"When the snow falls, and you're in pain, do you think that the white color of the cold snow will turn red, into a wonderful bed of roses?

      Are my eyes closed?

      If they're open, will they see that the sky's in the color of blue and not gray?

      Or am I inside a cage, so broken?"

                                                          - VerseQuence

 Death comes peacefully.

   I couldn’t agree more.

   Many correlate Death with suffering and hardship, but I came face-to-face with Death one winter night. I didn’t expect a thing - everything happened so suddenly. It was like waking up from a nightmare, only this wasn't a nightmare. It was my reality.

  I sit alone in the dark void where I'm left to wait and closed my eyes  as I reminisce the day Death came upon me.

  It was snowing and the roads were icy. My parents and I were driving to my cousin’s place to celebrate Christmas and reunite with family from out of town. I was excited, of course, because all I thought about was bragging to my boyfriend, Daehyun, about how he was missing out on the snow. After all, it rarely snowed in our hometown, and the one time we were going to have a White Christmas, he was out of the country to visit his family.

  In the car, I snapped many photos of the white fluff and sent them to him. It was a lovely afternoon as the ice glistened and as the snow created a soft bed among the grass. It was a lovely sight. The only downfall was the cold. Here in the south, cold temperatures don’t approach often, but when they do, it happens so suddenly. Sometimes we’re not prepared for it.

   After taking many photos of the snow, I decided to take a short nap. Normally, it would take about 45 minutes to arrive at my cousin’s house, but with the snow, we moved at a snail’s pace. I crossed my arms over my chest to warm myself further and rested my head against the headrest. With the lull of the engine and the slow movement of the car, I shut my eyes and dreamt.

   I couldn’t remember anything from my dreams. All I could remember was hearing a screech and loud bang to my left . My neck whipped to the side, and my head struck the window, shattering the glass. I could clearly feel warm liquid dripping down the side of my face. My mother was screaming in the background as my father was shouting curses.

  Then another bang.

   My body jerked forward. I crashed my head against the passenger seat and everything went dark.

   Next thing I knew, I woke up to find myself floating horizontally and hovering over my sleeping figure. It was as if I was looking through a mirror as I saw myself laying on a hospital bed. Doctors and nurses surrounded me, shouting words I did not understand. The flatline sound echoed throughout the room. Immediately, a nurse rushed in with a defibrillator.

  I panicked and landed on my feet beside the bed. I watched in horror as they charged the device. The doctor would yell, “Clear!” before shocking me. My body jerked upwards, but there was no change in my heart rate.

   I couldn’t look on any further and turned my head away. I thought, “Maybe if I enter my body, then I’ll wake up.”

   I stepped up at the edge of the bed and towered over all the people around me. I gazed at my limp figure and pressed my hand upon my body’s chest. My hand completely went through, so I continued. Bringing my body down towards myself, I found myself going completely through my body towards the floor. It felt as if there was an invisible barrier.

   Panic struck me. I looked around. Unfamiliar faces filled the room and all were focused on getting a heartbeat. These weren’t the faces I wanted to see. I had to find my parents!

  “Yoo Youngjae. Parents are the Yoos. One older brother. Seventeen. Quite humble, but also stubborn. You wish to become a video game designer. How odd.” The voice paused. “Cause of death: head trauma which lead to severe brain injury, along with organ failure.” The voice was soft and quite raspy. If he had spoken longer, it could lull anyone to sleep.

   I turned to the voice and found a man standing behind me. He wore a black cloak that draped to the linoleum floors. His hood concealed the top of his head, and he held a small item tightly in a fist.

  “Who are you?” I asked. My surroundings blurred and the shouts seemed to disappear. All I could see and hear was the figure standing before me.

  “I am called many things, but I am not what many are looking for. I am simply performing my job.” He raised his head and a chill ran down my spine.

  My body trembled and I stood, mortified as I stared at the figure in front of me. This man actually fully human. Half of his face was that of what many would call handsome with a sharp jaw line and stern eyes. The other half was as if the skin and muscles were torn away and rotted from age. It gave him a permanent smile and a d