Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

Evil in the Glades
She opened her eyes slowly, painfully, it was murky and dark still. The dank mud was still warm, the smell permeated everything, movement caught her good eye, the other one was caked with dried mud and had not opened much. Exhaustion had not left her yet, she saw the creature’s outline, he was huge, and she was unable to move at all. The breathing was a rumble and the slow snort meant he smelled her, an easy meal. Sherry never in her life imagined hers would end in the jaws of a monster alligator, she wished now she hadn’t even come around. A tear rolled down her cheek and mingled with the mud, the rumble from the gator was louder, Sherry felt the ground shake, saw the palmetto frond move and a broad snout appeared. Rough and ugly and filled with prehistoric looking teeth, she shuddered as the huge jaws opened slightly.
By Gayle5 years ago in Criminal
The Gilded Edge
Another bump along the rutted street sent Sana’s body flying into the air. She winced as she landed--hard--on her right shoulder. The dingy white delivery van had been whizzing through Brooklyn at breakneck speed for some time. Both her wrists and ankles were raw, swollen, and bloody, but she, once again, struggled against the rope binding her. Her initial feelings of fright and confusion had subsided. Now, she was just determined to free herself.
By Doretha A. Dawkins5 years ago in Criminal
The Newborn
“She’s got your dimples.” “You think?” Marjory traced the tip of her pinky along the corner of her infant daughter’s lips, the mouth opening, searching. Milky breath. She slipped her finger in. A greedy suckle.
By C.A. Wittman5 years ago in Criminal
Innerwhelmed
Vernon Peele’s dress shirt smelled like a clogged shower drain. The clip on his ID badge stabbed Gabi’s shoulder as he drew her close, his mouth forming private words she couldn’t comprehend and didn’t want to. When she released herself from the squeeze, he thanked her, told her he’d needed that, reminded her for the umpteenth time about his supposedly unique and urgent need.
By Gina Yates5 years ago in Criminal
Kairn’s Cause
Kairn’s clothes clung to his shivering body as he watched a car slowly pull away from the gate he was overlooking. It was a miserable night. The black sedan slowly pulled down the long drive with its wipers on full blast in an effort to battle the downpour. It did as much good as the poncho Kairn chose to wear for this excursion.
By Dan Sawyer5 years ago in Criminal
Litter Rat
It was an ordinary, New York day as Thomas walked towards the last car of the subway. He always did this, as he thought it’d be less crowded and quicker to his bodega. Thomas rode the subway often, not as a choice, but because he had a deep rooted phobia of driving and car crashes. Plus if he walked, his bags would either break before he got back home or would get mugged. He rode the train frequently, so he knew the most and least populated times of the train. Average Tuesday afternoons consisted of only two people populating the last car around 3 o’clock. Tuesday trips on the subway consisted of Thomas putting both earbuds in and getting lost to Smashing Pumpkins.
By Holly Clark5 years ago in Criminal
The Book of Revelation
I carry around many secrets, and since you’re here, I guess I might as well tell you a few of them. That’s the funny thing about me.
By Tiara Menjivar5 years ago in Criminal
Is That Boustrophedon?
Her son’s tumor is at a point where surgery is necessitated to save his life. She has spent the night by his bedside, only retreating for water and prayers. She falls asleep for 2 hours, then awakens with a start. In the dream she has seen a little black book. The book has a mystical aura around it as if it is the answer to her prayers.
By Jimmy Ele5 years ago in Criminal
Would you do it for Love?
The chair groans as I push my back into it. The cool wood feels nice against my skin as the fan in our flat is broken. I hear my two siblings, Charlie and Louise, arguing about who gets the last slice of bread. The constant bickering forces me out of my calming state as I grab the slice and stuff it in my own mouth.
By Alice OBrien5 years ago in Criminal
Storming The Castle
My partner Chris and I stood at the edge of the moonlight, looking out at Osaka Castle from the dense bamboo brush. Once a former tourist trap, the reconstructed fortress was recently bought by one Takeda Hideyoshi, some eccentric tech mogul who thought it would be neat to live in a landmark. The would-be shogun lusted after Japanese history—apparently, he had halls upon halls filled to the brim with armor pieces, paintings, perhaps even a sacred treasure. Necklaces are nifty, but Chris and I had our eyes set on something with a little more kick—the weapons.
By Grayson Baker5 years ago in Criminal
Heading to Los Angeles
It is high noon, without a cloud in the sky, the sun beating down upon the dry tarmac. You can hear the sizzling sound of my sweat hitting the pavement. I'm trudging along a two-way highway with desert on both sides. A few patches of dry grass, and scattered cactuses about complete the landscape. There is a rusted green sign in front of me that reads Los Angeles 50 miles southwest- Las Vegas 150 miles northeast. I duck my head as I pass under the sign, wearing nothing but a t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of shoes. I'm wearing headphones but the battery died a few miles back; a dead tablet in my right hand. As I continue to walk along the highway, feeling the weight of the heat, with each step I take. The road seems to go on and on, both directions mirroring each other, but luckily there is a distinctive cloud in the direction I am heading, that breaking the image.
By Chris Parks5 years ago in Criminal
The Penitent Man
1 The land was dry and flat with nothing but red dirt for miles round. It was that hard pan desert dirt that bakes into a sort of crust and then cracks into perfectly symmetrical patterns like shingles. The sand, carried on the unpleasantly hot wind, piled up in drifts and found its way into everything, into his teeth which were gritty and tobacco stained, into his clothing dark with sweat, even into his water skin which was now half empty.
By Jacob Elliot5 years ago in Criminal