5800+ Thriller Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Looking for a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath? Don’t skip our collection of thriller short stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“inspirAItion” by Derrick M Domican

🏆 Winner of Contest #266

08:50:05.000:RequestGeneratedHey Phaedra, can you give me a recipe for vegan lasagne with a rich, creamy bechamel sauce?08:50:05.005: ResponseDispatched++Certainly! For a delicious vegan lasagne, you'll need lasagne noodles, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta, and a homemade bechamel sauce. Here's the recipe and step-by-step instructions, Michael!++08:50:05.012:RequestGeneratedPhaedra, how do I fix a leaky faucet?08:50:05.020: ResponseDispatched ++Here’s a step-by-step guide to get that faucet fixed. Grab a wrench and some plumber’s tap...

151 likes 184 comments 184

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“Seven Hundred and Thirty Days” by Danielle LeBlanc

🏆 Winner of Contest #252

My eyes felt like galaxies—holding the swirling glow of countless memories—as I took in our childhood home. Its siding looked like remnants of driftwood after a bonfire. I swore I smelled the smoky char of pine creep into my nostrils. It’s wild how the past stays with you like that. It can feel more visceral and real than the tangible things right in front of you. “Jesus, it feels like just yesterday.” I placed a trembling hand over my heart, struggling to steady my breath.My brother, Perry, pulled me into a tight embrace, his strength ...

147 likes 141 comments 141

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“When I Read Beckett” by Liz Grosul

🏆 Winner of Contest #241

…in…in this room…cursed room…loved?... cursed…. where she slept…half-grown in her hometown t-shirt…shorts…no shorts…t-shirt worn with holes…on the floor…he having thrown it…under the bed…dust collected and swept and settled again…. and again…who?... he… not she?...gracious!...there for the first time…assuredly last time…no boys in the room, father said…keep out!...nodded her head… but in the room…blue light hugging the window…scotch tape…peeling off the paint whether chipped or freshly laid or…exhumed…he found her in the— no, not found…held…...

93 likes 74 comments 74

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“The Big Freeze” by Simeon Whiting

Submitted to Contest #281

Everyone in Longstanton knows the story of Tom Forbes. It began as a ghoulish news item in the South Cambridgeshire Recorder in December of 1962, fuelled village gossip for months afterwards and finally passed into local folklore. The Rev and Mrs D.P. Goodwin were scandalised when they heard that their beloved daughter, Caroline, had been accosted by Tom, an uncouth young farm labourer. (Accosted repeatedly in fact and, I might add, a very enthusiastic participant in the accosting.) The ever-respectable vicar forbade Caroline from seeing Tom...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Piccadilly” by Vladimir Stefan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #273

Middle carriage. The one I enjoy most and the one people avoid most. There must be a widespread belief that the middle is the busiest. Life’s examples of Bell curves, I suppose. The train pulls up, so I take my waiting spot on the platform like a responsible citizen. I feel my armpits sweaty, so I keep my arms close, just in case.The breaks are applied, and I’m perfectly aligned with the door. Years of the same job, same route, same carriage work wonders. Sometimes I play mental games to measure how far I am from the split between the doors....

38 likes 19 comments 19

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“The Ex” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #263

One thing people often miss about life is that preparation is key. It’s all about planning. Getting each detail right. It makes all the difference. If you plan carefully, you succeed. It’s that simple. Whether it’s a big project or just a daily routine, being ready sets you apart. "One venti brown sugar oat milk iced latte," she mutters, her eyes shackled to her phone. Bad-mannered, I think. It's a glimpse into the core of someone's soul- how they treat those serving them. It separates her kind from mine. She flicks her phone over the card r...

84 likes 67 comments 67

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✍️ All stories

“Box” by Karen Gregory

Submitted to Contest #281

It arrived amongst the junk mail and bank statements. It arrived unmarked and unassuming four days before Christmas. It’s been sitting on my kitchen table for three days. I haven’t opened it. There’s no postage on the brown packaging. It doesn’t even bear my name. I’m still not sure its meant for me. The package was surprisingly heavy, and when I picked it up off my front step, it felt as if it was unwilling to be suspended. As if gravity refused to let this particular item go airborne without a fight. I heaved it onto the table and put my ...

0 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Secret Santa” by Joshua Doyle

Submitted to Contest #281

      All the hardware store’s employees were called into the breakroom to get their presents from underneath the Christmas tree. Their gifts were from their selected Secret Santa. Elena grabbed her present, then walked back to the garden department. Crowds were not her thing, and she preferred to keep working rather than socialize. “What did ya get?” Christine asked, startling her. There were some people she couldn’t avoid socializing with, no matter what. “You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that.” Elena ch...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Sweet Spot” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #281

"Happy Birthday, Mack.""Thanks, Dad.""Since you're 21, I wanted to give you something you'd enjoy. I rented a cabin for you on a lake where there may or may not be other campers for a week.""No way! That's awesome. Thanks, Dad.""It's just for you. Nobody else. Understand?""Sure. Got it.""Okay. The map and the keys are in the glove box of the Jeep. I've also packed some groceries and drinks.""What? I'm leaving now.""Yup. See you next week; bye and enjoy.""Okay then. Thanks again, bye."Mack blasted his music to Lake Wannogonkin, which must hav...

8 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Big Freeze” by Simeon Whiting

Submitted to Contest #281

Everyone in Longstanton knows the story of Tom Forbes. It began as a ghoulish news item in the South Cambridgeshire Recorder in December of 1962, fuelled village gossip for months afterwards and finally passed into local folklore. The Rev and Mrs D.P. Goodwin were scandalised when they heard that their beloved daughter, Caroline, had been accosted by Tom, an uncouth young farm labourer. (Accosted repeatedly in fact and, I might add, a very enthusiastic participant in the accosting.) The ever-respectable vicar forbade Caroline from seeing Tom...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Sinister Wish” by Donald Haddix

Submitted to Contest #281

Tom Williams walked into his office party and it looked so festive. The buffet was unbelievable. It was Christmas Eve, so it was bonus time for all the employees. Tom's top three were in attendance. Mr. Williams, Tom, started his department chain by hand in the hills of Arkansas. Before Tom, it was only the big box stores. He broke the mold though, and now these three were in control. The company put together this party to honor the three and everyone was dancing, drinking and having a good time. As he looked around the room, he only saw g...

10 likes 6 comments 6

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“The Missing pieces” by Natacha Neves

Submitted to Contest #281

Title: The Missing Pieces The package arrived on a gloomy Tuesday. It was small enough to fit in her mailbox.Rain streaked the windowpane as Clara turned the cardboard box over in her hands. There was no return address, just her name in a tidy, cursive script that felt unnervingly familiar. Inside, hidden in white tissue paper, a lock of daek brown hair, with ashy blonde hughlights was tied with a red ribbon. She froze, her breath caught somewhere between disbelief and dread. The color, the texture. it was unmistakably hers. She ran her fing...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Rosie ” by Sarah Leiphart

Submitted to Contest #281

Content warning: possession, body horrorIt started so innocently at first. Abby was maybe two or three when she started playing with Rosie, a small teddy bear we had gotten for her from the Goodwill. She would talk and laugh and have tea with Rosie, they shared everything including dinner. It all seemed innocent enough and my husband and I never put much thought into it. At my mother’s funeral Abby spent the whole time sitting a couple headstones away with Rosie, it kept her distracted which was a good thing given the circumstances. We went ...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Ice Veins” by Chyna Wells

Submitted to Contest #281

The coldest day of the year had arrived in Black Hollow, and no one dared venture beyond their doors. The frost was unnatural, deeper and sharper than anything that came before it. The townsfolk whispered that it was the doing of the ice veins—strange fissures that had appeared across the frozen lake in the past few weeks, glowing faintly blue as if alive. Samantha "Sam" Miller didn’t believe in the town's superstitions. She believed in science, in reason. Ice veins were just a natural phenomenon, caused by trapped gases or thermal pressure—...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Masquerade's Curse” by Chyna Wells

Submitted to Contest #281

The grand ballroom shimmered with golden light, every corner aglow from chandeliers dripping with crystal. The party was in full swing, the hum of laughter and clinking glasses filling the air. It was the social event of the season, hosted by the enigmatic Lady Rosamund in her sprawling estate atop Blackwood Hill. Everyone who was anyone had received an invitation, each gilded card inscribed with the promise of a night of revelry, mystery, and grandeur. But no one had expected the stranger. The figure appeared at the entrance just as the clo...

8 likes 2 comments 2

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“Uninvited: The Nightmare Guest” by Marissa Twardy

Submitted to Contest #281

The mansion stood in eerie silence, its windows aglow with the soft light of candles flickering in the dark. Snow had begun to fall heavily, blanketing the grounds in a layer of pristine white, as if the world itself had been hushed for this one night. Inside, the laughter and clinking glasses filled the grand halls, a stark contrast to the desolation beyond the walls. It was the night before Christmas, and the Langley estate was hosting its annual holiday gala. The fire roared in the hearth, the scent of spiced wine and roasted chestnuts ha...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Tappner Inn” by J.L. Cleary

Submitted to Contest #281

The haunting melody of Carol of the Bells drifted softly through the car, its eerie notes mingling with the muffled whispers of the storm. Outside, snow fell relentlessly, swallowing the road in an endless white abyss. It was impossible to tell where the pavement ended and the wilderness began—our only compass, the skeletal outline of trees that seemed to hover like ghosts in the distance.  My knuckles ached, bone-white against the wheel, my grip unyielding as if sheer force could keep us tethered to the treacherous ground. The tires sk...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“Dentiscalpium” by Paulo Sayson

Submitted to Contest #281

The scent of pine needles and cinnamon hung heavy in the air, a cloying blend that grated on my senses. The rhythmic, jovial voices of children singing carols echoed from an old turntable in the corner, their cheerfulness almost mocking in its perfection. The humans called these sensations the "spirit of Christmas," a ludicrous notion to a being such as myself. I watched them from the black accent wall, perfectly still, with a tray of champagne balanced on all five fingers of my metallic hand. The humans were oblivious to my presence, their ...

5 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Snow Globe Guest” by Jim LaFleur

Submitted to Contest #281

The Christmas lights cast dancing shadows across the living room walls as Daniel nursed his third glass of wine, watching the party unfold from his corner sanctuary. His notebook lay open on his lap, its pages as blank as they’d been for the past eight months. Even here, at Sarah’s annual Christmas gathering, he couldn’t escape the crushing weight of his writer’s block. “Still hiding in corners, Dan?” Sarah appeared beside him, her emerald cocktail dress catching the light. “You know, the whole point of a party is to actually interact with p...

19 likes 12 comments 12

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“The Confession Room” by Nicole Ecleo

Submitted to Contest #280

“In the name of the father… and of the son… and of the holy spirit. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”“May the Lord be in your heart and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow. How long has it been since your last confession?”“It’s been… like… a decade…? I—I can’t even remember.”“At least you have decided to turn back to God. What would you like to ask forgiveness for?”“To start, uhm, I’ve been eating quite a lot. I don’t know if it’s gluttony but like… eh… it’s just my coping mechanism. It’s been doing more harm than good anywa...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Capital Punishment: The Game Show” by John Rafanelli

Submitted to Contest #280

*** contains curse words “Helloooo America, are you ready for Capital Punishment?” An eccentric man screams into a gold plated microphone. He’s standing on a vibrant stage in front of a live studio audience.The audience uproars with excitement and glee. “Okay, okay everyone,” the charismatic person continues, calming everyone down. “I’m your host Felix Baldwin.” His silver hair is slicked back. He's the prototypical attractive and cheesy game show host.“Ohh Sandra,” he calls out, extending his arm to the curtain behind him. The crowd go...

5 likes 2 comments 2

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