The boys found a semi-clean room further down the hall, and started to set up 'camp'. They set their sleeping bags on the floor, and each of them had a flashlight, having found no other source of light in the room, or even in the house. Outside, the wind was roaring, and it was cold. Ryo, being the warrior of fire, wasn't enjoying the intense cold, and he curled up in his sleeping bag as Rowen and Sage tried to insulate the room. Cye sat down next to him and rubbed his arm as he shivered.

"How are you holding up, Ryo?"
"It's better… Thanks!"
"I'm glad."

The other two came back over and Sage set to make some food. Because there was no electricity, he had to use a small generator in order to make a small Bunsen Burner run. There was silence for a while. The only sound that could be heard was of Kento stuffing his face. Suddenly, there was a loud knocking sound on the walls around them. Ryo sat back up and all of them were on edge until the noise stopped.

"I told you it was a bad idea to come here."
"I think I'm starting to agree, Kento… this place gives me the creeps!"
"I'm sure it was only the wind blowing something up against the house. It's only noise."
"Geeze! Nothing scares you, does it, Sage!"
"It's not that. I just don't fear what isn't scary."
"Whatever…"

Ryo suddenly shivered.

"What's wrong? Is it still too cold for you, Ryo?"
"No… that's not it. I was warm a second ago, and now… I feel as though the temperature dropped several degrees."

Then they noticed that all of them could visibly see their breaths. The hair on the backs of their necks stood on end, and their skin tingled. Cye jumped as the bumping noise returned, and his face inside his sleeping bag. As soon as the noise was there, it was gone again.

"There… I told you it was noth--"
"AHHHHH!"

All of them jumped this time as a piercing scream echoed through the house. They rose up and looked around, and even as the lady voice continued to scream, none of them could figure out where it was coming from. They ended up leaving their safe area and walked throughout the house. They went down the rest of the hallway, and then checked the living room and kitchen, where Kento wanted to stay. The hungry ronin checked the fridge, and then closed it immediately and put a hand over his mouth. Rowen laughed at him, and then they heard the scream again. It was much louder, and looked as if it was coming from a steel reinforced door there in the kitchen. Ryo went to the door and tapped on it. The screaming lessoned.

"Hey! Is someone in there?"

"Help me! Please help!"

"Okay! I'm coming!"

Ryo took a hold of the cold door's handle and pulled it open just enough for his slim form to get in. the door wouldn't open for him any further. Inside, it was blistery cold. Ryo could see his breath, and his hands shook only after a moment. It was obviously a meat freezer, as several beef packages were being hung by from the ceiling. A foul stench hung in the air, and Ryo tried to block it from reaching his nose, but couldn't. The screaming had stopped and there was no sign of the woman he had heard. Strange, he thought, as he turned back around to leave. However, the door was slowly closing of its own accord, and it shut and locked before Ryo could get to it. Ryo yelled out to his friends as he pounded on the iced-over door. The ice was cold and sharp, and cut into his hands, some. The others rushed in to see the door close, and Cye put an ear to the door, barely able to hear the others' voice, and yelled out a reply. Ryo was shivering, but at least he knew he wasn't alone. However, he knew he wouldn't fare well in that cold environment, and so he tried to open the door with the handle. He wasn't prepared for the intense burning feeling that resulted from the action, and quickly pulled his hand away. His hand was red from being burned by the ice.

"Ryo! Hey, talk to us, buddy!"

"I'm okay, guys!"

"Thank goodness! You just hang in there, okay! We're going to break in!"

"O-okay…! Just make it quick! …It's freezing in here…"

The other ronins didn't hear the last part, or anything after that for a while. Ryo had breathed in the cold air, and his throat was raw. Outside, the others had started boiling water to pour over the handle in an attempt to get their friend out.

Back inside, Ryo was shivering more, and it was getting hard to stand still. He was nursing his burnt hand, and again, he began to smell something. He looked up. It was definitely coming from the back of the freezer, but he couldn't see what it was from where he stood. Looking back to the door, he walked away from it. He covered his mouth again as he pushed past the hanging meat as the smell got stronger. But, as he reached the back, he was in no way prepared for what he saw.

"Ahh!"

The screaming started up again, but this time, it wasn't the woman's voice. It was Ryo. Ryo was screaming. The others feared for the worst, and hurriedly worked to open the door. From inside, they could hear tearing sounds as well as the screams, and they had no time to think as the door finally gave and allowed them inside.

"Ryo?"

They heard him, finally. He wasn't screaming anymore; instead, it was his labored, heavy breathing that they heard. They followed the noise to the very back, and there, sitting on the floor was Ryo. His complexion was pale, and his wild eyes were wide in fear. What worried them was that his shirt and pants had slices in them, as though he had been attacked by an animal, but he wasn't bleeding. Sage went right to Ryo, helping him to his feet. Ryo was shaking and he didn't, couldn't look away from the sight before him. While the whole rest of the freezer was white and fairly clean, where the ronins had stopped lay a bloody mess. There was blood on the walls, floor, ceiling… none of them knew what to make of it.