TITLE: Sepulchral
AUTHOR: Sanguinary
COPYRIGHT: May 7, 2002
DISTRIBUTION: Want? Ask and receive. Otherwise the vampire plotbunnies will chew your ankles off. And they're vicious buggers.
RATING: PG 13
CATEGORY: Horror, Vampires, some slashy subtext
SPOILERS: Two Towers
DISCLAIMER: Sam, Frodo, Gollum and Mordor not mine. Though I think that I may be living in The Brown Lands.
FEEDBACK: Makes me squeal with joy: Sanguinary_515@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Sam believes that something else may be causing Frodo to grow weaker and weaker, something as dark and evil as the ring. Something to do with the bite marks at the base of Frodo's throat.

~

Sam first noticed the bite marks two days after they entered the marsh.

The marks on the base of Frodo's throat were tiny and barely noticeable. Most ordinary Men would have missed them. But Sam had the double blessing being both a Hobbit and possessing keen eyes.

There were two small round marks, both a light red colour, on the left side of Frodo's neck. He didn't even seem to notice that they were there and paid them no mind, except for the occasional rub, as if they itched. Sam didn't know what they meant or when they had appeared, but he had an idea of what was behind them.

Or rather who.

He fixed his eyes on the sleeping form of Gollum. The beastly thing was curled up on his side, motionless. Sam couldn't remember seeing Gollum breath once since they first met him. There was something unnatural about Gollum; the way he moved, the way he spoke and never breathed. And there was a constant question in the back of Sam's mind, a question that he believed he may have finally answered:

What did Gollum eat in the barren land of Mordor?

Sam knew what a Vampire was. The only stories more widely told in the Shire were those containing Elves and Dragons. Sam cursed his bad luck to find himself in the company of a Vampire, so far away from wood to make stakes. He could try to pull Gollum into the sunlight during the daytime but whenever he so much as stirred a muscle during the day, Gollum would open his watery eyes and watch Sam.

Frodo moaned softly in his sleep and pressed against Sam's stomach. Gollum opened one eye and glared at both of the small Hobbits. Sam stared back, suspicion rising in his chest and he draped one arm over Frodo's chest. The hairless creature laying a little ways away smiled at Sam, baring wickedly pointed teeth. Sam noticed two particularly pointy teeth, set in the front of Gollum's mouth. But before he could get a closer look, Gollum snapped his mouth shut and got to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Sam sat up but stayed close to Frodo.

"We needs to eat," Gollum hissed, "Can't eat nasty elf food. Must have something to eat." He looked hungrily at Sam and Frodo, "Must find something to eat." Gollum skulked towards the edge of the dirt island they had stopped to sleep on. The mists surrounding the island were thick as curtains.

"There's nothing living out here in this marsh beside us."

"We knows…" Gollum smiled thinly and disappeared into the mists. Sam cursed quietly for having let Gollum out of his sight. Sighing, he lied down beside Frodo and fell into an uneasy sleep.

He awoke some time later, aware that Frodo was no longer pressed against him. Sam blinked sleepily and looked around. There on the edge of the clearing was Gollum with Frodo in his arms. Gollum's head was buried in the crook of Frodo's neck and, had Frodo's body not been slack, Sam could have thought that Gollum was kissing Frodo. But even from across the clearing, Sam could hear the slurping noises as Gollum drank his fill.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, rushing to his feet. Hatred filled his very being: hatred at himself for not keeping better watch and hatred for Gollum who had waited until Sam was asleep before sneaking over to steal Frodo and suck life out of him. Gollum dropped Frodo to the ground at the sound of Sam's shout. The wretched creature's mouth was covered in a ring of red blood and he hissed at Sam's interruption.

Gollum dashed off into the mist and Sam quickly followed, only taking time to check that Frodo was still alive and to borrow Sting. "I promise to return soon, Mr. Frodo," Sam whispered, "But first I have to deal with this beast."

Gollum didn't travel far into the marsh before Sam caught up with him. Sting didn't fit quite right in Sam's hand and he swung it a few times, trying to get used to its weight. Sam wasn't certain about what he was doing, having only fought against a couple of Ringwraiths and a few Orcs before. But he knew that he'd figure out something. Gollum crouched just in front of Sam, daring him to make the first move.

Sam swung at Gollum with Sting, slicing the air. Gollum dodged backwards nimbly, hopping just out of reach.

"Fight you coward!" Sam swung again. This time he managed to smack Gollum upside the head with the flat edge of the sword. Gollum staggered backwards, screaming in pain. A bright red burn mark appeared on the top of Gollum's head, almost as if Sting had scalded him.

Gladden by this, Sam charged again, aiming for Gollum's head. But Gollum was expecting the attack this time. He darted to the side and circled behind Sam. Before Sam could turn around, Gollum leapt again, this time slamming his weight down on Sam's back, knocking him to the earth. Sam landed full force on his chest, knocking all of the air out of his body. Sting fell out of his hand and landed a few feet away. But all Sam could see was mud as Gollum pressed Sam deeper into the wet dirt.

Sam struggled to breath, getting only mouthfuls of dirt. Finally, he managed to get enough strength to flip himself over on his back. He coughed and sucked in air at the same time, almost choking himself in the process.

Before his eyes had a chance to clear, Sam felt a weight settle on his chest. Hot, rotten breath washed up against Sam's face.

"Though he could kill us? Nasty Hobbit! We'll teach the cruel Hobbit a lesson."

Sam opened his eyes and stared up at the contoured face of Gollum. His green eyes were a bright red and his two longer front teeth were bared in a mocking smile. Sam's arms were pinned to the ground by Gollum's surprisingly strong arms. Struggling, Sam flailed his body around and opened his mouth to shout for Frodo. But in a movement so fast that Sam could barely follow it, Gollum's head shot forward into Sam's throat and bit down. A burning sensation filled Sam with pain, and he felt his blood being pulled out of his body and into Gollum's mouth.

Desperately, Sam tried to move his arms and legs but they were immobile, held to the ground by Gollum's body. Panicking, Sam did the only thing that he could.

He bit Gollum's exposed shoulder.

Blood gushed out of Gollum's body, flooding Sam's mouth. He couldn't get any air into his lungs and he began to gag from the amount of fluid entering his mouth. Sam swallowed involuntary, again and again until his mouth was clear enough for him to suck in a breath of air. As his burning lungs filled with blessed air, Gollum scrabbled off of Sam, hissing in pain.

Sam became aware that something was wrong with his body. His breaths were shallow and quick, his heart racing quicker than it should but even so, he felt empty and cold. Sam stared dumbly at Gollum, his brain shutting down bit by bit.

"What…?" He managed to spit out. A look of fear came over Gollum.

"Can't let Master finds you. We can't get in troubles." Two hands gripped Sam's ankles and dragged him off. Sam watched the marsh slide by though fuzzy eyes. His sight was beginning to fade off. He felt his hands flutter uncertainly, clenching and unclenching.

Sam passed out for a short while and when he opened his eyes again, he was lying in a shallow pit. It was almost impossible to breath and every new breath was harder to take than the last. Above him, Gollum stared at Sam with glowing red eyes.

"Frodo…" Sam whispered. Gollum shoved a clod of dirt into the shallow pit. Though he was still conscious, Sam didn't understand what was happening. He tried to raise his hand but there seemed to be no strength left in his body. Just trying to look around was draining him of the little strength he had left.

A clod of dirt landed on top of Sam's head, causing him to close his eyes. Blackness overtook Sam and he floated into unconsciousness.

The first thing that Sam became aware of when he awoke was that he was surrounded by an utter lack of light. He had been in darkness before, but never so totally into it that he could not distinguish anything at all. It pressed down on him and it took Sam a moment to realize that it really was pressing down. His brain, slow and lethargic from his sleep, finally realized what had happened to him and what was causing the darkness.

He had been buried alive.

This jump-started his brain and Sam began to breath faster. But though there was no air in the grave he had been placed in, he was able to keep conscious without breathing. Slowly he calmed down and began feeling around his grave.

The dirt surrounding him was mostly loose and easy to shove away from his body. He began to dig a hole upwards, towards what he hoped was air and escape. Dirt gently covered his face, clogging his nose and mouth. But Sam had begun to remember what had happened to him and why he was buried beneath the ground.

One hand broke though the ceiling of the shallow grave, followed by another and then by a head. Sam shook the dirt off of his head and looked around. It was night and the moon was half-hidden by the mist above the marsh. But Sam could see perfectly, almost as if it were the middle of the day. He pulled himself out of his grave and brushed the dirt off of his body. He took in a breath of fresh air, felt it fill his lungs and exit just as quickly. He knew he was dead. Sam had always been able to feel his own heart beat by just closing his eyes and keeping still for a few moments. But now he couldn't fell the familiar throb inside of his chest.

"Gollum…" Sam hissed between clenched teeth, "If I find one hair on Frodo's head touched, you'll be soon finding out how nasty Samwise Gamgee can get."

He sniffed the air and, for the first time, became aware of the changes that had happened to him while he slept lifeless beneath the ground. His sense of sight, smell and hearing had increased ten-fold. Touch was unbelievably different and just dragging his hands over the ground could have kept him occupied for hours. But the thought of Frodo alone with Gollum weighed upon Sam's mind.

Sam looked around, uncertain of where he was. But there was a scent, like rotten fish and ancient skin, which floated on the air. He sniffed it, feeling it flood his brain. Sam smiled unpleasantly. Gollum had left a trail for him, one that Sam could follow without the use of his eyes.

"Don't worry Mr. Frodo," Sam began to follow the scent though the mists, "Your Sam will find you soon enough."

He soon stumbled across Sting, half buried in mud. Sam was revolted that Gollum had just left the beautiful sword in the dirt and he reached to pick it up. But no sooner had his hands touched the hilt, did they blister and turn red. Sam pulled his hands back hastily and looked at the damage the sword had done. He looked sadly at the half-buried sword and forced himself to carry on, leaving behind Frodo's most valued possession besides the Ring.

Gollum's scent lead Sam across island after island, twisting back and forth though the marsh. In the distance there were faint noises, like the beating of a drum. They were comforting and whenever the scent grew too faint to find, Sam would turn towards the noise and clear his mind so he could better concentrate on following it. Presently, he came across one familiar looking island. He sniffed deeply and felt his nose fill with a new scent, one that was familiar though he could not remember having smelt it before.

It was sweet smelling compared to the rotting of the marsh around Sam. There was a hint of fading sunlight mixed with ink and some spice, rather like cinnamon. The tangy scent of copper lay underneath the other scents. Sam breathed it in, trying to figure out what it reminded him of.

"Frodo." He whispered, smiling. He knew what to follow now. Sam began following the scent, a new determination in his heart.

Sam wandered for what seemed forever though the marsh, never seeming to get closer to the gentle thumping noise in the distance. Finally, half out of despair, half out of anger, Sam began to run along the path in the march, following only the insistent heart beat in the distance. His feet never once stumbled as he ran.

The thumping grew closer and then suddenly, grew frantic and desperate. Sam heard Gollum hiss and Frodo cry out in pain.

"Frodo!" Sam shouted and burst out of the mist and onto the island where Gollum and Frodo were, just in time to see Frodo as he ran away from Gollum, towards Sam's voice. Gollum attacked Frodo from behind, shoving him.

Sam watched Frodo stumble and fall to the ground, Gollum crouching over his fallen form. Fury filled Sam and with an inhobbit scream, he charged Gollum. The slimy creature stared in shock at Sam, frozen above Frodo. Sam slammed into Gollum, knocking them both to the ground.

"Dead!" Shrieked Gollum, "We killed you!"

"Did you think that death would keep me away?" Sam hissed as he smashed Gollum's head into the ground, "Nothing could make me abandon Frodo."

They tussled on the ground for a while, Sam choking Gollum and Gollum scratching Sam's face. Something inside of Sam changed and he felt his face change, becoming twisted and feral. He snarled and slammed his head against Gollum's head.

Bright red eyes glared back at him. "Nasty filthy sneak!" Gollum screamed, flipping Sam onto his back, "It wants our precious! It wants to take our food aways! It…" Gollum suddenly stopped in mid sentence. Sam looked up and saw the point of a piece of driftwood sticking though Gollum's heart. Gollum stayed frozen for a moment and then dissolved into dust, revealing Frodo standing behind him.

"Sam?" Frodo's voice was weak and shaky.

"Frodo!" Sam clambered to his feet and embraced Frodo, "Are you alright?"

"I thought you were dead."

"So did I," Sam buried his head against Frodo's neck. He could feel that blood pounding just below the surface, tempting Sam to bite and drain Frodo. But Sam loved his master too muck to do such a thing.

"I'm glad you're back." Frodo hugged Sam tighter.

"As am I, Frodo." Sam took one more deep breath and stood back. "We should be going now, before we loose anymore time."

"But with Gollum dead, how are we going to find the passage into Mordor."

Sam smelt the air. Gollum's scent was still there, faint but definite. It seemed to lead out of the marsh and, hopefully, straight into the Dark Lord's domain. Once they were past Barad Dur, they'd have no trouble locating Mount Doom. And after that, it would just be a matter of destroying the ring.

"Don't worry. I think I have a way."

"Sam, what happened to your eyes? And your teeth?"

Sam smiled, his new front teeth glinting in the pale light, "It doesn't matter. I'm still your Sam. No matter what, I'll still be yours."

Frodo clung tighter to Sam and cried. Sam rocked him back and forth gently, almost hypnotized by the rhythmic beating of Frodo's heart and the sweet scent of copper just below his skin. The marsh was totally quiet, except for the muffled sound of sobbing.

~End~