As soon as he said now, Katara reacted. The water shot from her pouch like a rocket, flying at the door with deadly aim and seeming to all but plaster itself across the entire entrance. Snakes could be heard hissing and striking against the quickly-freezing liquid but Katara refused to let them break through the ice. Sliding one foot backward somewhat, she pushed her arms forward, palms facing outward, and forced the icy wall to straighten against the strain.
"Almost there," she said through gritted teeth. The entire hotel was starting to freeze, her breath visible in the cold air that surrounded them. Thin sheets of ice had - unknown to her - begun to form on the outside of every window. With any luck, once she'd sealed this doorway, they'd be able to go. Provided she could actually get said doorway sealed, that is.
She wasn't sure how many snakes were in the stairwell, but it felt like they weighed a combined ton or so with all of the pressure they were putting against her makeshift barrier. She finally managed to thicken the ice enough that it would stand on its own and turned to tell Kris as much with a smile on her face.
Which is when it all went straight to hell.
A snake, which had been hanging from one of the overhead lights, suddenly let go of its perch and fell. It landed directly on Katara, sharp fangs striking her neck and causing her eyes to widen in horror. Her scream of pain was cut short by the venom and she fell backward, hitting the now-frozen ground hard.