Dystopian Short

The ant scurries on the counter, alone, and the only remnant of its poisoned colony. Empathizing with the ant, Natalie ponders putting it out of its misery. As a scientist, she knows her flowcharts point to humankind's destruction: much like the ants, we polluted our colony too. Heading up one of a handful of secret labs, Natalie's mission to save humanity seems more like a cliché sci-fi movie than reality. Or maybe the world-weary views she possesses stem from her own bitter past.

When her mother's head is pulped to mush by a coin carelessly dropped from higher up in the mega-city, sixteen-year-old Jerica makes a difficult trek up through a miles-high skyscraper, determined to find out who dropped the coin and avenge her mother

In a future where humanity is split between an opulent floating city in the sky and a subterranean realm hidden from the sun, young Tim, an inquisitive resident of the underground, dreams of witnessing the world above. The aerial metropolis, with its radiant technology, hovers like a forbidden promise over the people below, dictating a life of shadows and secrecy. When an anomaly strikes the floating city, Tim's curiosity propels him to the surface, setting him on an adventure that bridges the gaping divide.

I didn’t want to do the holograms. I never did. I reiterated this fact to myself as I saw her standing there, beautiful as ever. My sweet Mollie. She even was wearing that blue dress that she loved so much (I loved it even more, if that was possible—she looked so good in it!). And even from where I was standing, 10 feet away, I could see the curls in her blonde hair bounce as she turned her head. I could see her blue eyes. Vibrant. Real. So real...

Consider this a warning dear reader. Most of these stories are not for the faint of heart. While many of them are not horror stories in the traditional sense, some contain horrible and often remarkable things. Many of them are full of dark scenes and evil deeds. Some are full of wonder and even humor. There are many different spaces inside these covers to travel, but few are completely safe. Try not to dwell too long in the darker places here.

In a broken world there exists a strange and sinister eating establishment unlike anything known or imagined - referred to in some quarters as Cafe Grotesquerie - where only the most discriminating and well-connected are privileged enough to enter its doors and devour its dark delicacies. Once inside, however, status still reigns supreme, and for one particular couple - Audrey and Aubrey - a hunger for power proves far more desirable than anything on the menu. But when confronted by the suspicious disappearance of their waiter, and civilization collapsing all around them, will they even be able to make it through dessert?

After Claudia and Ben stumble upon Dorian's secret, they are taken prisoner. Food and supplies are running low, and Dorian's ultimate goal is survival of the race - and the fittest.

Jennifer Benton has made it through the zombie apocalypse and has fallen in love with Mark, the charismatic leader of a group of fellow survivors. He's brought them from Illinois to hoped-for shelter at his family's Texas ranch, only to discover it destroyed. The survivors have one more chance when Mark befriends Todd in a nearby refugee camp; he invites the group to fly with him to his wealthy family's home in Oklahoma. But what's inside Todd's house may be worse than the zombies outside. And now Jennifer has more than Mark and herself to worry about....

2 B R 0 2 B is a science fiction short story by Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in the digest magazine Worlds of If Science Fiction for January 1962, and collected in Vonnegut's Bagombo Snuff Box (1999). The title is pronounced "2 B R naught 2 B" and references the famous phrase "to be, or not to be" from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the story, the title refers to the telephone number that one dials to schedule an assisted suicide with the Federal Bureau of Termination.

Penny helped Mia survive the horrors of high school. Now, Mia has a chance to return the favor and help Penny survive the zombie apocalypse.

Meet Simion, who navigates a landscape where familiar faces vanish from the ballot, replaced by a spectrum of virtues. Loyalty, confidence, and honesty—these virtues redefine the criteria for leadership, challenging traditional notions - vote for traits, not people. As the votes are cast, how will the moral compass guide our new leader? Join Simion as he grapples with existential questions: Will forgiveness soften justice? Will righteousness reign supreme? Or will chaos concoct a cure for society's ruin?

The Dome protects us. It is life for all who live under the ice barrier, but it is on the brink of failure. The Elders saw this coming; they have a plan. There's just one problem: I can't breathe underwater like everyone else. I'm the last air-breathing human in the Dome. As the Aquatics migrate to their new home, I'll need to find a way to survive.

"Receive the nation's love." A man is arrested for breaking the rules in a dystopian society, reminiscent of 1984. A short dystopian story illustrating the cost of rebellion within totalitarianism.

Abby never expected life to be easy. The daughter of a father she's never met and a mother who works three jobs just to get by, she walks herself to her middle school in Chicago, fixes her own dinners, and keeps herself company. Despite all the disadvantages stacked against her, however, Abby manages to keep a smile on and even dedicates her time to helping others who have even less than her. But one July day, something happens in the city that causes a mass panic while she's out grocery shopping, and Abby's life is forever changed.

In a dystopian America 50 years from now, a battle-weary enforcer for a domestic terrorist cell trying to overthrow the ruling class questions his faith in the cause.

In an angry, frightened world where the Poison claims many lives, a young man’s belief in Paradise has collapsed into a distant dream. Gabriel can no longer place his trust in the existence of such a place. Not when his sister’s pain continues to sap her strength. Not when prayers for her healing go unanswered. As the Poison progresses, eating away at Lilly’s life, Gabriel sets off on a desperate climb to save her from death.

A small group of survivors battle a post-apocalyptic landscape that is void of plant life. Hunger plagues the few remaining human survivors. The world has been pillaged and scavenging for food has become the lifeblood of survival, but starvation is now on the horizon for these fellow travelers. Many have taken to cannibalism, but this group has managed to survive without going quite so far. While scavenging, they first come across a woman, and shortly after, her child. They capture them and debate their options. In order to satisfy their burning hunger, they must first lose their humanity. Some will win, all will lose.

This original short story asks the question, "If eternal life came at the expense of love, would you choose death?"

To Chinese American teenager Chuntao, New Lake is a beautiful haven where she can hunt for treasures once swallowed up by a big flood. But when she’s caught scavenging by her biology teacher, a woman whose own past has been swept away, Chuntao is faced with an imponderable question: Which world was better - the ideal one she never knew or the destroyed one that now belongs to her?

SA51 has only known the iron fist of the Elite regime. Now alone in the barren wastelands, she must rely on the help from the enigmatic Doc's help. The truth may cost her everything and change humanity's chance of survival against oppression.