Author's Note: Well…here we are, months later, and I still haven't finished this bad boy. *facepalms* To be completely and totally honest...I actually forgot this was even a thing since the story has been finished for a while and just needed editing. You know, if y'all would just REVIEW once and a while, this wouldn't happen. ;) My husband and I actually got COVID right after I posted the last chapter; he had all the traditional symptoms including loss of taste and smell whereas I had an extremely mild headache for half a day and then nothing else. Such a weird thing. Anyway, after that it was like a sprint to the finish line as he finished his bachelor's degree while we were packing everything we owned to once again relocate to a new home which was over a thousand miles away from where we were living in Florida. So here we are, still working to get settled in the wonderful land of Texas! I haven't had much of any free time since we came here because I've been doing a lot of overtime at work plus reconnecting with family and friends I haven't been able to hang out with since high school. Now that I have a spare moment, I'm doing my best to get these last few installments edited and posted so that I don't have to think about this anymore. And it's about time—it's finally gotten to the point that we don't have to wear masks in stores or restaurants anymore! Gotta wrap this up before the pandemic is officially over!

…

If the stairs had been miserable, the tunnel was even worse; no wonder Gollum had spoken of it so dramatically. Frodo began to wish he had lost his sense of smell and taste as many other carriers of the virus did—the stench was so awful that it was dizzying, nearly making him faint. If it were not for their masks, the hobbits likely would have struggled to go on at all, but luckily their PPE did help them stave off the horrid smell at least a little.

"I don't know how we're going to see much of anything in this black hole," Sam grumbled. "Do you think we can risk a bit of light, Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo felt too sick to make decisions, so he just nodded dumbly and allowed Sam to make the final call. His companion produced a phone and turned on the flashlight, illuminating some of the landscape before them. There was one main route but many smaller side passages, and the walls had been rubbed smooth as though by continuous use. Perhaps orcs used this mountain pass to quickly travel from Minas Morgul into the Black Land. But there were also long strands of what looked like spider's webs hanging from places in the ceiling or strung across the smaller tunnels. Stuck to these webs were dozens and dozens of disposable masks, giving the tunnel a cluttered and unsanitary aura.

Frodo still felt incredibly achy and weary, but now that he could see his surroundings clearly, he knew he wouldn't be able to rest peacefully until they had put the foul tunnel far behind them. Taking in a breath and then coughing about twelve times, he started to stumble onward, Sam quickly moving to his side to help him forward.

"Where has that dratted Gollum got to?" Sam inquired after an unspecified amount of time shuffling through the tunnel. Neither one of them knew the answer, nor were they willing to stop and seek out their guide at the moment.

On and on they plodded, and Frodo felt like the darkness around him, though supposedly being pushed back by Sam's light, was crowding in to swallow him whole. Specks of blackness danced in his vision, and he began to trip more often and cough more frequently. But he refused to ask for a rest, not wanting to allow the tunnel the chance to consume him. There were a few times he thought he heard something in the darkness behind him, but he never had the strength to turn around and see if there was anyone or anything following them.

Soon the exit of the tunnel shone ahead, and Frodo gave his last ounce of stamina to moving towards the opening. He actually found that he was able to do so under his own power—his desperation was carrying him towards the open air and freedom from that dreaded place. But just when he thought they were finally in the clear, he stumbled forward as something stung him violently on the back of the neck. At first it felt like an insect bite, but then Frodo thought it might have been a syringe. In any case, some sort of venom or toxin was now pumping furiously through his bloodstream, and it completely gobbled up all his mind and will. His knees gave out, and he wasn't even conscious long enough to feel himself hitting the ground.

When Frodo awoke, he realized that he must have been asleep for a long time, and in fact he wasn't even in the same place he had been when he collapsed at the end of the tunnel. Because of the virus, he didn't feel rested at all, and he almost closed his eyes and went back to sleep. But sudden great and terrible fear gripped his heart when he realized that two of his most important possessions were no longer on his person: the Ring and his mask.

If Sauron recovered the Ring, all of Middle-earth would be plunged under his dark and evil reign—millions would die, and the rest would be enslaved for the rest of time. That was bad for sure. But his mask…Frodo felt sick as he thought about trying to take even a step without it. His mask had been his closest companion, his foremost protector, and it was now his shield which kept him from getting others sick. What could have happened to it? How dare someone deprive him of his ability to wear it? He might as well be without clothes altogether.

Frodo's anger burned brightly in his veins, momentarily throwing off the fatigue and sluggishness of the virus. His shaking hands helped him slowly steady himself on the stone floor beneath him, and he pushed himself into a sitting position to begin looking around for his mask. He would crawl on his hands and knees throughout all of Mordor if he had to; abandoning his poor mask would be like abandoning a friend at this point.

As Frodo began to search, he noticed that he must be in a tower of some sort. He heard the harsh cries of orcs on some level below him, almost as though they were fighting over something. He decided to wait to search down there. Inside the room which currently housed him were dirty heaps of disposable masks, syringes covered in black mold, and many empty carboard tubes which had once been the centers of toilet paper rolls. Frodo was glad in some sense that he already had the virus; otherwise, he would probably have lost his mind in terror at his surroundings.

Frodo checked every inch of the room for his mask but came up with nothing. Cursing the wickedness of Sauron and his minions, he decided he did have to go among the orcs themselves to continue the search, and he approached a little ladder which must lead down to the levels below. But before he could begin to descend, suddenly a hobbit face appeared at the top of the ladder, and to Frodo's astonishment and relief, it was one with which he was quite familiar.

"Sam!" Frodo exclaimed joyfully. The recently arrived hobbit grinned (probably; he was still wearing a mask, so it was hard to be sure) and finished climbing into the room, plopping at Frodo's side and sighing with weariness.

"Mr. Frodo," he breathed. "Bless me, I'm so glad to see you're alright."

"What happened to me?" Frodo pressed. His gaze grew darker. "My mask. Do you know what's become of it?"

Sam seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, and he quickly moved his hand to a pouch on his belt and withdrew Frodo's beloved mask. Frodo was so anxious to have it back that he snatched it immediately and put it on his face. The feeling of having his breathing stifled and his face sweat was like a fresh spring of water in a dry land, and Frodo took several seconds just to drink in the feeling.

"The orcs were quarreling over it, seemingly," Sam informed him. "It appears they only have the disposable kind in Mordor." Sam paused as though thinking, and then he snapped his fingers. "Oh, and I've got the Ring as well!"

Frodo shrugged his shoulders and held out his hand as Sam gave the Ring back to him. It was an important thing to keep track of, he supposed. At least now that he had his mask back.

…

Expect another chapter shortly! And please do review if you have a spare moment!