fiction
Mystery, crime, murder, unsolved cases. Contribute your own tales of crime to Criminal.
The Wright Way
Craig woke up to the sounds of banging on his apartment door. Confused and groggy he found himself looking for his alarm clock. It was “8:12” in the morning, hours before Craig's mid-shift at the department downtown. Flustered and anxious, Craig opened the door hoping the banging would all be a misunderstanding.
By Marla Mason5 years ago in Criminal
The Loser
Joe Fitzbickel He is a loser. At least it seems that way, the way life is treating him. Joe Fitzbickel grew up poor on Chicago’s South side. His alcoholic father punched his ticket in a botched robbery while Gang Banging when Joe was 10 years old. Joe’s Mother did what she could at the local diner to keep the lights on in their very modest two-bedroom apartment. Times were tough in the 80s, the economy was crap, no jobs, especially for the uneducated poor. They struggled and it took its toll on Joe’s Mother. She became unwell and passed by the time Joe was 16. He made a deathbed promise to her he would never join a Gang like his father did. Joe would keep this promise.
By D.C. Barker5 years ago in Criminal
The Soapstone Purse
“I do not have enough to pay you for this dark task, but this murderer is in possession of great wealth. If you can free it from his ownership, then I am to believe you’ll receive a payment fit for the gods,” he said, as a pleading look took over his face. “I hope I do not sound vile, but my son deserved not his death—he was a kind man who happened upon something bigger than himself, something that attracts the worst kinds of people.”
By Noble Chastain5 years ago in Criminal
The Mob Bar Mob
"Open the book, Hope," said Tucker. He'd reserved a table for us at the Mob Bar, a retro speakeasy in the Montreal Mob Museum's basement. I was extra late because Tucker had forgotten to text me the password, so the bouncer had refused to let me in.
By Melissa Yi Yuan-Innes5 years ago in Criminal
Redemption In The Park
Redemption In The Park If you ask me, it’s slavery. We work at 13% of the minimum wage. What do you call that? The only reason I’m here is because the city’s sanitation workers refuse to work. For much more than I make. Turns out they want five dollars more for every hour on the job. Talking about toxic trash, how it exposes them to health risks, and curved backs because waste comes in tons.
By Mona Sabbah5 years ago in Criminal
The Exchange
Water dripped from a nearby severed rusty pipe, creating a splashing echo across the dusty warehouse. Cyra peered around from behind the relative safety of a crate, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead and away from the matted hair. A wave of fatigue passed over her. Gripping the straps of her backpack, she stepped out from behind the crate and straightened her back, pushing the growing fear to the back of her head.
By Roxana Zamani-Ashni5 years ago in Criminal
Some Actions Speak Just Like Words
She found the package in locker 201, Newark Penn Station, as specified. The small black Moleskine notebook was contained within a clear plastic case with an address taped to it that she disregarded, having already memorized the details of the the drop. Her orders were simple: deliver the book to the client. An easy pay check.
By Nicholas Gellatly5 years ago in Criminal
The Back
You’d have to know exactly where you’re going to find the back entrance to Miguel’s apartment building somewhere in Midtown. It’s concealed Tetris-like in an alleyway where it intersects two disparate rear doors belonging to stores nobody ever visits. The space is narrow with random graffiti and trash cans strewn about its perimeter. For the whole nine years since Miguel moved here with his mom there’s even been a rumor that a dead body was discovered early one morning at the upper part of the passage. An urban ecosystem thrives with the best -and not so best- of what this environment has to offer. For Miguel, who is eleven, an avid reader of comics and soccer fan, this place is paradise, his favorite place in the world.
By Emerson Machtus5 years ago in Criminal
