It took him days together to reach his next destination. Cirith Ungol now stood before him. The only path that would give him the highest chances of remaining hidden from the others. The winding stairs were dark, not a ray of light passing through. He could see nothing of what lay ahead of him, but he had to go in. He had been warned of an unknown danger that lay there, and yet, he had to walk in to the place from which none had returned alive, so that the hope of men may yet live. There was no true heir yet, to the throne of Gondor, but Middle-Earth had to be saved. He walked up the stairs, carrying with him a little dagger that Éomer had given to him, to protect himself. It wasn't much, but it was all that could be given to him right then. He fingered his blade. He was ready to draw it out any minute, only he wasn't skilled with them. Suddenly, he heard a small sound. He turned around, only to find nobody there. It must have been his imagination. Maybe he couldn't bear the burden anymore. Then, he heard it again. This time, he was sure something had been there. He walked around a bit, trying to find out what was following him. He was sure it wasn't a lot of people, for the footsteps were barely audible. Whatever it was, he had no idea what it wanted to do with him. Unfortunately, he found an answer before he was prepared for it. A creature was at his neck, trying to choke him.
Without further thought, Sam unsheathed the sword, and tried to get the creature off his back. He then held the sword at his throat. "What do you want with me?" he asked, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. He tried to hide the fear that was creeping into him. Fear of killing, and another fear he was all too familiar with. The fear of death. "Hobbitses..." the creature hissed viciously. "Stole my precious..." Gollum! he realized with a start. He had learnt enough from Bilbo to know not to let Gollum live if ever they found him again, for if they felt any pity, then Gollum would see that their lives come to an end, out of vengeance from the past. He knew he shouldn't let Gollum live any more, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, what was he? A gardener! With great effort, he bound Gollum to a tree nearby, using a rope he had found lying there. He fastened the rope as tightly as he could, threatening to kill Gollum, if he ever attempted to free himself, hoping that for fear for his life, Gollum wouldn't try to hatch any plot for a while.
Once again, without any warning, Sam left for the stairs, fastening, and inspecting Gollum's bonds one last time before he left. With a sense of dread upon him, Sam entered the dark pathway. He could see nothing at all. He knew it was too dangerous, but he tried his best to walk ahead. Then, hardly a few moments into the pathway, he tripped. He knew not what it was, and so he thought it to be a branch. A little more distance travelled, and he tripped once again. "Something must have been off with me, that's all", he thought to himself, continuing where the path led him. Try as he may, his fear was getting the better of him, and he knew it. His heart was pounding. Something was going to go terribly amiss. Then, it happened. This time, he tripped over something much more higher above the ground, and when he tried to grab onto anything to his side that would break his fall, the realization hit him. The sticky substance that he had held on to. The thick substance that he had tripped on time and again. He knew what they were. Gollum had let it slip that the path was being watched by a fiery guardian with whom no one dared cross paths. He knew who the guardian was. Rather, he knew what it was. The spider webs all around him, along with bones and corpses of past victims told him as such. He was tresspassing the lair of an unforgiving arachnid. He was trapped.