[•|~{Trapped In Time}~|•]

[•|~{Chapter 4: A Cold House}~|•]

As Mumbo and Karl shook hands and the clock stopped chiming something opened to their surprise.
Doc approached the a small blue chest, pulling out a small scroll and un-rolling it and guess by the looks of the others that he would read it out to the others.
"To begin the cleansing process of this house, you must travel back to the year ****, to meet the owner who's heart is as cold as ice."
Doc handed it to Ran,"That was a poet and I didn't even know it.", Ran read, closing the scroll and nods,"Okay, guess we're going to the year ****.", Minx held up her hand,"Okay, but how the fuck do you expect to get to that year?!?", "Minx has a point.", Ran smiled, Purpled recognised that smile as it was like a smile people only wear if they know something others don't know.
"See, you have come to see this house isn't normal."
Karl took out the pocket watch,"This will help us, if I turn this back a few times it will being us to the year we need to go.", Wilbur leaned up, Tommy tried to snatch it but Karl was quick to keep it out of his reach,"Though, I can only bring so many people, so a group must go and another must stay behind.", the group looked around themselves, no doubt on the other side would also be this so called Death Match.
. . .
"We'll go."
Shubble, Wilbur, Joel, Doc and Pearl raised their hands.
"Okay."
Grian turned to Pearl and Doc,"Are you guys sure??", "If it means someone gets to go home, then I'm sure.", Doc nods, seems like Shubble said the same as her group gave them a hug as they let them go.
Karl took something out of coat pocket and used some odd looking dust to make a circle,"Stand on the outside of the circle.", so the people that were going, bid their goodbyes as they stood with Ran and Karl.
"Okay. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1."
They disappeared in a flash!
It was like they were never there to begin with!
Lizzy looked at the group, Niki still sitting with Jack hoping he was okay,"We should start looking around, see if we can find anything that could help us.", the group nods, they just had to be careful of the those creatures and that person that Ran called The Todem Of Death.

=

"Woah. . ."
Ran, Karl, Shubble, Joel, Pearl, Doc and Wilbur were in the mansion still, but it was more empty and cold, like really cold which makes sense as the place was almost covered in front and snow, the mansion almost looked blue or like Elsa's Ice Castle.
"We should get to work, we need to find the owner's body either dead or alive.", Shubble took a step, nearly slipping on a patch of ice,"Wop-", "And be careful, there could be Watchers or Listeners that are lurking around.", "That's what they're called??. . .", Ran nods, Shubble took Pearl's hand to help her walk around on the patches of ice that seemed all over the place.
"J-Jeez, why is it so cold. . .?!"
"The owner was described to have a heart as cold as ice, so he must have lived here alone and died alone, probably.", Pearl nods, she could see her own breath!
Doc looked around the house that was now frozen, cold and empty,"So, where?", "Split up. Make sure to call out if you find anything and specifically the body.", they nod and they split off into groups to find what they were looking for.

=

Jimmy entered the painting gallery, he didn't know what he was looking for but Hannah asked him to check out the gallery just incase there was something there.
The gallery was honestly a little creepy now because of the situation.
. . .
"Wait. . ."
Jimmy noticed a sheet was slightly off a painting, approaching the painting curious about it then noticed the golden plate that was on the frame.
'The Owner With A Heart Made Of Cold.'
Wait. . .
Jimmy pulled the sheet off, dust fell around him and he waved his hand around for a moment and reminded himself not to do that again.
But looking at the painting, he saw the first owner had blue hair, blue eyes, wore cyan clothes and didn't have a smile in the painting.
"Guess he lived up to his title, but. . .", Jimmy wondered about the owner, looking at the plate he saw no actual legal name just a title, he looked over the frame and still nothing.
"God, where would you hide information. . ."
Unless. . .
Jimmy squinted his eyes ay the painting, he ran his hand along the painting and felt something, picking and pealing off a black page.
"? Smart way of hiding something."
Jimmy flipped it over and found a page of information.
'Scott Smajor, was a Scottish Man that bought the house and lived his days alone in the house, he had no family, no lover or children. He passed away mysterious after finding his body in the backyard of his home in the snow.'
Jimmy felt a shiver go down his spine,"That sounds. . . So sad. . .", Jimmy folded the page,"Guys, I think I found something-", Jimmy nearly ran smack into someone.
. . .
Or something.
Jimmy looked up, seeing a tall creature with green eyes peering right at him.
"AHHHHHH!!!"

~

"JIMMY!?!?"
Bdubs, Cleo and Martin threw open the doors and seeing Jimmy being held by his neck and in the air as he struggled.
"JIMMY!!"
Without a second thought, Martin ran to Jimmy and the creature,"LET HIM GO!!", "MARTIN WAIT!!", before Cloe and Bdubs could stop him, he grabbed the creature and disappeared with Jimmy and the creature.
. . .
"Guys, what happened-?"
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

~

Hannah had to be sit down, Cleo was pacing and Bdubs began to rock himself with what they just saw.
George then noticed a book, he picked it up and showed it to Quackity,"Look at this.", Quackity immediately opened it and began to read it out.
. . .
"Oh no."

=

"Ack! Ow!"
Doc groaned, the snow basically covered the frozen pool and he fell hard!
He stood up, glaring at the pool and stumbled away,"Stupid pool.", he looked around the backyard, shivering as he felt the snow going down his back and he the snow getting in his boots that soon turned to water.
"Wait. . ."
"!"
"I FOUND SOMETHING!"
Doc yelled as he ran towards the bushes, he saw something!
. . .
"Oh my god. . ."
Shubble was completely horrified, Pearl had to look away while the others were in stunned silence.
There, laying in the snow, was a man who's skin was practically blue, he had frostbite everywhere of his body and he was just. . . Dead.
"The poor man. . ."
Ran took a deep breath,"We need to get the body inside.", "I got it.", Doc stepped forward, he found the body so he felt obligated to do so, so he bent down and picked up the owner that was nearly half buried in the snow.
"Oh he looks so cold. . ."
"He feels so cold. . ."
The wind began to pick up, snow began to get heavier,"Inside now!", so they ran inside, Doc kept reminding himself that the man in his arms was dead but it felt like he had to get him inside.

~

"In here."
Doc lay the body on the sofa, he wasn't breathing and up close Shubble almost could see tears were frozen.
. . .
"AH!"
They turned as the fire suddenly lit, seeing a message right on the fireplace so Pearl knelt down and showed the note to Wilbur,"What do you think?", Wilbur took it and read it out.
'As I sit in the snow, thinking about my life and what I could have had if I hadn't pushed him away.'
'I just wish I grabbed my Poppy Flower clip, maybe that could have warmed my heart and soul.'
Karl nods,"So we need the poppy flower clip, it may be in a room or. . .", so everyone split off to the the flower, leaving the body by the fireplace.

~

"Any sign of it?"
Shubble came out of a room, shaking her head as did the others.
"Maybe the third floor as it?"
As they approached the elevator looking doors-
They opened and there stood some winter looking monster!
"AHHHHHH!!!"
They turned to run, but wolves blocked their way out!
"You dare intrude in my home."
Wilbur was shocked, seeing the Poppy Flower Pin on the staff,"We need that!", Wilbur pointed to it, the snow monster looked it and smiled,"You need it? It was my prize for consuming the life of the owner.", Karl's eyes widened.

He found himself outside of the mansion, in he backyard and it was still snowing heavily.
He then saw the owner, when he was still alive, sitting in the snow shaking like crazy and Karl rushed to him.
"I-. . . I deserve this. . . I can-can't take this anymore. . .!"
Isolation. . . It does something to a person.
The ground began to shake, but the owner didn't seem to notice as the snow monster rose from the ground and loomed over him, with such bad intentions.
"As you wish."
The owner's eyes opened in a snap, the monster grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.
The monster opened it's mouth, so many jagged teeth and he could see the complete shock, fear and horror in the owner's face but something about the monster began to suck the life out of the owner!
The owner couldn't cry out for help, or. . . He didn't have the energy anymore and that soon turned life once his head fell back and he fell limb.
. . .
The monster dropped the body in the snow, now having a poppy flower on it's staff and walked into the house and left the body to be buried in the snow.

"Maybe we can make a deal for it?!"
Karl came to it, shaking his head and looking at the monster.
. . .
"I believe, we can come to a truce; If you compete in my game."