Not scared of the dark, just cautious!
When I was about 14, I used to go rat hunting with a friend in his dad's nursery barns. That wasn't so bad, but going home, I needed to pass through about 50 yards of road where the palms on either side and over blacked out ALL light!
I just KNEW there was something in there, breathing. I would hem and haw, sometimes for as much as 5 minutes, then load and **** my 22, and run as fast as I could through the darkness. Fortunately for me, nothing was ever in there. I probably would have shot myself.
Of course, you haven't LIVED till you are all alone in the house, and a Screech Owl cuts loose from the tree out back! Pucker factor to 9.675 or above, guaranteed!