Frodo was in a dark forest. The trees were black and bare, their branches twisted and clawed at him.

The air was thick with smoke. He couldn't breath. He ran foward, trying to escape.

But the forest went on and on. Never ending.

He panicked, he couldn't escape. He was going to die.

He kept running. He didn't stop until finally, he burst out of the trees.

He froze. His eyes widened in horror. All around him was darkness. Black clouds covered the sky.

The grass was dead and the fog swirled around him.
Frodo saw every place he had ever been to. The Shire, Rivendell, Lothlorien...
They were all destroyed.

Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but death. Frodo took a step foward. The fog covered the ground and he couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, the fog cleared. Frodo slowly looked around, waiting for whatever it was that hid in the shadows to show itself.

He froze when he saw something on the ground. He walked over to it cautiously, as he got closer he found out that it was a body.

It was too small to be a man or an elf. It was also to small for a dwarf. Frodo moved closer, and froze when he realized that ot was the body of a hobbit.

No. It wasn't just a hobbit. It was Sam. Frodo immediately backed away from the body. It couldn't be Sam... It couldn't!

Frodo turned around to run and stopped. Terror gripped him and his blood turned to ice. Merry... And Pippin!

Both hobbits lay motionless by eachother.

This can't be happening. Frodo turned away from his cousins and attempted to escape but instead he saw another horrifying sight.
Aragorn! And Legolas and Gimli!
All of his friends. They were dead. Because of him.

You can't save them Frodo. Not from the darkness.

Frodo spun around franticaly, trying to find the source of the voice.

You will fall, and the darkness will destroy you."

Frodo fell to his knees and grabbed both sides of his head

Not knowing what else to
do... He screamed.

------------------------------------------------------

"Frodo! Frodo wake up!" Merry continued to shake his cousin, trying desperately to wake him up.

He had been moaning in his sleep and shaking. Merry struggled to wake him which wasn't easy with his hands bound.

They had been captured by the orcs for almost three days. They had run nonstop until now. The orcs had made camp by the edge of a forest.

Fortunately they had been left alone. The orcs hadn't harmed them severly and they didn't show any signs of wanting to kill them.

Yet.

Sam was sitting next Frodo and was also attempting to wake him. Pippin was next to Merry and kept a watchful eye on the orcs.

Merry still couldn't believe what Sam had told him and Pippin earlier that evening.

Boromir had attacked Frodo and stole the ring, and then he and Sam had willingly allowed themselves to be captured by orcs, and then tell the only one who could save them to go after the Ring instead.

It was madness. That was the only word Merry could use to describe the situation.

Madness.

While he understood the importance of destroying the Ring, he didn't want to die at the hands of orcs.

Especially these orcs, who they discovered served Saruman.

Merry pieced together from what he overheard from the orcs, as well as what he'd heard Gandalf say about Saruman, that Saruman created these orcs, who called themselves "Uruk-hai" to capture the hobbits because one of them had something he wanted.

It didn't take much for Merry to realize what that "thing" was.

Except... None of them had the Ring. So what would happen once they reached Isengard?

Frodo's eyes suddenly shot open. He gasped and rolled onto his back.
"Are you all right Frodo?" Merry asked.

"I'm alright." He said without looking at him. "It was just a dream." Sam and Merry helped Frodo sit up, Pippin watched them silently.

"Where are we?" Frodo asked. "By some forest. Somewhere in Rohan I think."
Pippin told him.

"Orcs aren't a very reliable source for imformation."
Merry rolled his eyes at his cousin.

Even at the worst of times Pippin could still find some way to make him smile.

The hobbits remained silent as the orcs went about their business. One of them called out to the others, "I'm starving!" Another one added, "We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinkin' days!"

One of the orcs looked at the four hobbits lying on the ground. "What about them? They're fresh."

The hobbits tensed. None of them liked where this conversation was heading.

"They are not for eating!" One of the Uruks, who appeared to be the leader, walked over to the orc and shoved him back.

"They are to be brought to our master, alive!"
Another orc appeared and eyed the hobbits hungrily. "What about their legs? They don't need those."

The uruk roared and all of the other uruks came and surrounded the hobbits.

The orcs snarled and drew their weapons.
They shouted at each other in their own tongue. All their weapons were drawn and it looked like a fight wasn't far away.

Suddenly one of the orcs made a break through the line of uruks and attempted to reach the hobbits.

He was quickly struck down by the leader.
"Looks like meat's back on the the menu boys!"

At once the orcs and uruks pounced on the fallen orc. The hobbits watched in disgust as they tore into it.

Frodo suddenly nudged Merry. He turned to his cousin who was gesturing for them to crawl away.

That's when Merry realized that there were no orcs watching them.

This was their chance!
The hobbits crawled forward. Frodo in the front and Merry in the back.

Frodo suddenly paused and whispered to the others.
"One of them dropped their knife."

Merry nudged Pippin foward. "Cut yourself free!"
Pippin nodded and crawled over to the knife.

While Pippin freed himself Merry turned back to the orcs. They appeared to have added more orcs to their meal.

"I'm free!" Pippin whispered. "Sam next."
Sam shook his head.
"You go first Frodo."
"No." Frodo backed away from the knife.

"Go Sam." Sighing, Sam crawled over to the knife, and with some help from Pippin, he was free.
"Now you Merry." Merry was about to crawl forward when one of the orcs shouted, "The prisoners!"

The hobbits froze. The orcs were running toward them. "Go!" Merry shouted at Pippin and Sam. "Run!"

"We're not leaving you!" Pippin held the orc knife in his hand and was about to cut Merry free, when all of a sudden they heard the most unexpected noise.

Horses, and the sound of men shouting. One of the orcs raised an alarm but it was to late. The riders attacked them without mercy.

The orcs panicked and struggled to fight them off but it was no use.

Unfortunately the orcs hadn't forgot about the hobbits and a few raced over to retrieve them.

Merry looked up at Pippin and shouted, "Run! Into the forest!"
"Not without you!" Sam tried to help Frodo to his feet but a horse suddenly ran straight for them.

Sam and Pippin jumped one way to avoid being trampled while Merry and Frodo rolled the other way.

Right into the hands of the orcs. They grabbed them and carried them off, away from the riders and the others.

Sam and Pippin watched in horror. "Merry!" Pippin tried to run after them but was stopped by Sam. "
We can't save them! We have to run!"

Reluctantly Pippin and Sam ran away from the fight, and their friends, and into the forest.