The Days of Old (LOTR- Book One)

Chapter 12: Race to the Bridge

Chapter 12: Race to the Bridge

The Fellowship charged out of the chamber and into another hall of pillars, closely followed by a wall of orcs and thousands of the creatures began trickling out of the ceiling and down the pillars onto the floor.

I glanced around and noticed that the things were coming out of the floor, out of large cracks in the massive rock flooring.

The orcs quickly overwhelmed the group, surrounding us in a circle with drawn weapons; the orcs growl and snarl at all of us, widening their bug-like eyes. My head jerked to the end of the hall where a fiery light appears and a thunderous growl echoes throughout the hall, the orcs began screeching and swirling their heads as they look for the source. Another, slightly louder, growl comes from the end of the hall and the the orcs let out a screech and quickly turn, heading back up the pillars and into the cracks, leaving the Fellowship confused and in silence.

Gandalf stared down the hall at the light, gripping his staff tight. "What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked slowly, I watched Gandalf closely, afraid of the answer. Legolas grabbed my arm, steadying me and calming my nerves slightly. Gandalf shuts his eyes tight as if in deep thought, remembering something horrid, another horrific growl echoes even louder down the hall.

Gandalf opens his eyes slowly, "A Balrog - a demon of the ancient world." He said quietly, Legolas's eyes widen in fear and he glances over at me, his grip tightening on my arm. My heart dropped into my feet at the mention of the creature. "This foe is beyond any of you.." His gaze didn't falter from the orange light at the end of the hallway, "Run!" Gandalf bellowed as he turned on his heel and began sprinting away from where the Balrog seemed to be coming from, the rest of us followed and filed through a small doorway, Gandalf motions each one through the door, waiting for a moment before following us down the stairs.

The group charges down a steep staircase and a warm light begins trickling up the stairs, the stairs suddenly disappear and Boromir gasps as he waves his arms in the air, faltering on the edge. Legolas grabs him quickly and pulls him back from the edge, collapsing onto the stairs and panting. My eyes widened as I took in the enormity of the room, narrow and steep staircases littered the room and most of them had decayed and fallen into the abyss below.

"Gandalf!" I called over my shoulder, seeing Gandalf leaning against the wall. "Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near." He looked past Aragorn and gestured over the gap and to a narrow bridge on the other side of the area.

Another growl echos from up the staircase, Aragorn moves towards Gandalf who quickly shoves him away, "Do as I say!" He yelled, I narrowed my eyes, I had never seen this side of him.

Aragorn stares up at Gandalf with confusion, "Swords are no more use here." he pushed off the wall as the Fellowship runs down stairs, the Balrog roars against and stone falls off from the ceiling and down into the dark chasm beneath them.

The group pauses as they stare at a large gap in the stairs, Legolas and I are the first to jump, Legolas whips his head around. "Gandalf." Legolas gestures for him to jump, another roar echos out and Gandalf looks back and then jumps across the gap. I stared at the doorway we had come through, rocks were falling off the walls as the creature began nearing us.

A zipping sound awakened me from my thoughts about the creature pursuing us, several orcs are standing at a balcony on the other side of the chasm, firing arrows at the Fellowship. The hobbits jump, gasping as the arrows barely missed their feet. I quickly grabbed my now and looses an arrow at one of the orcs, a shriek echoed as a small dark blot feel into the fire below.

"Merry! Pippin!" Boromir wraps his arms around the hobbits and jumps across the gap with a below, just after he jumped a block of stair breaks off and tumbles into the darkness.