thriller
Give. Honorable Mention in The Shape of the Thing Challenge. Content Warning.
The words he said to everyone he approached: "Give me what I have asked for. If you don't, I have friends who will come and we will take everything from you. Not only that, we may take other liberties with you, your family and neighbours. You have a choice. Give me what I want or suffer the consequences, and you don't want to suffer the consequences, do you? Would you like to see what might happen? Here are some properties that my friends have applied their talents to; yours could be the same if you do not give me what I am due"
By Mike Singleton đź’ś Mikeydred 5 months ago in Fiction
The Letter I Was Never Meant to Read
It was a quiet evening when I stumbled upon the letter. The house was unusually still, the kind of silence that presses on your chest and makes you feel like something is about to change. I hadn’t been looking for secrets; I was simply searching for an old notebook in the wooden chest my mother kept locked in her room. But fate has a strange way of revealing truths when we least expect them.
By Nadeem Shah 5 months ago in Fiction
Under the Crimson Sky
The crimson sky stretched endlessly above, its fiery glow spilling across the horizon like blood on sand. For most villagers, it was just another sunset, another day slowly slipping into the night. But for Ayaan, the sight of that sky was both a curse and a reminder—a curse of the past he could never completely bury, and a reminder of the fight he could no longer run away from.
By Nadeem Shah 5 months ago in Fiction
Shadows of Potential
Shadows of Potential Elias Voss adjusted his tie in the reflection of the polished glass doors of Vortex Dynamics, the nonprofit's sleek facade gleaming under the Toronto midday sun. It was 2019, and the building— a modern edifice of chrome and tinted windows— masqueraded as a mental health outreach center, promising "healing through innovation." Elias knew better. This was the Clinic's front door, a veneer of legitimacy over the shadows where real work happened. At 32, he was still hungry, still convinced that places like Black Site 53 could rewrite the broken scripts of human minds. Delilah Kyros had recruited him personally, her words electric: "We don't patch souls, Dr. Voss. We forge new ones." He'd signed on without hesitation, blind to the costs that would come later.
By Theodore Homuth5 months ago in Fiction
The Stranger Who Knew My Name. AI-Generated.
It started as an ordinary evening. I was walking home from work, my bag slung over one shoulder, earbuds in, listening to a podcast about true crime—a guilty pleasure that kept me company on long walks. The streets were quieter than usual, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
By Asima Bibi5 months ago in Fiction
Chasing the Midnight Sky
Elara’s heart raced as the train hurtled through the dark countryside. The midnight sky stretched endlessly above, glittering with stars, yet shadows seemed to reach for her from every corner. She clutched the envelope tightly, knowing it held a secret that could change everything… and that someone was willing to kill for it.
By Dalia Mohamed5 months ago in Fiction
Behind the velvet curtains
“No, please come in, I insist,” said Ziv, a man in his late forties, who ran his family’s enormous castle with many rooms. He lived with his maid, who felt like his mother. Rea, a Mexican actress, visited the movie set to get to know the place she was working in. She was fascinated by the long golden walls, the spacious halls, the red velvet curtains, and the pictures hung that had people who looked ethereal. Still, one shot stopped her; it was the picture of a child who had short red wavy hair, sharp but shiny eyes, and defined lips that looked as if they were drawn. His hundredth plea broke her reverie. Rea accepted Ziv’s invitation and decided to have coffee with him. They had a friendly chat, introducing themselves to each other until…
By Sham Al ahmar5 months ago in Fiction
Unwritten on Their Graves. Content Warning.
In a cramped California apartment, eighteen-year-old Leo lived with his mother and two younger siblings, twelve year old Jasmine and eight year old Marcus. Their mother, a woman of quiet grit, had been left to raise them alone, scraping by on the meager wages of a diner job.Life had dealt her a harsh hand, and the family’s fragile balance was further shattered by Marcus’s battle with anemia. The medical bills drained what little they had, while the constant worry gnawed at them all. Leo watched his mother fight each day with unyielding determination, and though his heart burned to ease her burden, he was just a high school senior, too young, too powerless, yet aching to do more. To ease his mother’s burden, Leo had taken a part-time job at a local diner, slipping into an apron right after school while his classmates rushed off to sports or friends. Whether it was scrubbing greasy grills, bussing tables, or running orders, he did it all without complaint.The pay was barely enough to make a dent in their mounting expenses, yet Leo clung to it with quiet determination. Every shift was not only a reminder of his struggle, but also of his dream, a dream to rise above these barriers, and build a better life not just for himself, but for the people he loved most. One evening, as his mother returned from another long shift, Leo pulled her aside. His SAT results had arrived, good enough for college. Her tired face lit up with pride as she embraced him, certain her sacrifices were paying off. But Leo’s voice wavered as he confessed the catch: his scores weren’t high enough for a full scholarship, and he refused to drag the family deeper into debt. She pressed his shoulders, assuring him they would find a way and that he should focus on his future. Still, even as she smiled, Leo couldn’t ignore the worry lingering in her weary eyes. As graduation crept closer, Leo’s excitement was overshadowed by a growing weight of anxiety. The future loomed uncertain, with college slipping further from reach.
By Munawar Sheikh5 months ago in Fiction
The App That Knows Too Much
A Modern Obsession Jordan considered himself a tech enthusiast. He always wanted the newest gadget, the most cutting-edge apps, the fastest upgrades. His apartment buzzed with smart devices: a thermostat that adjusted itself, lights that dimmed with his voice, even a refrigerator that texted him when milk ran low.
By Hassan Jan5 months ago in Fiction
The Last Radio Signal
Amara's nights never stopped until dawn. While the rest of her classmates at the university slumbered through the night in dormitories, she sat in the observatory, headphones stretched tight, eyes on the rows of data inching across her screens. She wasn't scanning for meteors, or for the faint glow of distant galaxies. Amara was listening.
By Leyvel Writes5 months ago in Fiction
The Shadow Painter
The Shadow Painter The first time Elara discovered her gift, she was only nine years old. She had been sitting cross-legged in her grandmother’s attic, where dust floated in beams of late-afternoon light and the smell of turpentine lingered. Her grandmother, once a painter of modest renown, had left behind dozens of cracked canvases and jars of half-dried paint. Most children would have found the place eerie, but to Elara, it was a sanctuary.
By Numan writes5 months ago in Fiction
