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Some secrets are meant to stay buried... When a series of brutal murders begins, each victim is forced to confess their darkest secrets, Special Agent Nico Hart is called in to track down a killer who seems to know more than they should. As Nico digs deeper into the case, the chilling realization sets in-the killer isn't just targeting random people. They're targeting survivors and their sins. With each confession, Nico is drawn closer to his own buried truth, one he's desperately tried to forget. But the killer's game is more personal than he could ever imagine. This story is written for The Open Novella Contest 2025 Prompts: 66. It's not a mystery-it's the walls. They hold secrets, but what are they hiding? 80. The corpse in the hospital actually alive. 125. "Fear is the mind-killer."-Quote by Frank Herbert -"Dune".

Perhaps things would have turned out differently. Maybe I could have avoided what was to come. Maybe it's a game life wanted me to play, and there's no forfeiting or escaping. I simply have to follow the rules and hopefully make it to the final round, even if that means that I'll be buried six feet underground like him. __________________________________ "Things happen when you least expect them, whether they're good or bad, and in my case, it was everything and more."- Linda Smith Linda Smith, in a million years, never expected her life to take a crazy turn. To be handcuffed and blamed for a death no one saw coming. With a new identity and a new life, she is determined to find the true suspect. Can Linda prove her innocence, or will she share the same fate as Jacob, her now-dead boyfriend? Warnings: *Language Involved* *Violence/fights* (mainly on Chapter 33) Cover made by @lyspynen

A much-hated man is found dead, his face twisted into a rictus of horror. Young Inspector Visser can't stand the sight of blood or death, so this case was destined to be a struggle, even before a storm hits. The death occurred in an isolated boarding house on Pluvierstraat, The Hague. Fighting nausea as he examines the body, Visser grudgingly concludes that the death is murder by poison. Which of the motley group of suspects is the killer? The blind woman? The practical jokester? The Italian ex-convict? The English bookie? The scarred railroad engineer? Or could it be the pretty piano teacher? Visser orders them all to stay inside the house as he completes his time-consuming police work. The confinement becomes real when a storm strikes, cutting electricity and telephone. Clues mount and tensions rise, and the murderer among them could kill again. The more clues Visser unravels, the closer he comes to becoming the next victim. ---- I tried to channel Agatha Christie a bit. Okay, more than a bit. This story was longlisted in the 2020 "Open Novella Contest," and won 2nd place in the 2022 Punk Rock Awards, Mystery & Suspense category. Comments welcome!

Tristan Young is, by all logical conclusions, a failure. His dream career of private investigation has left him with nothing but debt and an empty office. So when a mysterious phone call makes him a grand promise of fame and success, the decision to accept is simple. There is only one price for his ambition: one night in the local manor, and one dinner with five strangers. Easy enough. Until, sometime in the dark, the price turns bloody. With one of the party's attendees now dead and no other suspects but the remaining five, they are all thrust deep into a murder case riddled with secrets. For Tristan, it should be his fantasy come true; he finally has a puzzle to solve and a chance to put his skills to use. But the games in his head never placed himself as a puzzle piece. The game becomes a race. He has to clear his name and win what he was promised before it's too late. -♧- Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, using prompt 49. -- ONC Shortlister -- [cover art by the amazing @-aceospades-]

Margo Watson was found murdered in her own home on October 13th. Leaving the town of Scattervale, with the solving of it's first murder mystery, in 30 years. Her body was found in her bathroom tub with evidence of a homicide, that led to her death. Once the autopsy came back with fingerprints from her friends, covered on her corpse, the mystery unravels. As each side of the story gets told from different perspectives. Only which side is the truth? And which is a lie? But that's not all, Margo's soul could not rest until she could remember who killed her. Forcing her to haunt her five friends who brought pain upon her, mentally and physically. In several different ways, since she moved here. Only to find out the truth, about what happened to her, that gruesome night. With her memories in shambles and even questioning her friendships. Margo wanted nothing more, than to get to the bottom of her own murder mystery, so she could move on & find peace. But when her foes as friends argue to be framed for the murder and not actual suspects. Things start to get bloody, as the town of Scattervale, point fingers, pick sides, and bid on the killer. So which one of her five foes did murder her in cold blood? And will anyone ever know the truth? There's only one way to find out.... DISCLAIMER: this story tackles very serious and disturbing topics, such as suicide, sexual assault, & drug use. If you have struggled with these topics before. This story might be triggering for you. Please be aware. Cover Art Illustrated By: Veronika Weroni Vajdova

ONC Ambassador's Pick & Shortlister! Rumors. Infidelity. Lies. Secrets. MURDER. And all before lunch time. Who knew being a socialite in 1951 could be so thrilling? ~~~ On a lovely June afternoon, as the oh-so-chic members of the Gilded Grove Ladies' Book Club gather for their scheduled luncheon, they are shocked to receive the news that their vice president, Camilla Otis, is unable to attend. Gossip ensues. What catastrophe could possibly have befallen her to warrant a last minute cancellation? The answer comes by way of two clever, dashing police officers. It seems Camilla Otis has had quite a busy morning, and that the truth behind her absence is far more scandalous than the Book Club ladies could ever have imagined. As the police dig deeper into the events surrounding Mrs. Otis' shocking crime, buried secrets about the other Book Club members begin to surface. None of the women in question are the fine, upstanding ladies of society that the public believes them to be. Each has tarnish on her so-called "sterling reputation." And no one has more to hide than club president Marcella Montgomery. Written for ONC 2024, this is a tongue-in-cheek "whodunit" (in reverse) that will leave you wondering just what a scorned woman *wouldn't* do for sweet, sweet revenge. ⚠️ Warning: many very nonchalant references to murder and death. Very ignorant (era-realistic), inaccurate comments about nationalities/cultures outside the US.

Five friends, one is a killer. On fall break, twenty year old Eliza Goodchild sets off with four of her college friends for a remote cabin in Aspen, Colorado. When a blizzard strikes without warning, their SUV skids off an embankment and disappears into a wooded ravine. In the whiteout, they get lost and find themselves in a frigid wilderness where every wrong move can spell certain death. In their struggle to survive, they learn one of them is a killer. Everyone has secrets and motives, but when the killer claims a second victim, they realize all of them are targets in an icy twisted plot to get away with the perfect murder, or should we say, murders. Open Novella Contest 2023 ~~The Writing Prompt I selected~~ 5. Flip the coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare?

With the Kingdom Heir coming-of-age celebration fast approaching, the search for a match begins. It is decreed a dance will be held; an anonymous masked ball. !!! THIS STORY IS FOR A CONTEST!!! ~~~ 12 princes 4 weeks 1 choice What can go wrong? Everything! The last thing Elide wanted in her life was to choose her other half according to her father's rules. 12 princes from all over the Kingdom of Amaris and other kingdoms have come to test their luck... But nothing is easy for Elide, especially when her father has the right to make the final choice. But don't let that bring you down because Elide has a plan. She is going to escape this choosing... The news of 4 murders in one night has been spread all over the kingdom. That is nothing weird on a huge kingdom, right? Wrong! 4 princes have been murdered, no one knows who did this, people have chosen their suspects but nothing makes sense. The biggest question is how all 4 princes who were part of the forced-choosing were murdered. As if this is not enough more trouble lines itself in Elide's life, someone's behind her life. A trap is been set. Does she fall for it? Only time can tell. What happens with everyone is really hard to tell......but I can only give one warning: Appearances can be deceptive. ~~~ Co-written by me (@bo0k__nerd) and @shub2005