Dimmed Lights Flicker Novels & Stories

It started with a flicker. One moment, the ceiling lights glowed softly with their dull, even hum I’d become familiar with—comforting in its normalcy. Next, they flashed twice and went out. The silence that followed was abrupt and uncharacteristic, as if the house took a deep breath and never exhaled. Rufio stiffened beside me on the couch.

My quiet stance made Darren think I had caved again. He grinned and wrapped his arms around me. "I've always told you that you're the one and only Luna for me. Betty's just a fling for my wilder moments." 'A fling for his wilder moments? 'That phrase was a joke. Darren always had a way of making his betrayals seem like no big deal. If I did not play the understanding role, he would label me as immature. I used to put up with it, but I would not do that any longer. I was not about to play the obedient game.

Just cold concrete and the eerie hum of silence. I obeyed, confused and unsettled. There was something too deliberate about this whole setup. As I sat, the man clapped his hands twice. The sound echoed across the hollow room like he was summoning someone—or something. Then, the lights flickered on. Not modern lights. Not the fluorescent tubes we’re used to. But a single yellow bulb hanging from the ceiling, swaying slightly and casting a dim glow. It looked like something pulled out from the 1950s. Its faint buzz filled the silence as shadows danced on the concrete walls.

“Power’s flickering. If you try to drive in this, you’ll either get stuck or die. Pick one.” Roman clicked his tongue, annoyed — but not reckless. “Fine.” He said, giving up. Thunder rumbled loudly, they heard a loud spark and then the lights went out. Total darkness swallowed the house. A beat later, the emergency bulbs flickered on, weak and yellow. Eleanor’s voice slipped through the dimness like smoke. “Oh dear. How unfortunate.” Roman didn’t even turn. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The generators kicked once… sputtered… and died.

A poor, disposable nobody who had found a convenient ladder and climbed it. "Yesh, that's what I seem to the world." The room held its silence around me, broken only by the sound of my own uneven breathing. Then suddenly— Buzz. The overhead light flickered. I lifted my head. The old bulb flashed once. Twice. Three times, stuttering before settling into something dim and unstable. The room swung between shadow and sickly yellow light with every pulse. My heartbeat quickened. Buzz. The light flickered again, longer this time.

And I doubt even if they did, she would be scared of me. “Ad-dri—“ “I can hear you. What are you trying to say?” I called out loudly. “Hello? Are you hear?” The flickering got worse before it stops all at once. My head snapped from one side it the other. Checking for another sign or to see if it’ll happen again. But the lights were stable and everything seemed still. Even the air. The quiet doesn’t last. Because about two minutes later, everything just goes off. The lights. The air. Everything.

He wished for the condition to return to normal, yet, the situation is still the same as previous. Fluorescent lights along the hallway flickered with audible clicks before resuming their steady illumination once again. The lighting in this place was poor, and not all the lamps were well-function. Some of them are flicker multiple times before suddenly switching off. This light set is inducing fear in Khairul's heart. He gulped his saliva. "Johan?"

As he moved into the apartment, I jiggled one of my silver-lined night lights, frustrated when it flickered unpredictably. "Problem with the lights?" Nathan asked, noticing my efforts. "They keep flickering," I explained. "They're supposed to repel hostile wolves, but they're not working properly." Nathan set down the berries and approached. "Mind if I take a look? I installed similar systems in the Sterling pack guest quarters." "Be my guest," I said, stepping aside. He rolled up his sleeves and knelt to examine the light fixture. "The silver wiring is corroded. You need to replace this section."

Somewhere between silence and memory, we got lost. Then the lights flickered. Once. Then died. Just like that, the hallway dropped into shadow. Just like that. Dark. I stopped breathing for a second. Damian didn’t. He pulled open a drawer. Matches. A few thick white candles. He lit one, the tiny flame shaking before it caught. Then another. The light it cast wasn’t steady, it danced. It flickered across his jaw, the scar under his eye, the tired set of his shoulders. He looked older in candlelight. Not worn. Just real.

I strained my ears, hoping to catch any sound or clue that could help me make sense of this bewildering situation. Suddenly, a flicker of light illuminated the passage, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. The bulb above continued to play its game of on and off, intensifying the already unnerving atmosphere. With each flicker, my heart skipped a beat, amplifying the feeling of unease that consumed me.