Misted Shadows

The Loss Of A Friend (8)

Gandalf called out to run. I let go of Aragorn's hand and we all took off running out of the room. As our footsteps echoed in the great hall we were in, all I could hear was my own heartbeat. I was terrified that we would not make it out alive. Everywhere I looked there were orcs. They crept out of the cracks in the ceiling and floor. They were crawling down the pillars next to us and running towards us from all directions.

I looked to my sides and saw the thousands of orcs closing in on us. I could practically feel their hot breath on my neck. The sharp scent of them hit my nose and it instantly rejected the smell. I held in my sneeze and continued to follow in the single person line we were in. I looked forward and saw Gandalf signal to stop. The orcs had formed a very large circle around us. There was nowhere to go.

I scooted into the small circle we made with the Hobbits in the center. I readied my weapons and looked to both sides. Aragorn was on my left and Boromir on my right. Both were being defensive, not only of the Hobbits, but of me as well.

I said aloud, "We will win this as long as we have each other."

I saw Boromir nod his head and Aragorn scoot closer to me. Besides the overwhelming smell of rotting flesh, I could still smell him. The same musk that made me go crazy for him. I took in a deep breath and it fueled me to fight for him and everyone in this giant room.

The sound of yelps and cries echoed so loudly in the empty space around and above us it made my ears ring and my heard hurt. I was tempted to put my hands to my ears to block out the noise, but then it all stopped.

Every orc stood in their place. They all looked behind us at the end of the great hall. Everyone did the same as them and turned towards the direction they were looking. There was a glowing light at the end that was slowly getting brighter and brighter. The loud booms made it clear that it was a force to be reckoned with. The balrog has been awakened.

I saw Gandalf tense up and say the demon's name under his breath. Gimli looked up at him in confusion, but then looked back at the growing light. I started to shake, not from the rumbling ground beneath me but because of how powerful this beast was.

He was one of many of the great servants of Melkor, or as he would be called later Morgoth, Lord of Darkness. He was evil and cruel and made dark servants like balrogs. They were known as 'demons of might' and were the most feared servants of Morgoth.

They were his champions until his defeat in the War of Wrath. They were all killed, but only a few fled the battle and hid deep under the mountains. Thousands of years went by and they were known as myths. That is until the dwarves here in Moria dug too deep and unearthed one.

He awoke and destroyed both kings and joined forces with orcs and trolls to drive all the dwarves out of the mountain. It was obvious that that treaty still held to today. Here we were surrounded by his allies and he was about to come charging out at his from the end of the hall.

The balrog appeared around the corner and the whole room shook.

Gandalf yelled, "Run you fools! RUN!"

We all took off running in the opposite direction. The heat was licking at my heels and I could feel the sweat drip off my face. Thankfully the Hobbits were ahead of me, so I wouldn't trip on them. We turned corner after corner and many times did I feel like I was going to slip and fall. The ground was hot and slippery with the steam rising from it. All the walls echoed and shook with each loud boom the demon made.

I felt a few rocks hit me in the face and as I looked up, I saw a large crack form in the ceiling. I suppose the whole hall we were running in was going to collapse before we even got out, but thankfully it didn't.