It is a dark and stormy night and you are sitting up in your room with your favorite book in your hands. Your parents are not home and will not be, until later that night. You have always been terrified of being home alone, and right now, it has become reality. As you are reading your book you hear creaking.

You figure it’s just your old house making some noise, so you ignore it. But it gets louder and you start shivering. What is that sound? Is it your imagination? Is it someone inside your house? Either way, you know you either have to investigate or die.

So, you go out of your room and the creaking is getting closer and louder. You start to walk down the hallway when the creaking suddenly stops. This gives you the goosebumps and you decide to look in the guest room first.

When you walk in it is dark so you try to turn on the light. It flickers at first, but when it finally turns on, you have just made the biggest mistake of your life.

Fall is a time of the year where fear becomes a normality. Some enjoy the frights, while others enjoy staying in the safety of their home. Have your worst fears ever come to life? Do you have a near death experience from something you do on a daily basis?

“In seventh grade I almost got hit by a car going 35 miles an hour. Some girls saw and were worried about me. This was the most terrifying experience I have ever had,” senior Osvaldo Gomez said.

For some, such as Gomez, the scariest experience of his/her life comes from being inside a car. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), car accidents are the fourth leading cause of death in America. The nerves of getting in a car the first time can disappear but what happens if that anxiety becomes traumatic fear?

‘“I was in like a half tornado when our car got lifted up and the roof of a restaurant fell on top of our Mercedes Benz. That was the most terrifying moment of my life,” sophomore Zac Stasz said.

Storms and natural disasters are other events that bring tremendous terror to some. For some, a near death experience can be the most terrifying moment in their life. When someone sees their life flash before their eyes, they can become traumatized about the tiniest things.

“When my twin boys turned one, one of them [Thomas] got really sick. He had a real high fever. It was 104, and he had a seizure. I was holding him and that was the scariest moment of my life. [He had a febrile seizure], which is a seizure induced by a high fever. He never had one before. He was shaking in my hands and I couldn’t stop him. It was the scariest moment of my life,” speech teacher Chris Schlichting said.

Almost losing a loved one can be one of the most terrifying moments in someone’s life, especially when it is one of their own children. Knowing that there is nothing that they can do to help them is scary. It can put life into perspective and give them a greater appreciation for the smaller things.

“I went into this asylum and when I was in the pitch black basement, my friend saw her breath and got creeped out. It was pretty spooky and the scariest moment of my life,” sophomore Alexandria Geigle said.

Haunted places might frighten those who explore them in the fall time. Many tend to enjoy these strange places for the thrills and the fun they have with their friends. Some explore these places all the time, while others enjoy the feeling it brings following the spooky season. For Geigle, these places are the most terrifying.

For those who get scared over small things, fall is probably not their favorite time of the year. For those who don’t get scared easily however, they most likely enjoy everything fall-themed. Stay safe during the spooky season and make sure to always check your surroundings. Something creepy could always be lurking close behind or in a dark room.