Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

The Raven in the Window
It is 3 am, and 73-year-old Esther Caldwell is brewing chamomile tea. The house is still, save for the sounds of the wind and the trees outside her farmhouse. She carries her teacup to her bedroom, turning out all the lights along the way. Upon entry, she closes the door and sits at her vanity.
By Rayven Jae5 years ago in Criminal
The Little Black Book
She was looking for something sharp. The room was dark, with a sliver of sunshine creeping in through the boarded window. Specks of dust clouded the air with every movement Dylan made, making it difficult to breathe. She exhaled slowly, trying to steady her breath as the claustrophobia began to creep in. But now was not the time to allow her panic to consume her. She knew she only had five minutes, maybe ten, at most, before her boss returned home. She began to push through the clutter in the attic. Tattered books with broken spines, worn black cushions, boxes of musty smelling clothing and antique furniture pressed up against the walls where the once-white paint cracked and peeled. Moving as swiftly as she could toward the window, she opened one drawer after another, stumbling over the objects as she went. Cursing as her toe caught on a floorboard, she spotted it. In a long-forgotten corner of the room, a lone screwdriver peeking out at her. Snatching it up, she turned her focus to the rusty steel panel almost perfectly concealed behind the burgundy dresser behind her.
By Kenzie Clarke5 years ago in Criminal
Favour
‘Spare some change Ma’am?’ Rolland asked, painstakingly stretching his arm out. His clothes were tattered, and his beard unkept, but still he spent every afternoon sitting under a busy Sydney overpass, hoping a generous traveller would walk by.
By christopher lazar5 years ago in Criminal
Faux Aficionados
The lights were pulsating with increasing intensity and the floor was shaking from the bass. You could almost feel the sweaty condensation ready to drip down the walls. The air was close with the heat radiating from the moving bodies drunkenly sauntering around the dance floor.
By V A Harker5 years ago in Criminal
Bertie's Escape
Bertie crouched like a snarling, feral dog atop a wooden shipping crate, slashing a switchblade back and forth. Dust motes swirled through the frigid air in blinking stripes of light, as the boxcar jostled over each railroad tie. Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
By Sara Shalom5 years ago in Criminal
The Cessna
“Get us down!” The man shouted. Rylee's knuckles whitened against the flight stick. Blast these city slickers, she thought.
By Lara5 years ago in Criminal
The Cost of Many Lives
The Cost of Many Lives Rain and traffic filled the air with sounds coupled with a dark gloomy color that coated the sky. Bad weather wasn’t anything new in Philadelphia, it had been raining and snowing nonstop and dense for three days straight. Despite the severity, that wasn’t stopping anyone from living their daily lives; commuting to work, picking up groceries or salt for the snow, even speeding. The sleet came down heavily almost in sheets as cars passed through Lincoln Drive, most very slow and cautious as it was probably the most dangerous road in the city to drive on during poor weather. Lincoln Drive was long, the lanes were tight and met with sharp curves nearly at every foot. Suddenly, an older grey chevy coated in chipped paint and a low hanging bumper, hydroplanes, swerving into the wrong lane. Mixed with the slush, the lemon quickly crashes into the shoulder. The glass of the windshield shatters followed by a loud boom as the airbag explodes into the driver’s chest. The surrounding cars manage to break in time; fortunately, someone calls an ambulance. From their windows and mirrors, the only thing visible to the nearby drivers is that the man is fair-skinned probably in his late 40s.
By Lailah A5 years ago in Criminal
The Last Stop
“I have a two-part question. First, can you detail the events of last week and second, how are you going to spend the $20,000?” A reporter asked from the crowd.
By Jasmin One-Ders5 years ago in Criminal
Of Monsters and Knights
Rosie Many would say I’m lucky. But if they’d been through what I have, they’d understand the torment I feel every night when I’m alone.
By Megan Lianidis5 years ago in Criminal
The Champions: The Notebook of Secrets
A boy steps out of a large ship, lacing his shoes and stretching. As he begins to close the door, he yells, Chayce: I’m going for a quick 7 mile run.
By Joseph Babbitt5 years ago in Criminal
"The Great Place"
I thought I would never see this place again after leaving nearly two years ago. Fort Hood, Texas. “The Great Place.” More like the Army’s butthole. It’s one of the larger Army bases and if you’ve payed any attention to the news in the last ten years, you’d know just how much of a skid mark this 158,000 acre patch of dirt is.
By Byron Bergan 5 years ago in Criminal
The Ultimate Manifestation
Some people believe in God, some believe in Allah and unfortunately, some people believe in nothing at all. However, Chastity believed in the universe. She had been using the Law of Attraction for years and years for life matters such as a new job or a boyfriend to more materialistic matters such as a new house or a new car.
By Shamar M5 years ago in Criminal