The snowfall worsens. Large, delicate snowflakes fall and collect underneath our feet. Their crunch is the only sound from our party for miles. The silence is almost worse than the lifeless eyes that stare at us with deep, dark abysses. A shiver crawls down my spine and my muscles tighten. I break my gaze for fear of getting lost in them.

The wind howls angrily. The snow the wind carries scrapes against my face like thin blades. I tilt my head down to shield myself from the never ending siege. My boots deface the perfect white blanket beneath me with footprints. The destruction, however, is hastily repaired. Our footsteps completely vanish in a matter of seconds and leaves no clear path back to the shore. I hope this woman can lead the boy and me through this labyrinth of horrors.

A faint thud sounds behind me where the boy now lays face first in the snow. I laugh to myself and walk over to help him to his feet. I holler back to the woman to halt her advance but I am interrupted by shouting to my left.

"Where have you taken me?!" An angry voice bellows.

I turn to see a massive man steamrolling towards me. His face twisted in rage.

Move. I need to move!

His unrelenting speed catches me off guard. He reaches me in seconds and slams his foot down in front of me to stop himself. My body vibrates from the force. The man clenches his hand into a fist and winds his arm back. I step back but can't escape the over six-foot behemoth before me. His gigantic fist collides against my ribs and sends me spiraling into the air. I slam into the ground several meters away.

I cough, struggling to put air into my lungs. Blood drips from my mouth and stains the snow below me. I push myself onto all fours and crawl towards the sound clashing metal and screaming. Ahead of me, my companions struggle to overpower the man. The woman may have been able to over power the man if she was by herself, but she had the kid to think about.

Each of them desperately swings their weapons against the large hammer clenched in the mans fists. He blocks each strike effortlessly and quickly swings the hammer around him, knocking the boy and woman off their feet. Their bodies now quivering in pain. He stands over them with his hammer raised above his head, poised to land the finishing blow.

I yell. I muster all the air my lungs can hold and shout loud enough to tear my throat. I scream to tell my body to move, to fight, not wanting to watch my companions die before me. It's true that it is foolish to believe that after such a short time and only silent remarks between us, I feel as if we are friends, but being alone in this place terrifies me. If by some chance we can find answers and escape this place, I know I will not be able to do it alone.

Adrenaline takes over my body and clogs my thoughts. Snow whirls around as I run towards the man with both axes in my hands. I don't know if I can beat him but the rage swirling inside of me wasn't going to let me stop. The man turns to meet me, our weapons colliding with a crash. My axes reverberate in my hands from the massive swing of his hammer. I quickly duck, dodging the next stroke of his hammer. I strengthen my grip on the axes and thrust them upwards, gashing his forearm and a part of his shoulder. The man laughs, unfazed as he lifts his leg and kicks me straight in the chest. I tumble backwards until I slam against a pile of corpses. Bodies fall from the top of the pile and pin me to the ground.

The man slowly steps forward. He continues to laugh to himself as he drags his hammer lazily behind him. Is he enjoying this? His free hand wipes the steadily flowing blood from his arm. I struggle against the bodies that gently shift with each nudge of my arms but they do not yield their captive. I battle against their weight until his large hand grapples around my neck.

He lifts me up forcibly, liberating me from the prison of bodies, and holds me with one arm above him. I desperately pat my body looking for anything to use as a weapon as it gets increasingly more troublesome to stay conscious. I pound my fist into his hand and forearm, hoping to loosen his grip.

"Tell me!" His voice booms, completely ignoring my repeated strikes to his arm. "Why have you taken me to this place!" A red striped rag pulls back his long blond hair. It's ends flow in the wind. His thin goatee moves with his mouth as he speaks.

Stolen story; please report.

"I didn't do anything," I choke out.

A faint whistle sings in the air, following the dagger that pierces the man's back. Behind the man is the boy, barely standing, with blood trickling from the side of his head. The grip on my neck releases slightly. I will not let the opportunity the boy gave me go to waste. I twist my body and break out of his hold. My foot anchors on the man's chain mail. It's gold hem glistens in the moonlight. I kick upwards. The tip of my foot connects with his chin and he stumbles back dazed. I pick up my axes lying in the snow and go for another attack. The ground shakes violently and I halt my advance.

The bodies to my left shift and tumble to the floor. In their place, a large blue eye sits, staring at me. I stand, paralyzed. The being lifts itself up, shedding the snow and corpses from its body. The head of a dragon glares down at me with rows of dagger-like teeth. A long snake-like body shifts the ground beneath it. Perfectly carved, black scales cover its frame that continues growing upwards. It's head is lost in the harsh snowfall. All that can be seen is its bright, glowing blue eyes. The creature lets out a powerful screech that echoes around me.

I turn to look for the boy and woman and see everyone beginning to run, quickly discerning that there was no hope in a confrontation with this beast. I follow suit, hurriedly bounding through the bodies tossed along the ground. The monster notices our escape and starts rushing towards us, gradually catching up as it destroys everything in its path. I can feel the creature's eyes pressed against my back as I continue racing away, careful of the snow now piling a few inches high.

What in the gods is that thing! How could we have not noticed its massive body until now? Was it shielded by the corpses?

Another howl resonates from the creature and it slams its head into the pile to my right. Debris flies several meters in every direction from the impact. Smoke and dust blur my vision as I turn away from where the monster's head crashed, now separated from the others. The monster rapidly recovers and attacks again several piles in front of me, and then again slightly behind. I continue running, using the piled bodies and dust for cover. My body creaks and cries as my injuries from earlier catch up to me. I apply pressure to my chest and wince from the pain. At the very least I have a few ribs that are most likely broken. I crouch behind a pile in a desperate attempt to rest. The cold air slitting my throat like blades as I breathe. I go to stand up as another screech pierces my ears, followed by the creature slamming into the pile I was using as a shield.

I soar away from the impact and tumble onto my back. I stare calmly into the black sky, only now being obstructed by the face of the monster and its cold eyes of death peering down at me. Blood drips from both my arms and head, and pain circulates throughout my entire body. How many times am I going to be in this situation? I haven't had a moment's peace since I awoke in this godforsaken place. I attempt to bear the pain and stand, but my body refuses to listen to my brain's pleas to escape. I collapse to my knees.

"I'll live. I'll live even if I have to crawl," I shout, slamming my hands into the snow and dragging myself forward. This can't be all there is to my story. If this is all the gods had planned then I refuse!

The monster pulls back with another shriek, poised to strike the finishing blow. I close my eyes, anticipating the impact but suddenly feel two sets of arms grab either side of me and hoist me to my feet. I open my eyes to see the boy and woman on either side of me, carrying me as they run.

"If I knew you were going to be this much trouble, I wouldn't have taken you on," the woman scoffs as she looks ahead with determination.

"We are still breathing, can't give up and join the dead yet can we?" The boy says as he smiles at me. His smile comforts me as we continue to press ahead while the monster continues attacking haphazardly in a desperate search for its victims.

We advance into a clearing, finally free from the piles of corpses that surrounded us. The feeling of freedom quickly fades as I realize the vast openness now around us, and the lack of cover for us to escape to. The snow is piled even higher here and the wind blows harshly, impeding our movement. We travel slowly as the creature bursts into the clearing and catches up to us rapidly. I can feel the breath of the creature as its head closes in on us, its mouth open wide enough to swallow several horses in one bite. The rows of razor-sharp teeth now inching their way towards us. A cruel twist of fate to wake up in this horrid world to only then be eaten by a beast even fouler.

The creature's mouth moves to close around us, but it is met with a large metallic arrow that pierces the beast's mouth and knocks it away from us. The creature lets out a horrific cry and its body slams the ground around it, knocking all of us forward. We all dive forward and slide in the snow several meters away from the beast who continues to howl in agony.

I look up to see a man in full silver armor standing above me. The silver armor sparkles as the snow falls and quickly melts on its surface. Each piece of armor delicately crafted and covered with beautiful, chiseled designs. The man holds a large iron bow that stands taller than himself and looks down with protective, caring eyes as he looks upon us.

"You fellas in need of some help?" Says the man as he draws another arrow into his bow.