I adjusted the sight on my rifle and shifted my shoulders a bit to push the stiffness out. I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to calm my nerves. Where the hell was he? The city street below was busy with noon traffic heavier than normal and there were a lot of bystanders making their way from…
Category: flash fiction
Created by FlashDogs in 2016, #vss365 participants write a tweet-sized short story based on a daily word prompt. Originally planned to last one year, the prompts are now given out by a new host every month, each with their own unique style and word choices. The hosts were originally scheduled by Voimaoy until the start of 2020, when Arthur Unk took over host scheduling.
Most word prompts come from https://vss365today.com/
spiders
I walked downstairs, stomping each step as loud as I could. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll get it. Just a second.” I hit the landing, waited a moment, then stepped into the basement. Flicking on the light, I noticed all the work that my wife had been asking me to do. There are old toys, dust bunnies, and threats to my feet…
Sleepless Travelers
Another Traveler came into the space just then. “Hey.” “Hey.” He released control to her. She took over the ears, the eyes, and the base of the neck and surveyed the surroundings. “Where am I?” she asked. “It’s a bedroom. It’s late,” he explained. She allowed the body to take in a deep breath and exhaled through the nose. She…
Dollar Store Journal
I picked up this notebook at the Dollar Store down the street. It was the last one. Even had to ask for help in finding it. They cram so much shit in those stores nowadays. Oh, man. What the hell am I doing? Doc said it might be best to write my thoughts down, a journal, I guess. I told…
The Mother of Madness
“And now, for the strangest of the strange. The most evil of evil. Ladies and gentlemen, you won’t find anything as vile or disgusting as you are about to see now. For those of you who are of weak stomach, the exit is just to your left. I pray that you are no more metal than your fellow companions if…
monster in the closet
“Alright, buddy. It’s bedtime.” Jim fitted his son under the covers and arranged his stuffed animals in whatever fashion he preferred them. Jim leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I love you. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. His son repeated his words back to him. Jim kissed him again. He stood up, turned,…
lookout
Charles cupped both hands his eyes scanning the mountainside a few miles away. “I don’t see anythin’,” he said, dropping his hands down. He put one still cupped hand on top of the other and placed them over his right eye and leaned forward. Now he could see even closer to the snow covered mountain tops. He searched familiar trails…
graveyard shift
“Well,” the recruiter began. “Everything looks to be in order. Never worked in a graveyard before?” “No, sir. Just that bit of janitorial work I did for the high school a few years back. Did a bit of maintenance during that time too. Not sure what sort of set up you’ve got here,” he said. “Well, we’re a small outfit…
Road Trip
I watched the traffic drive by on Five-Four. The road heated up and had that summer smell to it when you rolled the windows down. I spit the old piece of chewing gum out into the foil wrapper, balled it up, and tossed it out my open window. I pulled my pack of gum out of my pocket and threw…
apartment complex
Another shock rocketed the east side of the apartment building. The floor beneath my feet shook and cracked. I held the rifle tight to my chest and dove to the floor avoiding falling concrete from the ceiling above me. I scrambled to my feet and dodged to the open window hiding to one side. I took a deep breath and…