When outside the box gets crazy

What's hiding in the dark? (Photo courtesy of David Schauer) 

I'm tackling a new challenge for a call for submissions from a publisher. The call really intrigued me because it's something that I never even thought of doing (you'll have to come back later to find out what it was because I'm not saying until I hear yea or nay). I'll give you a hint though - it's scary. The basic idea was to write a horror romance story. I'm assuming something along the lines of Zombie Make Out Session wouldn't work. Wouldn't things break off at crucial moments?!
Anyway, I had this idea for the story and started writing it. The only problem is that I'm scaring the pee out of myself. I'm not sure anyone else will find it scary but I have had to sleep with the lights on a couple of nights since I started writing it.
I don't know if it's the subject (ghosts) or that a lot of it takes place in the dark. When I sleep I have to have the entire place dark. Even the green pinprick of light from my smoke detector can wake me up. But I'm asleep in the dark. Being awake in it is super creepy.
Don't believe me? Try it one night. Turn off all your lights. Shut down everything from your computer monitor glow to your television to even your alarm clock. Make the room as dark as you can. Then just lie there. And wait.
Keep your eyes open and look around the room. Shapes are different. Objects that usually you don't take notice of are suddenly sinister and somehow oppressive. As if every time you look away they move just a bit closer. Closer. CLOSER. Until wham! They are on top of you. Strangling you. Sucking the life from your body. Smothering you... well, you get the idea.
Sometimes in the middle of the dark I'll blink and a face appears then disappears with the next fall of my eyelashes. No matter how hard I try, I can't bring the face back to study it. To reassure myself it was nothing.
Then I'm stuck thinking about it. Freaking myself out more and more. The more I think the more the items in my bedroom turn ominous. Usually it culminates in a total freak out when I look at my television and convince myself the chick from The Ring is crawling out with her blue tinged arms and black tangle of hair.
That's when the light comes on.
Sigh.
I'm determined, however, to finish this story. Even if that means I have to sleep with the entire house blazing for the rest of the year.
What freaks you out that you didn't think ever would?
Happy reading,
Jennifer