Our family always had a rich appreciation for ancestors and valued family above anything. It’s the classic “close-knit immigrant family who lived under the same roof” story that I’m sure you’ve heard of by now. By the time I was born, all of my family members had moved out, but we never really drifted apart because of our constant get-togethers. Even if there was the most miniscule event or celebration, whether it be a 100% on a test or maybe news of a potential baby on the way, I would always smell the celebratory food my parents would cook before I would even hear the news. I liked my privacy, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy the constant laugh and cheer that would roll around every few months.

For some reason, we would always go to my grandfather’s place (my grandmother died before I was born), no matter what. It’s a pretty cramped townhouse without much wiggle room with all of us there and some of my cousin’s places are a lot bigger to celebrate in. But, my grandfather isn’t very able bodied, so I guess I can kinda see why we’re always there. I’ve been there so many times that I have this sort of Pavlovian response to even seeing old pictures of that place. I can smell that musky, licorice scent that never seemed to go away, even with all the strong-smelling foods we would bring. The place is really well maintained now that I think about it. I don’t think I’ve seen a single spider web and my fingers never picked up any layers of dust on anything which is strange considering the furniture and decor haven’t seemed to change at all over the years. I’ve been fine with everything, but I don’t feel safe around that light above the dining room table.

The lights would flicker occasionally and it looked pretty unstable just hanging by a thin wire, but that’s not what I’m talking about. First off, I don’t mind the dark, so it’s got nothing to do with the fear of the light going out. What I do mind is when nighttime comes and the lights turn on.

I know it’s really weird and being afraid of the dark is more respectable than this, but it’s just been something that’s always stuck with me. They’re those lights that have a yellow tint to them. Not like a slight yellow tint where you wouldn’t really notice it, but an uncomfortable tint of yellow. I can’t really explain it, but it felt like an overbearing feeling of false hospitality, like someone was trying desperately to make you feel comfortable while hiding something. I would wail when my parents put a nightlight in my room, I wouldn’t come to the kitchen because of the yellow tinted lights, and don’t even get me started on street lights. Thankfully my room had no windows so I didn’t have to stare at the street lights, but my family eventually did have to reinstall all the lights we had because of this. My grandfather’s place hasn’t changed one bit and that light directly above the dining table has always shown the most aggressive tint I’ve ever seen.

I’ve been able to avoid the dining room by going upstairs and playing with my younger cousins there, but it always gave me a chill when family members would open the front door to let us in because the dining room was in full view from the entrance. My grandfather would soon greet us with a smile and all he ever said to me was “hi” in his mother tongue. It’s one of the only words I understand and I guess he picked up on that fact because he never really spoke to me, nor did he even look at me very much after he realized I couldn’t understand him very well. Still, even when it’s in my peripheral vision, my stomach would drop every time I noticed that yellow light.

It was a usual celebration and I quickly made my way upstairs. Midway through however, I saw the lights go out, I heard a lightbulb crack, and I felt the pandemonium of screams. It’s pretty natural to hear a quick yelp in surprise when the lights go out in a classroom or something, but this was bloodcurdling and it made my skin crawl. I think I heard sobs somewhere in there and my grandfather yelling something to the others.

Click

For some reason I tried the lights. And, for some stranger reason, the lights did turn on. Within the same second, the chorus of screaming soon distorted as they faced my direction. For a flash, I could see their horrified expressions and my grandfather’s stare that was filled with some existential dread.

Then, the room was back. The talk and laughter had resumed with seemingly no break. I was relieved the screams were gone, although I was confused. I looked back at that light above the table.

It was untouched and beamed with life. It had a slight humming that I never really noticed before.

I looked at my palms, almost in disbelief of what happened and I legitimately thought I was going insane. I looked around me and noticed nothing wrong or out of place. But then, I looked at my grandfather.

He was staring straight at me with the same hopeless glare as before.

The tension grew uncomfortable and I quickly made my way to the restroom as quickly as I could without seeming scared. I needed to splash some cold water on my face and just have some time to myself in a quiet room. I turned on the light and

Click

I saw the horrified faces again and the distorted screams once more and I nearly screamed out of fear myself. It was the same dining room with all the same… well everything. Everything was the same and at this point I was near hyperventilating. I looked around frantically and pinched myself and I wished that it was all a dream. But it wasn’t.

The light was untouched. My grandfather stared at me with the same gaze. This time, my mother’s face was twisted unnaturally in my direction. Her face was the same as my grandfathers: lifeless, yet fearful. None of the family members mentioned it or even seemed to see it, except me. I crept my way down the stairwell, my grandfather and mother still staring at me, and turned off the lights, just so that I could confirm this was happening. I turned it back on.

Click

The same screams, the same faces. It was like a camera flash that nobody wanted or expected. I may have been hallucinating, but I swear that light grew even brighter. Everything was constant, down to every detail I could notice. But, I could feel another soul snuffed from the room.

This time, my father looked exactly like my mother. Staring with lifeless eyes with a plastered face of dread.

This isn’t my family, I thought. I hurried to the car outside and drove home, my heart racing with every pass of the yellow streetlight, reminding me of the nightmare I was living. The rumble of the car thankfully took my mind off of whatever the fuck was happening. When I got home and opened the door, I looked at my hand too late as it was operating off instinct.

I flicked the lightswitch.

Click

It happened again. Howls and shrieks with a flash of horrified faces happened in that instant. As my eyes adjusted, I found myself back in that room. My breathing grew unsteady and my heart rate was beyond a healthy threshold. At this point, the yellow light around me was palpable and I felt like I could feel it on my skin, like a really heavy, humid day. This time, it was my aunt that stared at me. Her’s was particularly unsettling to me because her head turned to look at me at a near 180 degree turn. There was no possible way her neck wasn’t broken from that and I don’t need to be a medical doctor to know what a neck isn’t supposed to do. I was, and currently am, too scared to even come close to these… things.

I tried sleeping away the night, but I was jolted awake like when you think you’re falling off a building in your sleep. This would be the last time I did that because the screams and the horrifying image of my family appeared again. This time around, my uncle turned into one of them again. I tried slapping myself awake this time, but it didn’t do anything. My family members were something else and the light was even more present. It grew to the point where it engulfed everything in this yellow hue and it nearly made me throw up out of discomfort.

I tried killing myself on the road, but I would end up hearing that empty Click ring out like a bell on a silent night. And there I would stand, facing that gross yellow light as nearly all my family members turned into something. There were 2 family members left and they continued on their conversation, seemingly leaving gaps in for when the other members would talk. I decided I’ve had enough. So, I just sat down.

As I sat there, I took a closer look at the still remaining family members. They were crying. I looked into one of their eyes and they suddenly locked onto mine. They were piercing, wide, and glaring for the split second I saw it. He opened his mouth and shouted. Then,

Click

His cry melded with the cacophony of distorted screams that happened for less than a second. I found myself in that yellow room again.

I’m currently writing this all on a roll of paper towels. Knowing that I may face something worse than death, stuck and forever bathed in this yellow light has me feeling nothing but dread. It fills my every fiber of being that I can’t even feel sadness. My remaining family member can’t even sound out the words through her weeping. I wish I could cry too. I think I’ll just turn on and off the lights and get this over with. I cannot live in whatever purgatory I’ve gotten myself into.

[Recovered evidence from a recent death in West Chicago]

Nicholas Lee.

Age 20-25.

Ethnicity: Korean.

Kin: Unknown.

Date: September 28, 2019

Investigation Head(s): Finnigan Herschwood

Description: A man found in a West Chicago townhouse found after the landlord reported a refusal of action on an eviction notice. The man was found laying on the middle of a dining table, facing the ceiling. A wrapped paper towel roll that contained the above statement was found on the stairwell. His eyes were gouged out, bleeding, indicating that this incident was somewhat recent. No signs of foul play were found. Sweeps of the floor indicate drops of water were still on the floor surrounding the dining table. No evidence of any other life forms were found in the surrounding area. Though, the light was swaying side to side slightly as we arrived and stopped abruptly, so we cannot be certain.

Notable Facts: Even though the entire house didn’t have anything turned on except one light, it was so incredibly bright that we had to shield our eyes when collecting evidence. Forensics will be finding evidence on the lightswitch first before we can turn it off.