thriller
after dark. Content Warning.
I wish I was better at telling lies. I could tell my wife I love the haircut, tell the server the food was great or tell my boss the work will be done by Friday. The reason I wish I could lie better is because it would soon be time to use the skill I hadn't got. It was going to be a beating, maybe a murder, of someone who deserved it. Unfortunately saying that in a police interview probably wouldn't work.
By ASHLEY SMITH6 months ago in Fiction
The Memory Vending Machine
I first saw the vending machine on a Tuesday night, half-hidden between a cracked pillar and a graffiti-covered bench on the lower platform of East 12th Street Station. It didn’t sell chips or soda. Instead, rows of tiny glass bottles lined the inside, each one glowing faintly, a handwritten label tied around its neck. Above the coin slot, in faded gold letters, were the words: “Memories — $3 each.” I almost laughed. New York was full of gimmicks, but this one was charming enough to make me stop.
By Musawir Shah6 months ago in Fiction
The Cat in Apartment B3
The Cat in Apartment B3 The first thing Nathan noticed when he moved into Willow Court was the cat. She sat on the rusted balcony of Apartment B3, tail flicking slowly, amber eyes glinting in the half-light like they were holding something back. She wasn’t the friendly, meowing type. She just… stared. Every time he came home, she was there—silent, still, watching.
By Muhammad ali6 months ago in Fiction
The Price of Evil
The rain had been falling since midnight, a steady curtain of water that blurred the neon lights of the small city. Jonathan Hale stood at the window of his apartment, watching the world distort through the glass. He wasn’t waiting for anyone, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was approaching. Something inevitable.
By Hazrat Bilal6 months ago in Fiction
Darkness Before Midnight
Arlington, VA. 1997. Clank is the sound of metal, often heard and goes unnoticed. We assume they're old pipes, an old home with older issues, or perhaps it's construction, someone fixing something somewhere. But "Clank" in the stillness of the night and "Clank" again several times harder. Suddenly, it becomes disconcerting.
By A. W. Knowland6 months ago in Fiction
Yippie-kay-yay, Mother Crustacean
It all started one fateful day when I was searching the Great Coral for interesting trinkets to show my mother and father. I happened across something so intriguing that I had to fight a literal frogfish. You don't know what a frogfish looks like? Well, brother, you're in for a shock. They don't actually look like frogs at all—and they're nasty omnivores.
By Paul Stewart6 months ago in Fiction
I Followed a ‘Lost’ GPS Signal… And Ended Up in a Nightmare
Prologue: The Last Normal Night The whiskey burned going down as I crumpled Rachel's goodbye letter in my fist. One year together ended with three sentences on hotel stationery. I threw my duffel bag into the backseat of my '98 Honda Civic - the only thing I owned outright after the breakup. The digital clock read 2:37 AM when I turned the key, determined to drive through the night and put three states between me and my shattered heart.
By The Narrative Hub6 months ago in Fiction
The Last Letter You Wrote Me
The afternoon light slanted softly through the dusty attic window, catching specks of dust that danced like tiny ghosts. Lila brushed her fingers over an old wooden box she’d found tucked behind stacks of forgotten photo albums. The faded leather latch creaked as she opened it, revealing a bundle of yellowed letters tied carefully with a red ribbon.
By Junaid Shahid 6 months ago in Fiction
