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  • Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
  • Theme: Horror
  • Subject: Horror / Scary
  • Published: 10/19/2025

Strangers

By Hazel Dow
Born 1964, F, from Gordon, ACT, Australia
View Author Profile
Read More Stories by This Author
Strangers
She sat there, smoking one cigarette after another. The weather, warm and windy, was causing her anxiety to skyrocket. Her mouth tasted vile from the cigarettes.

She felt like killing someone. Just walking away from the house and stabbing a stranger in the neck, watching the fascination of their blood pooling, spreading.

She lit another cigarette and paced the garden, feeling the anxiety accelerate until she thought she would scream.

In the distance, sirens. Lots of sirens.

Screaming and shouting from not so far away, maybe the school oval?

The doorbell rang.

She threw the cigarette to the ground, opened the gate, and walked up the driveway to the front door.

A stranger was standing there.

She walked closer and stopped. The stranger had a knife.

Before she could move, he sprang at her and stabbed her in the neck, watching the fascination of her blood pooling and spreading.
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COMMENTS (10)

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Eillen G Agahan

11/28/2025

Wow! that was short but gripping! Well done!

Wow! that was short but gripping! Well done!

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Hazel Dow

12/01/2025

Thanks Eillen, it was certainly very short lol! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers

Thanks Eillen, it was certainly very short lol! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers

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Seniha Haksever

11/18/2025

That was a gripping story I enjoyed it well done.

That was a gripping story I enjoyed it well done.

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Hazel Dow

11/18/2025

Thanks Seniha, glad you enjoyed it :-)

Thanks Seniha, glad you enjoyed it :-)

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Cheryl Ryan

10/30/2025

This was short and hauntingly effective! The buildup of tension was so well done; it really captured the feeling of anxiety turning into dread. Thank you for sharing!

This was short and hauntingly effective! The buildup of tension was so well done; it really captured the feeling of anxiety turning into dread. Thank you for sharing!

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Hazel Dow

10/30/2025

Thanks Cheryl, I was surprised at the love for this one, to be honest :) It was a very short one that wrote itself in my head in a couple of minutes flat.

Thanks Cheryl, I was surprised at the love for this one, to be honest :) It was a very short one that wrote itself in my head in a couple of minutes flat.

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Gerald R Gioglio

10/30/2025

Whoa, that was a shock to the system. Nice work.

Whoa, that was a shock to the system. Nice work.

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Hazel Dow

10/30/2025

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Just to be clear, I'm not a chain smoker or a homicidal maniac. Yet ...

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Just to be clear, I'm not a chain smoker or a homicidal maniac. Yet ...

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Shirley Smothers

10/30/2025

Yikes! Did not expect this ending. Clever and Heart Stopping! Creative and scary.
Congratulations on Short Story Star of the Day.

Yikes! Did not expect this ending. Clever and Heart Stopping! Creative and scary.
Congratulations on Short Story Star of the Day.

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Hazel Dow

10/30/2025

Thanks Shirley, certainly one of the shortest ones I've written lol!

Thanks Shirley, certainly one of the shortest ones I've written lol!

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JD

10/29/2025

Happy horror short story star of the day, Hazel! :-)

Happy horror short story star of the day, Hazel! :-)

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Hazel Dow

10/30/2025

Thanks JD, this will always give me a kick and a great start to the day :D

Thanks JD, this will always give me a kick and a great start to the day :D

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Jason James Parker

10/23/2025

Very cool. You've communicated so much with razor-sharp economy. Really dig this one.

Very cool. You've communicated so much with razor-sharp economy. Really dig this one.

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Hazel Dow

10/28/2025

Thanks Jason, I wasn't so sure about this story, defo one of the shortest ones I've ever written! Thanks for your kind words :-) Cheers

Thanks Jason, I wasn't so sure about this story, defo one of the shortest ones I've ever written! Thanks for your kind words :-) Cheers

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CPlatt

10/23/2025

An intriguing little tale. Nicely done.

An intriguing little tale. Nicely done.

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Hazel Dow

10/23/2025

Glad you enjoyed it :) Something about hot winds ...

Glad you enjoyed it :) Something about hot winds ...

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Denise Arnault

10/21/2025

Oh that was it! What a turn around, AKA payback AKA karma, etc. Wow!

Oh that was it! What a turn around, AKA payback AKA karma, etc. Wow!

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Hazel Dow

10/22/2025

Thanks Denise, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers

Thanks Denise, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers

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Hazel Dow

10/20/2025

For the record, I'm neither a chain smoker nor a random killer lol

For the record, I'm neither a chain smoker nor a random killer lol

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Hazel Dow

10/20/2025

Thanks JD, I wasn't very sure about this one. It just popped into my head and wrote itself in two minutes flat. Weather can do strange things to people! Cheers and thanks, Hazel

Thanks JD, I wasn't very sure about this one. It just popped into my head and wrote itself in two minutes flat. Weather can do strange things to people! Cheers and thanks, Hazel

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JD

10/20/2025

Nothing like karma for your thoughts! Wow.... this is very SHORT, but certainly among your darkest tales. Thanks for expelling the dark and dastardly thoughts from your brain onto Storystar, Hazel.

Nothing like karma for your thoughts! Wow.... this is very SHORT, but certainly among your darkest tales. Thanks for expelling the dark and dastardly thoughts from your brain onto Storystar, Hazel.

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