Chapter 3

Yay! Another chapter done and up! I hope you like it!

Bilbo couldn't help it, no matter how hard he tried. The pain was too much, the anger to great, it needed release. Closing his clouded eyes, the ghost let loose to loudest scream his soul could muster. The tunnels shook as dark shadows began slithering towards the three Dwarves at an alarming pace. The land seemed to twist as the scream distorted into a burst of unreadable memories.

Tears fell like rivers from Bilbo's eyes as he let all of his emotion out. His mouth began to stretch and rip, extending down his chest as his arms broke and twisted into long claws. Rocks began to fly around like bullets, all while Thorin, Fili and Kili where struggling with their shadowy bonds.

"Mr ghost. You have to stop now. Mr ghost!"

Bilbo snapped his eyes open and looked down at his friend. The boy looked on the verge of tears as he trembled and paled. Bilbo felt himself calm down, his jaw re-connecting and melding in with the rest of his face as his arms swirled back to normal. Heisen smiled slightly and Bilbo couldn't help but marvel at his Bravery and smiled back. The older Dwarves didn't keep their silence for long though. Kili was the first to recover and began to run over to Bilbo and the dwarfing in order to get a look at the ghosts face. He didn't get very far however, as Fili grabbed his brothers hair to halt him. Bilbo didn't wait to see what happened next though, he ran through the closest wall and glided to his safe but scary place.

Thorin felt a pain in his chest. It wasn't a fleeting feeling any more, merely uncomfortable. He opened his shirt, not caring about the audience his nephews made, and looked at the changing scar number. It had been at 13 not two minutes ago but now a proud 12 was in its place, still red and sore. He must have done something good then. It hadn't taken the king long to figure out that the higher numbers where bad for his health. It had taken him to have had two heart attacks in a few weeks when his number was 18 to figure that out though. He didn't, however, know how to change them to his irritation.

Fili tapped his fingers on his chin for a few seconds before he sighed.

"Lets go get Dwalin, Ori and Bombur, shall we?"

"Why?" Kili asked, Thorin already knew why and so turned and left, glad with his hairs quick thinking.

"The ghost is a threat that we need to nullify. Dwalin is captain of the guard, Ori will know how to kill a ghost and Bombur has the skill needed to do the act."

Kili simply nodded and followed after his uncle, his brother at his side.

Bilbo weaved his hands through his corpses clothes. It wasn't even that any more. Just a fragile, broken skeleton. His leg was shattered into fragments, his arms broken and cracked. His skull has a hole in it and his spine had snapped at its base but remained attached. The blade that had kept him upright had run out of flesh to grip and so let his body go, making him lie in a pathetic heap.

A small bulge in his pocket made the ghost frown. Tentatively reaching forward to open the now fragile fabric, Bilbo's lip quivered when he pulled out the small acorn, still beautiful and strong with luscious colour and life. The ghost – no hobbit- he didn't want to be a ghost any more, bit his lip and shook.

He wanted to go home. For the first time, in how ever long he had been in the mountain for, Bilbo felt trapped and claustrophobic. He longed, not for his books and arm chairs, but for the green hills and simply being with his own kind. He missed Primula- she was going to have a baby when he left, she was so happy. He missed Lobelias cheekiness, he missed the Gamgees who made him family, he missed … he missed the warmth of a true summer, the wind in his hair, He missed seeing butterflies and listening to pointless gossip.

Bilbo didn't have the energy to cry so he lay down, the acorn pressed to his chest and closed his eyes.

oOoGHOSToOo

Bifur held a triumphant smile as he walked next to Ori. As it turned out, the company's bonds where stronger than one would expect, at least between the Dwarves. As soon as Ori, Dwalin and Bombur where called to the royal 3, Dori, Nori, Balin, Bofur and Bifur all followed, regardless of what Thorin said. Of course that only left Oin and Gloin who followed on account of not wanting to be alone. Now all thirteen Dwarves where slowly walking down the haunted passageways, Ori and Bombur leading the way with their knowledge on the subject of Ghosts. According to them, there where only two true ways to destroy a ghost:

1: Was to please their souls, full fill their reason for staying behind. Or

2: Find, break up and burn their bodies before burying the remains is an exactly ten meter deep hole outside.

At that point in time, the dwarves agreed on the easiest and more violent option, but for that, they needed to find its body. The further they went, the creepier the road got. Not creepy as in spiders or funny sounds, but a simple aura of dread or fear that could almost be felt.

"We're here" Ori said, surprising several of his companions as before him lay a brick wall.

"There's nothin' there! Ya must have read th' runes wrong!" Gloin growled. Ori simply opened his hand and shook his head. The runes definitely said here.

"There's supposed to be a massive stairwell their. I'd remember, was a good shortcut to classes" Thorin said, his face thoughtful. He couldn't help but feel like he'd been here since Erebor had fallen but that couldn't have been the case. The king sighed and looked up.

"Lets break it down. The creature must have built it to keep us away." And so the dwarves began to beat the rock away.

oOoGHOSToOo

Bilbo felt a strange tingle in his gut, a sense of dread. He stood and looked up, willing his senses to find the creator of such a feeling. There! Bilbo Ran through the wall and down the adjoining tunnel. He ran and ran, closer and closer until her was right where it should have been. Looking down Bilbo saw a small black stone. The ghost recognised the rune immediately from his stalking of the Dwarvin priests that occasionally came to visit. Ghost Bate.

Bilbo snapped his head back in the direction of his body. His wall was breaking. Someone was trying to get to his body. Bilbo ran back as fast as he could. He was still so far away when his rocky shield broke away and opened his safe place.

Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter! Till next time! ;)