Open Water Novels & Stories

“Mom, Dan, I received an offer from an overseas university. I plan to take it.” Lucille Shaw’s voice was soft in the silent living room, like a single drop of water rippling across a still pond. Her mother Victoria exclaimed with joy, "Really? Congratulations! When are you planning to go?" “In Ten days.”

"You will be treated like nothing except my fuck toy. You will get spoiled food once a week and water one sip a day. You will always stay naked. No clothes for you. No electricity for you. You will be locked in 1 room with just a floor forever. You will never be treated like a human being again from this day on."

After getting married, I followed my wife to the desert to help build up a remote research base. After months of severe drought, I applied for 17 ounces of water just to wash my hair. But as station chief, June Sheffield rejected me without hesitation. "The water supply has to go toward cultivating the samples first. You need to learn how to tough it out." Then the next moment, I came across a new post the intern had uploaded on social media. 'Wanted to try an outdoor bath, and Ms. Sheffield approved a whole ton of water without even blinking! She even set up the bath tent herself. I'm so happy.' Furious, I went straight to confront June Sheffield. Usually cold and distant, she softened her tone for once. "Conditions here are harsh. If Morgan can't handle it and decides to leave, the base will end up even more short-staffed. You're one of the core staff members. Once the project pays out, your share alone will be at least four million. An intern like him doesn't get that kind of treatment." In the end, I swallowed my anger. That was, until the first-quarter project wrapped up. When there was still no movement in my account, I nervously contacted headquarters. The moment I gave my identity, the person on the other end sounded stunned. "You're just an intern. What project bonus are you talking about? And the head of the research department has always been Morgan Wilder." I stared at June's signature on the personnel registration list and suddenly understood everything. Without another word, I packed my bags and booked a flight home. Life in the desert was bitterly cold and unforgiving. This time, I was not staying.

It was the apocalypse. A zombie apocalypse. We should've been running for our lives, but my girlfriend, Yvonne Brown, refused to. She wanted to buy as much time as she could for her incompetent childhood friend, Yves Claude, to hop into the last helicopter that would take survivors away. But the retreat was our group's only way to survive in this apocalypse. Yves was not showing up anytime soon. I had no choice but to knock her out and drag her into the chopper. And Yves, the one she could never seem to forget, died in the swarm of undead. I, however, survived thanks to what I did. Yvonne and I lived happily in a safe zone. And then that fateful day came. I was going to take over the territory and lead humanity on an attack against the zombies. The night before that decisive strike, Yvonne spiked my water with anesthetics. When I was caught helpless, she tossed me into the horde of zombies. The swarm of undead tore my flesh open, and the pain killed me. Yvonne? She stood on the wall coldly, a sneer decorating her lips. "Yves could've lived, but you took that chance away from him! You selfish monster, you killed Yves! I will make you suffer what he suffered! You'll pay for it with your life!" Death took me, but it tossed me all the way back to the day of the retreat. The day Yvonne adamantly insisted on waiting for Yves. Well, if she was so happy to live through a world like this with her friend, who am I to say no? I would grant her that wish, even if she would end up as zombie food.

Patrick and Clare wake up trapped in a basement, a thin wall separating their cells. Their captor is mysteriously absent, which at first seems like a blessing. As more time passes with no food or water, they begin to realize a clock is ticking for their survival.They know their captor is still out there, and it is only a matter of time before he returns.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

The heat apocalypse struck without warning, and the office turned into hell on earth. Global temperatures spiked past 126°F. Ellie Ramsey, the receptionist, collapsed against the water cooler, her skin fused to the plastic tank. When Frank Higgins tried to pull her free, a layer of skin tore away with his hand. Of the hundred-some people who'd worked in our building, only seven of us were left. The survivors retreated into the underground bunker beneath the building, sealed off from the heat above. Water and food ran out fast. We'd have fought over a single rat's blood just to wet our throats. Then Jake Collins, the technician who'd gone to check the UV lamp in the incubation unit, came sprinting back like he'd lost his mind. He was clutching a part in his hand, his face bone-white. "This temperature control module—" He shoved it in front of my face, his fingers shaking. "The manufacture date. It's from last March."

"I still love her, Brother Ezra. And I can't live without her." Razel's tears began flooding his cheeks. "But she loves me, Razel. And I love her too." I replied with conviction. "I am done swallowing my pride. I love you because you are my stepbrother. But that doesn't mean I will always let you have what you desire. Can you just be happy for us?" "Can you give her back to me, huh?" to my surprise, Razel dropped his knees on the ground. "She loves me first, remember?" Fated to my Stepbrother's Mate is packed with love and betrayal. Two men fell in love with one woman and are willing to bend the written rules of the werewolf world. Kill for Love. Betrayal for Love. Who will have her in the END? The older brother who prefers BLOOD than WATER? Or the younger brother who prefers WATER than BLOOD?

The apartment that I bought four years ago isn't renovated or lived in at all. Yet, I suddenly receive messages on unpaid water and electricity bills. Puzzled by the sudden barrage of messages, I return to that particular apartment to check things out. That's when I realize that a stranger has been living in my apartment this whole time!

SYNOPSIS Mirabel Harrington was born with a rare water allergy in a family that only cares about perfection. They hide her away and treat her like a silent maid in her own home, while her adopted sister Isabella gets all the love and attention. One night at Isabella’s birthday gala, Mirabel accidentally spills water on a masked guest, the ruthless billionaire Dante Virelli. The water triggers her painful allergy right in front of everyone. Dante, who is the son of his father’s mistress, needs to get married before he turns 29 or he will lose his father’s entire empire forever. He offers Mirabel a deal: stay with him for just ninety days and they can both escape their toxic families. What starts as a cold arrangement in his fancy penthouse slowly turns into a secret contract marriage to help him claim his inheritance. Behind Dante’s icy personality is a desperate man who sees his own painful childhood in Mirabel’s suffering. As they spend more time together, he has to take care of her during her allergic reactions, and his cold mask begins to crack. Mirabel, who has always been invisible, starts to come alive. She learns to stand up for herself, reveals family secrets, and falls for the man who refuses to look away from her scars. But Dante’s legitimate family, his half-brother Victor, and Isabella team up to tear them apart. When the fight for the inheritance gets dangerous and Mirabel’s health gets worse, both of them have to decide if their growing love is worth risking everything. In a world that punished them just for existing, can two broken people finally choose each other without any contracts or masks?

My mother suffered a heart attack. We had to pay a deposit of thirty thousand dollars before she could receive bypass surgery. I borrowed money from all my relatives and friends and scraped together this life-saving sum. When I was queuing to pay the fee, my husband said, “Why don’t you go get your mom some water to keep her hydrated? I’ll wait in line and handle the payment.” When I returned with the cup of water, I saw him giving the stack of cash to a family member of a patient he had just met. “Hey, we crossed paths for a reason, man. Take this for now. You clearly need it more. We’re fine on our end, trust me,” he said boastfully and patted his chest. He had always been a show-off. A nurse stood outside the resuscitation room with a consent form in her hand as she shouted for a family member to sign. My mother’s heart monitor had already gone flat.