The Two Worlds

††Chapter Five††

Chapter Five

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

They reached the Dead Marshes just before sundown that day. As they neared the dreaded place the ground slowly got soggy and the air smelled of rotting plants and other things the hobbits didn't want to know.

"Is there a possible way to go around it?" Cody asked Sméagol.

"No, no, no hobbitses must go through the wet lands. Wes can't go around it because it is too wide. It takes days to travel that way. Wes can't go over it or under it either." Sméagol said, the whole while he was making hand motions to go with what he was saying. "Come on hobbitses!" he called and pulled ahead.

"Sméagol wait." Frodo said to the creature, "We cannot travel though the marshes for it is already past sundown and the night will be black as jet."

"But wes must go through the wet lands now." Sméagol said and pointed to the lands behind him.

"We will go through them in the morning when it is light out and we can all see."

"Yes nice hobbitses." Sméagol pouted.

It took them almost an hour to find a place to sleep but soon they found one; by accident. Sam had been walking past a large rock when, at the base of it, part of the ground crumbled and he slid down into an underground cave. It was cold down there but sheltered them from the winds that had begun to blow.

No one said a word as they knawed on cold roots that they had found near the marshes. Despite the cold weather everyone slept by themselves and they lit no fire. The moon shone bright and clear through the mouth of the cave and its light pooled on the floor.

Suddenly, the light flickered and a presence, that everyone felt, washed over the hobbits. Fear filled their hearts as the light flickered several more times and then the night carried on.

"What was that that caused the moon to go out?" Sam whispered. No one answered him as a blood curdling shriek ripped the night air apart. The hobbits crouched down as it rattled their bones and chilled their hearts. When they reached the point of going insane from the noise it stopped and the night carried on.

The hobbits laid shaking with fear as the presence left the room and returned to the evil shadows it had been born from. The air seemed colder but still, no one moved or drew closer to one another. Now, instead of shaking in fear, they shook from cold.

As the night progressed their lips slowly turned blue and the rosyness of their cheeks was stripped away. The only noise that could be heard was that of chattering teeth. And yet somehow they managed to sleep through the condition that they were in.

Once did Cody wake in the night but did not regret doing so. Her lips were cracked and numb and she couldn't feel any of her limbs. She looked down at her fingers and they had turned almost chalky white from the cold. Slowly and painfully she curled them into a ball so the blood would flow through them. She moved the rest of her arm and then worked her way down to her feet until her whole body tingled from being woken up.

She looked over at Frodo and watched as he slept soundly. He seemed so calm in his sleep and every worry had left him and he seemed younger than he had when they left the Shire. His lips were the color of the blue waters from the Shire and shook slightly. She remembered the kiss they had shared on the shore of the Anduin and thought of the way they felt gently pressed against hers. A single tear rolled down her face as she recalled the day she told him she hated him.

Oh how she regretted saying that and wished she could take it back. But she couldn't, she had to protect him from herself and that was the only way to do it. He didn't understand how her burden harmed everyone she came into contact too, especially those she loved.

Just then, his breathing quickened, then slowed, then stopped altogether. She laid in shock as he laid motionless and was frozen to the spot out of fear. When her head cleared and she could see straight she crawled over to his motionless body. She shook him slightly as to try and wake him.

"Frodo." she croaked. Her voice had abandoned her and was off somewhere else. "Frodo." she shook him harder but received no response. She frantically crawled over to Sam and shook him hard to wake him.

"What did you go and do that for?" he grumbled and rubbed his eyes.

"Sam, Frodo's not breathing." she cried in her hoarse voice. Terror filled his eyes when he received the news of his friend. He stumbled over to him and began to call out his name. Cody watched in silence and tears streamed down her face.

'He couldn't be dead!' she thought to herself, 'He can't leave thinking I hate him.'

Sam looked over at her with tears running down his grimy face and shook his head. A sob escaped her lips and she curled up in a ball on the cave floor.

"Oh Frodo." she whimpered