Lights Out
A Short Horror Story
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Theo finished brushing his teeth and returned to the kitchen, refilling the coffee maker in preparation for tomorrow morning. Getting up at 6:30 meant he always required a little caffeinated assistance.
God forbid he forgot and had to make coffee in his semi-alive state before the working man’s ambrosia hit his blood stream.
He filled the machine with water and beans before beginning his routine of checking all of the locks in his house.
If the house wasn’t locked, Theo didn’t sleep.
If he wasn’t sure it was locked, he just lay in bed questioning whether the house was locked.
The procedure was always the same. He always started with the garage, opening the door from the kitchen and looking at the outer garage door. Both locks were secured.
He closed the inner door and switched off the lights, rotating the mechanical thumb turn on the knob to engage that lock as well. He began walking through the kitchen; the glass door to the porch was locked, the oven had the bright orange LOCK written on the display, and with those three boxes ticked, garage, oven, and back porch door, the kitchen was finished and he flicked the lights off to continue his routine.
Theo had to keep the oven locked whenever it wasn’t in use because his cat Solomon had jumped on it right after moving in and had accidentally turned the stove hob on. Fortunately it was the only one that had a wooden cutting board lying across it.
The house had filled with smoke and nearly burnt down. Everything had smelled like fire for weeks. Now the oven stayed locked unless in use. Better safe than sorry.
With the kitchen done Theo walked to the front door, checked both locks and turned out the lights. He began down the hallway toward his bedroom, opening the door to the basement as he passed and making sure it was dark down there before closing the door once more.
All done. Time for sleep.
“Meow.”
Theo turned to see his cat Solomon rubbing his head on the pantry cupboard by the garage door. Solomon should’ve been nearly invisible, disguised in the shadows by his black fur, however the light pouring in from beneath the garage door was countering his camouflage.
Theo thought he had turned the garage light off. He shuffled across the dark kitchen in his comfy slippers and went to press the switch.
Nope, couldn’t do that. Life would be too simple.
Theo sighed to himself and opened the door once more, double checking the double locks on the outer door to ensure they were secured.
They were.
He peered around the garage sleepily, his gaze skipping along the wheelbarrow, the tractor, his tool boxes and all of the house hold objects that didn’t seem to have a natural habitat within the home. Everything appeared to be present and accounted for.
Most of it had been untouched long enough to serve as memorable features of the room’s landscape, the mountain peaks of unused shelving with the river of empty cardboard boxes that ran between the three fan forest and the table plateau.
“Thanks, king,” Theo said to his four legged companion, “Must’ve forgot.”
He pulled the door closed again and was careful to flip the switch before putting the mechanical thumb turn on the knob into the locked position. He went through the routine once more. Oven, yep, glass sliding door, yep. Kitchen done.
Theo walked into the living room once again and felt the positions of the locks on the front door in the dark. Satisfied he returned to the hallway and peeked into the basement. All quiet on the downstairs front.
“Meow.”
Solomon was still visible in the kitchen, because the light was somehow still beaming in through the crack at the bottom of the garage door.
“What the…”
Theo scrunched his eyebrows as he stared at the light.
He was sure he’d turned it off. He was almost one hundred percent positive this time.
He shuffled back across the floor and stood in contemplation before the door, staring for a moment at his green tartan slippers in the invading light.
Could he have pressed the switch for the wrong light?
He put his hand on the panel and felt the two rocker switches, pausing before pressing the one to the right. The kitchen light flared on and blinded him.
No, he couldn’t have.
He quickly restored the darkness and felt Solomon rubbing excitedly on his leg.
“What, you think there’s a mouse in there?”
Theo opened the garage door and the cold white light cascaded into the kitchen and stretched sharply across the tiled floor. Solomon paused at the precipice of the stairs, waiting to see if Theo’s foot would stretch across to bar his path as it usually did.
No foot.
Solomon rubbed a cheek on the door frame, looked up at his owner, and then began descending the stairs. With shoulders hunched in anticipation like a little panther, the cat crept around the cement floor, under the table and boxes until Theo couldn’t see him any longer.
Theo trudged down the stairs himself and went to the outer door, as if putting his hand on the deadbolt and thumb turn lock would reveal something simply looking at them wouldn’t.
The overhead garage door was closed as always, with the car safely sitting out in the driveway to combat the elements on its own. Why park it in the garage when you could use the space for all of the dust-laden junk that might find a purpose one day?
“All right, come on Sol,” Theo said at last when his short inspection was satisfied and his shorter patience worn thin.
“Meow.”
“Solomon, king of the mews,” Theo used the stern voice he reserved for the special orders his cat ignored, “Come on.”
He circled around a table and moved some boxes from a chair to find his cat looking up at him as if pleading for five more minutes.
“I don’t think there’s a mouse in here, bud,” Theo smiled as he bent over and picked his best friend off of the cold cement floor.
With Solomon safely in tow, Theo climbed the two stairs to the kitchen and let the miniature beast jump out of his arms.
“Meow.”
“No, I’m going to bed.”
Theo put his hand on the door knob and stole one last glance at the outer door. Both locks were still secured.
With that, he pulled the inner door closed and switched off the light. He watched it disappear beneath the door, and just to be safe, he turned it on and then off again.
Darkness reigned in the kitchen.
Theo switched the thumb turn lock and proceeded towards the living room, oven, check, glass door, check. The front locks were both still closed so he gave a deep yawn as his sleepiness began to weigh on him and he headed for bed.
Before he turned down the hallway however, he noticed the garage light was spilling beneath the door once more.
Theo stopped and stared at it.
He was certain it had been off. He’d double checked it.
He stood in silence watching Solomon pace back and forth in front of the light, rubbing his cheek on the door frame and the nearby pantry cupboard.
Seconds stretched into minutes as the house lay quiet, waiting for him to do something.
Theo wondered if it was the switch itself that was broken as he slowly returned to the garage door and put his hand on the light panel.
Could the wire be damaged somehow?
But it had turned off just fine whenever he tried.
*click*
And there is was again. Darkness.
The light was off.
He could vaguely see the shadow of Solomon against the white door, still pacing, occasionally rubbing on his leg and then on the doorframe.
“Weird,” Theo muttered feeling slightly unsettled.
He began slowly walking backwards, eyes fixed on the bottom of the garage door.
(Do you think he’ll get it?)
Theo froze.
Someone was in there. A tiny voice had crept out of the garage.
His heart began to thump. His chest tightened. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
Someone was in the garage.
He couldn’t move. What should he do? Get a weapon? Theo had never encountered this scenario before.
Should he call the police?
The silence echoed with the pounding sound of his heartbeat throbbing through his ears.
“Meow.”
He gasped and let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. Solomon was eager to go in the garage still.
He couldn’t let the cat in. No way.
But they hadn’t seen anyone in there.
Theo was finally free of his panic enough to tiptoe to the door so he could confirm that the lock was secured.
(I don’t know if he will, shhhh.)
Theo’s heart was going ballistic. His head was spinning with thoughts.
Who was in there? How did they get in? What did they want?
It couldn’t be anything good.
With the door locked, Theo moved as quickly and quietly as he could to the bedroom to retrieve the gun from his lock box under the bed.
Better safe than sorry.
He hammered the four digit code into the number pad and pulled the weapon from the foam case. It shone with a menacing gleam in the pale yellow light from his bedroom ceiling fan.
He checked the chamber for a round, and when satisfied confirmed there were plenty more in the magazine.
Despite having been instructed with the fire-arm Theo had never used it.
He dashed back through the dark house to the kitchen and slowed to a silent creep as he approached the door, pistol in hand. The sudden exertion was making him sweat under his fluffy white bathrobe.
(Does he think that’s going to help?)
“No,” Theo breathed quietly in horror.
They knew.
How did they know?
There were two distinct voices coming from the garage and they knew he had a gun with him.
His heart screamed in his ears. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead and at the nape of his neck. It was cold and uncomfortable.
Theo tried to breathe deeply to calm down but his breath was too loud.
How did they get in the garage??
Theo pushed himself up against the door, he had his hand on the knob, ready to turn. He slowly moved the butt of the pistol to the light panel, preparing to switch on the light.
With a terrified cry he clicked it on and threw the door open. He dropped to a kneeling position and swung the gun in front of him, holding it with both hands.
His eyes fought the light, searching the bright room for any sign of movement.
It was empty.
None of the objects had moved. There was no sign of anyone in there.
He swiveled the gun in front of him, pointing it at every inch of the space.
Nothing.
Tables and boxes and shelves all draped in a gentle blanket of undisturbed dust.
What the hell?
“Meow.”
Solomon began to descend the stairs into the garage.
“No!” Theo hissed in desperation.
But the cat continued anyways.
It began curiously perusing the piles of forgotten objects before disappearing behind some boxes.
Theo’s heart was stomping on the inside of his chest. The silence was deafening. Cold beads of sweat were dripping down his forehead now as his knuckles turned white from gripping the gun. His hands were shaking.
Had he imagined it?
“Meow.”
Solomon reappeared from somewhere else, innocent of the nightmare Theo was trapped in. The cat jumped up the stairs casually and walked passed Theo, seemingly satisfied with its search.
Theo felt his lungs squeezing and realized he’d been holding his breath again. Upon release, it was as if a spell had been removed and he was free to move once more.
He shook his head and stood. Confused he peered restlessly around the lifeless garage.
Not a soul.
He looked to the outer door. The locks were still secured.
He checked behind the inner door with the gun. There was no one there.
He slowly made his way to the outer door, still pointing the gun hopelessly around the tranquil landscape in terror, until he turned the locks and allowed the outside wind in.
Theo turned the outer light on and stepped out into the cold night air.
Nothing.
The sweat made him shiver. He wiped his brow on his forearm and quickly returned inside, locking the door behind him and climbing the stairs to his kitchen in haste.
His heart was still skipping along. His shoulders were sore from the tension.
He couldn’t believe it. He was sure he’d heard voices.
Theo stood at the precipice to the garage once more before pulling the door closed and locking it.
Seconds slipped passed. He didn’t dare take his eyes off of the light pooling in beneath the barrier between him and his garage.
Finally, he raised a shaky hand to the light switch and clicked it off.
The kitchen fell into shadow.
(He hasn’t figured it out.)
Theo immediately switched the light on and threw the door open. Gun raised and ready, he stormed into the garage.
Empty.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
His heart was the only sound he could hear, angrily pulsing with terror through his skull.
Theo stood in the garage for what felt like an hour. He hoped something would move, some slight hint to tell him he wasn’t going mad, that he wasn’t hearing things.
And yet none came.
After a while exhaustion began to thicken in his limbs, pulling him down as the adrenaline deserted him. He had to go to bed. He was exhausted.
How was he going to sleep?
Should he call the police?
And say what? There was no one there. They’d take him to an asylum.
Maybe that would be ok, he could probably get some sleep then.
And what about Solomon? He couldn’t leave the cat home alone.
Horrifying thoughts started flashing through his head of what might happen to his poor companion without his protection and Theo knew that leaving the house was not an option.
He slowly returned to the kitchen, each step taking a lifetime.
He closed the garage door. Then a thought hit him.
Was it the light?
He’d only heard the voices when the garage light was off. Was there something about the light being on that somehow prevented whoever was there from being seen?
“That doesn’t even make sense,” he muttered.
How would that even work? What would the voices belong to that would have that kind of property?
Monsters? Demons? Vampires?
At this point, Theo was prepared to believe a whole host of theories in light of his disappearing intruders.
He’d have to test it. There was nothing else he could do.
Theo made sure the lock was turned and turned the light out.
Silence.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Solomon rubbed on his calf unhelpfully.
Theo’s ears strained into the silence.
(He figured it out.)
Theo flinched.
His eyes stared at the door through the darkness, a vague pale square in front of him. He felt the color drain from his face.
Whatever was in his garage was only there when the lights were out.
It might also be reading his mind.
He took a step back from the door and exhaled quietly. What should he do?
He had to go in there.
If he didn’t, he would never be able to sleep in this house again.
Not with something living in his garage. Something dark and magical that preyed on his imagination every night, that knew what he was thinking.
Breathe, he thought to himself, You have to clear your mind.
He had to fix this now or he’d have to sell the house.
Theo took a few more steps back and felt for the drawer handle at the end of the counter. He quietly pulled it open and rummaged around in the darkness until he found the flashlight.
*click*
A bright white beam of vision cut through the shadow of the kitchen and left a circle on the wall around the garage door. He placed it on the counter, so the circle of light remained fixed on the door. He didn’t know if this would work but he had to try.
Breathe, don’t think about anything.
His hand descended once more into the open drawer until he found a roll of blue duct tape.
His eyes didn’t leave the garage as he secured the flashlight to the gun barrel, giving himself a free hand for turning the knob.
He didn’t know who or what lay on the other side, but he had to be ready. He had to be fast.
Better safe than sorry.
They knew he had a gun.
They must somehow know that he had a flashlight too by now.
Breathe, stay calm. Don’t think. Clear your mind.
It didn’t matter. Theo took quivering step after quivering step toward the brightly lit door encircled by gloom until he stood right in front of it.
Terror gripped his throat as he tried to swallow.
His heart continued its monotonous rhythm within his ears, thumping through his head and giving him a headache.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
His breaths came shallow and silent.
(Here he comes.)
Every muscle in Theo’s body seized. He didn’t want to open the door, but the longer he thought about it, the less advantage he had.
He had to do it.
If not for his own sanity, then to protect Solomon.
The cat had not stopped rubbing up on the pantry door, eager to figure out what Theo himself was so desperate not to.
His sweaty hand gripped the door knob despite his dread, and he slowly turned it.
With a emboldening cry, Theo thrust the door open wide and fired a shot into the darkness in front of him.
There was a second of silence.
Then he screamed.
He unloaded the entire clip in terror before the gun was knocked from his hand.
Something massive grabbed him by his shirt, a long, thick muscled appendage, and he howled in horror as it dragged him from the top of the stairs.
Solomon fled.
Suddenly it was quiet. The whole house stood silently still, as if petrified to move.
The garage door then slowly swung back on its own and closed with a patient click.
Author’s note: Hey there! Seb here! I just wanted to thank you for choosing to spend your time reading my work. I’m so grateful that you chose to come on this journey with me and I hope it has prompted some fun questions for you to enjoy thinking about in the future. Feel free to leave a comment about any of your thoughts on this story or any of the ideas it inspired! Your support means a lot and I am honored that you put your belief in me to entertain you.
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© 2025 Sebastian Arends | Sincerely Seb. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of any part of this story or accompanying image is prohibited without permission from the author. No generative artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the writing of this work. The author expressly prohibits any entity from using this publication for purposes of training AI technologies.
Loved this! Such a fun, creepy build-up, and that ending left just enough unanswered to make my imagination do the worst possible things with it. Also, I have to say… Solomon is awfully suspicious. Very “innocent cat” behavior, which of course means he probably knows everything.
This was genuinely unsettling. Theo’s nightly routine created such a strong rhythm that every small disruption felt amplified.
I really liked how “Better safe than sorry” changed from reassurance into something tragic, and the final image of the garage door closing with “a patient click” was really chilling .
Also, Solomon was the perfect addition. I trusted him almost as much as Theo did.