The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug Edition (ON HOLD)

6. Less Wise And More Dangerous

Such as bats in the ceiling - quiet and still, the company hung upside-down in the dark of the forest, completely wrapped in the gigantic monsters’ thin, secure web. It was quiet, the air was still and heavy but the forest stood in the gloom - dark and deceptive, as if the Dwarves had never ventured there. As if the ground had remained untouched, and the scent remained sour and bitter. Behind the great, wide curtain of spider web however, hung the Dwarves like cocoons from strings of the thin material, and there was a cackling and a high pitched screech that followed. The spiders crawled in between the branches with ease and with such a lightness – nothing shook, there were no twigs snapping, no tree trunk shaking. The spiders hung the company up in the air by their feet – the blood swiftly running downwards – such as decorations or some fine matter, handling them with such care and concern as they grabbed a hold of them by their thick, powerful jaws. They spun them around in their arms of sticky flesh, covering them in more of the fine matter, creaking and cracking from within their throats. 

Bilbo was lying on his back on top a thick branch, benumbed by the spider's sting, inwrought in the stickiness of the net, one of the gigantic monsters slowly pulling him across the bark by his feet. It ceased its step to hover over Bilbo's tiny frame, its pinches gracing over the thin, yet strong layer of web that was covering him. His gaze that had earlier been dark and fuzzy, were suddenly starting to let in the light, and his eyes fluttered. He didn't recognize the difference between dream and reality – both being dark and full of horrors, so he blinked and blinked, expanded his eyes to the limit, until finally, he were able to certify the existence of the creature above him. It was mainly a silhouette, darker than the darkness in its surroundings, and Bilbo were finally able to contemplate the situation. His muscles were slowly beginning to flex within the web-layer, he felt the thick, animalistic pinches now gracing over his face and he started hyperventilating, desperately grabbing for his belt, and before he knew it he had buried his sword within the spider's stomach. It screamed and arched in horrifying cramps and agony, and in great desolation it tried to grab Bilbo by its pinches, its fangs stabbing for his flesh, but he pressed the blade in deeper and it stumbled across the branch in appalling spasms and fell with a great thud in the forest floor. 

Bilbo's heart rate was excessive, his mouth wide open, his hands fiercely grabbing and pulling off the web from his face, arms and legs, and they tore apart in loud ripping noises. His nose wrinkled in disgust, his hands shaking uncontrollably. By now, his eyes had gotten accustomed  to the dark, and he turned around, now facing the great curtains of web and spiders, his friends hanging from the branches - motionless and quiet. The beasts growled, climbing from one tree to the next. Bilbo whimpered, ducking behind the tree-trunk, squeezing his eyes shut, wishing away - far away from there. His mind travelled everywhere as he heard one of the beasts tap away behind the trunk, growling, hissing creaking. He wished away to Bagend - to his bed, to his books. He wished away to Rivendell – its breathtaking view and blue mist. But nothing helped, for he remained within the deep, dark forest Mirkwood, cold and frightened, out of breath and pumping with adrenaline. His fingers started tapping against his palm in a violent twitching manner, as they did in situations of stress and consternation like his current one in the gloom. His vision were made out of thousands of tiny black dots, and his mind was starting to get fuzzy. He had to sit down. And as he did, a thought crossed his mind, only for a split second, but long enough for the faintness to vanish. His eyes flew open, and he stopped, reaching his hand into his pocket and pulling out the one thing that gave him hope in dark times – the golden ring, sparkling even in the dark, reflecting something that did not exist. He studied it closely, before entering his finger through the gap between the metal. 

“Kill them!” 

“Kill them...!” 

Bilbo flinched, gasping in great horror. What was that?