Mystery's Circus: The Lost

Mystery’s Circus: The Frost

Prologue Pt3: An Icy Bond

Mystery: “Welcome back everyone! I hope you are as excited as I am to get back to the show! Strange that this is still the prologue, right? Well, there’s a good reason for that, but that reason isn’t important to explain right now. Don’t worry, this should be the last of the prologue…maybe. Depends on how long this next section is. In any case, let’s not waste any more time and get right back to the show! Enjoy! And yes, I know the title is a pun.”

Bernard: “Anybody hungry?”

Bernard was holding a giant kitchen knife and was grinning from ear to ear behind that mask of his! He held the knife in the air and proceeded to slice down on…!

…A chunk of meat…Bernard was cutting a piece of meat on a table.

Bernard: “Because I sure am!”

We all looked at him. If our masks could show a displeasing look, we’d all have that look on right now, and we did have it, just not on our masks.

Hakim: “Quit fooling around!”

Nadia: “Do not scare me by waving a knife around you ignorant scum!”

Bernard: “H-hey, I just wanted to cut some meat!”

Ayaka: “Then why were you laughing so creepily!?”

Bernard: “Because I was excited! I was never allowed to use knives at home.”

Emily: “Can we even eat?”

Hakim: “Huh? What kind of stupid question is that? Of course we-“

Emily: “Because we have masks stuck to our faces.”

Hakim: “…Oh, right…”

Nadia: “Let this teach you a lesson to stay in school.” Nadia chuckled.

Hakim: “I dare you to say that again, Queen B****!”

Nadia: “How dare you! Know your place, peasant!”

While Hakim and Nadia fought, Bernard was trying to eat the meat. Needless to say, with the mask on, it was impossible. He was just smushing it in his face.

Bernard: “Huh, I guess you can’t.”

Ayaka: “Does that mean we can starve to death!?”

Grace: “I don’t know, but I'm not really hungry anyways.”

Bernard: “Yeah, I’m really not hungry either. I just said that to fill in the moment hehehe…” He scratched his head awkwardly.

I stared at him unproudly, but then I thought of something.

Michael: “Isn’t that strange? After what we’ve been put through, you’d think we’d be a little hungry or thirsty. But I’m not. I’m not even exhausted!”

Grace: “That is strange, but what’s even more strange is that back in the flooded room, we almost drowned. We were able to take in water through our masks, but how?”

She was right. I took in the water right through my mouth and nose, but the mask covers them up, so that shouldn’t be possible!

Bernard: “Should we try drinking something? It could be a fantastic experiment!”

Grace: “Well, how about we look around first. If we happen to find some water, we’ll try to drink it.”

Bernard: “Sounds like a plan!”

Michael: “And how about we don’t try to eat anything here. We don’t know where it came from or what it is.”

Bernard: “Good call!”

Now that that’s settled, I took a look at my surroundings. As I said before, this place was big for a kitchen. Like, really big! There were tables, ovens, sinks, and fridges all over the place. Counters were all around the walls with shelves above them. There was a door just south of the room near us. We were just in the corner of the room. This place was so big that I couldn’t even analyze the whole room. Why would anybody need a kitchen this big?

Grace: “This place is pretty big. Maybe we should split up and look around.”

Michael: “Huh? Split up? That didn’t really work out last time.”

Grace: “We’ll all be in the same room this time. If anything happens, everyone will know.”

Alan: “Good enough for me. I’ll be searching far away from those two.”

Alan pointed at Nadia and Hakim, who were still arguing this whole time. I don’t blame him.

Nadia: “At least I solved the first puzzle. It would be too complicated for a meathead like you now, wouldn’t it?”

Hakim: “How about you go back to your country of not having any rights!”

Nadia: “How about you…!”

Grace: “Guys! Would you shut it already!”

Nadia scoffs.

Nadia: “I’m just trying to prove my point to this neanderthal.”

Hakim: “That is it! I am going to f***ing kill you!”

Hakim looked like he was about to do it too! This is getting out of hand! I ran in front of him to try and stop him.

Michael: “Stop! Everyone stop! Why are we even fighting? We need to get out of here!”

Bernard: “Yeah Hawk, you said you wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Just let it go bro.”

Hakim was about to explode! Bernard, you’re not helping! Please shut the f*** up!

Michael: “Hakim, just forget her! She's not worth it!”

Hakim looked at me. Rage filled his entire body. Thankfully, a miracle happened and the rage slowly went away.

Hakim: *Sigh* “You are not worth my time…”

Hakim turned around and walked away. Wow, we are really lucky, is what I thought until Nadia opened her mouth again!

Nadia: “That’s right, just walk away. It was obvious that a man like you can't stand his ground.”

Hakim stopped and turned his head back.

Hakim: “What the f*** did you just say!?”

He was filled with rage, but the one who was really angry, was me. I was fed up with everyone! This whole stupid argument really p****d me off! I balled my fists up and began to yell.

Michael: “Nadia, learn to shut the f*** up for once in your life! You’re only making this worse you dumb b***h! Take a f***ing hint! Bernard, learn to keep your f***ing mouth shut! All of you take a f***ing hint! We are in a death game and here you all are arguing about the dumbest s***! Get with the f***ing system!!”

I scared Emily, but I didn’t care at the time. I walked away from the group in frustration. Nadia had a surprised look behind her mask. Hakim continued to walk away as well. At least I ended the argument. Ayaka and Grace both had worried looks behind their masks. Alan already left before I exploded, though he probably heard it.

Grace: “H-hey, Michael!”

Grace chased after me as I stormed away, angry at everyone who wasn’t taking this seriously. Bernard slowly walked up to Nadia.

Bernard: “Well, putting that outburst aside, it feels like you’re trying to get yourself killed. I don’t understand why you’re getting under Hawk’s skin like that…”

Nadia: “Quiet elf. I don’t need to explain myself to you or any man.”

Bernard just tilted his head and raised his shoulders.

Bernard: “Hey, your funeral.”

Nadia: “I could say the same to you. You think I’m the problem but you can't keep your mouth shut either.”

Bernard: “Huh? Well…” He pondered for a moment. “Welp, you got me there. I guess we’re twinsies!”

Nadia: “I'm done talking to you.” She put her hand on her forehead and her other hand on her hip, looking tired of Bernard’s talk.

Nadia left the group to explore the room.

Bernard: “See ya!” He waved goodbye to her.

Everyone left to investigate except for Bernard, Ayaka, and Emily. Bernard looked at the two girls.

Bernard: “Welp, I guess it’s only us now.”

Emily: “…”

Ayaka: “…”

Bernard: “…Well…I’ll just…go look around too. You girls…do whatever.”

Bernard awkwardly left the party. Ayaka looked at Emily, who was still scared from Michael’s outburst and was crouched behind a counter the whole time.

Ayaka: “A-are you alright?”

…

Grace: “Michael, hold up!”

Grace was still following me. Please take a hint!

Michael: “Leave me alone Grace.”

She persisted.

Grace: “Michael!”

I turned around to face her. I wanted to show her how p****d off I was but thanks to the mask I was, wearing, I just looked stupid.

Michael: “What? What do you want? Can't you see that I’m not in the mood right now!?”

Grace: “Just calm down.”

Michael: “Calm down!? How can I? Everyone here has a death wish! Hakim is a hotheaded idiot, Nadia couldn’t care more about herself, Ayaka is scared of her own shadow, and Bernard couldn’t be more foolish! No one is taking their life seriously!”

Grace: “Michael, you must remember that everyone here is different. No one here thinks the same way as you. Not even me.”

Michael: “I know that, but couldn’t they at least express some kind of concern?”

Grace: “Well…that’s kind of hard since we’re all wearing masks.” Grace joked.

I sighed. I did form a small smile behind my mask though.

Michael: “You know what I mean.”

Grace: “I do know. It’s because they are different that they’re acting that way. Believe it or not, they are all concerned and scared. Do you think I’m scared?”

I actually pondered that question. I actually saw her as the leader of the group just from the way she acted.

Michael: “Well…actually no, I don’t.”

Grace: “But I am. How could I not be? I was literally thrown in here not knowing anything about this. See, we’re all scared on the inside.”

I thought to myself for a moment. She was right. We are all just scared and confused on the inside. Grace really is something else.

Michael: “Well…I still think they should act more like adults.”

Grace: “What I find weird is how everyone acts like children but Emily acts like an adult.”

Michael: “Hahahaha!!”

That made me laugh hard.

Michael: “Heh…okay, you got me. Let’s look around this place.”

Grace: "That's the spirit. I'll be around. Yell if something happens."

Michael: “Gotcha, see you in a bit."

She proceeded to walk away.

Michael: Oh, and Grace…!”

She turned around to look at me.

Michael: “Thanks, for…uh…cheering me up.” I scratched the back of my head as I said my awkward apology. Grace smiled behind her mask.

Grace: “No need to thank me.” She turned around and continued to walk away.

Alright! I feel a lot better now! I should apologize to the rest later, but for now, I want to search the place. First, I wanted to try that door I saw. I found it and tried the knob. No good, it was locked. I continued to look around. There was an abnormal amount of kitchen supplies everywhere. So many ovens and pots and pans that were hanging all over the place. At least this place was spacious and not cramped.

Eventually, I found another door…that was also locked. This door was located straight across from the door we came out of. There was a note on the door which read, ‘The key is in the dark surrounded by the light.’ This…was the same note that Alan read to us last time. Was this the same note? If so, what’s it doing here on this door? What did Alan-

???: “Michael.”

Michael: “Ahh!”

I turned around to see Alan behind me! I didn’t even hear him! He made me jump back!

Alan: “Woah.” He said slightly startled by me.

Michael: “Ah, Alan! W-what brings you here?” I said in the most suspicious manner.

Alan: “…I want to show you something. Is…that okay…?”

Alan held out some kind of colorful poster in his hand.

Michael: Oh…um…yeah, but why me?”

Alan: “Because you’re the first person I found. First come, first serve.”

Michael: “Oh, um…alright…”

Did he know that I was thinking about him? No! Stop acting crazy Michael!

Michael: “I actually want you to look at something too.”

Alan: “What is it?”

Michael: “The note right here. does it look familiar?”

Alan quickly read the note on the door. It didn’t take long for him to recognize it.

Alan: “Yes actually. This is the same note on the previous door. Why is it here?”

Michael: “You tell me. You’re the only one who read it.”

Alan: “I didn’t move it. I couldn’t even go through the door to move it here. none of us could.”

True, but you’re the only one who tried the door too. None of us tried the door beforehand. Could Alan move it in that much time, and if so, what reason would he have for doing so? It doesn’t make sense. Maybe I should just stop suspecting him.

Alan: “Is it asking us to do it again?”

Michael: “Huh?”

Alan: “To find a broken light or something dark. It would most likely open this door.”

Michael: “Possibly. Maybe we should look at the ceiling lights in this room.”

Alan: “Agreed, but first take a look at this.”

Alan handed me the poster. Mystery was drawn on the left side in a cartoony fashion. There were stars all around the edges. I proceeded to read it:

Mystery Circus

Come Join the Fun!!!

Hi! My name is Mystery! Are you looking for something exciting? Something thrilling that will make your blood pump through the roof? (Not literally of course) Well stop looking, because I have just the thing for you! Come to the fabled Mystery Circus! Where magic, action, and dreams come to life! See all of your favorite star jesters, Pink, Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow as they dazzle you with stunts that you won’t see anywhere else and humor you with comedy unlike any other! Not enough for you? I got you covered! Come try out our fun frenzy attractions, such as Pink’s Bounce House, Red’s Casino of Fortune, and much more! Mystery Circus is for everyone, kids or adults! Well, what are you waiting for? Come on down today and have a blast! We’ll make sure you have a time you won’t forget! Sign up to be an official member and you could have a chance of being part of the show! You won’t regret it! :)

(Additional funds may apply. You may be asked to sign a waiver if you decide to sign up.)

…

What am I reading right now? Mystery Circus? Attractions? Jesters?

Michael: “What is this?”

Alan: “Beats me. I just found it on a counter top while you guys were having your little fight.”

Michael: “You knew about that?”

Alan: “I could hear you screaming across the room, and I was far away.”

Michael: “O-oh…I see…” I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “A-anyways, what is this poster supposed to represent? Is it saying that Mystery has his own…theme park?”

Alan: “Maybe, or it could just be a prank of his. I’m willing to believe that.”

Michael: “It has to be! What kind of nutjob would want to go his place!? No one in the right mind would trust a person wearing such a creepy mask!”

Alan: “True. It doesn’t look very child friendly, even though it says it’s for kids too.”

Michael: “And what are these jesters? These are just colors.”

Alan pondered for a moment.

Alan: “Maybe there’s more to this then what we think.”

Michael: “What? This poster?”

Alan: “Yes. Why else would it be just lying around? I suggest you keep it.”

Michael: “Me!? Why me!?”

Alan: “Or I can keep it. I don’t care either way.”

I thought to myself. After everything I’ve seen, this poster could be a deathtrap. But leaving this with Alan, a person I don’t know much about…

Michael: “Can you show me where you found this?”

Alan: “Uh…I can try. I don’t remember exactly where it is though.”

Michael: “That’s fine. Just try your best to remember. Maybe there was another clue nearby.”

Alan: “You think so? I didn’t see much over there.”

I’m not leaving him alone. He’s the only one who has distanced himself the most. There has to be something he’s hiding.

Michael: “Yeah. Call it a gut instinct. Lead the way, and in the meantime let’s look for a broken ceiling light.”

Alan: “That sounds reasonable enough to me. I guess you got over your tantrum quite quickly.”

Don’t remind me.

Michael: “Y-yeah, I can thank Grace for that. Let’s go already.”

Alan: “Alright, follow me.”

Alan guided me as best as he could. Meanwhile I was taking glances at the ceiling lights and Alan at the same time. I also saw some big gray tube on the ceiling that all the ovens connected to. Weird. While we walked, I saw Hakim searching the cupboards. I should leave him alone. I may have ended my tantrum but knowing Hakim, it’s best to not engage. My main focus is Alan right now. I can see what Alan meant when he said he might not find it. This place feels like a maze.

Alan: “So, Grace helped you huh?” Alan started talking.

Michael: “H-huh?”

Alan: “You said she ended your barbaric act.”

Michael: “Um…yeah? What about it? Do you know Grace?”

I actually don’t know if any of us know another before we got here. I just assumed we didn’t because we are from different locations.

Alan: “No, I’m just curious of how she ended it, if you care to explain.”

Michael: “Oh, well…I was fed up with the others arguing and not taking this whole thing seriously, but then she told me that everyone acts scared in different ways to this. She basically just cheered me up, and she did it really fast too. I keep saying to myself that she’s something else.”

Alan: “I see. It must be nice having someone like that. If only I could say the same…” His voice went a little deeper.

Michael: “Huh?”

Alan: “Oh nothing. I think we’re almost there. There it is.”

Alan points at a counter top. Obviously, there was nothing on it anymore. It was just a regular old counter. Nothing suspicious about it.

Michael: “This is it right here?”

Alan: “Yep.”

Michael: “And it was just lying here…”

Alan: “Yes. Is it that hard to believe?”

Michael: “Well…it’s hard to believe a clue would just be hanging out in the open.”

Alan: “My guess is that Mystery wants us to find it.”

The counter had cabinets installed under it. I opened them up and took a look inside. Nothing. Nothing at all.

Michael: “But why make it too obvious? He could’ve at least hidden it in here. It’s like he wanted us to find it.”

Alan: “Maybe it has some kind of clue in it then.”

???: “And what might you two fine gents be doing?”

Oh god…I know that voice…

Bernard: “Heeeelllooo! Am I interrupting something? Some bonding between Mike and Alex?”

Alan: “It’s Alan…”

Michael: “No Bernard. We just found something odd here.” I said in an unamusing tone. This guy is just annoying to me now.

Bernard: “Ooooh. Something odd you say? I must agree that this counter is quite odd if I do say so myself.”

Michael: “No you…here. This is the odd thing.” I held up the poster to him.

Bernard: “Aaaahh. May I-"

Michael: “Take it.” I gave him the poster.

Bernard held his glasses up and proceeded to read it. Do those things really help him see with that mask on his face?

Bernard: “So…did you guys get invited to a circus?”

Alan: “No. It’s a poster we found here. I can only guess that the mastermind used to run some kind of circus, or if it’s just some type of clue.”

Bernard: “Interesting…” He rubs his chin.

Bernard gives the poster back.

Alan: “Have you found anything?”

Bernard: “I’m glad you asked! Prepare yourself, for I…have found…nothing!”

Just say no then! Now I remember why I was so angry! Alan just gave a displeasing look.

Bernard: “I gotta say though, there is an abnormal number of ovens in here. They’re all connected to some pipe too. Weird right?”

Alan: “…”

Michael: “Bro! Stop wasting time!”

Bernard: “Calm down. Don’t be a Hawk now hehe.”

I sighed.

Bernard: “Oh yeah! I also tried drinking from the sink.”

Michael: “…”

Alan: “…”

Bernard: “…”

Michael: “…And? Did it work?”

Bernard: “No good. It just got my mask wet.”

Alan: “So…more nothing then.”

Bernard: “Pretty much! I’m not really thirsty anyways.”

Alan: “…”

Michael: “Let’s…just keep searching for a way out.”

Alan: “Agreed. I’ll leave you to your work.” Alan left the group.

Wait! Don’t leave me with him!

Michael: “Hey! Wait up!”

I ran after him. Bernard followed.

Alan: “I’d prefer to search alone.”

Bernard: “Aw c’mon. Don’t be a batman.”

Alan turned his head to look at us.

Alan: “I said-!”

???: “If you boys are done with your squawking…”

Oh god! Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, she showed up!

Nadia: “We have found something very important to show all of you.”

Grace: “Well…sort of.”

Oh, thank god Grace is here!

Bernard: “Naddy! Grape! You found more clues?”

More of Bernard’s famous nicknames.

Nadia: “Indeed. Follow us.”

Alan: “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Grace: “No! You are coming with us! We’re grouping everyone up.”

Alan sighed, looking super annoyed at everyone.

Alan: “Fine…”

We all followed the girls to their destination.

Bernard: “Hey, does anyone know the time?”

Alan: “Yes, it’s…”

Alan checked his wrist.

Alan: “Huh? Where did it go?”

Grace: “Where did what go?”

Alan: “My watch. It’s gone.”

Michael: “Did you lose it here somewhere?”

Alan: “I don’t know. I never checked it since I got here.”

Nadia: “Well that was lazy of you.”

Alan: “I was too distracted by…well…everything.”

True. A lot of stuff happened when we woke up.

Alan: “I’m not worried that much. I barely use it anyways.”

Bernard: “Well I haven’t seen one clock since I got here. I have no idea what time it is. That’s why I’m asking all of you.”

We all looked at each other. None of us knew the time. Well, I don’t really care what time it is. That’s not really important right now.

Michael: “Why do you need to know anyways?”

Bernard: “Well I’m just curious of when we arrived here and how long we’ve been here. I feel like we’ve been here for quite a while, but I don’t really feel tired or exhausted, even when Hawk and I were battling that crazy mannequin.”

Did…Bernard…actually ask a good question?

Grace: “That IS weird. I didn’t feel exhausted when we were in that drowning room at all, even when I was swimming for my life. Did you feel exhausted Michael?”

Michael: “No, not at all. Hey Alan, Nadia, what did your room have?”

Nadia: “I will tell you later. We’re here.”

We arrived at a giant double door that said ‘Chefs Only’ at the top. Ayaka and Emily were there. Emily looked scared of me. I guess I scared her from my outburst. I need to apologize to her. All of us were here except for…

Grace: “Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Have any of you seen Hakim?”

Michael: “I did a while ago. He was checking the shelves over on that side of the room. But that was a while ago.”

Nadia: “Forget that meathead. We don’t need his angry attitude bossing us around like we’re peasants.”

Well, you’re the main cause of that, but she was right. If we did bring him here with Nadia or Bernard around, a fight would start again. At the same time though, him being alone is worrying, but right now I just want to know what they found.

Grace: “Still…we should find him.”

Alan: “Look later. Hurry up or I’m leaving now.”

Ayaka: “Y-yeah! I d-don’t trust you for one more s-second!”

Grace looked defeated. I understand Ayaka’s obvious paranoia but why is Alan in a rush to leave? Just when my suspicions of him were gone too.

Grace: “Okay, okay. I want you guys to see this.”

Grace held out another note. It said;

“The truth requires an even team on each side. The floor is a person scale. At least 4 people in the freezer."

Grace: “I found it on-“

Nadia: “Ahem, WE found it.” Nadia corrected.

I wanted to facepalm.

Grace: “We…found it hanging on these doors.”

Grace pointed at the double doors in front of us.

Michael: “Four people in the freezer? What freezer?”

Emily: “It’s over there.”

She pointed over to the left side.

Emily: “Ayaka and I found it.”

Great…even Emily can say it right. I see Alan staring at me, smirking behind his mask. Get off my back!

Emily: “We also found this small note.”

She showed it to us.

“Hot beats cold. The key item is engraved in my likeness. :)”

…No idea what that means, and there is nothing to like about you.

Mystery: :(

Nadia: “They then found us and told us about it. Let us show you.”

We were all escorted to the freezer door. It was a metal door with ice in the corners. Next to it on the wall was some kind of monitor. It displayed 4 people icons.

Emily: “We tried to open it, but it’s frozen shut.”

Grace: “Now that we have more people, we can try to pry it open!”

Bernard: “Not gonna happen.”

Bernard was examining the ice around the door.

Bernard: “The ice is too thick. Didn’t the note say hot beats cold? You’ll need to melt it off. Luckily, I have come prepared!”

Bernard pulled out some kind of tool. Whatever it was, it looked like one of those kitchen lighters, but bigger! Like flamethrower size! Where the h*** did he find this!?

Bernard: “Stand back everyone and let a master show you how it’s done!”

I didn’t even had time to question him. Bernard already turned on the lighter and started flailing around with it from the force it had!

Bernard: “Woah woah woah!!”

Nadia: “Careful you idiot!!”

Bernard: “I can't control it!!”

We all scattered far away from him! He was out of control! Then Grace saw an opening and grabbed Bernard by the back to try and move the burner to aim at the door. With enough strength, they eventually did and melted the ice off the door.

Grace: “Turn it off!!”

Bernard turned it off. We all calmed ourselves.

Bernard: “Well…that was not exactly according to plan…”

Michael: “You think!? Where did you even find that thing!? I thought you said you didn’t find anything!”

Bernard: “Well, I didn’t think this thing was important.”

I swear I am going to strangle this guy!

Ayaka: “Get rid of that thing you crazy lunatic!”

This time I had to agree with Ayaka about the lunatic part.

Bernard: “Okay, okay!” He ran to put it back.

Nadia: “Jeez, what a disaster this turned out to be…”

Alan: “Well, not entirely.”

Alan managed to open the door.

Alan: “Door’s open, but hot. Watch your fingers.” He waved his hand in slight pain.

Immediately he backed up from it. I can see why. Its freezing! We all shivered! Inside, there was a small, metal room with another door. That must lead to the real freezer. If it’s cold now, how cold will it when we get inside!?

Nadia: “My god! It’s freezing in there! I am not going in there!”

Michael: “We have to! There has to be a clue in there somewhere!”

Nadia: “No…only four of us have to go in there.”

Michael: “Huh? What do you mean?”

She points at the monitor.

Michael: “The monitor?”

Nadia: “Remember what the note said? It said at least four people in the freezer. That monitor must signify when four people enter inside.”

Michael: “How do you know that’s-“

One of the people icons on the monitor lit up. I look over to see Alan inside the metal room, arms crossed trying to stay warm. It didn’t help as he was shaking like crazy.

Alan: “Y-y-yep…t-there’s another m-m-monitor in h-here t-that lit up.”

Alan ran back out as fast as he could. The icon turned off.

Alan: “The floor must be a pressure plate.”

Nadia: “See? Only four of us need to carry the burden of going in that horrid room, and it’s not going to be me.”

Michael: “Really, because I’d think you’d be the perfect candidate after what you started a while ago.”

Nadia: “Excuse me!? What I started!?”

Michael: “Yes! What YOU started! This would be easier if you just keep your d*** mouth shut!”

Emily: “Stop yelling!!”

Emily shouting out made me stop. I can tell behind her mask that she was angry and scared. Then she went quiet for a few seconds before saying something.

Emily: “I’ll go.”

I wanted to object but someone beat me to it.

Ayaka: “N-no Emily! I will go! P-please stay out here.”

Emily: “No Ayaka, I-“

Michael: “She’s right Emily. You shouldn’t be burdened because of us. I’m sorry that I blew up in front of you, in front of everyone.”

She looked at me.

Michael: “I’ll go too.”

Grace: “I’m going in as well.”

Nadia: “So, three out of four. Who’s going to be the fourth? The elf, the meathead, or…”

Alan: “Me. I’m going.”

Grace: “You sure Alan? You were shivering when you were in there.”

Alan: “Yes. I don’t care what happens to me. As long as I do something worthwhile.”

Nadia: “How noble. I wish you the best of luck.”

Alan: “I’m not looking for luck. I’m looking for satisfaction.”

I was confused on what Alan was saying. He wants to freeze to be…satisfied? I don’t understand him.

Grace: “Shouldn’t we at least tell Bernard and Hakim the plan? I mean, we don’t know what will happen once we go inside.”

Nadia: “I will tell them myself.”

Alan: “I doubt that.”

Nadia: “Oh come on! Have a little trust in me! I’m not heartless!”

Michael: “I doubt that.”

Grace: “Guys, let’s just trust her on this, just this once.”

Alan: “I don’t care either way. Let’s go.”

Emily: “Be careful Ayaka. You too Mr. Michael.”

Ayaka just nods. I smiled behind my mask. That was forgiveness. For a twelve-year old, she kind of acted younger. Well, what I mean is…American children act…angsty.

Ayaka: “I will.”

Michael: “Thank you Emily.”

Ayaka seems calmer than before. I guess Emily has the magic touch. Maybe she can finally talk to us normally. We all stepped inside and immediately were shivering! The freezer door did not help keep the cool air out one bit! Inside there was the monitor that Alan mentioned. It displayed 4 lit icons of people. and just like that, the door to the kitchen closed off. I was expecting as much, and I’m pretty sure the rest were too, well…except for Ayaka. She tried to open the door back up again but no dice. In no time, the freezer door opened. I braced myself for an even bigger chill. Thankfully, it wasn’t as big as I expected, but still bad. Wanting to get this over with, I walked inside, as did Grace and Alan. Ayaka hesitated about going in. She slowly walked through, looking all around her in paranoia. I took a good look around me. The first thing I should mention is that…there was snow…a lot of snow.

I’m no expert, but I don’t think it’s supposed to snow in freezers. There was even a snowman straight ahead with a sign next to it. it was too far away so I couldn’t read it. Putting that aside, this place was pretty big. There was even another floor with a staircase leading to it. What kind of freezer has…oh never mind. I forget that this isn’t a normal building. On the floor we were on, there was fresh meat hanging on hooks on the ceiling. The meat didn’t look like any kind of meat I’ve seen before. A large monitor was straight ahead, just behind the snowman. There was an ice sculpture of Mystery just on the side. I wanted to melt it so bad.

Mystery: :( :(

There were vents on all sided of the walls that were giving the cold air. I swear I’m already gonna get frostbite! On the wall I saw some kind of thermometer.

Michael: “W-w-what is t-t-that?” I pointed at the thermometer.

They all slowly turned to look at it. no one said anything, and in a brief moment, we all ran to it! It was set to 0*F. We saw a knob next to it and Ayaka quickly turned it all the way up to the max, which was 76*F. The room slowly heated up. Even the snow started to ever so slightly melt.

Michael: “T-thank god, now we won’t f-freeze to death!”

Grace: “G-good work t-team.”

Alan: “There is a god.”

Honestly, I don’t think we would’ve made it without this! Alan had his face near the vent, which was displaying heat now. I was going to do the same until the monitor across the room turned on. We all turned to look at it. What displayed was something I never wanted to see again.

Mystery: “Hellooooooo!”

Meanwhile, on the other side, Emily and Nadia were waiting on the other side of the door.

Emily: “I hope they’re okay…”

Nadia: “As do I.”

Nadia started to walk away.

Emily: “H-hey! Where are you going!?”

Nadia: “Does it matter to you?”

Bernard: “Hey guys!”

Bernard came running back.

Nadia: “Well, that was a very long time you were gone. Don’t tell me, you were doing your little *thing* in the bathroom.” She laughed.

Bernard: “Huh? There’s a bathroom here?”

Emily: “What is the *thing* Ms. Nadia?”

Bernard: “Yeah, what does that mean?”

Nadia: “Oh…never mind…”

Bernard: “What was I doing again? Oh yeah! Did you guys see that? All of the ovens have turned on!”

Nadia: “What?”

Bernard: “Crazy right? I was just walking back and then multiple ovens around me just BOOMED!! Heated up like crazy!”

Nadia: “…All of them…?”

Bernard: “I would assume so. All of them were on when I ran back.”

Nadia: “…”

Bernard: “…What?”

Nadia: “WE ARE GOING TO BE COOKED ALIVE YOU IDIOT!!”

Emily: “Cooked alive!?”

Bernard: “Nah. No we’re not. All of the ovens are connected to a tube on the ceiling. All of the heat seems to be running through there, so we’re fine.”

Emily: “Um…where does the tube lead to?”

Bernard: “Well, the tube goes in there.”

Bernard points behind them up above. The tube led to the freezer.

Bernard: “It must lead to the freezer then. Good thing none of us went in there!”

Nadia: “…”

Emily: “…”

Bernard: “…Something wrong again?”

Emily screamed.

Emily: “AYAKA AND THE REST ARE GOING TO BE COOKED ALIVE!!”

Nadia: “In that terribly cold freezer? I doubt that.”

Bernard: “Huh!? You mean people are in there!? Why wasn’t I informed?”

Nadia: “Probably because no one cares about you.”

Bernard: “…”

???: “Ahem. May I have everybody’s attention!?”

The three of them stopped bickering as they heard the voice. It sounded like a speaker coming from the ceiling. It sounded like…

???: “This is Mystery speaking to the four of you right now!”

Michael: “What do you want now you psychopath!?”

Mystery: “Before you start asking questions, I should tell you that this is just a recorded video, so I can't hear any of you complaining right now.”

A recording? D***it! F*** this guy!

Mystery: “I’m just here to set the rules for this part. By now you have turned the knob next to the thermometer, which is currently warming you up. Well, you better enjoy it while it lasts. I am currently speaking to the people other on the other side as well, but they are getting a slightly different message. So, let’s begin! Your key item will be in here, as well as the way to get out of here. Just treat this freezer as escape room! Ya know, look for clues, solve puzzles, yadda yadda yadda. You all have done this before. Can't be too hard right? Oh yeah, I almost forgot! The *heater* that you guys all activated? That’s coming from the ovens in the kitchen. You turned them on when you turned the knob up.”

That’s where the heat was coming from? Does that even make sense?

Mystery: “Why is that relevant? Well, I’m going to turn those off. Yeah, there’s gonna be a time limit to this, which involves you freezing to death! I’ll just use the secondary vent. I told you I was gonna give you free air conditioning!”

Ayaka: “W-what!?”

Mystery: “Luckily, your friends on the outside can turn them back on! They’re currently being told that right now by me. Your crew can help you…well…if they want to that is. They don’t HAVE to. In any case, that just means more competition is out of the way!”

The f***!? What do you mean competition!? We’re not competing against each other!

Mystery: “It’s up to them to decide, but not doing so will make it a little harder for them without the key item. However, the ovens won’t save you from impending doom. There are way too many of them! They are simply made to increase your time, that is if the other group decides to run around and turn on as many ovens as they can hehe…”

This guy is making us run around like headless mice! Getting out of this h*** isn’t enough for me anymore. I want to kill this sicko with my bare hands!

Mystery: “Welp, that should be it! Good luck! Your timer starts…now!”

The monitor turned off.

*BOOM*

We all heard a small electric explosion on the right side. The thermometer blew up! The heated started to fade away!

Ayaka: “Nonononononononono!!”

Ayaka ran over to turn the knob. It didn’t work. She ran to the door and tried all her might to open it, but to no avail!

Michael: “S***! We gotta do something now!”

Grace: “Everyone calm down! The others should be helping us right now.”

Alan: “And you believe that? They have no reason to help us.”

Grace: “Don’t say that! They’re our friends!”

Alan: “Let me tell you something, trust no one.”

Grace: “You want to say that now of all times?”

Michael: “Can you both shut the f*** up! Are you forgetting that we need to get out of here!?”

I did not have time for this!

Ayaka: “This is not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not happening not-“

Ayaka was losing it, and so was I.

Michael: “Listen, we all need to focus! Start searching around the room for…anything!”

I didn’t wait for a response. I started right away! Luckily, they all got the memo and scattered around the room. I went to the ice sculpture of Mystery because it was the first thing that caught my eye. I quickly looked around it for just anything. Nothing was on it, but I spotted something trapped deep inside the chest. It looked like one of those car buttons that you use to lock and unlock your car. There was no way to get it though. The ice was amazingly solid.

Michael: “There is something inside this sculpture! I can’t break it though!”

Alan: “The door to the second floor is locked!” He yelled from above.

Alan was standing at the top of the staircase that led to the second floor. Ayaka was over by the snowman, but she wasn’t really investigating. More like she was just frantically looking around.

Grace: “I found a message in a wall!” She shouted across the room.

She was just next to the stair case. I dug my legs through the snow over to her as fast as I could to see what she found. The rest followed suit.

Grace: “It’s very small, but it’s right there.” She pointed at the small message.

“Kill Frosty. That white mofo owes me money!”

…What?

Grace: “I don’t get it either.”

Ayaka: “Isn’t Frosty the name of the snowman?”

Michael: “Huh? Like the Christmas movie?”

Ayaka: “No the snowman over there.” She pointed at it. “The sign said his name was Frosty.”

It was starting to get cold in here again! I wasted no time and ran to the snowman. The sign indeed said Frosty on it. Without hesitation, I kicked it over.

Alan: “Um…why did you do that?”

I didn’t answer him. I started digging through Frosty. I found a key with a wallet attached to it!

Alan: “Noted. Don’t question your actions. Try that key on the door up there.”

Grace: “Wait, what’s in that wallet?”

I took a look inside the wallet. What the h***!?

Michael: “There’s like a few thousand dollars in here!”

Grace: “Seriously!?”

Ayaka: “Money is not going to help us here! We need to get out now!”

She was right. This money could be a trap to make us distracted! I hesitantly put it back but then I found something else inside the wallet.

Michael: “What’s this?”

It was a small note which just said “Flip it” on it.

Grace: “Flip what?”

Alan: “I’m going to flip out if we don’t hurry along.”

I wanted to flip him off.

Haha! good one!

Huh? What was that?

Alan: “Hey! Earth to Michael!”

Michael: “Ah! Sorry! Let’s go!”

We all ran to the second floor. Upon there I saw a metal door which I unlocked with the key. Pretty straight-forward. Inside was more of the freezer, which means more snow, more ice, and especially, more ice. Boxes were stacked everywhere., and there were a lot of them. In a corner, there was a giant turtle made of snow. It looked like a plush in comparison.

Alan: “Great. Just g-great. G-guess we found where the secondary AC is.” He pointed up.

It was in the ceiling. There was a big vent blowing it all out along with icicles hanging from the ceiling. I had to admit that it was way colder in here!

Alan: “We are g-going to die here…”

Ayaka: “D-die!? This is all of your doing isn’t it!? You t-tricked me into coming here!”

Grace: “N-no one tricked-“

Michael: “Everyone shut up! We’re not frozen popsicles yet, so get m-moving!”

I marched forward. Doesn’t matter how cold I get. Doesn’t matter how much everyone complains. I am not dying here! I saw a giant ladder straight ahead that led to a scuttle hole. There’s another floor!? How much does a freezer need!? Forget it! Look around here first! On the wall to the back of me, I spotted a riddle answering machine thingy. Thank the lord! However, when I ran closer to it, it didn’t display any riddle Instead, it just displayed a bunch of 1s and 0s! 10110010 it said. And instead of a letter slot, it was just numbered buttons labeled one to nine!

Michael: (What the h*** is this!? Forget it! There’s probably a clue to it or something.)

I moved on to the giant turtle made of snow. The snow was pretty firm. I kicked it to see if it breaks. Surprisingly, it doesn’t. Not even a dent! There has to be something to this thing. I look all around it to find something, and then I did, not item to hold, but a small tunnel behind the back of it!

Michael: (I wonder if I should tell everyone…)

I turn to look at everyone else. They’re all investigating really hard, even Ayaka. I guess my words really got them running again. I don’t want to stop them now. They won’t mind if I take a little peak, but what if this is a trap? No! No time to be paranoid! I decided to climb through the tunnel by myself. I had to crouch down to get through. It was a little cramped but manageable. Sadly, it didn’t seem to stop the cold. My nose hairs were frozen at this point. Eventually, I reached a little room. It was small but at least I could stand up now. Inside was only a single wooden table with a book opened to a page already, like it was waiting for me to read. At any time, this could potentially kill me, but I pressed on. I walked up to the book and proceeded to read it.

I have no friends. My parents ignore me. Nobody even looks at me. I am just a bystander, no, less than that, I’m a nobody. I am not wanted. I am not needed. I am not loved. You cannot live without love. Yet I still carry on, hoping to find something, anything to make me whole. I will do anything for such a thing. Whatever it might be, it won’t matter to me. I have nothing to live for.

…Is this…someone’s diary? I turn the pages but the rest were all just blank. Does it belong to Mystery? If so, then why would he place it here for us to find? Does he want us to feel pity for him? No way in h*** I will ever feel sympathy for a monster like him! I grabbed the book and looked all over it. Nothing strange. I looked around the tiny room for anything, but there was nothing but the table and the book. I even looked under the table. Nothing. This room has nothing useful in it. No clue, no item, no nothing! I was starting to get colder so I wasted no more time and left the room. I crawled back out to the freezer. Grace saw me and ran up to me.

Grace: “Michael! W-where w-were you!?”

Michael: “I found a p-passage behind the giant turtle snow thing. Nothing useful in there worth mentioning. It was a big waste of time.”

Grace: “Well I’ve been l-looking all over for you! You can't just disappear like that! You should’ve told us!”

Michael: “I-I didn’t want to interrupt you in your search! We don’t really have the time! There was nothing useful anyways.”

She sighed.

Grace: “Do you still have that wallet? I need it.”

Michael: “Huh? Oh, yeah! H-here!”

I handed her the wallet. She peeked inside it.

Grace: “Okay good. Follow me.” She said in a stern voice.

Was she really that disappointed with me?

I followed her to a…vending machine? There was a vending machine between stacks of boxes. Don’t question it, Michael. Inside was a coat and winter pants, because logic. There were only three large buttons on the side. One said coat for $1,500! That’s highway robbery! The second said pants, also for $1,500, and the third one said both for $3,000. Mystery’s economy must be very low.

Grace: “The money goes in here.”

She inserted all the money, ALL THE MONEY, which was $3,000, in the money slot and pressed both. Out came the coat and the pants from the slot. Good money…wasted…

Michael: “Sweet! We won’t freeze to death now!” I tried to think positive.

Grace: “This is the only pair.”

Michael: “Oh…never mind then…” Positivity is now gone. “This is obviously gonna make us fight over it right?”

Alan: “Oh, definitely.”

Michael: “Ahhh!”

Alan appeared right behind me out of nowhere!

Alan: “Where have you been?”

Michael: “I-I have been in a secret room. Nothing useful in it though, just a book.”

Alan: “I would ask more, but we’re on a time crunch. I need you to follow me. Oh, and I recommend you hide that clothing from Ayaka. I bet anything she’ll fight for it.”

Grace: “You don’t know that!”

Alan: “Trust no one, Grace.”

I mean, Ayaka is still afraid of us regardless of what happens. She’ll probably think we’re taking it as hostage or something dumb like that.

Michael: “How about we just hide it behind the vending machine for now Grace. We’re lucky enough that the 3 of us aren’t f-fighting for it right now.”

Grace: “…”

Alan: “We’ll need that for up there.” He pointed at the scuttle hole. “It’s locked right now, but it gets way colder the h-higher you g-get.”

Alan started shuttering. It’s getting too cold in here for my liking!

Michael: “Come on Grace! We don’t have time to d-d-debate!”

Grace didn’t say anything. She hid the clothes behind the machine, with a disappointing look behind her mask.

Michael: “W-where is Ayaka a-anyway?”

Alan: “Follow me.”

We all followed Alan to a random group of boxes. Ayaka was there.

Ayaka: “D-did y-you find anything?”

Michael: “Um…well…”

Alan: “They will s-show you l-later. Right now, look closely here.” He pointed at some message on top of a box. “There is small writing right there.”

I took a closer look. It said: “kooh taem gib eht fo pot eht ta.”

Michael: “Its j-just a bunch of mumbo jumbo.”

Ayaka: “A-actually, if y-you flip it around, it says at the t-top of the b-big meat hook.”

Alan: “Yes, the n-note said flip it, so I did. The next thing must be on one of the meat hooks downstairs.” I can't c-climb it, and she refuses to climb.” He pointed at Ayaka. “I was hoping one of you can climb.”

Michael: “Done.”

I said no more. I ran to the staircase. I can't wait any longer! I’m freezing to death!

Grace: “H-hey! W-wait!”

I didn’t listen to her. I ran down the stairs to the first floor. Everyone followed. It wasn’t any warmer down here sadly. I looked at the meat hooks.

Michael: “W-which one!?”

Alan: “I believe it is t-that one.” He pointed at the biggest one.

It did say big meat hook. Without any hesitation, I jumped onto it and started climbing. The meat felt weird touching it, but it was easy to grip.

Grace: “Michael! Wait just a second!”

I didn’t listen to her. I kept climbing the weird meat. The top was so high up, but I was determined. My hands were burning from being so cold. I couldn’t feel my fingers, but I held on. Nothing could stop me. If I don’t make this, we are all going to die. I refuse to let that happen!

What a hero!

I thought I heard someone, perhaps the others down below. Just ignore and climb. I didn’t even realize that I made it to the top so quickly! There it was. The key, stuck inside the meat! We are going to live! I ripped it out and jumped right down…………wait! It took me a second to realize I was jumping off from what looked like a 6-story fall!

What an idiot! Hahaha!

Michael: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

I was falling so fast! I was panicking! It took only 5 seconds to-

*Thunk*

Ayaka: “AAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Grace: “MICHAEL!!”

And just like that…I died…from jumping off like an idiot. The others couldn’t catch me in time. At least they can escape thanks to me. My death will not be in vain for-

……Wait…I’m…still alive!?

Michael: *Groans* “W-what…happened…?”

I looked to see I landed in a big pile of snow. The snow broke my fall!

Oh please. That’s not what happened.

What is-

Grace: “Michael!! Thank god!! Are you insane!? Why would you just jump off like that!?”

Michael: “I…wasn’t t-thinking s-straight…”

Alan: “R-really? I was thinking your hands gave out, but you actually jumped off!?”

I didn’t think I was that high up, okay!?

Michael: “Ugh, can we continue please?”

Grace: “Continue!? After taking a plunge like that!?”

Alan: “You just g-got up like it was nothing!”

I looked at myself. I was already standing up after that! Woah…I seriously just survived a giant fall and I’m standing up!

Ayaka: “It’s w-witchcraft!”

Alan: “I might actually b-believe that.”

Michael: “C’mon! We n-need to h-h-hurry! We don’t h-have much t-time left!”

Alan: “Wait Michael, where’s the other-“

Grace: “Michael, just wait a minute!”

I ran back up to the second floor. I can't wait guys. My clothes and my afro were covered in frost at this point. I went to the ladder and climbed up like nothing happened 30 seconds ago, which was very surprising! I still couldn’t feel my fingers or my face, but I didn’t care. It did get colder the more I went up. I could see the scuttle ahead. I made it to the scuttle only to find…

Michael: “What? T-two locks!?”

Two locks, one on the left and one on the right.

Michael: “W-where’s the other key!?”

Ayaka: “Wait, you don’t h-have both of the keys!?”

Michael: “N-no! There was only one k-key! You didn’t tell me there was two keys!”

Alan: “That’s why I wanted to ask where the second key was.”

Michael: “This is the only key I have! Are you f***ing with me right now!?”

Ayaka: “We’re going to die!!”

Grace: “STOP!! EVERYONE!!”

INTERMISSION

Starring: Mystery

Hello my wonderful audience! Sorry, that I’m conveniently interrupting the story at an awkward time, but I just want to make a unique announcement! Here’s the deal! So, I was just sitting back, watching the show as the contestants make it to their next destination. While I was watching I thought to myself, what could I do to spice things up? I mean, watching the kids go through deadly rooms and stunts can get repetitive and bore the people watching. You’d be surprised. So, I’ve decided to make this thing called, Intermission! Now I can interrupt the show anytime I want! Hey, don’t give me the ‘cold’ shoulder! Hahaha!

Here, in Intermission, me and my crew have the chance to tell some jokes, give out some facts about us, or just talk! It also lets us interrupt at the worst time hehe! Who knows, you might enjoy our company! You can also use this as an opportunity to take a break from the show! It’s not like it’s going anywhere. Here, I’ll start off by giving you a little hint. Keep an eye out for certain things and events throughout the show. Believe it or not, there’s a lot stuff here and there that have lore and deeper meaning to them, especially in this chapter! My name isn’t Mystery for no reason you know! There’s more here than what meets the eye! Welp, that’s all the time I have! Back to the show!

Grace: “STOP!! EVERYONE!!”

We all stopped bickering on the ladder, silenced by Grace’s sudden outburst. She reached her limit. She was angry for a moment, but then took a deep breath.

Grace: “…Everyone c-climb down the l-ladder and go down to the f-first floor…”

And just like that, Grace started climbing down the ladder, not saying another word. The three of us, Ayaka, Alan, and myself, just looked at each other in silence. We gave long stares of concern to each other behind our masks. One by one, we all climbed down, me being the last one, giving one last look at the scuttle, and then climbing down. I feel hopeless right now. Did Grace find something or is she just telling us to give up? To…give up…

Give up…after everything we’ve done? Heck, I jumped down about 5 to 6 stories and still lived. To give up…just like that…I just couldn’t believe it. It just feels like abandoning hope. I think we were all thinking the same thing. We all continued walking when Grace came up from the left side of us. She was carrying the coat and pants with her. She must’ve gone back to the vending machine to obtain them.

Ayaka: “W-where did you find that?”

She didn’t answer her.

Grace: “Here, take this Michael.” She handed me the coat.

Michael: “W-what does it m-matter?”

Grace: “Wear it. you need it.”

I didn’t question her anymore. I took it and put it on. Well, it helped a little. She handed the pants out to Ayaka.

Grace: “You take this. Wrap it around you. This will keep you somewhat warm.”

Ayaka was wary at this offer first, but then slowly took them from Grace.

Ayaka: “U-um…t-thank y-you…?”

She wrapped it around her neck like a scarf.

Grace: “N-now follow me d-downstairs.”

And we did. She led us to one of the side vents.

Grace: “Put your hand over this.”

None of us knew what was going on. We all just looked at each other again. It was Alan who stepped up to do it. he placed his hand on the vent.

Alan: “Its…warm.”

Grace: “Yes. These are the vents that are displaying heat from out there. I noticed it when Michael was climbing up the hook. You know what this means?”

Ayaka: “T-that we are going to live?”

Grace: “That our friends from the outside are helping us.”

Mystery said the group on the other side had to turn on ovens to give us heat. That’s right, only the secondary vent is giving cold air right now. Our friends must be running around to every oven right now.

…Friends huh. I have never referred to them as friends before. I always called them comrades or others. We were nothing but complete strangers in the beginning, and we are still strangers now. Can I really call everyone here my friend?

We all sat down near a heating vent, all four of us. The heat was actually helping us warm up, even if it was only a little. At least we stopped shivering. I also found mitts in my coat pockets. I put them on. My hands deserve them. Grace started talking to us.

Grace: “Listen, as long as these vents display heat, there’s no need to rush. It is not the end for us. We will find the other key. Our friends out there are giving us that chance. If they didn’t care about us, then we would already be dead.”

She's right. I pushed myself too hard, and it made me lose control. Heck, I almost died because of it. Emily, Hakim, Bernard, and even Nadia, were all helping us. This heat proves it. I feel like an idiot.

Michael: “…I’m…sorry everyone. I shouldn’t have rushed through like that. I…just didn’t want us to die here. I didn’t want any of us to die in this terrible place.”

They all looked at me in silence. Soon enough, Alan spoke up.

Alan: “I…apologize as well. I said to trust no one, but…maybe I was wrong.”

Ayaka didn’t say anything, but she probably felt just as guilty.

Grace: “See? We need to rely on each other. We need to speak to each other. We need to trust each other. No one here is your enemy. The only one we should be against is the mastermind.”

I keep saying this, but she really is something else.

Michael: “I swear to all of you, I will kill the man who brought us here.”

Ayaka: “Do…you mean that?”

Alan: “Good luck to you. I’m leaving the first exit I see.”

Michael: “Heh, I don’t blame you.”

Alan sprouted a small smile behind his mask. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe I was wrong about everyone. We all continued to make small talk. It helped a lot. It even made Alan and Ayaka open up more. Maybe I can call these people my friends. Eventually, Grace asked me a question.

Grace: “Michael, didn’t you say you went through a secret tunnel?”

Michael: “I already searched that place from top to bottom. There really is nothing useful there. Not even the book had any clues.”

Alan: “Where did you find this tunnel anyways?”

Michael: “Behind that giant snow turtle.”

Alan: “That thing. I feel like I’ve seen that before…”

Grace: “You have?”

Alan thought really hard to himself. He rubbed his forehead while in thought.

Alan: “Nothing’s coming up. Sorry.”

Grace: “Forget about it. It’s not important right now. We should start looking for the other key.”

Ayaka: “B-but where do we look from here? We explored everything right?”

I thought about it. There really was nothing left…wait!

Michael: “I forgot! There was one of those riddle machines, like the one me and Grace, I mean, Grace and I found in the flooded room.”

Grace: “There is?”

Michael: “Yeah, but it was different. It only displayed numbers. There was no riddle to it at all.”

The vent stopped giving heat. We all turned to look at it. In a few seconds, it turned back on, and then off again. This time it stayed off.

Alan: “We are running out of time. I think the others are running out of ovens to lite. Show us where this number thing is Michael.”

Michael: “It’s on the second floor. Follow me.”

I led them upstairs to the…well…I’ll call it a number pad since it’s easier.

Michael: “I can't make any sense of it. Did you guys find any number clues anywhere?”

Ayaka: “N-no…”

Alan: “Is this…binary?”

Michael: “Huh?”

Alan: “This could be binary. It says 10110010, which is…178?”

Grace: “I didn’t know you knew binary.”

Alan: “It’s one of the few skills I have.”

Michael: “What is binary?”

Alan: “I’ll explain it later. Let me try it.”

Alan inputted 178 on in the 3 slots on the far-right side. He then pushed the button.

*Ding*

So that was the answer? Was there a clue to this or did we need Alan for this? What if didn’t decide to come? Would we be screwed?

A key popped out of the slot. It was the second key!

Ayaka: “We found it!”

Michael: “Yes! We can progress now!”

I took the key and ran to the ladder.

Grace: “Michael wait! Please wait this time!”

I stopped. I listened to her this time. I’m not gonna make that mistake again.

Grace: “L-let’s think about this for a moment. The top is the coldest part of this f-f-freezer, right? We all know that when we climbed the ladder.”

Alan: “C-correct. It was h-h-horrible up there.”

Grace: “It’s too cold to go up there without the snow clothing. I’m g-guessing only one of can go up there.”

Ayaka: “H-huh? W-why?”

Grace: “B-b-because there is only o-one pair of snow clothing.”

I understand. Only one pair means only one person. Without wearing it we’d surely freeze to death.

Michael: “R-right. I’ll be the one to go then.”

Grace: “No! You’ve d-done enough already! You’re lucky enough to b-be alive right now! I’ll g-g-go.”

Michael: “I can't l-let you do that Grace.”

Grace: W-what? Why n-not?”

Michael: “Because you’re the leader Grace.”

Grace: “Huh?”

Michael: “Come on Grace, we all know that you’re the only one who can lead us. You’ve been doing it this entire time. Am I right guys?” I said to Alan and Ayaka.

Alan: “Well…yes, a-actually.”

Ayaka: “U-um…well one else can do it so…”

Grace: “No, I-I’m not…” She was at a loss for words.

Michael: “We can't have you dying on us now. We need you.”

Grace was silent for a moment. Then she spoke.

Grace: “Fine. In that case, make it quick. Go in and get out, understand?”

Michael: “Yes sir!” I saluted.

Alan: “We’re screwed.” He put his hand on his head. I can tell he was joking.

Grace: “Don’t do anything stupid this time.” She smiled behind her mask. “Could you give him the pants, Ayaka? He needs them.”

Ayaka took them off and slowly handed them to me. She was still scared of us, even if it was just a little bit. I wonder why. I put the pants on, now fully suited for action. I proceeded to the base of the ladder. This felt really tense. Once I go in, who knows what will happen. I turned back to face everyone.

Ayaka: “G-good luck!”

Alan: “You’ll need it!”

Grace: “Don’t let us down!”

I nodded and gave them a frozen thumbs up. I think we’re finally starting to get on the right track! I proceeded to climb back up, this time, with two keys. The coat and pants were really helping with the freezing temperature, but it was still quite bad. Soon, I made it back to the scuttle.

Michael: (We meet again, scuttle. This time, I will open your a** up!)

I inserted the two keys in the keyholes and opened it up. A blast of freezing wind hit me right in the face!

Michael: (GOOD GOD IT’S AWFUL!!)

The clothing barely helped my body, but my face was suffering! Regardless, I pressed on and climbed inside the room. Ice. Everywhere. The room was really small in height. I would have to crouch through to get anywhere. Little ceiling lights lit the room. I could easily touch them. That’s how small this place is. More boxes were here, but were all frozen together. Might as well be impossible to even open them! Did I mention that it’s cold in here? Well, it is! I’m positive that my afro was a frozen popsicle at this point!

Michael: (Well, no way but forward.)

I crawled my way through. I’d be surprised if I didn’t have frostbite at this point. Also, I have no idea what I’m looking for. No clue to what I’m searching for. I hope its obvious and in plain sight. I kept looking left and right. All I saw were boxes stacked on boxes…and ice…lots of ice. A few times I slipped while I was crawling because of said ice. Eventually, I found the vent that leads down to the second floor. Above it was the source, the actual secondary vent that was giving us such a hard time in the first place! I couldn’t reach it so I had to leave it be, not that I could do anything anyway. Apart from that, I came across a fork in the road. A path straight ahead and a path to the left.

Michael: (Well, this is a problem.)

I didn’t know how big this place was. If I stayed for too long then…well I obviously know what will happen. I decided to go to the left path. As I crawled through, the path kept getting dimmer and dimmer. The boxes around me served as walls, making it less spacey for me.

Michael: (Maybe I picked the wrong path…)

The path was long and it kept getting darker, but eventually I reached a dead end. In front of me was just more boxes.

Michael: (Come on! Are you kidding me!?)

Just when I was about to turn back, something caught my eye. Behind the boxes was snow covering something shiny. It could be important! I moved and pushed the boxes out of my way. They were quite heavy, but at least they weren’t frozen. I struggled to push them.

Michael: “Errrrrgh! C-come on!”

Thankfully, I managed to successfully move them out of the way and started to dig through the snow. Thank god I had mittens on, but hands were cold to the point where I couldn’t even feel them anymore. There was a lot of snow burying whatever it was. Finally, I felt something solid. I scooped the snow off of it-

Michael: “AAAAAAHHH!!”

A face! A face with wide eyes staring right at me! I stumbled back from it in fear! What I saw, was a face of a little girl completely made of ice! I sat back taking deep breaths as I analyzed the situation. The girl didn’t move at all. It didn’t give any indication that it was alive. It just simply stared at me. The girl’s face made a screaming expression. Frozen streams of tears were below the child’s eyes.

Michael: “What the h*** is this!?”

I stared at it. My breaths of panic slowly died down. I don’t know if it will wake up or activate or something. I slowly inched towards it. I gave it a little tap on the forehead. Nothing. I rubbed the face. Nothing. I knocked on it. Still nothing. Maybe it was just here to scare me. The mouth was wide open, but I didn’t dare put a finger in it when it could potentially bite it off! When I finally calmed down, I went to dig more of the snow off. I found a stretched-out arm…well…half of it. The hand and top-half of the arm was broken off, leaving only the bottom part of the arm. I managed to dig up the head and the shoulders, but I couldn’t go any further. The rest of the body was buried in more boxes. This girl looked way younger than Emily, if it’s even a real girl.

Michael: “No, it’s a sculpture! This can't possibly be a real child! It’s obviously just an ice s-sculpture! But…it looks so real. Then…the arm…is she…no! Forget it! T-there’s nothing here! I need to go back!”

I crawled back, looking back at the statue to make sure it stays immobile. Whatever it was, I can't worry about it right now! I am so cold right now! I can’t feel my face or my gloved hands anymore! I need to hurry! I head back and this time take the other path. It was much brighter here, and more spacious, which means less creepy! This path was shorter as I already found another riddle machine. That’s what I’m going to call them from now on. There was also some panel that had a fire icon on it, but it was locked. I crawled over to the riddle machine. This time, actual words were on it instead of numbers. I proceeded to read it.

“I am an animal that hides away when you come near. You cannot hurt me when I am hiding, but I am immobile. When I am hiding, it’s either in fear or self-defense. What am I?”

Michael: “Animal huh?”

An animal that hides when you go near it. Immobile when hiding…Isn’t that just a turtle? Because it hides in a its shell, and you can't hurt it but it can't move when inside. That only comes to mind because of the one made out of snow outside.

Michael: “W-worth a shot.”

I inputted turtle in and pressed the button.

*Ding*

Michael: “Oh. T-that was easy.”

Out came a key from the slot, which must lead to the panel over there.

Michael: “Huh, that was r-really easy…”

I took the key and inserted it into the panel lock. To my surprise, it unlocked. No twists, no traps, no nothing! Inside was just a lever. It was pointed upwards. To the right side of it, there was two symbols; an ice cube at the top and fire at the bottom.

Michael: “S-so if I p-pull this, I can turn on the h-heat!”

Without further ado, I pulled it down. I heard some electric sound far away from me. Was that the vent? I then heard a voice near me! It sounded like a radio or a walkie-talkie voice. It sounded like Mystery’s voice!

“Congratulations! You turned on the heater! The four of you will no longer freeze to death and the door is now unlocked! However, I recommend that you get out of here right now. Since the secondary vent is now displaying massive heat which could definitely cook you alive, I suggest you…RUN!!”

The last word was screamed out at me! I started crawling as fast as I can out of there! I could feel my face and some of my fingers again! I already felt warm, really warm, too warm! I started to sweat already! I’m gonna be cooked alive! I crawled as fast as I could past the big secondary vent. When I did, I felt like I was roasting! How ironic. I’m too cold and now I’m too hot! The ice around me started to melt really fast. At least the water from the ice cooled me but the water evaporated fast! How strong is this heater!? I saw the scuttle from afar, but I was losing energy from the heat!

Michael: “C’mon! Just a little further…”

I took off my coat and winter pants in the process, which only helped a little. But a little is a lot since I made it to the scuttle door! I looked down and saw Grace, Alan, and Ayaka looking up at me.

Grace: “Michael!”

Michael: “I…did it…the door…is now…opened…”

The heat got the best of me. I slid down the ladder. I still had my mitts on, which I think was better for gripping the ladder than sweaty hands, and you can bet they were sweating! Now I wish I was cold! Strangely enough I still don't feel the rest of my fingers. Luckily, I didn’t fall down this time! I managed to climb down in one piece! They were all there to greet me, and everything was melting, even the turtle.

Grace: “What happened up there?”

Ayaka: “It’s g-getting hot in here now!”

Michael: “I…turned on the heat. This place will start to melt. The door is opened. L-let’s go…”

We all ran downstairs with Ayaka in first place ahead of us. As we ran to the first floor, I saw everything melt here too, including what’s left of poor Frosty and the ice sculpture…the ice sculpture! Now we can get that thing that’s stuck inside it! But we all ran to the door. More than anything, we just wanted to get out of here. Ayaka ran over and opened the now unlocked door. We all ran out as fast as we could. Finally! We can get out of here!

And we did! No twists, no traps, just freedom! Freedom from what now has become my worst place to ever visit! I think I have a phobia of freezers now.

Grace: “We made it. I am never going back in there.” She took a deep breath.

Michael: “Same here.”

???: “They’re back!!”

My vision is met with four familiar masks that I haven’t seen for what feels like a long, long time. The masks that belonged to Emily, Bernard, Nadia, and even Hakim!

Emily: “Your alive! You’re all alive!” She came running to us with tears running down her mask’s eyes.

Bernard: “THEY LIIIIIIIIVE!!” He screamed out with his fists in the air.

Hakim: “What the h*** happened to you four?”

Nadia: “What a relief! You owe us for making us run around like that.”

I feel relieved and…happy. Emily ran over to Ayaka and hugged her. She was crying, but Ayaka was crying even more. She was bawling her eyes out through her mask! Emily was a little taken back by this reaction.

Ayaka: *Bawls* “Emilyyyyy!! I was so scared!”

Emily: “U-um…it’s okay. It’s over now, alright?”

I somewhat find this adorable.

Hakim: “Is anyone going to answer my question? What the h*** happened?”

Yep. That’s Hakim. I realized I still had my mitts on. I took them off while I started to talk to him.

Michael: “It’s a long story bro. I’m glad you helped us.”

Hakim: “Helped you? In what way?”

Grace: “Huh? I thought Mystery told you guys.”

Nadia: “He did, but loud mouth wasn’t there to hear it.”

Hakim: “Hear what? What did I miss? That nerd over there told me to turn as many ovens as possible because our lives were in danger.” He pointed at Bernard.

Bernard: “Uh…yeah…so here’s the thing, While I running around turning on ovens, I happened to bump into Hawk and told him to turn on all the ovens. I didn’t really specify what they were for. They were to keep these four alive, not all of us ahaha…” He awkwardly scratched his neck.

Hakim: “…What!? You mean my life wasn’t in danger!?”

Michael: “Well…in any case, we wouldn’t have made it without you. Thank you, Hakim.”

Hakim looked at me for a few seconds.

Hakim: “…Whatever, but do not expect me to blindly help you again.”

Grace: “U-uh…Michael…?”

Michael: “Hmm? What’s up?”

Grace: “Your…hands…”

Hakim: “S***! I did not see that!” He looked down at my hands.

Confused, I looked at my hands. I just finished taking my mitts off. I saw it. soon everybody saw it.

Michael: “…”

I stared at my hands in fear. Dried blood covered the spots…where fingers…used to be. Forefinger and pinkie on the left hand gone. Ring finger and pinkie gone on the right.

Michael: “…Ah…ah…”

I looked at the floor where I dropped my mitts. Inside...were the detached fingers...still in the slots.

Michael: “…Ah…ahhh…AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

To Be Continued :)

Mystery: “Phew! That was a long one! So unfortunately, there IS going to be a part 4 to the prologue. I did not think this part would be so long! Hopefully, the next part isn’t as long. Now I know what you’re gonna say. Oh no…a few fingers gone…oh boohoo. I know I know! Not really exciting. I know you want to see more gruesome scenes, but trust me on this, the next part is where things get real. So don’t miss out! Oh yeah, you're probably what happened to the other four on the kitchen side right? Well, T-O-O B-A-D! If I showed you, it would be a spoiler! Besides, nothing was THAT interesting on the other side anyways. Welp, I hope this chapter was somewhat amusing to you. See you next time! :)”