Fear is a weird thing. There seem to be so many things to be afraid of – from childish fears like clowns and vegetables, to real fears like heights and snakes. But then there is a different kind of fear, one that sticks with you. One that every time you think about it, it truly does send chills down your spine, actual tears begin to form, but most importantly it is something you will never forget. Let me begin by saying I get scared pretty easily, whether it's a scary movie, a haunted house, or jump scares, these things really do scare the hell out of me and probably always will. But there is just one moment in my life that has scared me beyond measure, and the weirdest thing is, it didn't even happen to me. I love Batman. Ever since I was a young boy, he's been my favorite superhero. So on July 20, 2012, I attended the midnight premier of the last movie in the very popular trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises.” This had to be the most anticipated movie of the decade, for not just me, but about five percent of the state of Michigan. There had to have been 1,000 people in just that one theater. The show literally sold out in seconds. Being there was a fun experience; the atmosphere was so alive. Finally it was 12:01 and the movie was starting. I turned my phone off since I truly wanted no disturbances. During the movie I was completely into it the entire time, but at 12:26, I saw a boy walk out of the theater. I thought, Come on, who wants to miss a second of this? Then, at 12:38, I saw another kid not walk but jog out of the theater, which I actually did think was strange. Then two more kids left. At this point, I really began to get curious, but let it go and continued watching the film. Finally after three hours, the movie was over. As my buddies and I were walking out of the theater, I turned my phone back on and it started buzzing like crazy: nine text messages and eight missed calls, all from my mom. At that point I was thinking I must be in trouble for something, which did frighten me because there is nothing scarier than a mad mother. That's what I thought – until I called her back and instead of anger in her voice I heard tears and sadness. “Alec, is the movie over? Is everything okay? Please come home right away,” she said. She was in such distress, but I couldn't get her to explain why, so I told her I was on my way. Then my buddy Jack turned to me and said, “Dude, something bad happened. Like, really bad.” I decided to look on Twitter and saw what it was. In Colorado, a man had gone into the same movie we had just seen, at the same time, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, and started shooting. Men, women, children – it didn't matter. Twelve people died, and 70 were injured. It was a true act of terror. Everyone says nothing will ever be as bad as 9/11, but to be honest, I don't really remember that day very well, so even though I know how tragic it was, this was the first time in my life I had felt true fear. The ride home with my friends was in complete silence; we were all thinking about what had happened and didn't know what to say. We were terrified by the fact that it could have been us being shot at. The only difference between us and those dead people was the location of our theater. That terrified us. That night, darkness did come, but this time there was no hero to stop it. People really were hurt and killed. That's the reality, and the reality I realized that night was that fear does exist. And by God, it sticks with you.