The Circle

Prepare for edge-of-your-seat suspense in this Thriller Short.

Originally published in THRILLER 2 (2009),
edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler.

In this intense Thriller Short from bestselling author David Hewson, a comfortable isolation from current events is totally shattered. The Circle line runs in a perpetual loop beneath the city of London from the prosperous west to the poorer east. Melanie Darma, a clerk at the Palace of Westminster, sits with both hands curved protectively around the baby bump under her summer coat. She has traveled the circle so often she sometimes imagines herself a part of it. On the seat opposite from her, sits a young man in a dark polyester jacket and cheap jeans. Next to him is a grubby rucksack. When she exits the tube and walks toward the heavily guarded gate of Westminster, the young man—his rucksack held high above his head, wires dangling—runs toward her, screaming in a language she doesn't understand. It's an act of terrorism that will end in a shocking twist. One Melanie never anticipated.

Don't miss any of these exciting stories from Thriller 2:

The Weapon by Jeffery Deaver
Remaking by Blake Crouch
Iced by Harry Hunsicker
Justice Served by Mariah Stewart
The Circle by David Hewson
Roomful of Witnesses by R.L. Stine
The House on Pine Terrace by Phillip Margolin
The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away by Marcus Sakey
On the Run by Carla Neggers
Can You Help Me Out Here? by Robert Ferrigno
Crossed Double by Joe Hartlaub
The Lamented by Lawrence Light
Vintage Death by Lisa Jackson
Suspension of Disbelief by Tim Maleeny
A Calculated Risk by Sean Chercover
The Fifth World by Javier Sierra
Ghost Writer by Gary Braver
Through a Veil Darkly by Kathleen Antrim
Bedtime for Mr. Li by David J. Montgomery
Protecting the Innocent by Simon Wood
Watch Out for My Girl by Joan Johnston
Killing Time by Jon Land
Boldt's Broken Angel by Ridley Pearson