I've never been a fan of horror movies – I always hated it with passion, but I never thought I would be cast into one. As if a ghost is too low a level for a nightmarish experience, someone decided to throw a monster in the mix and decided that I would be their next meal. I felt like a slab of meat placed on the counter for the monsters to choose from. 

And more importantly, out of all my frustrations in this roller coaster experience, I never wanted to look like a damsel in distress waiting for my knight-in-shining-armor to sweep me off my feet and save the day. However, it seems that all the things that I dislike in life are bound to happen in just one night. The man who saved me was by no means prince-like, he was more like a handsome, rugged thug who can easily snap my body like a twig with a simple hug, and he is already glaring daggers at me. I felt like he was just too dangerous of a person to piss off.

My body trembled in cold fear as he lashed out at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand about to grab my shoulders in anger but froze midair when his head snapped towards the growling sound. I followed the direction of the noise, and that's when I realized that the zombie-like woman was just about ready to tear their throats apart. She suddenly looked like a wild and hungry beast that's been starving for centuries as she speedily swims towards the boat. 

Like a pro, my savior swiftly grabs his bow and arrow hanging on his back, aiming dead set on the woman's chest. The moment he releases the projectile in a quick snap of his wrist, it zips past in the air with incredible speed. Still, the woman grabbed it like nothing using his skeletal hand. If not for the gravity of the situation, I would have laughed. Still looking unbothered, he released another one, and this time he aims straight to her dangling eyes that momentarily incapacitate her.

He looks back at me with a slight bit of panic and urgency. "Hold on tight!" the man yells brusquely.

Instinctively understanding the meaning behind his words, I did what I was told. My hands rigidly grabbed the edge of the boat when the water suddenly trembles beneath us. The ship sways violently, and I almost fell back into the water if not for my nails digging into the edge of the wooden boat. I hissed in pain but decided to bear it. I could not afford to let go. I could not even afford to make a sound. Not when there are things out there that are ready to devour me. 

The man grabs the paddles and starts rowing towards the embankment. When I looked around, that's when I noticed something popping out of the water. Numerous head starts bobbing in out of the water like black bubbles. It looks ominous and frightening; my breath got caught in my throat.   At that moment, the image of the bodies floating underneath resurfaces in my mind, 

"There's no way…." I could not help but murmur in disbelief. There is no way those are the dead people below. They are supposed to be dead, but what about that woman who is chasing me? My once stilled heartbeat once again hammers wildly against my chest as various scenarios play out of my mind.

I can suddenly feel all their eyes on me, tightly latched like claws picking on my skin. It was both painful and smothering. Why are they all dead set on me? It is not like I am the only one here! 

My attention switches back to my savior with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. There is a determined look on his face. At the same time, he continuously rows forward and away from the monsters chasing them. Still, I could not help but think that is a natural thing for him—like this kind of situation is something that he had gotten used to. He looked somewhat nervous, but this sense of calmness and expert response from him is so evident that my heart wrenches in worry.

Did I just get thrown into a zombie-infested world? The thought just makes me want to scream my lungs out until my voice is horsed. Instead, my head hangs down as the stilled chaos hidden inside of me starts running amok. 

"I want to go home…." I cannot help but murmur while on the verge of tears. Unfortunately, my sister might be looking for me at this moment. I don't know where I am, and how am I supposed to go home?

My mind was too blown away and muddled that I did not notice something sneaking up on me. It was only until I felt something cold and slippery grazing my skin that I jumped out of my seat in fear. 

"Woahh! What the hell is that?!" I shriek in panic, instantly forgetting that I tried to be as quiet as a mouse not to draw attention. 

The boat dangerously swayed that I am almost certain it would turn over when the man pulled me towards him and wrapped his other arm around me in a back hug.

My eyes immediately sought out the source of my fright. Then I felt like my eyes almost bulged out of their socket when I first spotted a mass of dark hair, and next, a dull and murky gaze boring a hole through me. When it tried to climb aboard, I caught a glimpse of its jaw, split wide open and exposing its yellowy teeth where a few maggots chose it to be their new residence.

It was just too much, and I felt my knees giving in if not for my savior's stronghold on my waist. At that moment, he used his other arm to smash the woman's head who was sneaking up on me using the paddle. When her head went underwater in just one hit, I was suddenly pushed down as the man's menacing figure loomed over me.

"Bloody hell! Can't you stay put until we reach the shore?!"

I look up at him with tears blurring my vision. "How can…can I stay p-u-t? Don't you th—ink thi-s is just too mu-ch for me to han-dle?!"

My hands shake uncontrollably as I point in the direction of the herds of dead people swarming up to them. "Wi-th those th-ings in there?"

The man cocks his head in confusion. "Is this your first time seeing a Rotter? That can't be when this is supposed to be the most infested place in the entire kingdom."

The sob that almost escaped out my lips immediately died down as it was my turn to look at him in bewilderment. "Ro—rotter?"

Just what the hell is this guy talking about? Before he can even explain, his head bounces in the direction not far from the shore. He waves his hand to signal someone as if sensing a new presence.

"Our backup has finally arrived. It looks like we get to live another day." He whispers in a mixture of amusement and relief.

That's when something out of extraordinary happens. One second I was sitting in a boat with darkness and hordes of monsters keeping us company, but with just a flash of bright light in the distance, the scenery changed. The lake was instantly transformed into ice, and everything except for them became an ice sculpture. Flakes of snow start raining down on me. The cold breeze flutters my hair like wings—I shivered as I watched frozen in my seat. In contrast, a figure of a white-robed man with hair the color of snow itself glid over the ice and headed towards their direction.

A sigh escapes my lips. I guess even the level of extraordinary and otherworldly includes the beauty department.