Mind-Bending Short Stories & Ruthless Crime Novels

When Dad learned I placed second on a practice college entrance exam, he shouted at me. "Second again? Can't you beat whoever came first?" "How did I end up with such a useless son?" I promised I'd take down the top student on the next exam. That night, I dreamed about the girl who came first. In the dream, I pushed her from the twenty-third floor. The sound of her hitting the ground made my stomach turn. I woke from the nightmare to a flood of messages in the class group chat. The first message made my blood run cold. [Zara Henson jumped from the twenty-third floor. She died on the spot.] [Zara's mother insists it wasn't suicide. She says someone pushed her.] [Can you hear the police sirens?]

I opened my eyes to a dark, windowless room. Overhead, a voice crackled from the speakers. “Welcome to The Judgment Room. Each player will state the crime they committed. Do not lie. After all six of you speak, you will vote. The one with the most votes will be eliminated. “The game starts now.” In this deadly game, whose sins weighed the least?

I was eight months pregnant when I told my mother-in-law I’d eaten the prenatal meal my husband prepared for me. She immediately called the police and said I was in danger. I told my husband, a homicide detective, about his mother’s strange reaction. His expression changed, and he sounded frantic. "Run! Get out as fast as you can! That house is dangerous!"