[Kitchen] Heart Made of Glass [TAG: Claudie]

[Noah Hernandez]

Cold. The surface was cold. Colder than usual. Which meant he was on the floor. Noah has been able to register these feelings quicker now since it became easier to distinct which from which. As his eyes adjusted to the low lighting in the room, rather than the bleak darkness he was used to, facing him was the young Claudette, or Claudie as she preferred to be called, passed out on the floor. It was strange...he didn’t even remember the gas kicking in. Slowly but surely, as always, he rose from the floor and saw that the two were in the kitchen.

Right...yes...they were looking for an escape route behind the freezer. Miss Kim had....

Wait....where was Miss Kim?

As Noah’s eyes glazed over the room, he realized there were no other bodies on the floor. Just him and his former roommate. But that...didn’t make sense. Kim and Freya were here, he was sure of it!

“Miss Kim?” The architect called out. “Miss Freya?”

He struggled to get himself off the floor, suggesting that he took a nasty fall when the gas kicked in. He could feel his whole side and hip aching with pain. There must’ve been bruises there, but he didn’t think about that. He supported himself on the counter top, looking around some more.

This doesn’t make any sense...Madge was dead! The games should be over! Unless...

Unless Mary decided to take charge.

No...no no no no no! No! This can’t be happening!

That feeling, that sickening feeling of someone squeezing his heart came back. Of someone sitting on his chest so he couldn’t breathe.

Why...why did he defend her?! Why did he have to be such an idiot!!! Damn emotions and feelings! They get you nowhere! Only heartbreak and betrayal! All his kindness and opening up for what? Murdered friends? A new enemy?! Everything he’s done, everything they’ve done! It’s all been pointless!

The only thing he can do now...is try to escape with Claudie.

Noah went over to the young girl and gently shook her awake.

“Miss Claudie? Miss Claudie, please wake up!” He said.

[Claudette Hautecourt]

As she became slowly aware of herself she felt like she was a speck of consciousness in a crushed body, at the very least it was aching like it was crushed. Then another sensation came in, someone shaking her shoulder.

“Miss Claudie? Miss Claudie, please wake up!” The words and voice echoed in her head as if it was sounding from distance. She let out a groan and shifted slightly, the movement made a jolt of pain go through her body as they suddenly became more aware of the pain and stiffness from laying on the cold hard floor what must have been hours. "ah... ow..." She muttered opening her eyes and slowly shifting her body to ease the stiffness in it. She noticed Noah above her and as she took a closer look she noticed he seemed distraught somehow. "Noah? What's wrong?" She asked managing to roll to her side and then pushing herself to sit up. She instinctively moved her hand to smooth over her messy and dirty hair as if it mattered how she looked at this point.

As her brain began to flex itself as well she took a note of her surroundings. "Where are Freya and Kim?" She asked him. Seeing the look on her face gave her the realization that made her eyes widen. "No!!" She clamped her hand on her mouth and felt her eyes start to water. This shit was supposed to be over with the fat woman dead! How were the games still going. Or was this Mary taking revenge on Kim and Freya individually? She brought her eyes up to look at Noah. "What do we do now?" She asked not knowing what to do and hoping the man knew what their next course of action was.

[Noah Hernandez]

Claudie’s eyes slowly opened, soon focusing on him. “Noah?” She said weakly, “What’s wrong?”

“We were knocked out by the gas,” Noah informed her. He wanted to get her full attention before distributing important information.

The blonde managed to push herself off the ground, and it didn’t take long for her to notice their missing group members.

“Where are Freya and Kim?” She asked.

Noah’s eyes saddened, clearly filled with stress and worry. “They’re gone.”

Claudie clamped her hand over her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks almost immediately. The architect gently grabbed her shoulders, trying to grab her attention. He could feel her whole body shaking.

“Miss Claudie, please listen. I am not sure of anything, it’s entirely possible they’re still alive. It is best not to assume the worst or best of anything at the moment,” he said.

Slowly he let her go, his eyes still latched on to her green ones, though they were muddled by the tears coming through. He doesn’t know why he desires to still hope for the best. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t want to admit they’re at rock bottom, or maybe he just can’t bear to lose anyone else today. Or maybe it’s because he doesn’t want to face the fact that they died, even after he tried so hard to save the both of them. That he really is a failure and as useless as his mind has been screaming at him. Whatever it is, he doesn’t want to deal with that. Their kidnapper is dead, this should be over. And he’s going to believe it’s over until proven otherwise.

Finally, the young woman glanced directly at him. “What do we do now?”

Noah sighed. “Miss Kim said there was an exit in the freezer, perhaps that’s our best bet right now.” The architect paused for a moment, just as he was about to shift his movement to the corner of the room. His eyes had drifted from her, looking down at the floor.

“I’m a fool...a damn fool,” he said quietly. “I let my emotions cloud my judgement. I should’ve known Mary wouldn’t have let this go.”

[Claudette Hautecourt]

As she was still pulling herself together, Noah informed her about the gas, which was helpful. “We were knocked out by the gas,” When she then asked about the other two girls he informed her about them too. “They’re gone.” It really made her anxious and worried not knowing what happened in their current situation. Their original tormentor was gone, and now this new one was a loose cannon with her goals and methods. Would it be more of the same shit or was she going to invent new tricks, who knew.

“Miss Claudie, please listen. I am not sure of anything, it’s entirely possible they’re still alive. It is best not to assume the worst or best of anything at the moment,”  Claudie nodded slowly. "You are right. Best not to panic before we know for sure." She agreed, admiring the man's level headedness in this situation although he himself looked like he'd fall apart by the slightest touch.

“Miss Kim said there was an exit in the freezer, perhaps that’s our best bet right now.” Claudie looked towards the freezer. "Yes, that is right. We should try that." She sat on her knees, ready to get up when she noticed Noah beginning to unravel right in front of her.

“I’m a fool...a damn fool,” Hearing him say that and seeing him so distraught made her heart break.  “I let my emotions cloud my judgement. I should’ve known Mary wouldn’t have let this go.” Claudie closed the distance between them and pulled him into a hug. "Dear, don't blame yourself. We were all emotional back then." She said referring to her and Freya being against Noah in the discussion if Mary was to be trusted or not. "You emotions just came from a good place and your faith in people whilst me and Freya only saw the bad in her." She let her hand comfortingly soothe his back. "None of this is our fault, least of all yours. You couldn't have known what she would do. And I don't think not anyone of us could really get through to her now if we tried."

[Noah Hernandez]

Noah was surprised and caught off guard when he felt Claudie’s arms wrap around him. It’s been a while since someone has physically hugged him....since Huxley to be more specific. It brought chills down his spine as the memory triggered in his brain. His body had frozen solid, as if he had stopped functioning completely. Like this was the first time someone had ever touched him.

“Dear, don’t blame yourself,” the blonde said, “We were all emotional back there. Your emotions just came from a good place and your faith in people whilst me and Freya only saw the bad in her."

The architect began to loosen up the more she started talking, comforted by her words. Now suddenly, he could feel his eyes fill up with water. He didn’t know if it out was out of sadness, or the emotions of the past few hours finally coming to head in a physical reaction, but it was hard to stop himself.

"None of this is our fault, least of all yours. You couldn't have known what she would do. And I don't think not anyone of us could really get through to her now if we tried,” Claudie continued.

Noah bit his bottom lip to refrain from sobbing, but he finally managed to return the gesture by wrapping his own arms around her. He squeezed tightly, his eyes directed at the ceiling. He really didn’t want her to know this was his reaction.

“Thank you,” he sniffed, finally managing through his choked voice, “Miss Claudie.”

He let go of her and rubbed his eyes against his shirt. It got stained a little, but he didn’t mind too much. All he did was give her a soft smile back.

“Now, the best way we can help our friends right now is to find that exit,” Noah said. He immediately headed over the large silver door with cold air coming from it. He’s seen a hundred doors like these in his line of work. This one was old, probably had a tendency to get stuck. Was also definitely of the heavier kind. No matter. This should be not too hard of an accomplishment.

“Why don’t we do this together,” he suggested to his blonde friend.

[Claudette Hautecourt]

The first moment her arms wrapped around him she felt him tense up. For a moment she feared she had just now traumatized him with unwanted affection. Although she feared she had she was too scared to pull away to make it more awkward. Luckily she felt him ease up after the initial shock as she kept talking. That was good. Then she felt him return the hug as his arms wrapped around her frame.

As she held him she noted the change in his breathing that indicated to her he was crying. She felt moisture gather in the corners of her eyes as well, but she would not make a big deal out of him crying, in fear of embarrassing him.

“Thank you,” She heard the sniff and the change in his voice that confirmed her thoughts. But didn't make a move to acknowledge that. “Miss Claudie.”

"Oh, ditch the miss there. I have been married three times." She said with a little laugh. "You can just call me Claudie. No need for honorifics." She attempted to reassure him.

When he pulled away from the hug she pretended not to notice him dabbing his eyes with his sleeve. Or at the very least not stare at him as he did it, so he could keep his face with her. 

“Now, the best way we can help our friends right now is to find that exit, Why don’t we do this together,” She flashed him a smile. "Sounds like a good plan. Let's get to it." She said getting up. "Should we get a chair or something to wedge between the door just in case it closes in on us while we are in it? I don't trust the door to be openable from the inside, and I'd rather not freeze to death in there." She said shivering at the thought. It didn't feel right to bring up the story she heard from Katherine about Cassim and Della dying in there. A fate she would not want to happen to her. "Judging from the age and state of this place this freezer might not be equipped with a handle on the inside."

[Noah Hernandez]

“Oh ditch the Miss there,” Claudie said with a laugh, “I have been married three times. You can just call me Claudie.”

Noah smiled, chuckling a little bit in response. He’s so used to being formal to those younger than him, that it might take him a while to use just a first name. That said, he will respect her wishes. He also can’t help but find it humorous how he’s twice her age, yet she’s had more marriages than him. The way of some people, he supposed.

As they approached the fridge, the blonde interjected with a point. “Should we get a chair or something to wedge between the door just in case it closes in on us while we are in it? I don't trust the door to be openable from the inside, and I'd rather not freeze to death in there." He noticed her shiver a bit, clearly uneasy at the thought. He couldn’t necessarily blame her, freezing to death was a nasty slow business. He would hate for that to be his fate.

The architect nodded, “I agree with you. Better to be safe than sorry.”

They went through the process of opening the freezer and propping it up against one of the dining table’s chairs. The cold air washed over his face completely, goosebumps forming all over his arms and a shiver running down his spine. He hugged his arms immediately as he walked in. It was much bigger than he expected, though it felt small, claustrophobic at the same time. There were seven large black bags huddled into the corner.

Noah observed them for a long while, questioning why these bags were in here. What could they possibly be containing? There were too big for standard packages of meat. Behinds, keeping meat in a bag made with a lot of chemicals wasn’t healthy anyways...and none of them had died of food poisoning. Not that he’s aware anyways. Finally, the curiosity became too strong and he went over to the first bag on the far left. His hand landed on the zipper...but it hovered over it. He hesitated, almost like there was this voice at the back of his head.

Don’t do it. You know what’s in there. You don’t want to see that.

But in the end, his curiosity over took him and he unzipped the bag. Immediately he felt himself gag, stumbling backwards, almost tripping over the young woman next to him. For a moment, the architect forgot she was even there. His hand covered his mouth, in avoidance of throwing up over the floor. In front of him was the face of a young woman with ginger hair. She wasn’t Kim or Jessica, but someone else entirely. If he had met her before, most noticeably in the basement, she was nearly unrecognizable now. Her face was a pure white, covered in frost from the cold. His eyes then gazed over to the other bags.

All of them. The same size.

Frantically, he started unzipping them. He started thinking about Sawyer. Geoff. Dorian. Kim. Freya. He started thinking how he hasn’t some of them in weeks, while others just disappeared in front of them.

Yes. Ignorance can be bliss, but not here. Not now. He can’t find peace until he knows who’s in each one of them.

Next, there was a black haired man. Then, a woman with dark hair. Then a brunette man. A blonde woman. A blonde man. All young, around Claudette’s age. None he recognized, and all in the same state as the first girl. Frozen. Pale. Dead. Some more gruesome looking than others.

And then, he came to the final bag. He was still in a frantic state, but the moment his eyes landed on the final body....he froze. His body becoming just as still as the fallen people laying against the wall of the fridge. Right in front of him...was a face he never thought he’d see again.

Huxley...

His best friend looked exactly like the others. Peering down, Noah could see the darkened blood stain on his shirt. It looked bigger than he remembered, completely black now which was a contrast to the bright red that had covered his hands. The architect’s hand hovered over his face, as if the moment he touches him, he’ll wake up and they can walk out of here together. But instead, his hand retracted. His face got even colder as tears started to stream down his cheeks. He supported himself against the empty shelves as he felt like he was going to faint.

Noah turned away from the bodies. It didn’t help much as the knowledge of them being there was horrifying enough, but at least this way he didn’t have to look at their lifeless, uncanny faces.

[Claudette Hautecourt]

She was happy to at least have made the man smile. He didn't seem to object to him calling her by her nickname though so that was also good.

As they got to the door of the freezer she became nervous about them finding a way out through it and what else they might discover there. She was glad that he liked the suggestion she had about them using the chair to propping open the door. As Noah opened it and settled the chair between it and the door frame Claudie felt the the cool air spread into the room. Crawling on the floor like a freezing fog. Claudie took a few steps away as her bare feet began feeling cold. She pulled the oversized sleeves of her robe to cover her hands and rose one hand over to pinch her nose as  she could smell the slight whiff of death coming from the freezer. Carefully she crept closer to the door and followed in after Noah.

Inside she saw a few shelves with food in them, but what caught her eye and Noah's too was the collection of oddly human size and shaped bags. It seemed like both of them were drawn to them by sheer curiosity to see who were in them. As Noah went about opening the bags and moving from one body to the other, almost running into her, Claudie took a more slower approach. She recognized the girl with the red hair, that clearly wasn't hers, from the game with the gun. And here she was now, lifeless. Watching the girls lifeless face made it somehow click to her what a cruel and sick place this was. How easily a life could be snuffed out. She had no idea how the girl had died but she didn't deserve this, no one here had. She closed the bag again and moved onto the next one. Noah had moved so fast from one body to the other that he had left the bags open. Claudie knelt beside the next one. A dark haired man, he had been handsome as she looked over his frost covered face and the little snowflakes on his eyelashes. She closed the bag and then moved to the next one. It was a woman with pretty dark skin and dark hair. She didn't know her either but yet she felt sorry for the girls life ending prematurely. As she bent down to pull the zipper back up her eyes caught a glimpse of something glittering in the girls pocket. She reached in to pull at the chain and almost gasped out loud as she recognized the cross that was hanging on the other end of it. She looked at the girl again bit her lip trying to hold in her tears. She would have wanted to thank the girl for finding her cross but knew she could not hear her anymore. Instead she wrapped the chain of the cross around her own hand and crossed her hands in a silent prayer for the girls soul. She didn't know if the girl was a believer or not but there would be no harm in a little prayer and she felt like she had to offer some sort of thanks to her. "Thank you." She said softly before gently pulling the bag closed once more. 

She moved on to the next body, a man with brunette hair who she felt she might have seen somewhere, but didn't know. It occurred to her how so many of these bodies were young like her. She closed his bag as well and then moved on to the blonde woman. A sickening feeling rose up in her stomach as she noticed the colour of her hair. Had the matchmaker targeted this girl just because of their haircolors being similar? Hopefully not, she really didn't deserve to be here either just like the others. She offered another small prayer and closed the bag. Then the blonde man whom she had not met either. It really blew her mind how many people were in here who she had not ever met, and yet so many she had at least talked to. At least she was glad Silvio was not among these bodies, nor her other friends that she had made in here. She knew it was a selfish thought but she couldn't help it. She wondered though if Elliot was still alive. She had not heard from him in ages, and he was not here among the dead so she was cautiously hopeful he might be.

She closed the bag and then moved over to see Noah knelt by the last bag. He clearly knew the man. She saw him turn away hiding his tears again from her. "You knew him?" She asked kneeling down next to the body. It was an older man who looked like he had just fallen asleep. All that betrayed him as dead was the crimson stain in his gut. Claudie swallowed and looked up at Noah. "If you want we could pray?" She suggested, of course if Noah or this man  were religious at all. "If not we can just try and open the back door like the girl suggested."

[Noah Hernandez]

The back of Noah’s hand pressed against his mouth, trying to keep himself from vomiting. His face was wet from tears, the cold of the freezer making it feel like ice. He could hardly see anything as his breath had fogged up his glasses. The memory had washed over him completely. And it was red. So painfully red, that it hurt to even envision it. All over his clothes. His hands.

All over Huxley.

“You knew him?”

He gasped softly, turning his head to see Claudie looking at him with worry in her eyes. The architect noticed she was holding something that shimmered in the light. A small chained necklace with a cross at the end. Admittedly, he was a little surprised, he hadn’t thought of her as religious. Then again, he didn’t exactly know her that well. Or anyone here really. Sure, he had gotten the time to have conversations with them, but it wasn’t like his friendship with Huxley. No, that level of bonding takes time. And he hasn’t really had that time with most of these people. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to, though. Apart of him does. Another part of him, the part that lost Huxley and panicked over Sawyer for a day, doesn’t want to see these people ever again. He doesn’t want to deal with these awful feelings anymore.

“If you want we could pray?” Claudie suggested, snapping him out his thoughts. "If not we can just try and open the back door like the girl suggested."

Noah thought about it for a minute. It’s been years since he prayed. His mother was from a Muslim family, but she didn’t believe in the religion herself. His father, on the other hand, was Christian. Though he wasn’t strict in the beliefs. The architect would pray at the table out of curtsy, but he’s always been a man of science. He decided pretty early on in his life he was an atheist.

Finally he shook his head. “I...I appreciate the offer but...I am not a man of faith.”

His mind wandered for a second, pondering on what Claudie had suggested. To open the back door. Yes...they should. They need to escape. That’s the only way to help them, to get real justice.

“Let’s try this back door, already,” Noah said, clearing his throat. He wiped the tears off his face with his shirt and headed towards the very back of the fridge. Carefully, he moved the body bags out of the way. His eyes were glued to the floor the entire time. He didn’t want to think about it. The architect brushed off some of the soft ice covering the door and it’s handle. He placed his hands on it, wincing a bit as touching the metal was like holding a piece of ice that came just out of fridge, or being in the ocean on a cold day.

He huffed a bit, and turned to the blonde. “Ok, we’ll pull on one. Two. Three!”

[Claudette Hautecourt]

Noah looked so sad and yet so surprised as he turned to look at her with those frozen tears on his cheeks. She noticed him look down at the cross in her hands and she had half the mind to explain herself to him, but this wasn't the place. Not that he would care anyway probably. He didn't seem like he cared much about other people's faiths. So when he shook his head to decline she wasn't taken aback. “I...I appreciate the offer but...I am not a man of faith.” She flashed him an apologetic smile. "I understand. I wanted to offer it in case it would help you." She said taking the cross and fastening it around her neck. It felt good to have it back again. If she survived here she felt like she could stand up tall with her family and especially her grandmother since she didn't lose the family heirloom. After getting the chain around her neck she leaned down to close the last bag.

“Let’s try this back door, already,” Claudie got up and moved to Noah, taking a hold of the handle with him when he instructed her to. She looked to him to get his signal for them to start. “Ok, we’ll pull on one. Two. Three!” On three she began to pull with him. Her bare feet slipping on the floor as they tried to force the handle to open the door for them. Her stamina ran out rather quickly and she let go of the handle out of breath. It had been so close, and now this stupid slab of reinforced metal and a dumbass lock prevented them to be free at last. The frustration she felt at that moment flowed over in tears. "I am sorry..." She said apologizing for her tears. She turned away from the man and started to walk back out of the freezer. On her way out her eyes landed on a bag of frozen peas and her anger boiled over, grabbing it she turned around swiftly and threw it at the back door. It felt good but was not really helpful. She then walked out of the freezer, and the moment she was back out in the warmth of the kitchen she felt like her nose started to run. Using the crook of her elbow to dab at her nose so not to be a snotty mess in front of Noah. She began to wipe the tears away trying her best to compose herself back together.

When Noah emerged from the freezer, in his own time, she noticed the two bodies in the dining room. "Maybe we should move them in the freezer too. Before they start decomposing too much."

[Noah Hernandez]

With all their strength, Noah and Claudie pulled and pushed the door, his feet nearly slipping on the ice. He was lucky to catch himself on many occasions, or he might’ve severely injured himself. But they kept trying. They have to get out of this place. The longer they kept trying, the more sore his muscles felt. The cold started to catch up to him and it became harder to stay focused. Finally, both he and the blonde stopped. They gave up. It wouldn’t budge, not at all. Claudie was crying at first, apologizing as if she was embarrassed. She then angrily walked over to the other side of the fridge, grabbed some peas, and chucked it at the door. Noah, on the other hand, had a much different reaction. This whole day had just completely broken his spirit, and now, of course, as he’s a door away from escaping....he can’t. He wasn’t angry, sad, or even upset. It’s almost like this was expected for him at this point. Why would they get to escape? No ones that lucky. He certainly didn’t feel that lucky. Everything about this one particular day reeked of depression and hopelessness. Once again, Noah was powerless. All it did was reinforce the voice that was whispering to him at the back of his mind since the beginning of this whole thing:

I am going to die here.

It took the architect a minute to realize that Claudie wasn’t in the freezer anymore, though he could hear her sniffling not too far from him. He finally decided to emerge from the ice box, where the warmth of the kitchen hit him like a heat wave, giving him chills and goosebumps all over his body. The young woman was attempting to wipe her tears away with her bare skin. Noah’s first instincts were to dig to his pockets, as he had found a handkerchief in one of his rooms a while back. He wasn’t fond of using the blankets to help wipe down his own tears or blood anymore. He hadn’t used it yet though, which made him pass it over to Claudie.

“Use this,” he said gently.

Claudie looked over to him. “Maybe we should move them in the freezer too. Before they start decomposing too much.”

Noah paused for a minute. He hadn’t really looked at the bodies since...since they were killed right in front of them. Eventually, he nodded in response.

They walked back into the dining room, the bodies already starting to create a foul stench. But then, as his foot was inches away from one particular body, he stopped.

Madge Baker. Her name was Madge Baker. Had a little bit of irony to it, since it sounded similar to “matchmaker”. His first meeting with her would also be his, and her, last. She was the person who was doing all of this torture to them. What kind of sick, twisted mind would be capable of hurting all these strangers? Huxley would know.

Yeah. Huxley would’ve probably known.

But then, he got an idea. This woman. Their kidnapper. The person behind all of this. She must know something more, even in death. Holding his breath as to attempt to not breathe in the stench that filled the air, he got down on his knees and began to search the body for something that may be of use to them.

[PERCEPTION CHECK: Noah searched Madge’s bodies to look for either clues or something of use with advantage]

[Kim Anderson]

PERCEPTION CHECK: Noah searched Madge’s bodies to look for either clues or something of use with advantage.

RESULT: 9 – the second Noah stuck his hand into the pockets of Madge's bloody robe he felt a metal surface under his fingertips so when he hoocked the item out... He realized this was a finding of a century. A massive key chain! This is jackpot! However the problem was... there were 30 keys of all sizes and colors and the most ridiculous thing was they were untaged. No numbers, no tags, no anything! Just a bunch of colorful rusty keys! This is ridiculous!! How did this madwoman know which key opened which room will now remain a mystery.

Noah found a keychain with 30 keys attached to it.

[Claudette Hautecourt]

There was a slight breeze of air that grazed her cheek as Noah brought out the handkerchief. She looked up at him quizzically, how had he come by that she wondered. And further more it was clean. "Thank you." She said taking it a little hesitantly and flashed him a smile before she began to dab the cheek below her eyes with it. She offered it back to him just as he was heading out to the dining room. She took a few hasty steps to catch up to him so that she would not be left alone in the room.

When he stopped in the room she stood there beside him wondering what made him stop. She looked at the dead woman's body right at his feet and then at him. He seemed like he was considering something. Claudie looked at the woman with her brains blown out. Claudie's mouth twisted into a disgusted arch. There were so, so many reasons why she didn't want to touch the woman, but she knew she had to, or suffer the foul stench in the room they were locked into. Then suddenly Noah dipped down as he knelt by the body. It shocked her when he put his hand into the woman's pocket. She adverted her eyes feeling like it was something in appropriate to see when suddenly she heard a metallic jingle coming from the direction she had refused to look at. Her curiosity got the better of her and she looked again only to see Noah with a key chain that reminded her of something a janitor would have. It looked awfully rusty though, something someone who was into rustic design would love to have as an accessory piece. Or a horror enthusiast who would decorate their house in some demented asylum theme. She didn't know why anyone would do that though, to her a home was supposed to be a place you'd want to spend time in, not try to escape from. While thinking these thoughts and staring at the object in Noah's hands that she was mentally placing in different styles of houses, she then felt a click in her head as if the rails on which the train of her thought was running on suddenly switched onto the right tracks. It almost made her jump, but instead she fell to her knees and grabbed Noah by the arm. Maybe she was squeezing it a little too hard for his liking. "Do you think one of those would open the freezer door?!" She asked him frantically with her hopes of getting out sparked up again. But there were so many keys. Which of them would be the right one? Unless they would open other doors too? "Oh, wait! But the others! We could get them out too!" She then remembered that Mary was in control now and she didn't even if Theodore was out there with some sort of blunt weapon ready to beat her up again. If they could get out and to the authorities they could come in with weapons. And yet she felt she couldn't leave here without knowing her friends were getting out safely.

"What should we do?" She reached her hand out to shift the keys, that were in Noah's hands still, with her fingers looking for any clues that could help identify the keys.

[[Action: Claudie and Noah are inspecting the keys for any indications or clues to which kind of lock they match with]]

[Kim Anderson]

PERCEPTION CHECK: Claudie and Noah are inspecting the keys for any indications or clues to which kind of lock they match with.

RESULT: The number of keys attached to the ring made it extremely inconvenient to count and sort them all since Madge kept them in a random order however after about a couple of minutes of counting Noah and Claudie could finally come to a conclusion that there were:
- 17 absolutely identical modern silver keys of a medium size
- 5 old rusty copper keys of a medium size
- 4 big old copper keys
- 3 small rusty copper keys, one has a black string attached to it but there is no tag
- 1 big rusty key that has black smudge all over it that stays on your fingertips the moment you touch its surface

The aftermath:
A - You tested one of the keys on one of the doors (freezer/kitchen/dining room);
B - The gas suddenly hits you unconscious and when the time comes you will proceed into the next event with the rest;