Thriller Writing Prompts

You're pinned down, outnumbered and out of ammo. Your partner says, "There's no way we're both getting out of here alive." He pulls out a small pistol and presses it to his temple. He smile and says, "I'm going ghost". He pulls the trigger. The enemy stops firing... then they start screaming.

You are on trial for attempting to assassinate the King. Unknown to anyone but you and His Majesty, you were actually trying to stop him from killing himself. When you request a trial by combat, he ceremoniously accepts. Your opponent? The King himself.

Nine out of ten dentists recommend a certain brand of toothpaste. You're the one dentist and, despite constant assassination attempts, refuse to change your mind.

Every morning when you first look in a mirror, you see a small piece of advise for that day, such as “take the subway to work” or “don’t try the free pizza”. Today, the mirror simply says, “RUN”

You're a hitman who takes half up front and then never finishes the job because what are they gonna do, report you to the cops? Thing is, now you've pissed off a lot of people who have no problem hiring hitmen.

Your girlfriend has been complaining that some asshole was interfering with her job. Meanwhile, you are an elite bodyguard who has just stopped the tenth attempt on your boss's life.

You wake up from a coma. You were in a car crash caused by a drunk billionaire. In an effort to save his reputation, he hurriedly and secretly ordered the best doctors to restore your burned face using the photo on the driver's license they found in your car—a car which you've stolen.

You are an assassin. You do not use guns, knives, or poison. You are a master of the butterfly effect and chaos theory.

Discharged veteran, Kevin McAllister, returns home to handle his family's estate, mainly the decaying property in a gentrifying Chicago suburb. To the disappointment of a land developer, he won't sell. “We’ll make him sell. He’s a broken man, wounded and home alone”.

You are sentenced to a famous prison. You are not sentenced by time your stay only ends if you die or escape. There are no guards and the prison is broadcast on television. No one has ever escaped.

You get into a taxi cab after getting out of the airport. "Where to?" the driver speaks. Jokingly, you respond, "Whatever dumb secret agency is nearby." "Codephrase accepted, agent" he responds.

Your little crime family ran a restaurant as a money laundering front. However, the place got so popular, you decided to quit the crime and just run the place straight. Now, a new crime organisation is trying to inch into town, on your turf. It's time to get back to business.

Ever since you and your SO started dating, you have little key phrases and questions to ask each other at random to assure yourselves that your SO hasn't been impersonated or possessed or whatever. Tonight, that check failed.

You have an ability to hear a ‘Ding’ sound to know if someone’s speaking the truth. One day, your childhood friend of 17 years says “I swear, I’ll kill you one day.” You both laugh but then you heard a ‘Ding’. Scared, you asked if it’s true. “No” they replied. Silence.

You're a struggling comedian who's on his last penny, when your childhood friend tells you he's got you a job, he works for MI5. You're informed there are mind readers roaming London stealing credit card info, it's your job to think of jokes while he keeps an eye out for anyone laughing.

"Attention civilians. From now on the speed limit will be vigorously enforced." You scoff, before the car beside you explodes into a ball of fire.

You are an immortal serial killer. You were caught and sentenced to life in prison. The prison is starting to get suspicious of why you won't age.

You are on a flight from Beijing to Seoul. Its should be a short two-hour flight, but five hours have passed and the plane has still not landed. There is nothing outside but dense cloud cover. There is no food left on the plane.The staff are confused. People are starting to panic.

The greatest thief to ever live, you quickly grew bored with how easy it was too pull off elaborate heists, and get into "impossible"-to-infiltrate facilities. After a while, you found a new hobby: mugging other thieves during their greatest heists.

You are trapped in an anti-time loop; Every time you are about to die, you wake up 24 hours later, with no recollection of how you survived. You lost a year of your life already and feel no closer to find out who wants to kill you.

"This is an Emergency Alert. Barricade all entries to your house. Do not go outside after sundown. Restrict contact with others. Do not enter tunnels during daytime. Do not make any light or noise between 6PM and 8AM. Stay inside your homes until dawn. Military aid is unavailable. Good luck."

"We don't make mistakes around here, Agent." Bob Ross says with a smile, as he hands you the gun. "Just happy little accidents."

You're a psychic doing a game show. Unlike the other contestants, you're the real deal. They bring you all to a house where a crime happened in the past. When it's your turn, a ghost appears and tells you: "That's him, that's the one who killed me." Pointing towards the host of the show.

To your surprise, a SWAT team breaks down your door, rushes inside, and surrounds you. Only, their backs are to you, guns trained on the doors and windows. The closest one whispers, "Here they come."

An agent from the CIA shoved a briefcase in your hands, saying to protect it at all costs. Later an agent of the MI6 gave you another briefcase, with the same instructions. Sooner or later, the KGB, MSS, NSA, FBI, and the Mossad have all entrusted ominous briefcases at your behalf

For the last 10 years you've used your time machine to steal from your future self; today is the day your past self shows up for the first time to steal from you.

Years ago, you accidently helped a mob boss change a flat while transporting a corpse, being promised a "Favour" in return. Now, desperate, you seek them out to cash in your favour.

Your spouse is leading a secret double life as an assassin, trying their best to keep it secret from you. This has never really worked, because, unbeknownst to them, you are actually their handler.

A cruel prank by your bullies leaves you separated from the rest of the class. Instead of finding your way back, you decide to "go missing" and let the consequences catch up to them.

“Violence is never the answer,” the monk says, pumping a shotgun. “But you don’t always have to be right.”