Short Story

The Toll
“Any idea what the hell these are?” Liz pulled tight the strap on the Lee Enfield slung over her right shoulder as she grabbed a handful of tan vacuum-sealed packages from one of the crates scattered in the middle of the once busy London street. Liam cradled his Royal Army-issued rifle between his crossed arms, keeping an eye on the high up windows surrounding them while they scavenged. Without turning his shoulders, he turns his head to her.
By Theo Ducharme5 years ago in Fiction
Nightmare
Times were crazy, all of society was broken. Few places were still holding on to some kind of normal.This story is about how the bad got worse, after this there was no more hope for the future. Katherine, John, and their son John Jr. that they called Johnny, this is their story and how the world died after it's fall.
By Yony Queen5 years ago in Fiction
The Lonely Heart
House. That’s what this pile of rubble used to be. Annabelle could tell by the squared edges and rigid lines that marked the ground. At least, that was what her mother told her when she last saw this type of mess. Her mother was gone now. Annabelle started digging through the rubble, looking for useful trinkets. If she was right, the remains of this house might have a treasure trove of supplies she could use.
By April Hall5 years ago in Fiction
Locket Scarred
Locket Scarred By Jennifer E. Whalen Scarred by the elements of fire, war and famine, Salem Creek was now a vast wasteland of fallow fields and ramshackle buildings. A place Jericho no longer recognized. The tiny village was the last haven for humans and Fae alike. Looking out towards the pale horizon, Jericho stood quietly, mustering the courage to enter his forsaken home. Human in shape, the only Fae trait betraying his identity was his slightly flatten nose. Clad in heavy boots, trousers, and a weather-stained duster, he was tall with broad shoulders.
By Jennifer Whalen5 years ago in Fiction
The Sky Is Not Blue
Gless and Gliss are She and He, and Gress are They beneath Them. This is writ on every door and over every fire. That is what sounds in every house at 1900 hours. The Wake is when the day begins just as the sun sets slowly. And work for Gress begins again to match the daily gloaming.
By Lee Transue5 years ago in Fiction
Treasure
She had been watching the farm for several days. One of many in the area, this one seemed still untouched. The nearest government was days away, and no other people nearby. The other farms were part of the old agri-businesses of the teens and twenties, but this one was an old family farm. There were treasures to be found here.
By Brian Amonette5 years ago in Fiction
Tomorrow
Aubrey was a cheerful person. For a long time, this had brought her friends and fun, as it should. People naturally gravitated towards her, like she was the sun, bringing a spark of joy wherever she shined her light.
By Indie Warren5 years ago in Fiction
A Brave New Heart
Part I It had been an ordinary afternoon. Mira had entered her sunlit kitchen after a busy day. She was carrying a knapsack with her university laptop and carrying groceries. She left one bag on the counter and, taking another huge bag of cans, walked down a set of narrow stairs. Thrilled to see his mistress, her small white dog trotted behind her.
By Marta Soltys5 years ago in Fiction
Pounding Hearts
It is almost unbearable to accept that my life-long activism fighting social injustice has failed. I’ve traveled the world only to watch human rights crushed, cities crumble and authoritarian dictators take control. I’ve lost everything except for a single duffle-bag of belongings, a small savings account and my own two feet. Now my passion for running is the only thing sustaining me in the new millennium. My life is spent going from race to race, couch surfing and doing the occasional odd job. I live on protein shakes to save my pennies for travel expenses.
By Mindy Reed5 years ago in Fiction
Doomsday Diary: Day 382
Playing with my locket, tracing my fingers over the outline of the heart shape, I realize today is three hundred and eighty-two days.
By Sophia Kaur5 years ago in Fiction
Concrete Walls
The silence of the room was thick, the uncomfortable quiet was heavy enough to make anyone stir crazy. Among the five people sitting in a circle across from one another on the cement flooring, hiding away in the shelter that had been built by the small farming community five years prior, not one person could bring up the courage to speak. There had been talk for decades of nuclear attacks, radiation, waste, another cold war, but it had come to a point where no one expected it to happen. But it finally happened. The bombs were dropped a few miles away into the residing city, hardly giving enough time for those in the outskirts to get to safety – if there was safety for them to begin with.
By ᴋɪɴᴅʀᴇᴅ5 years ago in Fiction
Running Through The Rain
CHAPTER ONE: Samantha put the last box of her stuff down on the bed, which was on the left side of the room, right across from the other bed. She let out a sigh knowing this will be the first time she will ever have to share her room and hopefully, the last. Samantha sat down next to the box and rested her right arm on it, she tried not to lean too hard to prevent crushing the box. “Are you sure you want to stay in a dorm? We are only about three miles from the college Sammy.” My mom’s voice was soft as she said this, but I felt that I needed a new view. “Mom, I’ll be fine, and I’m close enough that I can come home on the weekends,” I say in reply as I stand up to give her another hug for the last time. “Plus, I have Maggie,” I say. Maggie was my closest friend for the past few years. We met while both our families went on vacation about two years ago and we have been close since then, Samantha took her phone out and Smiled as she leaned into her mother and took a picture. Samantha captioned it with “I finally made it, now to go through College!” Just as she finished this Maggie walked into the room carrying a couple of bags and dropped them on her bed “You would not believe the annoyance I had saying goodbye to Max” Max was Maggie’s boyfriend for almost all of high school. Samanthamantha’s mom left Samantha grabbed her sneakers and, putting them on she and Maggie left their dorm to go get their class schedules. Once they both had their schedules, they headed over to a coffee kiosk to go over them. “Caramel macchiato” Samantha ordered, while Maggie just got a sandwich. “Do you think the first week will be pretty straightforward?” Maggie asked. I shrugged and sat down on a bench over by the athletics building. “I can’t imagine they will be too hard; the hard parts are usually during finals and midterms,” I replied as I sipped on my coffee. We sat there together talking idly while watching a group of jocks plays soccer in the field across from where we were sitting. “I hope Max will grow into the idea of me not being around much anymore…” Maggie said quietly under her breath with a sigh. “I can’t imagine it will be easy for him, knowing you're going to be surrounded by a bunch of…hunks,” I replied motioning to all the other students who were walking around, going slower while going over the jocks. They both laughed for a moment then after Samantha finished her coffee they got up and started walking around to get to know where everything was on the campus.
By Lily Ann5 years ago in Fiction