A Knock at the Door Challenge Winners

Sometimes a story begins with a sound. A quiet knock, a pause, that single moment when everything shifts. For the A Knock at the Door Challenge, we asked writers to start there and follow the mystery wherever it led. The result was a collection of stories that pulled us into the unknown and kept us there until the very last word.

This was our first stand-alone fiction challenge in a while, and it was a joy to see so many of you embrace the prompt and step away from poetry for a minute to tell something unexpected. Thank you for sharing your work and for your patience during Vocal’s downtime yesterday. Your creativity and understanding mean everything to this community.

Now, let’s see who answered the knock.

🏆 Winners

Tenant by Kristen Keenon Fisher

Kristen Keenon Fisher's story turns a simple knock into a surreal trip through memory and identity. The vivid, dreamlike imagery pulls you right into Jasper’s fight not to disappear, and by the end, you’re left thinking about how we hold on and when we finally let go. It’s haunting in the best way.

Unlocked by Vanessa Gonzales

Vanessa Gonzales turns a knock at the door into a profound exploration of survival and empathy. It’s a piece that resonates deeply, blurring the lines between duty and humanity in the most unexpected ways.

The Envelopes by Autumn Stew

Autumn's piece builds tension from the very first scene, making every moment in the mortuary feel charged with unease. Each envelope adds a new layer of mystery, and by the end, you’re completely caught up in the mix of the supernatural and the deeply personal.

Null Hypothesis by Sam Spinelli

Sam Spinelli draws you into a chilling exploration of humanity and isolation that sticks with you long after. It's a thoughtful dive into the ethical unease that surrounds our inherent need for connection.

Letters From The Front by Matthew Fromm

Matthew Fromm's story grips you with its chilling intimacy, using a soldier's letter to crack open the haunting weight of guilt and complicity. It confronts you, lingering in your thoughts long after the final words have faded.

🎖️ Runners-up

• A Shadow Eats the Light by C. Rommial Butler
• Before the rooster crows by Hannah Moore
• Threshold by Theo James Taylor
• An Elephant's Memory by Aubrey Rebecca
• The Sea Remembers by Katarzyna Popiel
• Surrender by Sean A.
• Secrets by Victoria Matthews
• Waiting by Alison McBain
• Three Knocks Below by Thadeus
• A Knock At The Door by Sarah O'Grady
• Dawn & the Fourth Wall by Raistlin Allen
• The Box That Knocks by Emily Albers
• Glass Veins by Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin
• In the Loop by Phar West Nagle
• Greenhouse by Elizabeth Kaye Daugherty

🏅 Honorable Mentions

• Behold, I Stand at the Door by Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock
• Nothing II by Ashley Lima
• Sundown House by Natassia Lawrence
• Drum of the Door by Ashley Wrigley
• The Fitted Sheet by D. J. Reddall
• The Mystery of Cliff House by C.M.Dallas
• The Last 7 Seconds by Theresa M Hochstine
• Un-Familiar Territory by Meredith Harmon
• The Gen. XVII Update by J. Otis Haas
• The Knock by Kenneth Boutte

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