Empty Threat Novels & Stories

It happened in an unpaid internship at a compliance consultancy in Geneva, six months spent learning, from the inside, exactly how the architecture of Graham's kind of theft gets built and exactly where the load-bearing walls are. I stopped flinching at loud noises around month nine. Stopped checking over my shoulder every time a car slowed beside me around month fourteen. I never stopped thinking about that text. I know you're alive because whoever sent it never sent another, and a threat that doesn't repeat sits in you differently than one that does. It waits. It doesn't ask permission to come back.

My company let employees clock paid hours while petting the office cats, take unlimited vacation, and skip the time clock altogether. For a while, people called us a dream company. Then one of my employees posted online and accused the whole thing of being a kindness trap. He filmed the office as if it were paradise, but the caption told a different story: [Don't envy us. All of this was bought with our low pay and our youth.] The post went viral, and overnight, I became the fake-nice boss who bled his employees dry behind a mask of small kindnesses. The entire internet told my employees to run. Fine. I let them. I rolled out a new policy. Effective immediately, every flexible benefit

“Comms drafted. Security tightened. Financial statements prepped. If they follow through on their threat, we absorb the hit and push forward.” I sank into my chair, exhaling slowly. “Good. Because they won’t stop.” He studied me carefully. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” I lied. He didn’t call me out on it, but the slight tilt of his head said he knew. Minutes later, my inbox pinged. A new message. No subject line. Just the same address as before. I opened it with steady fingers. Reminder. 24 hours left. Drop Zenith, or the world learns everything.

It was a brown big box with paper with a little writing on it. From: Happy Scholarships To: Todd Thomas ' I hope I'm happy in the end,' I muttered sarcastically and slit the seal. I opened the box and saw a white envelope with the same notes: From: Happy Scholarships To: Todd Thomas I took it and checked the back if there were any notes but found none so I just tore open the envelope and took out the letter. It was short and it looked precise. Dear Applicant Todd Thomas, We appreciate your effort and time to apply for Happy Scholarships but we regret to inform you that you were not selected among the chosen. We ask for your patience and understanding. You can apply next year and can be possi

I tap my fingers on the armrest, waiting for his answer. He proudly rests his back against the office chair and smiles. "Janet Johnson." I nod. Her name playing in my head. I get distracted from my thought when my phones' ringtone fill the room. I pick it up without wasting much time. "Boss." One of my men calls. "There is a problem." I look up at Seth then at the table. "What's that?" "The ship transporting our weapons, can't be found." "What!" I furrow my brows. "When did you realize this?"

"Do you know I got another threat in the early hours of this morning?" Ethan took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. With a quiet but firm voice, he said, "those threats won't stop coming in." He paused and lifted his eyes to meet Maya's face, whose expression was bewildered, and her eyes had a mixture of unspoken words and confusion. He continued calmly, "not just today, nor tomorrow, nor a few days from now; the threats won't stop, but they will keep coming in. So, just to safe guard your life, I will advise you to leave now."

The all huff. "What will you like?" Kelvin asked. "Uh... Nothing," I shrugged. "Couldn't you say that earlier." Karen rolled her eyes. "Attitude Miss." I scolded while she tuck her tongue at me. "Deal, we need to buy some weapons in the game." Damian said. "Oh yeah, I'll afford that but for now you need to try by yourselves we need points. Get your asses to work, bye." I waved. "Bye dickhead." Karen went blank.

Maxine didn't get to finish cause Ella covered her mouth. We stopped playing when our professor came in. Hiding the bottle, we used for the game, and we just patiently waited for the lesson of the professor. I quickly checked my phone under the desk because it vibrated alerting me of a notification. And it was from F******k. Someone added me. Jacob Valdez sent you a friend request. Accept / Delete Hmmm Jacob Valdez? Who is this guy? Meh I should just check it later at home, who knows what my professor will do when I get caught using a phone at class.

"That's it? Just good?" "With Seren that is the highest possible endorsement." She looked at her glass. "She also told Mr. Roof you passed the truck test." "The truck test." "You agreed that thunder was legitimately loud. Apparently that was the truck test." She looked at him. "Mr. Roof has decided you are trustworthy." He looked at her with the expression of a man who had run a fourteen billion dollar company for six years and had never once received a professional endorsement that meant as much as being approved by a bear named Mr. Roof.

Samuel whispered, “Global destabilization.” The operative’s voice hardened. “You’re bluffing.” Maxwell didn’t blink. “Test it.” Another tremor shook the mountain. But this time— It wasn’t from the corridor. It came from deeper. Jonathan’s phone vibrated violently. He checked. His face drained of all color. Maxwell felt it instantly. “What.” Jonathan’s voice barely carried. “The contracts just froze.” Silence. Margaret’s breath stopped. Samuel stared. Jonathan looked at Maxwell. “They’re reading simultaneous threat condition.”