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Latest Stories

December 04, 2025
Horror Stories Alizah Zaidi

The Apartment That Remembers

Elias Trent signed the lease for Apartment 4B on a damp Sunday morning in October—one of those mornings when the sky felt heavy with secrets. He had moved to Hawthorne City for a fresh start, a quieter life, and an escape from the noise of the world. The…
December 04, 2025
General Stories Ben Macnair

The Silent City

John awoke not with a jump, but with a profound, unsettling lack of noise. Usually, Tuesdays in his high-rise apartment were an orchestral assault: the insistent moan of the sanitation truck, the 7:05 a.m. argument between Mrs. Petrovich and her potted fig…
December 04, 2025
Crime Stories Ben Macnair

The Shoplifter

The city was a bruise, the sky a bruised purple at dawn, bleeding into a sickly yellow by noon. Sarah knew its various shades intimately, mostly from beneath the hoods of stolen jackets or the weak, flickering bulbs of forgotten alleyways. She was a ghost in…
December 04, 2025
General Stories Tom Kropp

Shannon's Date

Recently I testified at a murder trial. My big brown Quarter Horse named Buster snorted and stomped his hoof with clear protest at the prospect of moving farther into the forest patch. It was a cool September evening with the sun slipping over the horizon in…
December 04, 2025
Crime Stories Tom Kropp

Astral Homicide Hunter

Scot put his back to the hall wall and shifted to see all three members of the football team as they approached. All three football heroes stood over six foot tall and weighed over 200 pounds. In contrast, Scot was short and only weighed 165 pounds. His small…
December 04, 2025
Flash Fiction Ben Macnair

The Mirror

Laura stepped into the pulsating nightclub, the bass thudding through her chest like a primal heartbeat. At 29, she had seen her share of wild nights, but tonight something felt different. The air was thick with smoke and neon haze, and the crowd swirled…
December 04, 2025
Crime Stories Ben Macnair

The Shoelace

The field was a tapestry of amber and gold, the dying grass whispering secrets to the wind. It was a beautiful place, usually. But not today. Today, it was a crime scene. And among the scattered debris of a struggle, a single, mundane object held a chilling…
December 04, 2025
Poetry Markus J

When Santa Comes Downunder

when santa comes down under- he would leave behind snow and thunder. he would cross scenic beaches of golden sand- instead of crossing an ice and snow covered land. he`ll would fly over dirt river beds dry- while constantly swatting away a fly. would he swap…
December 04, 2025
Romance Stories Anthony L

Mr Big

Scotty Biggs lived his life like most people. He lived in New York, in a small apartment above a little bodega that one of his friends still owns. His routine was familiar: wake up too early, make breakfast, hit the gym, work, go home, repeat. His friends…
December 04, 2025
General Stories Ben Macnair

Subjects

The air crackled with a synthetic euphoria, a blinding kaleidoscope of LED lights and projected confetti. Rex Sterling, a man carved from polished charisma and a thousand-watt smile, strutted across the stage of "The Gauntlet of Fortune." His voice, a booming…
December 04, 2025
Romance Stories Alizah Zaidi

Love In The Letters

There was something about the writing cabin at the edge of Windmere Lake that felt suspended in time. The locals said that the cabin had heard more confessions than the village chapel and held more secrets than the town library. It sat halfway into the woods,…
December 04, 2025
Crime Stories Ben Macnair

The Photograph

The air in the abandoned Jones house tasted of fine dust and forgotten dreams. Detective Miles Corbin pushed open a warped door, the groan of protesting wood echoing through the desolate silence. Sunlight, fractured by grimy windows, painted stripes across a…

Lainie sat staring at the unopened envelope. She let out a long sigh, sliced the package open, and slid the contents out onto the kitchen counter.

Three hours later, envelope in hand, she entered the restaurant looking hotter than a jalapeno. Dark curls swept up off her neck, her dress of champagne-colored lace blended with her creamy skin. She turned every head in the place … except two.

Lainie strode over to a booth where a man and woman sat in close contact, quietly conversing. When her husband looked up, Lainie watched the color drain from his face. His eyes widened, and he sputtered, “Lainie! Wha … what are you doing here?”

The woman he was with turned questioning eyes on Lainie.

So, the rotten bastard didn’t bother to tell you he’s married, Lainie thought.

Her face was filled with disgust when she looked back at Tom. “I’m certainly glad I insisted that prenup infidelity clause apply to both of us. Thanks for making this easy.”

“Now wait a minute, Lainie. Margo and I were just having a business dinner … an oversight meeting, that’s all. There’s no reason for you to jump to the wrong conclusion, baby.”

Margo gagged on her water. When she recovered, she glared at Tom. “You didn’t mention you were married. I guess this really was an oversight meeting!” She picked up her purse, slid out of the booth, turned and headed for the door.

Sweat trickled down Tom’s temple, but he was a lawyer, a man used to talking his way out of anything. Just as Lainie expected, he put on his most charming grin. His eyes slid from her face to roam the curves of her body. “I’ve never seen that dress before. You look fabulous tonight!”

Did he really think he was so irresistible she’d forgive him no matter what? Lainie realized in that moment there was no denying she’d married a scumbag.

She squared her shoulders, glared, and said, “Tell it to my attorney.”

“But, honey, you don’t understand …”

“Don’t ‘honey’ me, Tom,” Lainie interrupted. “And I understand more than you know.” She dumped the photographs on the table, some of them landing in the unfinished dessert.

Tom spewed his wine.

Lainie picked up one of the pictures and gave it a glance. “Even I have to admit Margo looks pretty sultry in that red bra and panties. And look, your hands are all over her.”

Tom stuck his finger between his neck and shirt then tugged as if someone were strangling him.

Lainie’s eyes filled with sadness. “Unfortunately you’re not going to be able to talk your way out of this one. It’s over, Tom.”

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