It Is Time
It sounded like there was a battle going on outside.
She didn't know whether to move, or stay where she was. What was going on outside? From the sound of it, it seemed too dangerous. But what of the others? Of her friends and Aragorn?
She opened the door cautiously and peeked out. There were people running in and out from the double doors leading out to the central area of the mall. So much commotion and panic. She could never get through this safely.
" Victoria!" It was Serena. Jadine's and Clarissa's voices followed, calling out her name. Ryan was there too. They pushed their way through the screaming crowd and pulled her back into the restroom.
" Okay, what the hell is going on outside?"
" It's like Middle-Earth is here," said Serena. " After the earthquake, and the generators, there was yelling downstairs, and when we looked, there were -"
" Orcs and Uruk-Hai!" finished Jadine. " They were down there, pulling women away, and then killing them. It's horrible!"
" Vicki, there was this guy that looked JUST LIKE ARAGORN outside!" added Ryan. " Did you see him? Did you? He is the BEST look alike, - not that I've ever seen one…"
" Damn it, that's because he IS Aragorn, Ryan!" said Jadine in exasperation. " We've only said it a thousand times!" She was yelling against the noise outside.
" Then where is he?" asked Victoria. " Where is Aragorn?"
" He's downstairs," replied Serena. " He told us to get you, and we have to wait until everything gets settled."
Orcs and Uruk-Hai, here, in the real world, killing and terrorizing like in the Tolkien books. That wasn't right! What was going ON?! Aragorn was here for a reason and the Army of Sauron was here for a reason too. What it was, none knew except for the two.
The sound of the fire alarm rang throughout the area. Red lights flashed and water fell like rain from the sprinklers. The sounds of the remaining people slowly died down, and there was nothing but water and the siren. They stood by the sinks, waiting for the outcome of what was to happen. By that time they were drenched.
Victoria was fed up with waiting. She may endanger her friends if she did go out though, but she couldn't contain the urge. She went to the door and swung it open, determined to find Aragorn and get to the bottom of this.
" Wait, damn it, Vick!," called Clarissa.
" Wait here." She went out in the empty corridor and out to the center of the mall. The place was completely deserted, except for some noise downstairs. When she looked, there were bodies of people, and Orcs and Uruk-Hai, tainting the water with red and black. She winced at the sight and almost threw up. Dead bodies littered the place. She ran across the floor to the frozen escalators at the end. She bolted down and followed the bodies and the noise of the foul creatures. In the stores, there were people still huddled behind something, terrified to even look at the sight on the floor. She pressed on and rushed to the Center Square. There, she saw Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and even Gandalf, finishing off the last of the Orcs and Uruk-Hai.
She stood there, unknowing of what to do. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and she looked at the destruction on the floor again. They were real! She looked up. " What is happening?"
Aragorn looked at her. " What are you doing down here?" he asked angrily. She slightly flinched. " I thought you were to stay upstairs."
" I couldn't."
" It still may not be safe here." Behind him, Legolas' arrow pierced the last Orc.
She looked down. So her choice of coming was stupid, but she felt she HAD to! Maybe not Had, but, she felt that she needed to see- to see if he would be all right.
" I-" she stuttered in a small voice. " I was just…" The words wanted to flow out, but they couldn't. She had not right saying them- she shouldn't say them.
" You were…" prompted Aragorn to finish her sentence. There was silence for a while, except for the swishing of water. The others were probably looking around.
Victoria forgot about them, and looked up. But, it was not them that moved because they were still standing where they were, glancing around to distract themselves. Instead, it was Aragorn. He stepped closer to her, and she set her eyes downcast again. Was she just a huge screw up? Why couldn't she just follow a simple instruction? What if she ran out, got caught by an Orc, and put the others in a compromising position? Her eyes closed as she realized what she could have done.
" I am not angry with you," he said suddenly. " I apologize. My last intention is to give you sorrow."
She sighed. " No, you should be mad at me. I could have caused a lot of damage." Her hands fell into her pockets and she stepped away. Regret was the worse feeling a person could have. " But everything is safe now?" Her eyes stayed on the floor.
" For the moment," came Gandalf's reply.
" I'll call the others. They can't stay in there forever." Searching for something to detract her, Victoria ran off in the direction that she came from to get her friends. What of the others that was supposed to be here? Well, thank God they didn't come. This place was a mess. Sirens of the Police, Fire trucks, and Medical cars could be heard. The Fellowship had to leave. The Orcs and Uruk- Hai would be all over the papers and televisions. The last thing the Media should get their hands on were the Fellowship.
Turning around, she ran back to them. They stood together, talking in low voices. The sirens grew louder. She took out her cell phone and dialed one of her friends' phone number.
" Hello, Northwest Airlines. How may we help your traveling needs?"
" Damn it, Jay."
" Oh, Vick? Shoot, sorry. Where are you?"
" Look, we have to leave. Go through the back okay? We can't let Aragorn and them get involved with the whole world. We'll meet you back there."
" Oh shit. But then where are we going to go?"
" They're coming from the front. We can sneak through the parking building, and then hide behind the buildings on the left."
" Okay, okay. Bye."
Victoria hung up and called to Aragorn. " We have to get out. Follow me." She headed to the right where the 4th section of the mall was. It was a new extension that they put last year since some smaller outlets closed in other places. The place was pretty blank still, but the signs of new coming stores were placed on several parts of the wall.
Behind her, she could hear the Fellowship run along behind her, probably wondering what that loud wailing sound was. As much as she wanted to explain, it would just make everything more complicated. Time was not on their side right now.
They turned tot he left, and went out the metal double doors. They appeared at the far left side of the building, and had to run to the back. A glance of a fire truck appeared at the corner of Victoria's eye as they raced to the back where her friends just burst through the doors there.
" Shit, Vick, what's going on?" called Ryan as they approached the girls
" C'mon, we gotta go!" Victoria nudged them along as they ran to the building of cars ahead.
" Hey, what's going on?" asked Jadine as they ran.
" I'll …explain later… I have …cramps already."
They crossed the back road and turned left, aware for any cars that would spot them. They turned into the alley of the next building and ran behind it. Trash laid there, and the place was dim despite the sunlight. The hard ground was slightly damp and Victoria almost slipped if Boromir had not caught her.
They stayed there, panting, completely ignoring the awful smell of the garbage cans.
" I can't really breathe here," complained Serena after a while. " I think it would be best if we moved."
" Yeah, ok." Victoria moved cautiously ahead along the wall behind two buildings. The sirens were had calmed somewhat. Maybe they could crawl up one of the fire escapes and enter a building where they could have some privacy. Walking on the crowded side walks looking like hell ( and probably smelling like it) would not be such a good idea. She glanced up at the fire escapes. This building was of that new spa, Mandara Spa. Not many people would be there, and they could sneak in and crawl into a room… hopefully.
" We can go in here," she suggested aloud.
" There are cameras, Vicki, and PEOPLE who would be suspicious," said Clarissa. " Right after the incident at the Mall, who wouldn't be?"
" Well, you know, if you have anything else, I would like to hear them, Claire," snapped Victoria sarcastically.
" Why don't we look for a place."
" This freakin' alley doesn't go on forever. There would be only more crowded places we would come across."
" Ok, stop fighting!" said Serena. " Let's just go in the spa, and talk about this."
Victoria stuck her tongue out at Clarissa as she headed to the ladder. She slipped and almost fell on the ground. Clarissa laughed.
" That was NOT funny."
She just laughed harder.
Victoria climbed up the latter. Her friends followed, and then the others. Gandalf brought up the rear. She gingerly held onto he rough railing. The rough metal scraping against her hands. She stepped on the platform and carefully opened the door before her. It was surprisingly unlocked. Maybe someone went out through here before.
They walked inside silently. The hall was silent, and the doors were closed on either side. Victoria read the headings on the doors quietly, looking for a room to go into. The section appeared to be about massages.
" Oh damn, well, we could…" She found one door slightly ajar and rushed to it. No one appeared to be inside. She opened the door wider and beckoned everyone to get in. After Gandalf, she closed the door and locked it.
" This is great," said Ryan sarcastically. " What now, Vick?"
The room was spacious with a large Jacuzzi surrounded by leaves and flowers. Steam erupted from the water and emitted a lovely scent. Everything was entirely covered in green. There were towels on jaded racks and pictures of bamboo and green willows on the walls. This must have been a relaxing room after everything was done.
" I really don't know, ok, Ryan?" replied Victoria and sat on the edge of the tub. She sighed. " Why did I bring you guys along? I mean, you're parents would be like, whoa shit, and I would be in deep shit, and well, we'd be grounded." She turned to Gandalf. " What is going on, Gandalf?"
The elderly wizard looked at her. He smiled sadly. " Too many things, I'm afraid. I do not know where to begin."
Victoria sighed and stood. She looked at her friends, who where looking at the floor, or at those in the Fellowship. " We don't have time, I think." She looked at her watch. It was 2: 30. They had about three hours left.
" We're going to have to make time," said Aragorn, stepping beside Gandalf. " This is very urgent. It has to be said now."
They all stood closer, almost in a circle, though some stepped out, contemplating on their own.
" Sauron has his Ring," began Gandalf. " And he will destroy Middle-Earth."
Jadine, Serena, and Ryan gasped.
" No way," said Ryan.
" He- what?" asked Jadine, incredulous.
" What brings you here, though?" asked Clarissa, turning to him as she was out of the circle.
" When Sauron forged the One, Annil the Scarlet, of the Wizard's Order, created a Ring as well," continued Gandalf, briefly glancing at Victoria, who's gaze was on the marbled floor. " With it, she gathered the righteous Blessings from all the races. First from the Dwarves in the Mountains, afterwards, she went to the Elven Kingdoms; from Mirkwood there was strength; Lothlorien: wisdom; and from Rivendell: vitality. Traveling South to the lands of Men, she accumulated their will, faith and hope that they may prevail. All of these, and her own good intentions, created a rival to the One, mirroring the same power, but for the righteousness of all: of Middle-Earth. Sauron was infuriated.
" However, he was the only one who knew the power of Her ring, and cursed it. As he used the One to devastate the lands, Annil announced the possibilities of her Ring, and she was immediately condemned by the Wizards' Order. That Ring was incredibly powerful, and if it fell into corruption, no one would be able to do anything about it. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If she were to fall, Middle Earth would have been gone. Especially from with two Rings of Evil will.
" With that thought in mind, the Order decided to destroy her Ring, and punish Annil with exile from Middle-Earth, and into this Realm: forever. She could not return. It was quite worse than death."
" But why is Annil needed now? Why is this happening?" asked Serena. " I mean, her Ring was destroyed."
Gandalf looked at her. " Both yes, and no. Her Ring was taken, and many attempts have been made to unmake it, however, they all failed. It is said that It was created in Orodruin."
" Orodruin?" repeated Victoria, looking up. " Isn't that Mount Doom?"
" It is," replied Aragorn.
" But how?" asked Jadine. " She just waltzed into Mordor and created the Ring?"
" Nay. Annil is-"
" I apologize," interrupted Legolas, rushing to them from the window. " An army of Orcs and Uruk-Hai are outdoors."
Screams and yells erupted from downstairs.
" They're already inside," added Boromir.
" Shit." Victoria looked at her terrified friends. " Look, I'm really sorry about all this. I shouldn't have suggested you come along. I am SO freakin' sorry."
" Yeah, Vick, you really did us in this time," said Ryan.
" Hey, hey, hey," Victoria called mildly.
" She's just joking anyway," said Clarissa. " But what are friends for, Hm?"
" Well, they don't kill each other."
" We're not dying."
Victoria smiled. " No, we're not." She looked at Gandalf. " I do not know this place form top to bottom, but I do know that each room as at least three doors."
Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir pushed things against the door in case the Orcs and Uruk-Hai came in to find them.
" We could go through the back, travel through the doors to get back to the alley. Or… we could risk going down the elevator to the ground floor." Those of Middle-Earth didn't know what an elevator was. The Enemy would be taken by surprise.
" Lead the way."
" Down the elevator?!"
" Whatever suits the situation."
" Whoa crap," she whispered. Gazes fell upon her, and she had to decide. SHE had to decide! " Um, we'll go as far as we can to the back, and we'll see. I mean, we could fall down the latter. I don't want that." She ran to the right door behind the Jacuzzi and turned the resistant knob. " Damn it!" She kicked it open and rushed in. The others followed closely behind her.
This appeared to be one of the massaging rooms as there were cushioned tables and creams and oils everywhere. They wound around them as they traveled to reach the door at the far end of the room. The main door was open and people could be seen rushing about. The screams and yells only got louder.
Victoria practically ran into the door as the knob wouldn't turn. " What IS this?" She stepped back and forced it open. This was another Massage room, and hopefully the one that was second to the last. It should be. These rooms were long and huge.
They dashed their way across and the terror became louder. Victoria's hand was on the knob, and before she turned it, she remembered something:
The STAIRS were in the back.
" Oh fuck." She turned to Legolas. " Legolas, were there many when you looked out?"
He nodded. " More than two dozen. Perhaps double at the most."
Cold fear sparked every one of her nerves. " You guys," she looked at her friends. " We're gonna have to split. " She looked around.
" What is it?" asked Aragorn.
She went to the door to look out. Opening it just a crack wide, she peeked out. The building must not have been crowded because there were but a few people running about. But the screams were endless.
She turned to her friends. " Which one of you knows this building the best?"
" My aunt took me here once," said Ryan. " My mom too. It was her birthday and we had the whole day here. That was just last week…"
" Well, do you know ways out? What about the balcony?"
" You want to play leap from building to building?!" asked Clarissa, incredulous.
" Hey, if Spider-Man can do it… No, but really. There is no other way, unless the Fellowship battles them." Victoria looked at each one of them, and wondered if they could do it. They were great. Hell, they were excellent. But the Orcs and Uruk-Hai outnumbered them twelve times over.
" Gandalf?"
" It is worth a try; if there are no other alternatives left."
She shook her head. " There are none."
" It is our favorite pass time, anyway," said Boromir as he withdrew his sword. It was obvious that he was trying to lighten the mood.
Aragorn withdrew his own, and Gimli and Legolas prepared their weapons. " If it is settled, I suggest that you and your friends take refuge in here and secure the doors. We will meet them outside."
They moved the tables to the locked doors at both ends of the room, securing them by piling spare tables on top of them and other items.
" No Orc or Uruk-Hai will move past us," added Gimli in assurance as he and the Fellowship moved to the main door.
" We will return to you when this is over. Do not search for us, understood?" Aragorn pointedly looked at Victoria, who lowered her gaze.
" Yes," the girls replied.
" Keep safe." The Fellowship moved out of the door. Boromir being the last to close it.
The girls locked it and began to push the tables against the door and then making a heap of articles upon them. When they were done, they stood at the back of the room, sitting by the counter there.
" You guys, I'm really scared," said Jadine as she huddled at the floor. " This is insane."
Serena sat beside Victoria. " This is like some creepy movie, you know?"
Her friend just nodded. For once, they could not find laughter or comedy in this situation. It was worse than some creepy movie, but this was actually real life. Where there were people actually lying dead everywhere; where everything IN and BEYOND the creepy movies happened. She had never seen a dead body, and she was certain her friends had never either.
" Hey, you okay?"
Running to a nearby sink, Victoria emptied out the contents from breakfast.
Clarissa patted her back.
" Hey, what's that brown stuff?"
" Shud up, Ryan," groaned Victoria. " It's called… French toast." She hurled again.
" Aww man!"
" Ryan!" shouted Jadine.
" Okay, sorry."
The clashing of metal on metal still went on, and after a while, they were soon heard upstairs. It sounded like the fight was just outside Screeches and yells echoed off the empty walls, and five minutes later, stopped. The girls looked up from where they were clustered and hoped that it was the Fellowship telling them it was safe.
A knock on the door. " It is done." Ah, Legolas.
The girls scrambled up to move the furniture and items from the door, and unlocked it. It opened and they were there, looking very much less than tidy. Blood and mild slashes decorated their bodies. Even Legolas had a few scratches on him.
Sirens could be heard yet again.
" Oh no," groaned Victoria. " I don't want to go through the alley, and I don't think I can run."
Gandalf looked at her expectantly. " Here, take a hold of my staff. Even in a young age, you seem to need it more that I do."
If it were one of Victoria's friends, she might have said a sarcastic comment. But she just smiled and took the oak from the Wizard's hand. However, when she did, her eyes were blinded by a bright light and her feet lifted from the ground. She was moving somewhere.
TBC…
A/N::::::::: Sorry, that only took FOREVER. I hope it was worth the wait.