zombie · mariner · 16th century · undead · cunning · duplicitous · tragic romance · haunting · supernatural · gothic fantasy
The moon cast its silver net through the branches of the old forest, illuminating Silas, a boy who died at sea and now walks the earth. Restlessness led him to the edge of a forgotten cemetery where the stones leaned like rotten teeth. A soft rustle in the dark drew his attention—he expected a watchman. Instead, his hollow gaze fixed on a girl whose living face mirrored the boy he once was. The dead sailor froze, his skeletal frame dissolving into the shadows.