Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
The Long Sleep of Harold Brown
Harold Brown couldn’t sleep. He could never sleep. Year after year he struggled but sleep refused to come. He had tried all of the conventional treatments; soothing music, counting sheep, self-hypnosis, drugs. All proved futile. He had visited every sleep clinic and sleep researcher in the world and still he found no relief. “It’s all in your mind” the therapists told him. “Just relax, breathe deep, think calming thoughts, and sleep will come,” but it never did.
By Everyday Junglist5 years ago in Fiction
A drowned land
It was a choppy day and the currents were stronger than usual, so much so that even in her diving gear and flippers Kiera had to keep her feet together and kick like a mermaid with all of her legs hips and core. She had dived down and found the remnants of a dirt road hidden in among the towering seaweed forest that was creeping unstoppably inward, conquering land that, not too long ago, had been above the waterline rather than thirty meters below it. The path led to a large house, of which the rooftop and collapsed remnants of a chimney stack were all that was visible above the reaching tendrils.
By Michael J Coward5 years ago in Fiction
The Telling Locket pt. 2
The locket guided us through the city. It was well after curfew and Stefan by now knew something special was going on with my neckless. I found his restraint admirable as I knew his curiosity was tremendous. I was getting tired and wondered how much longer before we arrived at our destination.
By Tracy Phillips5 years ago in Fiction
She Who Is Alone
Sola, she who is alone. A young woman struggling to make sense of what is left moves through the tunnels underneath a city turned upside down. The putrid smell of chemicals and dead rodents didn’t bother her anymore, in fact most of her senses had acclimated to life underground. Her mind though, often dreamt of the days she used to spend sitting in the sun on soft, deep green grass watching dogs play and kids pluck dandelions as if they were the most beautiful flower they had ever seen. She missed those days. It had been just over a year since a virus took over the world in a rapid and unstoppable sweep. If you were infected, you were gone. Or at least your mind was, your body moved through the overgrown ruins of the surface looking for warm blood. The world had turned into a real-life zombie movie, and the survivors were forced to move underneath the cities they once called home. Almost everyone here was alone, they knew each other only from passing glances and trading for supplies. Most had lost their families to the virus like Sola had. All she had of them now was her mothers’ necklace, she kept it around her neck for good luck. She clutched the heart shaped locket in her hand as she reminisced about life before the pandemic took over. Above her was a sewer cover, and in front of her the steel ladder that led to it. Everyday she wished for the strength to go up those steps and fight for her home. She longed to see the sun again but winced at the thought of what her city might look like now. Sola never thought of herself as brave, she always sat back when the chance to stand up presented itself. There was a cash of weapons in the tunnels in case anything ever happened, each day she walked by them she picked one out and taught herself how to use it. She knew there were people on the surface already fighting off the infected and she tried every day to build up the courage to go help them, maybe then she wouldn’t feel so alone. Sola let go of the locket and let it rest against her chest, she looked up at the cover and took a deep breath. Today she thought. Today she was going to go up there. She reached beside her for her pistol, it had become her favorite out of everything she had tried. Her bag was already packed with a handful of other weapons she was comfortable with, the little bit of food she had saved up, and medicine she had traded food for. She felt ready today, her body took over as the adrenaline started to rush through her. One foot in front of the other on the thin steel steps she reached the only thing between her and the fresh air. Without a second thought she reached up and pushed the cover aside letting the sun in and she winced as the light hit her eyes, making them water. She pulled herself up and scrambled out of the tunnel to let the air and the sun hit her skin. With her arms stretched out wide she spun around taking in the world around her. Plants were starting to grow over buildings, animals walked down city sidewalks. Sola smiled at the thought of nature reclaiming the land now that all the people were gone. After taking her moment, Sola slung her bag over her shoulder and started to walk. Her body reacting to every small sound and sudden movement as she walked, she was aware of the danger and her mind refused to relax. Things up here were definitely different, it was almost a culture shock compared to the life of gasmasks and dim lighting she had become accustomed to in the tunnels. In this light she could really see how dirty her skin was, and in passing shop windows she could see how her dark hair had become stuck to her head with grease. It felt good to be out, but at the same time she couldn’t shake the anxiety in the pit of her stomach. As she walked along what used to be a busy downtown street she felt her mothers necklace tapping against her chest in a rhythm almost like a heartbeat and that’s when she heard it. The most horrible, guttural sound she had ever heard. Sola stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the infected in front of her, she had never actually seen one before. Blood bubbled from its mouth as it moved towards her slowly, she had always thought they would be fast but in this moment she was glad that they weren’t. All those days of sitting around trying to work up the courage and now that she was here she didn’t know what to do. She started to back away slowly but kept her eyes on the infected. Sola never thought she was capable of standing up for herself but in this moment she remembered how her mom used to tell her how strong she was, and how she had so much more power in her than she knew. She held the locket between her fingers and stopped moving backwards. She knew she couldn’t run anymore; it was time to move forward. She raised her arm and pointed the pistol ahead of her, surprised by how steady she was. She wasn’t going to hide anymore, and she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. This was her city, not theirs. She pulled the trigger and watched the infected drop to the ground. Briefly taken back by what she had just done she looked around, there was no one there to see it. She kept walking, more assured in her stride. Something already felt different, she felt stronger, more like herself. Maybe her mom was right after all this time. Sola, she who is alone, but she who is brave takes on the new world ready to make it her own.
By Samantha Cote5 years ago in Fiction
Seeking Asylum
Take this my child! It will keep you safe, you're going to need it soon! Don't lose it! I love you..I love you! As my mother thrust something cold and metallic into my hand, the world went dark. Where am I? Where is everyone else? What is happening?! I don't know this place!
By Zanne Taylor5 years ago in Fiction
His Last Song, Played Twice
The tune slipped through the empty streets. It wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t contested. The only other sound for miles was the rubber of two gas masks against each other, and both had the same source. Two lovers, their faces pressed together as they sat on a small and unkempt hill in a small forgotten park, her arms wrapped around his neck as he played his tune. It was clear that the guitar was sitting at the wrong angle to accommodate the additional arms across his chest, but the tune was perfect and sweet all the same. He knew that while no one listened but them, it would ruin the magic of his last song to stop and start again.
By Mitch Waller5 years ago in Fiction
The Road Home
The year is 2041, My name is Ronyn. The bombs fell late May of 2022. Almost nothing survived, what had the strength and will to survive slowly either started to go insane from the biochemical weapons that consumed the world, or perished in the raging storms that followed afterward.
By Martyn Lyons5 years ago in Fiction
Winter Underground
Annabel stared down at the faded photograph of her husband. Nestled inside the open locket, his bright eyes captured how full of life and laughter he used to be, which in her mind had always been one of his best qualities. As she slowly traced her fingers around the heart-shaped edge, thoughts of compliments from friends replayed in her mind about her new fiancé. A long time had passed since her best friend, Beth, had taken that picture.
By Jon Coates5 years ago in Fiction
Not If You Were The Last Man On Earth
The Diary Of Adam Watts, Pages 373-378 People have been giving the apocalypse a bad rap. I for one am having a great time. You don’t have to pay for anything at seven-eleven, there are no lines at Universal Studios and no one ever tries to speak to me on the street anymore.
By Brian Rosen5 years ago in Fiction
The Purpose
No one really knows how it started... or even what happened. At the beginning it seemed like a war suddenly started and stopped within seconds, everything happened so quickly, no one had the chance to really look at those things. People were kidnapped, taken or killed, no one is completely sure of what’s going on, although one thing is known… it’s happening everywhere, every single country, state, city. There are a few lucky people that made it to the water “camps”, every cargo ship, cruise ship or aircraft carriers, they’re all being used as camps for the survivors. An international effort was made to line up as many carriers and ships, connecting them with bridges, but not everyone made it to the ships. World’s population went from billions to an estimate on a couple of millions, spread all over the globe, and the couple of hundreds of thousands on the ship “island”. It feels empty, lonely, wherever I go, it’s just me.
By Gabriel Armando5 years ago in Fiction
