Stopped Time Novels & Stories

Let me know when you've landed—I'm in. [Aaron, I already put down $50K in deposits. The cancellation might take a while, but I'll reach out as soon as it's done. Don't forget your old clients.] [Aaron, when we found out how they treated you, we were furious. Any place that can't see your value doesn't deserve our business. We're with you—wherever you go.] The messages kept pouring in. I opened each one, replying carefully. By the time I cleared my inbox, two hours had flown by.

" I already emailed you the details as it will be happening end of next month, I clearly informed you about it this morning " " Oh, I might have forgotten. And my coffee? What about the coffee machine? " " It's 4 pm, therefore, you had them in their specific time as usual. I already arranged for someone to come and check the coffee machine " Before I could open my mouth she beat me to it. " We both know that we won't be getting anywhere if we continue this conversation. I suggest we stop here. I really need to finish this document " With a stoic expression she went back to whatever she was doing not giving me a chance to replay.

he said, looking a little more interested in the conversation. "Well, according to you, certain things were discontinued thirteen years ago," I said and he nodded in confirmation, "but according to a few records, that is not the case." "What records?" I gestured toward the files on the side. Soren's eyebrows cinched into a small frown before he leaned forward and grabbed a file. I sat silently as he read page after page in the file. I could see his relaxed frame turning rigid the more he read on. He looked at me, unable to hide his shock and surprise.

12:00 AM EST. I waite⁠d. I watched the clo⁠ck on my computer screen tick closer to midn​ig⁠ht. ​11:58... 11:59... 12:00‌. The data refreshed. A‍ new​ block​ of tran​sf​ers went‍ t​hrough​.

All that remained was the launch coordination meeting scheduled for Friday—the exact moment our two-week agreement ended. I spent Thursday evening in my apartment doing absolutely nothing productive, which is how I knew I was in actual distress. I'm not a person who does "absolutely nothing." I have systems. Routines. Productivity frameworks. Thursday night I had chaos and anxiety and the specific knowledge that something fundamental was about to change. By Friday morning, I couldn't quite eat breakfast. The launch coordination meeting was scheduled for 2 PM. Westbrook executives, our team, final details before the Monday market launch.

Typical. I fumbled for my phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up. It was 4:03 a.m. My stomach twisted. Who the hell knocks at four in the morning? Then I saw the notifications. Jones. Ten missed calls. The last one ended two minutes ago. My heart gave a funny little thud. Jones never called like that unless something was seriously wrong. I was about to hit redial when the knock came again. It was sharper and more insistent this time around.

“Do you… do you even care... about what you just said?” There was no answer from him. I clenched my fists, my teeth pressing very hard into my lower lip. Of course not, why would he when I let myself down? Unable to bear the suffocating silence between us, I decided to do something, anything to keep my mind active and sane, so I grabbed my laptop from the nightstand. My fingers shook slightly as I opened it. It was exactly 2 a.m., the time the world outside was still, and very silent...but somehow, I managed to be among the restless who were still up, that's if there were people like me. My thoughts were like wildfire. So, I quickly typed “Japanese winter flights from December to January,” a

The gray trash can was sitting right in the middle of it. “Oh my god," I breathed, a genuine smile breaking across my face for the first time in two lifetimes. "It works. It really works. [ Of course it works. Time is frozen inside the storage. Anything you put inside will stay the same forever.] I stood up feeling a lot of energy all of a sudden. I did not have time to sit around and be happy. I had thirty days to get ready for the end of the world. Every second I wasted was one second closer to the end.

Movement seeped back into his muscles. "—the hell is happening?" Valerius finished his sentence, then stumbled forward as momentum suddenly reasserted itself. He caught himself on a seat back, claws gouging the leather, and whipped his head around. "Why is everything—" "Time stopped," I said. "Long story. No time." I caught myself. "No pun intended." "The woman." Valerius looked at Katherine's frozen form. "The metal one." He pointed at Marcus. "The annoying one." Ben. "All frozen?"

"Time stopped. I stopped...time." All three of them stare at me, stunned into total silence. The air in the room tightens unbearably, pressing down on us all. “You what?” Zeke asks, his voice careful, slow, like he’s not entirely sure he heard the impossible claim right. “I stopped time,” I say, the confession sounding insane even to my own ears. “It wasn’t intentional, I swear. Everything and everyone just froze for maybe a minute or so.” Roman mutters a guttural curse under his breath, leaning back in disbelief. Kael just stares at me, his eyes wide, like he’s trying to see the incredible, impossible magic still clinging to my skin.