Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Criminal.

Survival of the Wisest
A chill, blacker than the black book in her hand, settled over London. “What are the stats, figures? What do you mean the Indonesian government wants to sue us over some stupid rare gnat? Survival of the fittest, dammit!”
By R.A Falconer 5 years ago in Criminal
The Little Black Book
The gun is slick in my grip. I stare down at the shiny piece of black metal and plastic, almost not believing that I am holding this thing. As a teen, I loved guns. I always thought they made a guy look good. When I look at it now though, I just feel sick. My eyes follow the gun as it falls from my hand and down into the water beneath the bridge I am standing on. As the waves bury the gun beneath the surface of the inky black water, I can’t help but wonder how many other murder weapons have been disposed of on this bridge. The full moon shines down on me like a spotlight in the sky. It looks bright and cheerful, mocking me as I complete my dark deed. I turn away from it, suddenly feeling more shame than I have ever felt before. I feel the shame since I let something so beautiful witness the ugliness I have done.
By Eliza Scalia5 years ago in Criminal
Deja Vu
His breath was turning into vapour as soon as it left his mouth. Ethan didn’t mind the mid-October chill on his face, but he did mind the unsettling feeling of his winter jacket clumsily chucked over his ever so slightly tight work uniform rubbing on his forearms as he was walking down Rose Street. Another day another dolla’ he concluded, reminding himself that the persistent smell of alcohol vapour in his nostrils and the sticky soles of his cheap leather shoes were merely means to an end.
By Nejc5 years ago in Criminal
Inheritance
James tugged at the jacket of the man lying face up in the snow, the eerie stillness of the cooling body, still pliable, something he hardly dared touch, but a place he had to go. The corner of the small black notebook edged out of the inside pocket and was just visible. James grasped the corner and slid it out, it was a small, black, leather-fronted notebook, with grubby page edges from constant handling, the leaves thickened by touch and held together with a thin fraying band as it was stretched with the content. He unwrapped the band and eagerly looked into the pages, the tantalizing hope of finally being able to solve the riddle of his fathers inheritance within his grasp.
By Andrew Cranwell5 years ago in Criminal
Where Am I?
Disclaimer: This story is a PG13 suspenseful tragedy I wake up in a state of panic. My surroundings so cold that I can't help but wonder if death's scythe had collected my soul. But, my head hurts, you can't feel pain if you're dead, can you? As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I start to feel around me. I'm lying on a dirty cracked cement floor, and I can make out small piles of something. Is it trash? It must be abandoned. I think, I see graffiti on the walls too.
By Samantha Frazer5 years ago in Criminal
Sorry About The Door
With the final ring of the elevator bell, Kelcy stepped out of the parting doors into the hazy fluorescent hallway. The row of ivory doors emitted noises of t.v. shows, dinners cooking, and persistent shouting matches which were a gauntlet for her as she navigated quietly to her apartment. Her hospital scrubs were in dire need of washing she thought to herself as she passed by the tiny laundry room. Exhausted and restless, she removed the clattering keys from her purse, but stopped as she approached her door to see that it was kicked in and cracked open.
By Zach Wurm5 years ago in Criminal
A Nightmare Burnt to Life
Dad always kept that notebook on him. I didn’t know what it was for, or why he carried it around wherever he went. Like him, that little black notebook was a mystery to me.
By Alexandra Lee5 years ago in Criminal
Death Of The Black Book
‘What would I want? Death? Or twenty thousand? Well if those things are quite separate, I choose death... I mean twenty thousand’. Said Jules, mostly to himself, though Mole was sitting across from him. His nose unusually close to the open book he was reading.
By Mark Andrew 5 years ago in Criminal
The End to Synchrony
The Brickyard Friday, March 12th 2:03 AM Rocco pushes his hand into his pocket and pulls out his iPhone. Searching his list of contacts for Fresh ‘N Pressed Dry Cleaners, then anxiously waiting with the phone pressed to his ear.
By catchafrisbie5 years ago in Criminal
Hidden Secrets of Boliver
Leigh was dusting off her box of stored memories of her life in foster care when she came to this old dusty black book. In rushed a flood of memories of a summer spent in a youth rehabilitation center in Boliver Tennessee. The old insane asylum Western Mental Health, which was opened in November 22 1889, was home to various killers and criminally insane patients. She didn't know this at the time. She was just a teenager who had run away from home in the early 1970's.
By Valeria Woods5 years ago in Criminal
The Three Tasks
I have worked for the Harow Group for about 2 years, but I still don't like the way security watches me. They look down on me, not only because I'm just over 5 feet tall and they are a towering 6'2, but because they think they are better than me. I'm just the cleaning lady and they are the top security officers to the most powerful man in the country. A man no one has ever seen. If all the rumours are true. I went online after accepting this position. The news calls him a revolutionary as he paves the way to new medical developments that help the world, but the whispers say the opposite, the whispers call him a murderer, a criminal, and someone who takes what he wants without any thought of the people it harms. After spending a few hours online and talking to my mother I was hesitant to go in on my first day, but in the end, it's just a job. There weren't many many rules here; show up on time, do your job, and never enter the boss's office. For the last 2 years, I made sure to follow them very closely, often wondering what went on behind the large black doors I wasn't allowed to go through.
By Christine Perssia5 years ago in Criminal
The Delivery
Caleb sat in his room, feeling anxious. He had been waiting for a phone call for awhile now from his boss, Alex. A deal had been struck for Caleb to deliver “some goods”. All that needed to be done was to wait and hear if they would agree to his asking price.
By Stuart Gardiner5 years ago in Criminal