thriller
The Ghost Train
Chapter 9: The Truth of the Train The train hurtled through landscapes that defied classification—mountain ranges that floated upside down above churning seas, cities built from light and shadow, forests where trees grew backward into the earth. Sarah had stopped trying to document it all in her notebook. Some things were beyond recording.
By Shane D. Spearabout a year ago in Fiction
Fall From Grace
Daniel sat stiffly in the 45th-floor waiting room, fingers tapping nervously against the chair’s armrest. The fluorescent lights buzzed soothingly but did little to settle his nerves. His phone had died, and he stared at the thick fog rolling past the windows. He’d been waiting for what felt like hours, but his mind refused to settle.
By Steph Marieabout a year ago in Fiction
A Flight
"Do you like the female British voice or the male Aussie? I can click this button and change it." "It will confuse the passengers and make them anxious. Choose ONE and stick to it!" Marsha was co-piloting with Brad and tired of his antics. An error in scheduling had resulted in her being called up for the flight.
By Andrea Corwin about a year ago in Fiction
Trapped and Captive in Someone Else’s Bed
Trapped and captive, I was starting to regret being there. Shadows glided above my head. Dark shadows were cast against a vivid blue background by the bright sun. Evil-looking forms grabbed my attention as I gripped the ocean bed.
By Calvin Londonabout a year ago in Fiction
The Day Time Broke
It started at exactly 2:17 PM, on a normal Tuesday. Clocks stopped all around the globe. Digital clocks, analog clocks, atomic clocks—everything that told time stopped. Phones did not update. Watches stopped moving. Even the sun, inexplicably, appeared to stop, locked in the same spot in the sky like a photograph.
By Bari Mir Rahamatulabout a year ago in Fiction
The Man in The Shadows
Paul kept a hand on the small of Jessica’s back as they stepped away from the hotel window. She could still see the man—just barely. His silhouette was ghostlike in the moonlight, watching them from across the street. He seemed as though time meant nothing. It was like he had all the time in the world. Jessica's shoulders slumped. She was tired.
By Loretta Emmonsabout a year ago in Fiction
The Girl Who Vanished After Prom Night: Still No Clues, 10 Years Later
She walked into the woods in red—and never came back. --- The Last Dance She Never Made It To Lila Carter was the kind of girl everyone noticed but few truly knew. Class president, theater star, prom queen favorite—her name was etched into every hallway of Crescent Valley High. But on the night of May 14, 2015, Lila disappeared without a trace, vanishing into the thick Georgia night just hours after getting ready for what was supposed to be the best night of her life. Ten years later, her case remains one of the most haunting unsolved disappearances in the region, wrapped in mystery, rumors, and chilling dead ends. No body, no suspects, no answers. Just one red dress, a final cryptic text, and a mother who still leaves the porch light on. --- The Night She Was Supposed to Shine Lila’s senior year had been one long highlight reel. She had recently been accepted to NYU on a theater scholarship, had just broken up with her football-star boyfriend Jace Miller, and was glowing with the excitement of what was next. Her friends described her as “electric” in the days leading up to prom. On the night of the dance, she wore a fitted scarlet gown and silver heels, and posted a mirror selfie with the caption: “Let’s make this a night to remember.” At 6:23 PM, she left her house in her best friend Erica’s car. Multiple photos surfaced that night showing Lila smiling, dancing, even crowning the prom king. By all accounts, she was having a perfect evening. Until she wasn’t. --- The Vanishing Point At 11:09 PM, Lila stepped outside the venue alone. Surveillance footage shows her standing under a streetlamp, texting. A car—an older model black sedan—pulls up beside her. She approaches the vehicle. The camera angle doesn’t show her getting in—but that’s the last time anyone ever saw her. Her final text, sent to Erica at 11:11 PM, simply read: "Don't freak. I’ll explain later. Had to go." She never explained. --- What Followed Was a Storm By morning, the town was in chaos. Erica reported Lila missing when she didn’t answer any calls or return home. Her family assumed at first she’d gone to an afterparty, but when the sun came up and she wasn’t in her bed, panic set in. Police initially treated the case as a runaway—Lila was 18, and the text implied it was voluntary. But that theory crumbled quickly. She’d left behind her clutch, her cash, and a monogrammed bracelet she never took off. Her phone was either turned off or destroyed shortly after the last message. Search parties swept the woods and lake near the venue. Drones were used. Psychics were consulted. Nothing. No blood. No clothing scraps. No phone signal. No witnesses. She had vanished into thin air. --- Suspects, Theories, and Cold Trails Jace Miller, the ex-boyfriend, was questioned immediately. Rumors swirled that their breakup had been rocky. But he had an alibi—he was photographed at a bonfire party until well after 1 AM. No evidence ever linked him to the disappearance. Then there was Mr. Langley, the school’s drama teacher. A loner in his 40s with an unsettling obsession with Shakespearean tragedies. Students whispered about his favoritism toward Lila, but no formal complaints had ever been filed. Police cleared him after a search revealed nothing suspicious. Some townsfolk believe Lila was trafficked. Others are convinced she staged her own disappearance. A few think she was targeted by someone she didn’t even know. But most agree: someone out there knows what happened. --- The Red Dress Theory One of the most bizarre leads came two years after the disappearance, when a red dress—identical to Lila’s—was found in a thrift store in Alabama. The DNA test was inconclusive, but the stain on the hem? Blood. Type O-negative. Lila’s type. Police never identified how the dress got there, and the store owner claimed it came in a box of donations with no label. That lead, too, went cold. --- Still No Answers, Only Echoes In 2020, a podcast called “Vanished in Velvet” reignited interest in the case, but despite millions of streams, it uncovered no new evidence. Lila Carter would be 28 this year. Her bedroom remains untouched, a time capsule frozen in 2015. Her mother, Denise, keeps her phone plan active. “Just in case,” she says. Ten years later, Crescent Valley still wonders: Where did Lila go after the music stopped?
By Gift Abotsi about a year ago in Fiction
