Psychological
First day. Honorable Mention in You Had to Be There. Content Warning.
Tiny trembling hands fiddled with the buttons on her dress. They couldn’t stay straight, it was wrinkled. She hated that, she wanted everything to be perfect. She hated to leave her mom, hated to give up the great times watching ‘Bobby’s World’ or ‘Moon Dreamers’ with chocolate milk and bologna sandwiches. She liked them with mustard. She would at least know one person she was going to school with. Her uncle’s friend had a daughter her age and they were best friends. That was a relief. The world flew by as she rode on her mom’s lap in the passenger’s side of her grandpa’s blue S-10. Everything was familiar for now, until they got to the little school. It was already noon and she was glad she didn’t have to wake up early like some of the other kids. Her backpack bounced against her back as she held her mom’s hand as they walked down the giant hallway. This is the first time she would be somewhere alone without her mom or some other family member nearby.
By Raine Fielder6 months ago in Fiction
Messages From the Future
Every message came one day before something terrible happened. At exactly 11:47 PM, Noah’s phone vibrated on the bedside table. Half asleep, he grabbed it and squinted at the screen. A message from an unknown number stared back at him. > Don’t take the train tomorrow. Noah frowned. For a moment, he simply stared at the words, confused. Then he laughed quietly to himself. Probably another stupid prank. He typed back anyway. > Who is this? No answer came. After waiting a minute, he tossed the phone aside and went back to sleep. The next morning, the message barely crossed his mind. The subway station was packed like always. People rushed past each other while rain hammered the streets outside. Noah stood near the edge of the platform, headphones in, scrolling through his phone. Then chaos erupted. A horrible screech echoed through the tunnel. People screamed. The incoming train suddenly jerked sideways before slamming off the tracks. Sparks exploded into the air as metal crushed against concrete. Smoke filled the station within seconds. Noah stumbled backward in shock. His heart pounded violently as he realized something terrifying. If he had stepped forward just a little earlier, he would’ve been standing exactly where the train crashed. That night, he read the message again. And again. And again. --- The second text arrived the following evening. > Don’t let Emma drive home tonight. This time, Noah’s stomach tightened instantly. Emma was his younger sister. He called her without hesitation. “Why are you calling me this late?” she laughed when she answered. “Where are you?” “At Maya’s party.” “Are you drinking?” “A little.” “Emma, listen to me carefully. Don’t drive home tonight.” There was a pause. “You okay?” she asked. “You sound weird.” “Please. Just stay at a friend’s place.” Something in his voice must’ve scared her because she finally agreed. At 2 AM, Noah woke to nonstop notifications on his phone. A drunk driver had caused a massive accident on the highway Emma usually took home. Three people died. Noah sat frozen in bed, staring at the screen while cold fear crawled through his chest. This wasn’t coincidence anymore. Someone was warning him before disasters happened. --- The messages kept coming over the next few weeks. > Avoid the coffee shop on 8th Street tomorrow morning. A gas explosion destroyed it the next day. > Don’t go to work Friday. An electrical fire spread through his office building that afternoon. Each warning saved him. But every message terrified him more. Whoever was texting him knew things before they happened. And Noah was starting to feel like he was losing his mind. --- One night, unable to take it anymore, he finally asked the question that had been haunting him. > Who are you? For the first time, the reply came instantly. > You. Noah stared at the screen. His throat went dry. > What kind of joke is this? The typing bubble appeared again. > I’m you. One year from now. Noah nearly dropped the phone. His breathing became uneven as another message appeared. > I don’t have much time. He sat there in silence, trying to convince himself this had to be fake. But deep down, he already knew it wasn’t. No prank could predict disasters like this. --- Over the next few days, the messages became longer. Future Noah explained that one year later, scientists created technology capable of sending information back through time. At first, it was meant to change the world forever. Then everything went wrong. A disaster destroyed most of the city. Millions died. And somehow, future Noah survived long enough to contact his past self. > I’m trying to stop it before it happens. Noah’s hands trembled as he typed. > Stop what? The answer came seconds later. > Her. --- The next message included an address. An abandoned laboratory outside the city. Noah spent hours debating whether he should go. Every instinct told him this was dangerous. But curiosity finally won. Rain poured heavily the night he arrived. The laboratory looked abandoned for years. Broken windows rattled in the wind while flickering lights glowed faintly inside. Noah stepped carefully through the dark hallway. Then he heard footsteps. A woman emerged from the shadows. She looked exhausted. Pale. Terrified. But Noah recognized her immediately from the news. Dr. Evelyn Cross. The scientist responsible for the time communication experiment. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said quietly. “My future self sent me.” The color disappeared from her face. “You’ve already been receiving the messages?” Noah nodded slowly. Evelyn looked genuinely frightened now. “You need to listen carefully,” she whispered. “The future version of you can’t be trusted.” Noah frowned. “What are you talking about?” Before she could answer, every monitor in the laboratory suddenly flickered on at once. Static filled the room. Then words appeared across the screens. > DON’T TRUST HER. Noah stepped backward in shock. Evelyn’s breathing became panicked. “You don’t understand!” she shouted. “Something happened to him after the experiment!” The lights burst overhead. Darkness swallowed the room. Noah’s phone vibrated in his pocket. One final message appeared on the screen. > She caused the end of everything. Stop her before midnight. Noah slowly looked up. Evelyn reached behind her back. And pulled out a gun. Outside, thunder shook the city. Inside the ruined laboratory, Noah realized the horrifying truth. One of them was lying. His future self. Or the woman standing in front of him. And whichever one he chose to believe… Would decide the fate of the entire world.
By M Uzair Khan (UK)6 months ago in Fiction
Mercy on Maple Street. Top Story - May 2026.
This was now the fifth night I felt it. That tinge in the air. The unmistakable feeling of being watched. Every night for three months, I had no choice but to walk home. That's how long it'd been since Dax left. Three whole months. And now, he was enjoying the college experience while I was still stuck in this shit town delivering waffles and mediocre coffee to bigoted customers.
By SUEDE the poet6 months ago in Fiction
Nothing, A Fable
Down on his luck and desperate, a man journeyed to the farthest corner of the globe in search of advice from the Wise Man in the Hall of Wisdom. He had heard that the Wise Man had the key to a portal to a perfect world where he didn't have to struggle with the daily grind of life and all its failures.
By Dean Traylor6 months ago in Fiction
The Clock Goes Backwards
4:30 PM Time to start getting things wrapped up. No more meetings, the network is being a bit slow, these new systems were meant to make our jobs easier and more productive, but we just spend our time rustling up work arounds to deliver what we need to do. We seem to spend more time doing that than our excellent job.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 6 months ago in Fiction
The Last Train to Willowbrook. AI-Generated.
Elara Voss tightened her coat against the November wind slicing through King’s Cross station. The 23:47 to Willowbrook was never busy, but tonight the platform felt unnaturally empty. Only the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like dying insects. She checked her phone again—no signal, no messages from her sister. Just the same unanswered text: I’m coming. Don’t do anything stupid.
By Waleed khan6 months ago in Fiction
