"Nick slumped in his chair, realising that the story may end up being longer than he had anticipated."

"He felt stale, and was beginning to fill with a frenetic energy which would soon draw him out of the flat. "

"Silence, ease, rest, escape. Escape. With each dive, escape."

"He steadied himself from his dizzying fall into unconsciousness, propped himself up on his elbows and opened his eyes."

A night out turns tricky in this latest short story from Ben Hudson.

Get annoyed when someone doesn't do their kitchen chores? This short story is for you.

“Evening Lads!” came the guttural roar of Simon’s deep masculine voice. “Alright mate!” said Dave, unburdening him of his crate, and lifting it on top of the other three on the kitchen table. “Ready to finish a respectable third?” “Fuck…

Autumn was creeping in. It was obvious in the rich orange that the city had turned, and the gentle breeze that blew around Harriet’s shoulders as she sat bolt upright on the hard wooden chair. “I wish I’d brought a pillow,” she declared…

Why on earth had he done it? Although there had been greater mistakes in his 28 years, he could think of not one which had been so painfully obvious. A single impulse; a pathetic desire for escape, but one which could have been so easily…

The greens, greys, browns and purples of the moor stretched endlessly away. Baby grouse could be seen leaping playfully between heathers with larger birds circling in anticipation. A wind howled relentlessly across the plateau, which would…

Between A and B were many things. Some charming, some dangerous, some confusing. All dark. He could have taken the bus, but had little cash and wanted the fresh air. it was a risk to walk the mile north to the suburbs, but he was not…

The rain rushed urgently down the windscreen as the officers sat watching the tatty red door. It had rained all afternoon, but had really began to pour after ten, when the sky had darkened even further and opened itself freely onto the…

As James left the room, Clarisse spotted a crumpled ball of paper next to the basket and decide to stoop and amend the imprecision of his aim. As she picked up the ball, she saw her distorted name on the sheet, and began to straighten it…

October The water was cold. It was always cold. It hadn't been warm for months. I ran the scourer over the pans, my hands tingling with icy reluctance, and gazed vacantly out across the alley. The tabby sat watchfully on the fence opposite,…

Nothing seemed peculiar about the morning it started. The sun had snuck round the fringes of the curtains to illuminate the room, and Dom had woken in his usual stuffy stupor. He dragged himself from under the duvet, and trudged grumpily…

He lay with his pale face pressing heavily into the coarse texture of the carpet. He had spent the last two hours there, watching the clock hands slowly turn towards evening, trying his hardest to empty his mind. But he knew full well it…

I loved the feeling of grass between my fingers. I don’t know why, but it had always satisfied me somehow. I just found great joy in running it gently between the tips, marvelling at the gentle friction as I thought of other things. It…

Holly sat in the bathtub, tears racing down her crimson cheeks. It was over. She wasn’t to be a bridesmaid as her best friend married. She held her head in her hands, and watched through blurry eyes as the heavy tears dropped from her chin…

Steven strode purposefully along the lane. He had nothing left to lose, and the house at the edge of the forest was now only a few metres away. He didn’t know quite what he intended to do, but he knew he had to get to the wedding and tell…

Only fifty one more miles until the junction. Fifty eight until the church. Ninety minutes until the ceremony began. Steven was closing in on the wedding. He fidgeted nervously as he drove, paying little attention to the road, and was now…