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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

6260+ 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.

Thriller Short Stories – Page 356 of 418

Night Caller

Submitted to Contest #59

Night Caller – By Beulah Lee Harris I looked out at the frigid night and shivered. Not because I was cold, I was wrapped up warmly enough, but because I was afraid of whatever might be lurking in the dark.    It was so remote where we lived in the foothills of the mountains. Our nearest neighbors, Greg and Jeanie, were an hour’s slow drive away and the town where I worked was an hour in the other direction. We thought it was a wonderful find, this wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere, a little way up the ...

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Drifted

Submitted to Contest #59

A tumbleweed rolled across the empty dusty road. Whatever pushed it along its way was unknown to Kristy as she baked under the brightness above her. She was hunched over the hood of her broken down El Camino. It was little better than sitting inside the hot car, but at least out here she could breathe. She had no water, and she had no idea how long she would have before the tow truck reached her.Kristy stared off into the distance toward the mountains of red sandstone. The bases of the mountains were blurred behind the water-like mirage risi...

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When the Clock Strikes Ten

Submitted to Contest #58

Kingpin Arthur is what they called him. Nobody knew what he looked like or how old he was, but everybody cowered when his name was spoken. His shadow loomed over New York City in the form of a sinister tower, one that stood menacingly at the center of the Manhattan skyline as a symbol of power and influence. While much of his life was shrouded in mystery, many speculated he had inherited his media empire from family ties. Perhaps he was related to the Dreiden Family, or the Napier Family. No wonder the man named himself after Arthurian legen...

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An Interrupted Ascent

Submitted to Contest #58

Monday, April 14th, 9:56 a.m.Johnny Atlas leaves his cubicle and speed-walks down the aisle, past the water stand and the receptionist’s desk, doing his utmost to avoid eye contact with his talkative coworkers. He is on his way up. Up the building, up the ranks, up the corporate ladder. And with each step away from the bland walls and stale lights of the office where he has spent the last 344 weekdays of his boring life, Johnny feels more and more like he is floating. Now is his chance to escape the dregs of the bottom floor and rise to grea...

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As Clear As Day

Submitted to Contest #58

The metallic doors slide open, moving to the chime's cadence, signaling the arrival of my transport. My reflection is distorted by the steel as it's pulled apart, allowing me to step inside. I hold my hand at the edge of the cold metal frame, waiting for someone else to enter. No one follows. The doors are slow to close, perpetuating a forced maneuver, an onus task. I always get the feeling I should be anticipating someone—or something. The vessel craves more than one soul, but it only gets me. I move my finger towards the terminal of button...

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Cecelia at the Cecil Hotel

Submitted to Contest #58

March 13 - Cecelia at the Cecil Hotel.  It sounded so good in my mind when I made the reservation.  Now, I’m not so sure.  I came here to get away.  I’m known for playing it safe and for being mildly superstitious.  I figured no one would ever think to look for me here.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.   I have been here for seven days and six nights.  Night seven is quickly approaching.  At the best of times I’m slightly claustrophobic.  Now, the walls seem nearly unbearable.  I have...

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In the dark.

Submitted to Contest #58

I was on my way out of the hospital when a storm came in out of nowhere. It was quite odd, as it was a warm summer day, not even a cloud in the sky. As the clock hit 10 pm, I cleaned up my desk as quickly as possible without causing a scene. I had a date with my new neighbor, who happened to love Chinese take out and a scary movie just as much as I do. I had been thinking about our date all day, it was the only thing I could focus on, it had been one of the slowest days of the summer, only a hand full of patients, most of them dumb teenagers...

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Gangadevipalli(The village on the banks of River Gang Devi)

Submitted to Contest #58

In the night, the streets in the village of Gangadevipalli are so bright. Currently half the houses in the village doesn’t have lights switched on, as they are sleeping. And half the houses in the village are having lights switched on, as some people are watching TV shows, and some are farmers - doing early preparation for tomorrow’s work in the fields. It is 10 pm now, the power goes off. When the power goes off, the villagers of gangadeviapalli gets really scared and they rush and lock themselves in their homes until the next day morning 4...

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A Sense of Shame

A H

Submitted to Contest #58

Thwack. The night was in its deepest phase; the sun had long retired over the horizon and it was one of those nights where only the slightest sliver of moon could be seen. Thick darkness spread over everything like a sheet, only disrupted by the sharp lights that hung over the forest and cut through the comforting black with an unforgiving glare. Thwack. “Joey, you know you won’t be able to keep this up. You’ve been at it for weeks, man. When are you gonna stop?”   Thwack. Joey lowered the axe and let it fall into the soft grass, cr...

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Eternity

Submitted to Contest #58

Trigger warning: sexual violence It’s been an eternity since we last saw each other. Alright, not eternity but only three months. People might think I am exaggerating, but since we got married, which was 5 years ago, we have never spent even a single night without each other. My husband needed to leave us for a few months in order to pursue his dreams. The Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland required him to stay there to complete his studies. We could not go with him because I have a job here in Maryland. Sometimes I felt like leaving every...

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The Laundry Room

Submitted to Contest #58

FRIDAY 9:00 PMBonnie and Riley were having the time of their lives together, as usual. They loved to have sleepovers in each other´s houses but something was always missing, their dear friend named Greyson. This guy said that sleepovers were only for girls and that people from University were suspecting something else was going on between his two best friends. Nevertheless, Bonnie and Riley didn´t care about the rumors, they had decided to enjoy their lives fully no matter what others said.“Hey, bring me a cup of tea,” said Riley while putti...

20 likes 12 comments 12
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Reality

Submitted to Contest #58

“NO, PLEASE STOP!” Several hours before the incident  “Hey, Nancy!” I turned around to see Gerald walking towards me. “Hey, Gerald! What’s up?” “Peter and Quinn say we’ll arrive at Plutarius in 10 minutes” When he stands next to me he looks out the same small window I’m looking at and  Says,” Beautiful isn’t it?” “It sure is!” We’re both looking out the same window with the view of space. That’s right you read correctly. We’re in space. Well, technically, we’re in a spaceship. I know you’re probably thinking  “Wow, That’s ...

9 likes 4 comments 4
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Lonely in a big place.

Submitted to Contest #59

*CRASH* Jason's coke can had barely missed the trash can, and instead redirected its course to his books, all of which obeyed the law of gravity. "Well, Sir Issac Newton, you win again." Jason sighed to himself. He stood up and walked on over to the books, putting them back up one-by-one. He looked over at the coke can, which had hit the books just right to knock them all over. He tried organizing them, but his phone started ringing. Unfortunately, his precise organization skills all disappeared with those rings. He threw the books ont...

17 likes 6 comments 6
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At the last minute!

Submitted to Contest #58

Hello, my name is Laura today I’ll be telling you all about a quite special day in my life. It happened exactly two weeks ago so it was quite recently, for your information,  I am sixteen and go to Maple wood highschool. At first, it was a completely normal day like the others. I woke up, like the usual and got ready for school. I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details of what I wore or what I ate, there was nothing special about my morning. I’m just an average girl with an average morning routine. I got off my bus and walked into t...

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Plastic Light

Submitted to Contest #58

Plastic light is a fitting touch for a plastic life. I stared at the flickering fluorescent tubes as the men in poorly fit suits kept questioning me. Their voices played out in muffled drawls. The room is made up of off-white paint, bathroom tiled flooring and sharp corners. My head is still in whiplash, a sequence of events that occurred in less than a day, yet stretched my identity farther than all the previous twenty-four years of my life combined. “Nathan? Sir!”, one man reached over snapping his fingers, “Let’s get this all straighten...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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