Winners of our Crime thriller short story writing competition.

 

Thought Lantern organized a short story writing competition, and our writers have put in a lot of effort and creativity they have given some of the excellent outputs in this short story writing competition. 

Our winners are - 

1. Dr. Romila Chitturi 

Short story - 

Title: The Third Man 

Monsoon rain lashed Arjun’s windshield as he watched Vikram enter the abandoned mill. Vikram, a wealthy lawyer, was the prime suspect in the "Gold Coast" embezzlement.

Inside, the air smelled of rust. Arjun followed, gun drawn, finding Vikram over a heavy iron chest.

"It’s over, Vikram!" Arjun shouted through the thunder.

Vikram turned with a cold smile. "Is it, Arjun?"

The lights flickered. A sharp sting hit Arjun’s neck. As his vision blurred, his partner, Sameer, stepped from the shadows, hiding a tranquilizer pen.

"Mumbai belongs to the shadows," Sameer whispered, as Arjun collapsed.

2. Kiran Rao. 

Short story - 

 Title - Move on
That night, Abir and Donna began a game of chess while they were still sober. By midnight, seven empty wine bottles lay beside the board, the pieces replaced by cigarette stubs and tequila shots. The money they had stolen belonged to the man upstairs, who hadn’t woken up in months, but was enough for only one of them to escape. By dawn, a decade of love had collapsed into survival. Abir fell asleep clutching a pink Zippo lighter. Donna left with the cash, setting his passport on fire before she went. Their futures were cremated by afternoon, smelling of ash and alcohol.

3. Meera Krishnan. 

Short Story - 

Title - That Day of December 

It was a cloudy day in Baziyabad, buzzing with traffic. In room 314 of the Bloomsbury Luxury Hotel, a waiter rang the bell repeatedly. Receiving no response, he broke down the door and found a woman hanging. Soon after, police discovered a man dead in another room, killed the same way. With no identities or missing reports, the case stalled. Ramesh, a new constable, noticed ignored clues: broken glass, rare leaves, and firewood near both bodies. The trail revealed a black-magic cult promising rebirth. The lovers, Seetha and Ram, were victims, lured by a psychopath. Their desperate faith ended in tragedy.

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