Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Posted in Horror on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 187 stories

“Lights on , man down” by Yvone Mthembu

Submitted to Contest #92

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh Beep beep beep beep beep beeeeeeeeep beep beep beep beep beep “You’ll be fine” I said softly carefully wiping the tears before they fell on Mike or rather Mike’s sleeping form I hold his hand and he tried to hold mine tight and let’s go “Today is Thursday the 21st of March 2021 , yes you guessed right it’s our Human Rights Day and yep I don’t feel like going anywhere but sit here with your handsome self(beeeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeeeeeep) stop blushing Handsome I don’t want you messing the tubes and calling t...

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“The darkness ain't getting to me” by Ong Teck Wu

Submitted to Contest #92

"The lights will come back up, don't worry!"I sat still in front of my computer, my right hand still on my mouse. I felt like a solar panel, waiting patiently for the sun to rise. My siblings shrieked. Chill the f**k out. We waited, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes. It was usually never this long."Mum! Have you reset the circuit breaker yet?""Yes I did, dear! But nothing is happening."Hmm... I looked out of my window: I saw pitch-black across the street; the silhouettes of randoms walking slowly without the guidance of the lampposts. Torchlig...

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“Found You In The Dark” by Adam Wan

Submitted to Contest #92

When he stepped into the elevator, and the doors shut, the lights went out. The elevator stopped moving, a low hum rung out hollow. A creaking somewhere. Heavy, hard sounds. Metallic. A sort of mustiness that comes the moment the air conditioner stops. A stillness that was almost suffocating. Unnerving. A chill ran up his spine. The power’s gone out? Haruto looked about, but he couldn’t see anything. He reached out, but he grasped only air. The soles of his shoes made dry sounds over the floor. A rasping, a light tap, steel. He hadn’t notice...

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“It always just a bag of rice, & she was always out of her mind. ” by Destinee Emenhiser

Submitted to Contest #92

It was just after midnight in small town called Ashland. Rain was tip tapping on the roof and beading up on the windows, the soft blades of grass on the lawn were sure to be sparkling with dew when it finally stopped raining. After what seemed like hours, Jessie had finally gotten her baby girl to fall asleep and she could finally start working.Jessie was the owner of a small clothing shop located in the center of town. For the most part, it was just Jessie and her best friend Alfie running the show. Alfie usually ordered the products from t...

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“Dark on the Line” by Jamie Carrick

Submitted to Contest #92

Lyra’s cheek rubbed up against the cold, fogged glass of the train window as the trees rushed by, each one appearing and disappearing like a still image in a zoetrope, immediately replaced by another. Her vision blurred as she watched them pass, trying to concentrate on something, anything, other than the aching pain in her chest. It wasn’t a literal pain, but an ethereal throb that crawled beneath her ribs and nestled in the chambers of her heart. The hollow pain that could only come from the passing of a loved one. As the train rattled and...

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“Lest Darkness Befall You ” by Tamara Plant

Submitted to Contest #92

Anthony ate a bowl of cereal and hurled himself onto his bed. He searched the bunches and folds of his bedspread until he found his remote. "Gotcha bitch!" The light flickered. He flipped to the animation network, just in time for his favorite cartoon. Must be my night! He smiled to himself, still in awe, as the main character unknowingly drove his vehicle around the bend into a different dimension. The light flickered again.He checked his phone battery. Fully charged. He toyed with the idea of grabbing the pillar candle Tiffany had bought f...

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“Guest of Honor” by Tyrone Dirksen

Submitted to Contest #92

The darkness fell upon them suddenly, without warning. No storm ushered the way, no meteorologists or news anchors cautioned them about the power outage. One minute there was light, the next there was none. Close to seventy people had gathered that night for the party. It was Sebastian Beck’s forty-fifth birthday, and his closest friends and colleagues had been invited to celebrate at the Attic, the newest, swankiest bar on the outskirts of Chicago. Most nights there was a hefty cover charge to gain entrance to the Attic, but of course Bec...

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“Galápagos” by Holly Cook

Submitted to Contest #92

After years and years of fangirling over nature documentaries, volunteering at the local wildlife sanctuaries, and a zoology degree later I realized I needed a bigger change. And that change was a trip farther than I had ever gone before, solo that is. Freshly out of undergrad, I made the best decision of my life: to go volunteer abroad on the Galápagos Islands, with none other than my favorite animal, giant tortoises. I set up this grand adventure, with some strategic travel planning, to make my way over to one of the smaller inhabited is...

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“Finding I'm a solid object . ” by Joe Byrne

Submitted to Contest #92

Broadway runs down to the Lake with Several stores and buildings on both sides. Most of them Closed then A marina and public pier. It seems like the world begins at the other side of the river on this side are the bars, churches, and phone stores, and closed boarded-up building that I can imagine at one time may have had flourishing businesses in them on the other side summer condos and lakefront property that I can only imagine being a part of, I suppose it's not the wealth but the lifestyle I wonder about. I can also imagine normal people ...

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“The darker side of Chennai!” by Brown Tape

Submitted to Contest #92

Power cuts were not a huge deal in a city like Chennai or for any other part of the country (in a funny tone) until devices came running into our houses. I still remember when my father had the brick phone-Nokia 3310, which can break floors as the internet says. And by proper internet, I meant reddit. Alright! Chennai is believed to be a city of varied cultural backgrounds, and unlike how people think Chennai is, let me put it in simple terms. Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is a city which now accommodates people from varied backgrounds-...

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“Fighting with Fire” by Claudia Anne

Submitted to Contest #92

“Oi you two, pipe down,” The librarian hissed, glaring at the pair of them, “This is a library. If you want to scream and screech at each other, get out.” Flushed and enraged two heads swiveled around. The girl’s lips parted and the red in her face deepened, “I’m so sorry. We’ll be quiet.” She looked mortified as the librarian huffed. “I would hope so,” The librarian folded her arms and gave a pointed look to the boy, “And you?” He snickered, rolling his eyes at the girl across from him, “I apologize,” he smirked, “I’ll try to ...

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“Hialeah Lights” by Jewelyahna Barker

Submitted to Contest #92

Night. No Lights. I couldn't see my hands in front of me. What had happened? How does the power go out in an entire city? I stood there dazed, and confused, trying to see if the was a light anywhere. Nothing. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and turned on the flashlight. No one was around me. Where did everybody go? Why was I the only one on a public sidewalk? Hialeah was always filled with people, after all, it was Florida. I started walking straight, hoping to find someone who could help me. My phone was on four percent, so I couldn't u...

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“Off the Grid” by Tim Benson

Submitted to Contest #92

“Off the Grid” THURSDAY JULY 15th The only indication that there had been a power failure was the sound of the emergency generator kicking on, the soft hum of its engine audible even through the back wall of the house.. When Brad looked at the clock on the nightstand it was blinking at twelve o’clock so he knew something was wrong. Groping in the dim light of one small lamp he found his cellphone. It read 3:20 AM. There had been warnings of planned local brownouts and blackouts due to problems with the electrical grid but he’d expected the...

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“The Two Left in the Dark” by Sadie Horsley

Submitted to Contest #92

As I wake up to the sunrise, I start to hear my brother crying. I drag my feet out of bed to see what is going on. Luckily, I’m an early bird so I don’t really have to worry about the troubles of getting out of bed. I walk into my brother’s room and ask him, “What’s wrong?” he replies with “Brother… I had a bad dream..” I kneel down and give him a hug. “It’s okay, want to talk about it?” he starts to explain that next month there’s going to be a blackout for the whole month. My family and I are not actually a part of the human society. ...

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“The Dog Days of Summer” by Tricia Shulist

Submitted to Contest #92

Silence. Not just quiet, but silence. Total silence. No more humming from all of the electric and electronic appliances in the house. Just, nothing. Blackout. I looked at my watch — 8:24 p.m. I hoped it wasn’t going to last too long. First, because, well — duh — no Wi-Fi, and second because it had been in the 90s all week long, and it was still in the 80s and the house would turn into a sweat box without the a/c. And, I was seven months pregnant, so, yuck. The first thing I did was check m...

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Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 187 stories

“Lights on , man down” by Yvone Mthembu

“The darkness ain't getting to me” by Ong Teck Wu

“Found You In The Dark” by Adam Wan

“It always just a bag of rice, & she was always out of her mind. ” by Destinee Emenhiser

“Dark on the Line” by Jamie Carrick

“Lest Darkness Befall You ” by Tamara Plant

“Guest of Honor” by Tyrone Dirksen

“Galápagos” by Holly Cook

“Finding I'm a solid object . ” by Joe Byrne

“The darker side of Chennai!” by Brown Tape

“Fighting with Fire” by Claudia Anne

“Hialeah Lights” by Jewelyahna Barker

“Off the Grid” by Tim Benson

“The Two Left in the Dark” by Sadie Horsley

“The Dog Days of Summer” by Tricia Shulist

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around.

End your story with a truth coming to light.

Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.

Write about a character who thinks they have a sun allergy.

Contest #92

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

1051

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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