Fiction on Shrieking.net

98.8% of people can’t watch this video for more than 5 seconds

Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:43:12 +0000

Some more clickbait-inspired fiction. I really enjoyed writing this, and I love the premise (heavily Ring-inspired, of course) but I don’t think it came out very well. I present it to you as a second draft, favouring productivity over perfection.

98.8% of people can’t watch this video for more than 5 seconds

“Looks like another one,” said the detective, pausing to inhale deeply from a small electronic device. It glowed in time with his breath. “What does that make it now, 10 this week?”
“At least," said the technician beside him, his camera flash casting the crime scene into bright white light, “It’s the 7th I’ve worked on, and I know that there are more across town.”

A Child's First Steps Are Always Special

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:07:00 +0000

Another clickbait-inspired bit of fiction. I’m not quite sure why this headline painted such a sinister picture in my head, but it did. Hope you like it.

A Child’s First Steps Are Always Special. His Were Special Because They Weren’t Supposed To Happen.

“So, tell me again why I’m doing this?”

The child was turned away from him, oblivious to his actions. The revolver was pressed to the child’s head.

This Young Woman Dances With Her Soul

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 08:55:38 +0000

In recent months, social networks have been filled with sensationalist clickbait headlines. As with the news, the headline is usually more exciting than the story within, so I often make up my own stories to go with them. I realised that this makes the common clickbait sites like Upworthy a great source for writing prompts, so I’ve decided to use them to practice my short stories. Here’s the first one I wrote.