NOWHERE TO RUN | ONC 2025
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- Parts 21
MatureOngoing3h 3m
Last published Tue, Feb 17, 2026
Natalya wakes up in a hospital with no memory-only a torn piece of paper leading her to a remote cabin. With nowhere else to go, she follows the clue, hoping to uncover her past.
For days, the cabin is quiet. Isolated. Then, her phone-silent since she woke up-begins to glitch, flashing the same eerie message over and over: I'm watching you.
Before she can make sense of it, a stranger arrives at her door, seeking shelter from an approaching storm. With no way out, she lets the person in.
But something isn't right.
The messages won't stop. The storm feels too perfectly timed. And the stranger knows more than they're saying.
Natalya came to the cabin for answers. Now, she just wants to survive.
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Written for Open Novella Contest 2025
🏆ONC Longlister & Shortlister
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Prompts chosen are
44. In the middle of a storm, a stranger arrives at your cabin, and you offer them shelter. But the storm's forecast says you'll be stuck for much longer than expected.
88. Lately, your phone feels ... off. It seems like it's watching you. At first, you dismiss it as paranoia. But one day, each message on your phone reads, »I'm watching you.«
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In the quiet corners of her life, Anjali thought she understood the rhythm of routine. But as shadows began to weave through her days, everything she knew unraveled. Unbeknownst to her, a figure from her past lurked in the darkness, harboring a deadly secret, a secret that could shatter her world in an instant. Anjali's nights were haunted by dreams that felt all too real, visions of danger closing in around her. The man she once knew, a mere whisper in her memory, now loomed like a storm cloud, intent on settling a score she couldn't comprehend. Meanwhile, two men stepped into her life, each carrying fragments of her history. One was a college mate, a familiar presence that offered comfort, while the other was a shadow, a stalker who watched her every move. As tension builds and the lines between trust and betrayal blur, Anjali must navigate a maze of deceit and danger. In a race against time, she must uncover the truth behind the faces that surround her and confront the chilling reality of the threat that seeks to end her life. With her heart torn between love and fear, will she find the strength to fight back before it's too late? In this gripping tale of mystery and romance, nothing is as it seems, and every choice could lead to her ultimate downfall, or her salvation. **Trigger Warning** This story explores themes of mystery, suspense, and romance, which may include intense and emotionally challenging scenes. Readers are advised that the narrative contains depictions of torment, emotional trauma, and some graphic descriptions that might be unsettling for some audiences. Reader discretion is advised. . . . . This is my first ever story. Please do support if you like and do share your opinon through comments. Constructive critisisim is wholeheartedly accepted and welcomed.
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