Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Terminal velocity
The rickety panels of this outdated small-cabin Cessna reminded Sam of the loose panes of glass on his old school bus's sliding windows. How some days they would vibrate incessantly as it traversed his bumpy neighborhood roads, making it impossible to get some before-school shuteye, or to even think. Simpler times, he reckoned. His mind drifted to the next coach he would board, which would arrive courtesy of the United States military, the Air Force to be exact, and would see him off to Fort Benning, GA. Before he knew it, most of his time was spent off-roading, approximately five miles above it; moving four times the speed of sound.
By Thomas Simard5 years ago in Criminal
Collide
Crawford heard the crash long before he saw the black smoke rising above the trees where the plane had gone down. He had been sitting on the deck of the weekend rental cabin, drinking his morning coffee and enjoying the view of the mountains when the small plane crossed over the trees in the distance, its engine sputtering just before it took a deep dive, and then he lost sight of it behind the trees. The sound was deafening, though. Trees snapping like gunshots, screeching metal being ripped from its frame, and then a final thud that rumbled through the ground, followed by an eerie silence.
By Jamie Wilson5 years ago in Criminal
Following the Yellow Tape
“Spread your legs and arms wide”, the officer stood behind me as I stared at the cream colored wall. There were scratches that took off the rugged paint job and random numbers etched in, scattered about with no correlation. I’d get bored if I was in here too.
By Reylene Garcia 5 years ago in Criminal
It's in the Code
Blood trickled down his face, sweat dripping off his hair and eyelashes, a deep purple bruise had already begun swelling under his left eye. He kept his head down, panting. He’d been here for what felt like forever. There were no windows in the room. The walls were metallic and he could hear distant groans of the facility. It looked bunker like in nature.
By Michelle Kaldy5 years ago in Criminal
The Misunderstanding
Matt sat on a bench at the metro station, idly watching passengers disembark into the pouring rain. From the shelter of his covered seat, their reactions as they stepped out into the tempest made him smile; hoods that had been pulled down for the ride, lay draped, lifeless and sopping, only to be whipped again overhead with a sharp crack of fabric and spray of mist. The faces, bright with the anticipation of an arrival soon faltered to a grimace as they shrugged down their shoulders and joined the bustling throngs of travelers wandering in their intended directions.
By R.D. Tollak5 years ago in Criminal
“How Would You Like a Job?”
He was walking to work. He was walking because his car had died the day before, and his girlfriend was unable to drive him, on account of her having left him the day before that. It was an overcast morning, the sky the milky color of dishwater, like his mood. His head was bowed and his shoulders hunched; he was looking down as he trudged to work. If he hadn’t been he might not have noticed the small black notebook when he stepped on it. He bent down and picked it up. The front cover, aside from the print left by his shoe, was blank, as was the back. He opened it. Inside, the pages were almost entirely blank except for one right in the middle, which had a strange set of numbers scribbled on it. He went to toss the thing away when he heard his ex-girlfriend’s voice in his head, asking indignantly, “You’re just going to litter, then?” He slipped it into his pocket until he could find a trash can, and promptly forgot about it.
By Marissa Barnier5 years ago in Criminal
