Darkness crept over the room like a dense fog. The thick oppressiveness of the darkness extinguished the light that it enveloped. It was almost suffocating. As the darkness crept in, breathing became more difficult. He had to stay close to the candles to keep his breath.

Tom had lost track of time. He did not know how long he had been there—hours or days —but as time dragged on, he found his ability to stay awake weighing on him.

The darkness was not sudden. Most did not notice it sneak in, at least not until it was too late. At first, the sky just seemed dim, as if it were overcast with a sheet of clouds. It was early afternoon when people grew suspicious as the darkness crept up over the horizon. By late afternoon, it had blanketed the whole city. People initially stayed outside, observing under the streetlights and the lights of their porches. Over time, however, the darkness overtook the streetlights.

It did not seem that way, right off the bat. Instead, it seemed the lights were dimming, their reach growing ever shorter as the hours passed. People began making their way inside, where the light was still intense. This is what Tom did. He went inside, turned on all the lights and the television, and, for some odd reason, closed all the doors and windows. He was not entirely sure why he shut them; it just seemed like something he needed to do.

For hours, he sat in the living room flipping through the channels, hoping to find something on the news, yet there was nothing. Even the weather channel showed no mysterious darkness.

After a while, it occurred to Tom that he should have some candles ready in case of a power outage. He went to the kitchen, opened a cupboard beneath the sink, and pulled out a box of candles. As he set them on the counter, he looked out the window and realized he could see nothing. No streetlights. No moon or stars. He could not even see his yard. Tom went back underneath the sink and retrieved a heavy-duty flashlight. He stood back up and pointed it out the window onto the lawn. Nothing. He could not see the ground or anything.

Tom set the box of candles onto the kitchen table and went back to the living room to watch TV. Night of the Living Dead was on, so he sat down and watched that, waiting for the darkness to pass. It was not long before he drifted off to sleep.

The sounds of gunshots woke Tom up from his slumber. He glanced towards the television to see that a spaghetti western was on, from what he could tell. The room seemed darker than before. At first, he thought it was his eyes adjusting, but he soon realized it was actually darker. All the lights were on and still clearly visible, but the darkness seemed to be consuming them.

He stood up and immediately noticed the air felt thick, as though it had weight. Walking around, he found that it was like this throughout most of the house, though the second floor was less so. Tom looked out the front door and found he could not see anything. He checked the light switch and confirmed it was on, but still could not see anything beyond the immediate edge of the window, as though the entire town were consumed by darkness.

Tom turned back to see that his home was darker than it had been just a few moments ago. Feeling a sense of urgency, he retrieved the candles, went upstairs to his room, and began setting them up. One by one, he placed and lit all the candles, ensuring they were strategically positioned to provide the most light. Once he was satisfied, he went back downstairs to make sure all the doors and windows were locked.

Downstairs, Tom found that the darkness had all but completely consumed the entire floor. The air was thick and heavy, making breathing exceedingly difficult. With haste, he checked all the locks and ran back to his room, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

The darkness inside crept faster, dimming the light that the tiny flames cast.

Tom moved all the candles to his bureau next to the bed in a desperate attempt to save what bit of light he could. Petrified, he sat at the head of the bed as close to the light as he could. It was of no use as the darkness was quickly encapsulating everything. His breathing became labored; it consumed everything in the room.

As Tom watched the darkness snuff out the last of the light, he choked on it and breathed his last.