Trolls and the Hunters

Chapter 19

     "A little higher. A little higher..." Branch said, as he stood on Pansy's shoulders, reaching for a vent in the ceiling.

     "You need to lose some weight," Pansy groaned, struggling to hold him up.
"Shut up, and just get me up there," he snapped.

     Finally, he got his hands on the vent cover, pulling off the grate, and climbing inside the air vent.

     "Ok, Pansy. I'll pull you up," he said, reaching down for her.

She reached up for him, but they couldn't reach each other. The vent was just too high up.

Branch scooted forewords a bit, reaching down even farther, trying desperately to grab hold of Pansy, so he could pull her to safety.

     Their fingers just barely touched, when a voice rung out from the hallway.

     "Hey!" a hunter yelled from outside the cell. "What are you two doing!?"

Pansy and Branch both flinched at the sound, looking at the door, their eyes wide in fear.

"Jerry! The prisoners are trying to escape!" the hunter yelled out, running off down the hall. "Where's the key to the cell!?"

     "Branch!" Pansy yelled, looking back at the grey troll. "Go! Get out of here!"
"No, Pansy! I won't leave you!" Branch yelled back, still reaching for her.

     Two hunters ran back down the hallway to the cell the two trolls where in, quickly rushing to unlock the bared door.

     "Go, Branch! You need to live! You have kids waiting for you to come home!" He shook his head, starting to cry, as he looked down at her. "I'm not going without you!"

     Suddenly the hunters tackled Pansy to the ground.

Branch gasped, backing up a bit to hide in the vent.

     "Where's the blue one!?" one of the hunters yelled, looking around for Branch.

Pansy looked up, locking eyes with Branch, who stared down at her his eyes wide in fear.

'Go,' Pansy mouthed up to Branch.
'I can't...' he mouthed back.

Finally, one of the hunters looked up, spotting Branch in the air vent.

     "He's in the vent! Get him! Before he escapes!"

     "Branch!" Pansy yelled. "Go! Do it for your kids! Do it for Poppy!"

     One of the hunters shot a tranquilizer dart up at him, but he managed to dodge it, the dart bouncing of the ceiling of the vent, and back down towards the hunters, hitting the hunter who shot it.

     He looked down at where the dart had hit him, and then back at the other hunter.

"Frosting..." he muttered, before flopping to the ground, and passing out.

     Branch looked back down at Pansy, more hunters running in.

"Get that troll!" the hunter holding Pansy shouted, pointing at Branch.
"Branch! Run!" Pansy yelled. He nodded, listening to Pansy, as he quickly began to crawl through the vents, making his way through them to hopefully find an exit.

     "Get the boss!" one of the hunters shouted.

     All of them quickly ran off, except for the one who held Pansy. He grabbed onto her hair, pulling her head up towards him.

     "Ahh!" she yelped in pain, as he pulled her hair, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

     He glared at he, and then smirked evilly. "You're coming with me..."