #314

I can't sleep. Sweat trickles down my forehead as my body twitches and my eyes flutter. Suddenly, I bolt upright in bed, pushing the covers aside. I walk towards the window and open the blinds. I’m met with the city’s dark, grimy state. My lips curl in disgust. Homeless people are fighting for scraps, young children running around trying to steal whatever they can to survive. “I won’t be opening the window tonight.” I whisper. This is the third time this week my AC has gone out, and the shitty landlord refuses to get a new one. Living in New...

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Supine

Submitted to Contest #314

It was the hottest day of the year. The meteorologist had warned that the temperature would hit 104 degrees by the afternoon. He used words like “unprecedented” and “extremely dangerous.” It was the kind of day people spent lying by the pool or lounging in the air conditioning. I lay broken and bruised inside an empty house. I was alone. And I was roasting alive. The house was empty because the previous family had moved out and put it up for sale. I’m a Real Estate Agent. Not a particularly good one, but that’s how I found myself in the ho...

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Navigating the Heat

Submitted to Contest #314

It was the hottest day of the summer, and the weather app on my phone gave me no comfort. The forecast said it would feel like 110 degrees. I didn’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it—because, of course, it’s summer, and heatwaves are practically a given—or to groan in dread. Of all the days to be an adult, why did it have to be today? My pillow became my best friend, as I buried my face in it and let out a silent scream. But then, I remembered what my therapist had taught me when anxiety made an uninvited guest appearance.So, I li...

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She's On the Run

Submitted to Contest #314

She’s On the Run Toya ran as fast as she could to get away from the lifeless body. The sound of sirens made Toya stay in the shadows for fear of being caught. Damn it, Diamond! Toya whispered under her breath as she remembered hearing the gun go off. Toya leaned against the cold brick wall in the alleyway. She saw two police cars speed past her rushing to the location at the house where the shooting happened. Earlier that afternoon Toya and Diamond, who had been best friends since elementary school, decided to go to Club Aces. It was the mo...

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The Regret Wish And the Century Plant

Submitted to Contest #314

The Agave Americana is definitely from Earth. It’s also known as a century plant because it only blooms once every 100 years (roughly) and then dies. The Agave Americana only blooms once a century. It bloomed early, which means it will soon die. Glass smashing against concrete dragged sixty-seven-year-old Ruth Gardener from a dream vacation with Presidential Front Runner Senator Thomas Edwards. She sat up, glancing around her as a familiar voice screamed, “I told you I didn’t want eggs anymore!”A fearful voice replied, “I am sorry, but that’...

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DESTINY OF A DRAGON

Submitted to Contest #314

I know. I know. Dragons can’t talk. We just soar around. Just breathe fire. Just harass the populace. Well, not this dragon. Not old Durginak (that’s me). Thanks to a young druid from DeVille, a spell was cast from his staff, and here I am speaking the language. It’s about time too. I’m four hundred and forty years old. And in that time, I’ve only had one friend. Oh Rosalina. Her bones are buried out back of my cave. There under my rock porch where I lounge and look over the valley and wonder what could have been. Now before you say, ‘Wait ...

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Tank, The Bestest Boy

Submitted to Contest #314

It was still hot out here. When Harry and I went for our walk eariler today, the concrete burned my paws so much that I licked them all afternoon laying on my couch while he stayed in his office. He once left the door open when he was in there, and I wanted to help him out, so I brought my rope in there. He got angry when some stuff got knocked onto the floor, and told me I couldn’t be in there. So I laid on the couch every time he went in there and closed the door. But he always came out for dinner, and shook my bowl to let me know it was t...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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