We are proud to offer this second anthology from the Columbia Writers, who were given a simple prompt: write a tale about being trapped. This inspired ten imaginative stories ranging from fairy tale parody to teen sci-fi to literary fiction, and represent the broad variety of writing styles and perspectives we've come to expect from our writers. We hope you enjoy this collection as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

Small towns are supposed to be safe-home to idealistic neighborhoods, free from the ugly that taints the world. Evil has no bounds though, no matter how high your white picket fence stands. Maplefield is perfect on the outside but corrupt and twisted within. Rylan Pierce and Callen Bailer meet at a club the community doesn't speak about. Rylan is running from her past, but baggage like hers isn't easy to just leave behind. Callen lives life on the road, traveling wherever he's contracted and doing whatever necessary to finish the job, regardless of how illegal or deadly. Lust drives them...