The air was stinging cold and breathing felt like intaking needles into the lungs. When Hades had mentioned a freezer, Zane expected something huge. But he could have never foreseen it being an entire room.
Zane huddled himself with his left arm, trying to trap the heat within him. He had to think of a way to escape before they all froze to death. He looked around the room hoping to find a way out. The room was like a giant icebox. The walls were painted white, with tiny icicles hanging from the ceiling. The floor was also frozen which made it difficult to walk.
There was only one door present, but it was sealed shut from the outside. However, on the opposite end of the room was a small vent. It seemed to be the source of all the cold they were facing. Zane saw the vent as a means of escaping. It had to lead to somewhere on the outside. Sadly, Zane realized that he was much too big to fit. He would need someone smaller than him to do the task. The only three he could think of were Brandon, Serenity, and Deandre.
Unfortunately, Brandon had already been taking by the Simpsons, and Serenity and Deandre were still unconscious. He needed to find another way.
"You need us for anything?" suddenly asked a voice from behind.
Zane swung his head around in astonishment. Deandre and Serenity were huddling themselves together, staring at him.
"What? How are you awake?" asked Zane. He wondered if the drug had already worn off. He glanced over to Lamar, but he was still unconscious. Layla and Nick were also still unconscious, but it was more understandable since they were knocked out and hypnotized. "Did the drug wear off or something?"
Deandre shook his head in denial, "We simply regurgitated it. Thankfully, they didn't notice." he stated— his breath turning into a cloud of white.
"So what do you need us to do? I know you don't plan to let us all just freeze to death." proclaimed Serenity.
Zane smiled as he turned his eyes back to the vent. Serenity and Deandre would be able to fit into the vent and find a way out. He had to put his trust in them.
"Yeah, I do." Zane pointed at the vent before continuing, "See that vent over there? I need both of you to squeeze yourselves through and find an exit. Once you do that, come back around and open the door."
"Okay, sounds like a plan. But what about Anastasia and Brandon? We need to rescue them." demanded Deandre.
"I'll leave that choice up to you two. I don't know what it will be like once you get out. Just adapt to the situation as you go."
Serenity was silent for a moment. Her face was full of worry as the thoughts of Anastasia and Brandon being dead plagued her.
"What if they're dead..?"
Zane didn't want to give them false hope. He wasn't sure about Brandon, but he had some hope for Anastasia. "Anastasia might be fine. She's just locked up somewhere else since the cold can kill her. I overheard Hades talking to the Simpsons earlier. I think he said something about wanting to eat Anastasia too."
"What?? Eat her?? Why would an Apocrypha eat another Apocrypha??" screamed Deandre.
"It's not farfetched. Remember Apollo said something about delivering her brain to the King and Queen? I can only guess that might be for consumption. It's a possibility that they cannibalize their traitors. Since Hades is a Rank 5, he may have the authority to do as he pleases with her."
"Then we have to save her! Anastasia is a really important part of this group! She's probably the most important out of all of us..." mumbled Serenity.
Zane nodded. Anastasia was the key figure to their group. Not only was she smart, but she was able to decipher regular humans from Chimera and Apocrypha. She even knew how to drive Apocrypha vehicles. If they wanted to escape by an Apocrypha's boat, then they'd definitely need her to drive.
"It's just my intuition, but I don't think they'll kill her immediately. I feel like Hades might even save her for last. Anyway, no time to waste speculating. Hurry and get us out of here."
Serenity and Deandre looked one another in the eyes with a determination hot enough to warm the room. They couldn't allow anyone else to die. Especially Anastasia and Brandon. Anastasia was an important part of the group, but they also had to guarantee Brandon's safety. Serenity had to save their newly found friend. She wanted to save as many people as she could and Brandon wasn't exempt.
Hurriedly, the two slid over to the vent. The harsh air that blew from it made their skins tingle. It was almost frightening, knowing they had to crawl through such intense cold. Even so, they refused to hesitate. They placed their hands on the cold metal vent cover. They needed to find a way to remove the metal exterior so they could get access to the inside.
There were two screws on either side of the vent cover keeping it shut. They would need some kind of screwdriver to remove the screws. Sadly, they had nothing they could use. It was one big empty freezer, without a single piece of equipment.
"What do we do now? There's no way for us to remove the vent cover..." cursed Deandre as he tried to pull the cover off with force. Sadly, it didn't even budge.
Serenity squinched her eyes as she looked around. She had no intention of allowing one vent cover to stop her from saving her friends. She had to find a way. Her eyes drifted around the room searching for anything she could use.
"Dang it! All I see is a frozen floor and icicles!" cursed Deandre.
Serenity's eyes brightened, hearing Deandre's words. "Wait! Did you say icicles??"
"Um— yeah... Why?"
Serenity smiled as she looked up onto the ceiling. Dozens of icicles were spread over their heads. It was just what she needed. "Break one of them! I have an idea!"
Deandre scratched his head in confusion. He didn't know how a few icicles would help them escape, but he trusted Serenity. Bearing the cold, Deandre stretched his arm to the ceiling and broke off a sturdy icicle. It felt as if his hand was going numb from the cold that braced against it.
"Okay... What now?" he asked.
Serenity inspected the screws. Due to the extended period, they had been in the cold, there was a decent chance they had been frozen. A small force wouldn't be enough to pull it apart.
"Okay, next you have to wet your hands with your saliva. Do that and grab back onto the icicle before it dries."
"What? Why?"
"To prevent the icicle from slipping from your grasp when you start screwing. It will be slippery otherwise. You need to make it stick to your hands."
"Geez... Fine! This is crazy..."
Reluctantly, Deandre did what Serenity instructed. The icicle instantly stuck to his hand like glue. It felt really uncomfortable and made him worry if his skin would be torn off when it was time to remove it.
"Okay, next you should wet the tip of the icicle. Once you do that, hurry and stick it into the screw. The icicle should fasten itself, making it much easier to screw. Just try not to break the icicle. If you do that, then we're as good as dead."
Deandre took a shaky breath. He wished Serenity would be a little less thorough. He already knew that everyone's lives depended on them. He didn't need a reminder.
Carefully, Deandre did what Serenity instructed. He wet the tip of the icicle and quickly stuck it into the screw. As optimistic as the plan was, he doubted that a simple icicle would be able to remove two frozen screws. It was almost too absurd to consider.
"Hurry and start screwing!" demanded Serenity.
"Fine! But I doubt this is going to work. It's just too—" Deandre cut his statement short as the screw began turning. He couldn't believe that such a ridiculous plan was actually working.
"See?" muttered Serenity feeling proud.
"I shall never doubt your intelligence ever again, my queen."
Deandre then hurried and removed both screws from the vent cover. Slowly, he eased the cold metal cover to the floor. All that was left for them to do, was climb into the vent and find a way out.
"Well here comes the hard part... We might freeze to death if we don't hurry and get through the vent." declared Serenity.
"Yeah. Let's hurry and get it over with. I don't want to die in here."
The two then climbed into the cold vent. Their knees and hands braced against the cold metal that surrounded them. The worst part was the chilling wind that braced against their bodies. It almost felt as if they were walking through a blizzard with minimal clothing— just without the snow.
Painfully the two made their way forward. All odds were against them. They were just two small teenagers that were racing against time. The biggest question on their mind was; 'Would they be able to rescue everyone in time?'