This was a tricky one. I had to take 21 stories, and had to cut a few that almost made it. So here are your finalists, and the order in which the stories will be posted, starting tomorrow:

“On a Swing” by Patrick Malka
“Where Am I?” by Rie Sheridan Rose
“The Last Candle” by Justin Zimmerman
“Whispers in the Mind” by Brian B Baker
“The Horde” by L.F. Falconer
“Layover” by John M. Floyd
“Traps of the Dead” by Douglas E Wright
“The Cupboard Under the Stairs” by Karen Bayly
“Breathless” by Thomas Joyce
“Diamond Dust” by Victor DeAnda
“We Never, Ever, Ever Tell Big Secrets” by Carolyn Divish
“Trapped Below” by Rex Hurst
“Department” by J. Brian Reed
“Santa Fe by Sundown” by Craig E. Sawyer
“Lesser of Two Evils” by Lorraine Sharma Nelson
“The Inside of the Outside" by Angus McIntyre
“In the Hands of an Indifferent God” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“The Thing” by Jay Bechtol
“You’re Safe” by Nicole Luttrell
“Deeper” by Linda J. Marshall
“Tooth and Nail” by Wofford Lee Jones

Thank you so much for everyone who entered. I really enjoyed all the entries, although 21 is already way over the 15 finalists I normally look for.