Short Story

Her eyes struggled to stay open, slowly blinking but never closing. Droplets from the clouds rolled down the windowpane, like copycats of those running down her face. The night was dark with shadows. The only sounds in the house were the plump raindrops falling on the windowsill, the clinking of beer bottles and the sound of her nervous breath. She had to stay awake for she had left the moment he had passed out on the dusty couch in the living room. Her sweaty palms clutched the leather straps of her bag. Her body shook like a small dog’s and the wind made the trees sway like the ghosts of everything she’d ever known. The sound finally came and so did the closing of her bedroom door.

Tires squeal across the hot asphalt; exhaust fumes fill the air. Innocent shoppers leap to safety as cars circle the neighborhood grocery store lot in search of the ideal parking spot. Engines revving. Adrenaline rushing. The driver's sole mission is to obtain a white lined rectangle of pavement before entering the race known as shopping. As a safety precaution, competent and considerate shoppers should be aware of the distinct character traits of the three annoying types of shoppers: Hurry Harry, Suburban Sally, and Picky Pete. Knowledge of their parking-lot-to-checkout-stand habits increases the chance of avoiding a head-on collision.

Her shadow was now slowly cringing into the room through the slightest gap between the door and the floor. ‘Please don’t come in!’ I shouted in my head. I did not want her searching for her wallet or key. Joel would have wakened up. Her shadow stayed for a bit then banished. She probably went off to find another way. I hoped she would eventually give up and sleep. I heard her searching for coins. I doubted if she could find enough for her half-pint. My eyelids weighed a ton. Once again the night swallowed me into its endless darkness.

The chairs had been moved and the ceiling fan was crooked. She stood two feet taller than usual. Blue, and pale with a feverish chill that passed through my hand when I brushed it over her cold cheek. I was somewhat confused at first. Somewhat scared, and somewhat disappointed, not in her, but in myself for not seeing through her fake rapport and childish gimmicks.

You wake up and find yourself passed out on your friend's floor. For a few seconds, you find yourself confused, but then you remember the wild party the night before. Well, some of the party, anyway. Your memory goes fuzzy after these hot chicks starting passing around a few special drinks.

“Stand up right now and put on your coat. We’ll be waiting for you in the car.” Having no idea what was going on, I swiftly dressed up, and in a minute was downstairs. Carefully driving, daddy occasionally looked at my mom. He said, “Everything will be okay, believe me.” In the wing mirror of the car, I recognized a woman, who had never shown her weakness before. Tears were slowly running down her face. Passing by glass buildings, we moved towards another part of the city. Floors of every building decreased. Streets narrowed. Every street was a reminder of my childhood. Trying to get rid of an idea floating in my head, I closed my eyes tight. In a few minutes, the sound of an ambulance broke a silence. I opened my eyes and recognized a familiar

You growled and lashed out at the boy who stood in front of you with a knife wielded in their hand. The person simply dodged and kicked in the back of your legs,making you fall back onto the muddy grass that you were training on.

“I would still be running and screaming ‘get him out of here,'” Sylvia said and laughed.

“When we opened the doors in the kitchen, we were shocked to find a door leading to the basement. Lying right in the middle of the floor, there were submachine guns, handguns and several rifles along with many knives. We also found a machine used for making false ID’s and driver’s license hidden in the basement that’s why Mathew Morgan’s driver’s license looks so real. Since Mr. Hudson lived alone, no one ever checked on him. As a result, when they murdered him, no one missed him. Pretty smart of Matthew Morgan to find someone like Mr. Hudson and replace him,” Steve said, shaking his head.

Driving back to my Grandma's had become the norm due to the lack of wi-fi at my house and minor, yet constant disagreements between my stepfather and I. Owning a gray Jetta that sparkled once it hit sunlight, had an aux cord to play music that changed as much as my mood, and worked perfectly fine filled me with gratitude every time I started up its engine. On May 11 my dismal playlist blared from the partially rolled down windows in the car as a few humble tears rolled down my cheeks. This day pressed hard on my chest knowing my biological father should have turned another year older, not stuck at a young 32. Life happens and you have to keep going; however, I could have never predicted singing "If I die young" by The Band Perry and having

The year was 1993. It was cool, and dark out. I had been watching her; watching her every movement, for almost an hour. Time was ticking by, and soon it would be eleven o'clock: the town's curfew. I had attended church a little before, and I hadn't seen her there, which only confirmed my suspicions. Her red hair looks even more striking in the light of the moon. She threw her head back, laughing at something that her friend had said, and I frowned. Didn't anyone else suspect that she was different?

Mother kisses the top of Clem's head and calls for Dad to bring her school. He sets his newspaper down and gets up. He walks over to me and kisses me on the forehead and grabs my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. This is an odd gesture to me seeing as affection is not necessarily allowed in our city. Apparently it is a form of self-indulgence, which is frowned upon in Rauhallinen.

As I open my eyes, an overwhelming anxiety floods through my veins. Paralyzed unable to bat a single eyelash, I move my eyes throughout the room. The mirror in the corner of the bedroom was luminescent from the crescent clear moon outside. As my eyes circled back to the mirror, the silhouette of a young women began to appear along with a cold breeze bringing shivers up and down my spine. She began approaching my bedside , one hand extended towards me, unable to see her face. I began screaming yearning for someone to hear my pleas for help. The sound of my own screams inside my head began to make my hands and feet clammy. As the silhouette reached out and brushed her hand along my cheek I felt the heat leave my body instantaneously. She has

I walked stiffly for the siesta His Excellency ordered. As a part of Cos’s men I had walked 24 miles straight with no food and water His Excellency ordered us to rest. I was camping in a little camp that was by a small forest . I went to the small camp where , Manuel, Samuel, Carlos, and LopEz. The four of us were good friends. Carlos is the silent type, while Lopez is a prankster, Samuel is the Brawns and his brother Manuel is for the most part the brains. And as if to prove me wrong Manuel pulls a chunk of bread he had snagged from the rations earlier. My jaw fell open and from the looks of the others they feel the same way. Lopez’s was the first one to speak. “Where’d you get that,” he spoke with astonishment.

There was a turn up ahead, which we had to take to get home. We were about to turn and then, everything froze, I felt like the world stopped. No sound could be heard except for the loud crack heard from the left side and the car moving to the right. The sun shone through the windows and all was quiet for a moment. All of a sudden, my mom rushly spoke, loudly, asking and checking to see if we were okay. All I could do is nod in response due to the fact that I felt like someone had