First place meant you did the best.

Third place meant you did good.

But to Eliana,

Second place meant you did worst of the best.

The moment she stepped off that stage, the roar of the crowd blurred into static. She didn’t wait for the group photo. Didn’t wait for congratulations. The medal clacked against her chest with every step. She yanked it off and threw it—hard—toward whatever directi...

In a field filled with flowers, where his faded blue van was parked, Jason got up just early enough to catch the sunrise. Right on time, like always.

He never got tired of it. The way the colors slowly painted the sky and wrapped around the hills, brushing over the flowers like a soft whisper. It was quiet. Still. Beautiful.

Jason took a quick bath by the river, the water cold but refreshing, th...

Warning: Light cursing

No one bats an eye at the one with wrinkles. Sagged eyes, white hair, dry lips— all the unlovely things that come with age.

“Alice, take those men’s order, will you?” her manager calls out from behind the counter.

Alice steps away from the register with a sigh, grabbing the clipboard off the hook.

‘Why do I always have to do Jessa’s job?’

She smooths down her apro...

Warnings: light cursing, violence, cannibalism (?)

A part of the lab remains unexplored, deemed dangerous and best left untouched. But with desperate stakes at play, only a selected group of the strongest were chosen to set out.

The word strong comes in many forms.

There’s Calvin, six feet tall and able to lift a person without breaking a sweat.

Amy, who’s always two steps ahead, with rout...