Congratulations to the winners of our first-ever Prosetrain Contest, Kristina Wang and Raisa Tuerxun, for their submission of “Undead”! An honorable mention goes to Madison Moye’ and Aniyah Perkins for their piece, “The Mysterious Disappearance of Athena.” Read both collaborative short stories below.
Footsteps echoed through the corridors as she strode down the hallway, hands in her pockets, gently humming along with the rhythm playing in her headphones. Her melodic voice traveled through the hall as she passed several locked classrooms where the lights flickered on and off.
“Where are you heading this time?”
She glanced to her left.
Yet nothing is visible.
I must be hallucinating.
She continued walking.
“Really? Pretending... again?”
She stopped and tugged her headphones off. After carefully scanning her surroundings to find no one nearby, she sighed and finally replied, “stop bugging me.”
Her footsteps fastened and she felt eeriness circling her.
“You promised me.” That voice lost its temper immediately.
She let out a deep, infuriating sigh, her gaze fixated on the door at the end of the hall. “I didn’t promise anyone anything.”
A sudden wind shut the door in front of her. “I gave you two years, it’s about time.”
She stopped. After a few seconds of deep contemplation, she turned around. “Why did you have to come back like this?”
“You don’t remember? I’ve told you several times.”
She frowned and shook her head. “You just can’t let go.”
“I gave you time. You owe me.” The voice repeated itself, disregarding her words.
“I have nothing to give! What do you want from me?” She raised her voice.