[u]4AM[/u] -- A simple six word sentence story. It conveys an exchange well after dark, but other than that there's not much to go on. Little to no emotional impact or narrative weight. Solid entry, but that's it.

[u]Pretty Hate Machine[/u] -- The writing is descriptive, and the author shows competence within that area. There's some little creative input going in by changing just a bit of the Nine Inch Nails lyrics, however I wonder whether any lyrics are needed at all, except, perhaps, for 'Head like a hole'... and 'Drown out your soul'... Otherwise, this inside look at a misanthropic descent of an edgy teenager having trouble coming to terms with his emotions and place in the world is mostly juvenile. Even with the suggestion that a school shooting might be about to occur, I don't feel the rising horror I should feel, but rather a general loathing for the "protagonist." What's missing here is nuance. How you go about finding a way to portray the descent into such an  awful mental state is up to you.

[u]John Bello[/u] -- I am amused.

I vote for [b]John Bello[/b]. It isn't particularly special, to my eyes, but the writer was clever, had fun, and showed a general understanding of craft. I nearly voted for [i]Pretty Hate Machine[/i] but was ultimately too turned off by the more amateurish depictions of hatred born by loneliness, isolation, and crushed self-esteem that certainly follows some people in the darker side of high school. It felt too on-the-nose with the shock, and not enough rising terror or insightful characterization.