Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
A Connecticut Yankee in a Utah Rodeo
“Anyone want to ride the bull?” My family and I all looked at our tour guide as if he had asked us if we’d like to go swimming with sharks. He had to be kidding. This had to be his go-to joke when guiding yuppie tourists from New England. A way to make fun of us because it was clear this was our first time riding horses, let alone a bull. But he was serious. “Anyone can join the rodeo, you just gotta sign up at the pavilion, sign a few waivers, and since it's a competition we’ll even pay you five dollars for partaking.” He licked sweat from his dirty blonde mustache and leered at me through his cheap sunglasses.
By James Goggin 5 years ago in Fiction
Cerie
Cerie found herself outside in the wastelands, terrified by what she had just done. She had taken that old move-around machine, the hoover sand traveler, and left the safety of the Cities, speeding across a desert of broken land, stripped of resources hundreds of years before. The move around was ancient. Her family had kept it in running condition for centuries, ever since the reckoning. Everyone in her family knew how to operate a move around. But none had ever driven it. Instead, they did this all because someone long ago said someone would need it someday.
By Sharon Irwin5 years ago in Fiction
Stupid Marriage. Stupid Bombs.
Life in a bunker can make a girl go crazy if she doesn't get ahead of it and stay busy. I never really bought into the whole preparedness craze that swept through the country in the years before the war. David was the one who insisted on pivoting our savings and discretionary budget into what he mirthfully called our "home beneath the loam", and since he brought in the money and supplied the dad jokes and typically asked for nothing in return I ended up not only humoring him on the endeavor, but also convincingly feigning interest when he got excited about the bunker planning and fell wallet first into the “prepping” subculture.
By Nicolas Sexton5 years ago in Fiction
The Antidote to Insanity
Carla found herself in a corner holding on tight to her children. As she slowly regained consciousness and became more aware of her whereabouts, flashes of what had happened came back to her. There were other survivors, looking just as confused as her. Suddenly the door flew wide open and someone came stumbling and crawling in. He slammed the door shut behind him and frantically looked for pieces to make it impossible for anyone to get in. Then there was frenzied banging on the other side and you could hear loud angry roars. Those who were closest to the door threw themselves at the door to prevent what was outside from coming inside. Eventually whatever was outside gave up and everyone inside relaxed.
By [email protected]5 years ago in Fiction
Queen Dystopia
Queen Dystopia By Trevor Brewton Once upon a time there was a queen and her name was dystopia. She was clothed in the garments of her idolization. People assembled from all over as if an army in their nature with a yearning to worship her. This queen was different from other queens; she couldn’t keep a king. The same yearning that people had for her heart; She had for herself to find a king worthy of her misguided expectations. The queen's father abandoned her when she was only a baby leaving her with only a heart shaped locket. She idolized this heart shaped locket keeping it in a glass chamber. She grew cold in heart and vindictive in her ways. Only the people that truly got close to her ever knew her true nature. Dystopia was the queen of the new apocalyptic age. Over time her heart grew callus as she replaced king after king after king; with no empathy breaking every heart. She found herself in turmoil. She was growing mechanical in her ways. Living in a false sense of reality. She wouldn't wake up. She couldn’t wake up from this world she was working so hard to create. She treated each king as a mirror, trying to find herself inside them. She had countless soul ties and she never took time in between as she abandoned each one like her father did her. What she didn’t realize was that her blindside for this vicious cycle was inexorably destroying her. She carried a chain link bag full of demons that no one could see. True spiritual warfare living in the intangible. Surrounded by darkness. One day she woke up and things were different. Something was off. She was all alone with no king, so she threw a tantrum. She then fled her room and ran to the glass chamber. She opened the chamber and gazed at her heart shaped locket, but this time she noticed something very different to her surprise. There was a key hole she had never seen before, but there was no key. She didn’t want to break it because she held it in such high regard. It was the only thing she had from her father. She sent all of her best knights on a journey to find the lost key, but to her demise each knight returned with no key. She grew furious, destroying everything to find the lost key. In doing so all of the people that idolized her came to see her true colors and they feared the worst for their life and land. She always wondered if there was something inside the heart shaped locket and now she knew that there was indeed. She thought to herself what if this is the answer? What if this is the key to my own heart? She called upon her mother for answers. Her mother acted as if she was unaware of the key hole as well, all while knowing in the back of her head that she buried it a long time ago. She buried the answers. She buried the truth. See the keyhole was just for looks. There was no physical key, but queen Dystopia did not know this. Queen Dystopia did notice something different about her mothers reaction in regards to the lost key. Something very different indeed. Queen Dystopia questioned herself saying is my whole life a lie? Queen Dystopia’s mother broke down and unveiled the truth to her, breaking every strong hold on Queen Dystopia’s heart. Queen Dystopia could finally see life in a whole new light. She was perplexed and forever changed. This change of heart would bring grace to this dystopian society giving Queen Dystopia the chance to find true love. Everything that she destroyed she had rebuilt. She apologized to every king that she had hurt in the past. Her chain linked bag of demons no longer had a grip on her. People started to say she should be called Queen Utopia now for she makes all things new and through this process she found true love. She found herself. The end.
By Trevor Brewton5 years ago in Fiction
The Great Muscle
“Monsters like these cannot be created, that’s fact not fiction”. Maybe he was right. These type of inhuman , Frankenbeast , probably illiterate sort of militia couldn’t have existed before. I should have known that allowing such a disgusting competition to see who would earn the high stakes, but such basic necessities, wouldn’t be in my greatest interest. How can I muster up enough courage to stop such a brigade? Shoot. I mean… shit.
By Karen Wright5 years ago in Fiction
TO MAKE AN EPIC CHOICE
Hi, my name is Lockett, and I am so HAPPY you are reading my story. Now before you throw this down or burn it because you don’t know what HAPPY really is, thought all happiness disappeared or that it is only something in fairytales, keep reading. If you absolutely HATE my story when finished, you will be able to turn it in for a free dose of your daily fix by calling the number on the last page, no strings attached, because I love and care about you. You may as well go ahead, read, call and then spread the word about the freebies, free is always good.
By Dena Moore5 years ago in Fiction
Ground Zero
Vercazzi took a deep breath as he looked around the once gleaming buildings of downtown Manhattan. The last five years had taken a toll that only had been imagined in the most elaborate of fantasies. Trees sprouted from the cracks of sidewalks, vines clung to the once polished windows. Every once and awhile a loud crack would be heard and parts of a building would fall down to the ground in a cacophony of noise that was heard by no one.
By James Mazza5 years ago in Fiction
