Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

For Lexy
The suspect sat at a small interview table in hand cuffs, his matted hair and tangled beard making him look a decade older than he really was. But the vacant gaze and the dark circles under his eyes magnified the sense of exhaustion and failure emanating from his grizzled features.
By John Cox5 years ago in Criminal
A Costly Shortcut
It was a cold, winter day in Chicago as Mason watched another 18 inches of snow hit the railyard track. Mason came from a middle-class household and believed in strong family values. Today was his daughter's fourth birthday, and he couldn’t wait to get home and see the look on her face when she opened her present.
By Ahsan Saeed5 years ago in Criminal
Disobeying the Notebook
The night was dreary. Rain soaked everything it touched as it fell from the black starless sky, including the young woman running down a dimly lit alleyway. Her clothes clung to her skin, barely providing a barrier against the icy onslaught of rain. She shivered involuntary as bright lights appeared behind her and hugged a small black notebook closer to her body. Just a month prior she had been at the highest point in her life all thanks to the notebook she clutched.
By Meg5 years ago in Criminal
THE PHARMACIST (SHORT)
The Pharmacist (Short) CHAPTER I City driver - (Car Horn sounds) Move it Jack ass! Julien - Shut up! Where are you going?! There’s literally nowhere to go! That’s why they call it traffic.
By Brandon Mitchell-Williams5 years ago in Criminal
Dumpster Fire No. 50
Cecelia watched Jimmy scoop something out of his jacket pocket and drop it through a hole in the floorboard of the speeding Ford ‘Blazer’. Simultaneously, he maneuvered the truck onto the interstate with his other hand. He eyed the rearview mirror and laughed heartily. P-tang! P-tang! P-tang! "What was that?" Cecelia asked. Jimmy’s mischievous eyes twinkled as he flashed her a broad smile. “That, my dear Cece, was the sound of steel balls hitting the NARC’s car that is following us…but won’t be for long!” Jimmy exploded in raucous laughter. His laugh was infectious and soon she was doubled over in laughter too. She swooned with euphoria at the excitement she felt around Jimmy. Unfortunately, she would soon realize with Jimmy, euphoria and excitement would become something dangerous. One more fire in a long series of 'dumpster fires' that Cecelia identified with her life...just ignited.
By Zamora5 years ago in Criminal
Interstate 17
THEY ARRIVED EARLY, per usual. The house was an old Victorian on Senator Highway, wrapped by a lacey iron gate with a little front garden. The driver pulled parallel to the curb and put the van in park. The passenger exited and walked through the gate up to the front door and knocked and waited for it to be answered.
By alexander gerber5 years ago in Criminal
Sincerely, Russell
The metallic purr of the rust-colored storage unit door came to a halt with a loud thud echoing down the empty hallway as I peered into its contents. One hundred twenty-five dollars in cash made me the proud owner of the solitary box waiting for me in the corner. Storage auctions are more hit than miss with the unwanted, unforgotten accumulations of junk and holiday decorations. Occasionally, there are some worthwhile finds like coins, jewelry or the mountain bike I cleaned up to collect dust in my own garage, promising myself I would ride it one day and finally get into shape.
By Christine 5 years ago in Criminal
A Saving Grace
Pulling into the gravel driveway I could see a grand mansion off into the distance. “Wow” I exclaimed, it took my breath away.
By Jasmine Spencer5 years ago in Criminal
A Matter of Choices
The fridge is broken. The bills are piling up. There’s never enough money. Jake wandered along the city streets, stressing over his dire financial straits. The little black book in his pocket is filled with red marks to track which bills need to be paid and which can wait. The pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time.
By Alarming Fig5 years ago in Criminal
The Runaway
I could feel the heat- dancing across my skin like his fingers had the night before. This was a bright, blinding world he gave me- nothing like Dull Creek, Oklahoma. Out here you could finally make sense of what they were trying to sell you in the magazines: The American Dream. Dull Creek gave you nothing to hope for but leaving. We all think we will one day. We talk about it as children; we say we’re gonna make it big and never look back. But nobody ever does. I really thought I was something when I got keys to be the overnight attendant at the only five and dime store in town. Soon, I realized it was just more of what the rest of my life had been- drunks and boredom. But I guess there is a God, because I prayed real hard and he sent me an escape.
By Kennedy Roe5 years ago in Criminal
The Black Book, Dansy
“Would you like to tell us what really happened? And what you were doing with all that money we found on you.” The office said, placing the tape recorder in the middle of the table. I stared at that table for a while, cold and shining. The officer’s mug sat there, the words NYPD printed on the side; his aging coffee gone cold. “This is it” he says, “this is the moment to tell your story.” I smirked and replied, “A story...that’s a funny thing to call it considering the circumstances. Some might call it more of a tragedy. But you know, before a tragedy occurs, before the mistake that will end your life is made, there is a moment of hope. This moment is but a breath of time in length—that is all the time life ever gives you to choose—and, win or lose, you will live with all the weight of the decision. So maybe it should be called hope; some people call it sin.
By Ch5 years ago in Criminal
The Will to Live
David clutched the wheel with his left hand, his right gripping the gear shift. It was a foggy morning, and the clouds seemed to stretch down from the heavens all the way to the earth, creating a sheer curtain of moisture that penetrated the city. His ears yearning for a noise to drown out the honking horns and revving engines around him, he released the clutch for a moment and flipped on the radio to the local news station. As his fingers, frigid from the frost outside, turned up the dial, the dynamic voice of the local weatherman crackled through the speakers. David listened passively, nudging a lever to awaken his turn signal and merging onto the toll road he always took to work, leaving behind the soaring metal giants of downtown. He edged the pedal further, and the car was soon shooting down the highway with a steady hum. Having three miles to traverse in this lane, David released the gear shift and ran his right hand through his graying but abundant hair. His ears perked up at every tick of his wristwatch, and his jaw clenched with every glance he snuck at it, trying to keep his eyes devoted to the traffic as long as possible. He had consistently been late to work for the last couple of weeks, and his boss had warned him of the consequences that would inevitably follow if he didn’t get his schedule together. David wasn’t only stressed about being late to work. Every time he closed his eyes to blink, the film of the past months seemed to continue rolling through his head on repeat, the back of his eyelids acting as the screen. He let out a weary sigh and flipped on his blinker again, changing lanes toward the exit on the right. As his car sped down the ramp and slowed to rejoin the flow of traffic under the soaring skyscrapers, David turned his head to check his blindspot. A flash of gray blurred by in his periphery, a blink of red flashed brightly, and a sudden pounding emerged in his ears as the blood rushed to his head. His seatbelt sliced to the bone as he lurched forward, banging his head on the steering wheel, and soon the pounding in his ears was accompanied by a sharp hot ache behind his eyes. His stomach dropped into his legs as though he were free falling for a moment. There was a deafening ringing in his ears, and the last thing David saw was a male figure donned in a suit approaching hurriedly, before his eyelids became leaden and everything went dark.
By Maitri Kovuru5 years ago in Criminal