The Middle Earth Wonderers (The Hobbit/LOTR)

Chapter 15.

Ryan's body lay in a growing pool of his own blood, and the sight was like a punch to the gut. We all just stood there, frozen, staring at him. No one moved, no one breathed. Hunter's face twisted in a mix of horror and sadness. He looked like someone had ripped his heart out. His voice came out barely a whisper, as if saying it louder would make it more real.

"No... no, this... can't be happening."

Ava stood completely still, her wide eyes fixed on Ryan. She looked like she was in a daze, like her brain was struggling to catch up with what was in front of her. Her breath hitched in her throat, but nothing came out. She just shook her head slowly, her face pale.

Mia... I'd never seen her like this. She was always calm, collected—hell, even when things were tough, she kept it together. But now, tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at Ryan's crumpled form. She could barely speak, her voice thick with emotion.

"I... I can't believe this is real... How did this happen?"

Jack clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white. His red and white scales seemed to dim as the weight of the situation crashed down on him. He wasn't the kind of guy to get rattled, but right now, he looked completely lost, like someone had taken away the ground beneath his feet.

"No... no, we can't just stand here. We gotta do something. We have to do something!" His voice cracked as desperation crept in.

Mike's gaze snapped toward Lulu, who had barely managed to find her voice. She'd always been the quiet one, shy, but now she was looking for some sign, some glimmer of hope in this mess.

"We're fucked... we're really fucking fucked..." Lulu's voice shook, fear in her wide eyes as she looked between us. "Azog's got her, and we're outnumbered... how do we even stand a chance?"

Mike clenched his jaw, his entire body shaking with fury and pain. His eyes blazed with something raw, something unstoppable. "No, we're not. I don't give a shit how bad this looks. We can't just give up." His voice was hard, almost commanding. "We have to stay strong. We'll find a way to get her back. We're not leaving her with that bastard."

Lulu's lip trembled as she looked at him, but there was something there—a flicker of hope, buried deep under the fear. "But... how? He's got too many of them. We don't even know where they'll take her..."

"We'll figure it out," Mike snapped, his anger giving him the edge he needed to stay grounded. "We have to. I'm not leaving her with those monsters. Not after what they did to Ryan. Not after everything."

Hunter finally moved, his voice quiet but firm. "Mike's right. We can't let fear stop us now. We owe it to Ryan. We owe it to her."

Ava slowly nodded, wiping away the tears she hadn't even realized were falling. "Yeah... we'll get her back. We're not leaving her behind."

Jack's eyes hardened, his earlier shock morphing into cold determination. "Then let's not waste any more time."