Moments before, Pippin had passed Merry two floors above on his skateboard. After Merry had dashed downstairs, Pippin continued to glide down the smooth hallways, around the debris littered around the floor and keeping a whole pack of Neos on his trail.

He made a quick turn into a room to his right and slammed the door behind him. The ceiling above started to crack and pieces began to fall down. He ran back fast enough to avoid the crumbling ceiling. Stumbling over the pieces of ceiling and wall that had fallen to the floor, he managed to find the light switch and filled the room with fluorescent light.

The room was previously the main science lab, which had a row of computers lining the walls. Now half the light fixtures were barely hanging from the ceiling but some of the computers were on and displayed odd-looking charts. Upon closer inspection, Pippin realized what the charts were showing with fear coursing through his veins.

"Blood pressure... pulse ox... vital stats...? Are they growing...?" He looked fearfully at the large container next to the computer that reached the ceiling and was definitely not in the school before.

Looking around the room, he realized that there were three of the giant containers around the lab. As he inched closer to a container, he could see that a thin sac lined with throbbing veins covered the container from the ceiling to the floor. Thick, pulsing veins and arteries connected all three containers and crept along the floor and ceiling. An eerie, mutilated light emanated from within the pods. Pippin could just make out a monstrous form within.

Purely out of curiosity, he went up to the nearest one and touched the sac ever so gently and slowly. Even though his fingers touched warmth, he could feel a fierce wave of barely contained power; a power so raw and distorted that it sent shivers through his body.

The next few events happened so fast that Pippin barely knew what had happened.

The pod writhed violently for a split second, rippling the sac under Pippin's fingertips. The whole pod suddenly exploded, sending shards of glass and bits of biological substances around the room. A wave of plasma burst from the body, leaving only the monster that dwelled within.

A hideous beast, seven feet tall and nothing but muscle stared down at him. It looked like it had been an Uruk-Hai sometime in the past but it had only a very small hint of its past. Its shoulders and chest were genetically engineered to be larger than they should be, giving it an imposing stature. Its lower half was also engineered to be stronger than it was in the past but not as extreme as the top half. Its index and middle fingers had melded together and, like its other fingers, turned into a large, menacing claw. Its head had grown wilder and uglier. The teeth, which had already been sharp enough, were longer, sharper and much more demonic.

Pippin had barely a split second to see it standing still before it jumped out of the container, ready to kill him. He tried to get out of the lab but, with a thunderous step from the Hunter, the doorway was blocked by fallen debris.

"Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit," he moaned, panicking. He whirled around in time to see the other two containers explode and release the monster they had inside. "Ohh, shit."

The floor shook violently with every step from the three Hunters. They advanced upon Pippin slowly because of their size. He could see that, although they moved slowly, they were still very powerful.

One of the Hunters brought down a mighty foot and the floor suddenly crackled and deep cracks appeared all around it. Everybody looked at the cracks on the floor with apprehension. The crackling stopped. The Hunter nearest Pippin raised his foot to once again advance on him.

With a split-second reaction, Pippin scrambled to the top of the giant pile of debris just as the Hunter heavily stepped forward and caused the floor to give way to the floor below.

"AAAAHHH!" screamed Pippin as his pile of rubble fell through the floor. He landed heavily on the lower floor on top of most of the fallen, broken floor. Coughing and covered with dust, he looked above him and saw a huge, gaping hole in the ceiling of the gym.

Before he could react, a piece of the destroyed ceiling fell and buried him in the rubble.

The remaining unblocked entrance to the gym flew open and Merry entered the gym out of breath.

"Pippin? Pippin!"

He barely took two steps forward when another piece of the ceiling fell right behind him, blocking his way out.

"Pippin? Where are you, buddy?" His voice echoed around the gym. "Come on, Pippin, don't do this to me! Where are you, Pip?"

A pile of trash near the top shifted slightly. Something was trying to get out from under the debris. Merry's instincts kicked in and he cautiously gripped his scythe.

"Merry... Help..." Pippin's thin arm protruded from the pile and waved at him.

"Pippin!" he cried. He scrambled up the pile as fast as he could and helped Pippin out of the mound. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better," he replied, coughing. He was covered with bruises and lots of cuts and scrapes along with a thick layer of dust. A particularly large gash seared his left shoulder. He could feel warm blood trickling down his arm.

"Come on," said Merry, offering an arm to support him. "Let's get out of here." He started to go down, expecting Pippin to follow, but he never came. Instead, he looked very interested in a giant crest that had the school's logo on it.

"Merry," he said slowly, "do you see what I'm seeing?" His eyes never left the crest.

Looking closely at the school crest, he realized what one of the symbols was. "A horn."

"Exactly," said Pippin, grinning. He started to climb down the pile with his skateboard in hand. "All we have to do now is get it down and see if it's the sacred Horn of Gondor. That thing's definitely big enough to be it."

"Definitely." He helped Pippin down the pile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rubble shift towards the right. "Uh, Pip?"

"Yeah?"

"What made the ceiling fall?"

Pippin stopped walking. He looked at Merry, then to where he was looking with wide eyes.

One of the Hunters survived the fall and had risen out of the wreckage. It eyed the two hobbits with untamed power and let out a bone-chilling roar.

"That's what made the ceiling fall, Merry!"

The Hunter leaped into the air, claws aimed directly at them. Screaming, the Hobbits managed to avoid its claws when they came down with an almighty crash. The noise was heard throughout the school.

Outside the gym, Aragorn and Gimli were trying to gain access to the gym with no success. Gandalf, Legolas and Frodo were fighting for their lives on the stairwell leading to them.

"What the hell was that?" Frodo yelled down the hall to Aragorn and Gimli. "What's in the gym?"

"Merry and Pippin!" Aragorn yelled back.

With one final surge of Light magic, the remaining Neos dropped dead. Frodo ran to help Aragorn and Gimli free his fellow Hobbits while Gandalf and Legolas made sure nothing would take them by surprise.

Inside the gym, Merry had his scythe gripped tightly in his hands again and it was stained with the Hunter's blood. Pippin was reaching for the pistol in his holster when the Hunter stomped on the ground, making the floor shake violently.

The quake made bits of ceiling fall again but this time, the crest on the wall shook as well, making deep crevices in the walls before falling on the Hunter and shattering into thousands of pieces. But, the horn bounced out and rolled across the floor with a clatter.

"Is it...?" Merry asked breathlessly.

"It is," Pippin replied. He bent down and gently picked it up. "The Horn of Gondor."

All of a sudden, the pile of wreckage started to shift around. Low, angry growls were heard in the depths of the debris. Looking at the Horn, they saw that it was glowing with a faint, white light. Even they, especially Pippin, could feel the Light power the Horn radiated. Obviously, it was attracting all beings of magic towards them, both Dark and Light.

"Merry?"

"Y-yeah, Pip?"

"We have to get out of here, Merry!" His eyes darted to all the entrances, desperately hoping that one of them had opened.

"I know that we have to get out of here, Pippin!" He, too, was looking for an escape route. He looking wildly around and noticed the gym stage. "And I think I know how. Come on, Pip!"

Together, they ran towards the stage. Pippin kept the Horn close to him as he tried to jump onto the gym stage. He glanced back with fear as the ground shook beneath him. He tossed the Horn to Merry, who just caught it. With difficulty, he partially got onto the stage but not quickly enough. A Hunter had gotten within inches of him.

"AAH!" Relying on his instincts and reflexes, Pippin whipped out the gun in his holster and aimed it at the Hunter that was about to kill him. The nozzle just touched the Hunter's muscular chest as he pulled the trigger.

It seemed as if the Hunter had exploded from the inside with a golden light. It fell back twitching and with a huge, gaping hole in its chest that could never have been made with an ordinary firearm. Its blood splattered all over him, especially his upper body.

He took aim, shot at the remaining Hunter and used up several rounds. The bullets flew out of the gun and glowed a brilliant golden light. They left a narrow trail of intense light that was visible for barely an instant. They impacted the Hunter in a vivid show of light and sparkling blood.

"Let's go, Pippin!"

He quickly stowed his gun away and scrambled onto the stage. Together, with Merry, they made their way backstage and exited the gym. Merry handed the Horn back to Pippin and held his scythe with both hands.

"Get ready, Pip," he told him in a low voice. "They're coming."

"Who's coming? The Light or Darkness?"

"Both. Let's just hope that our side comes first."

--- ---

About ten minutes earlier, outside the gym...

"It's so quiet in there," said Frodo. He continued to help Aragorn and Gimli try to dismantle the door to the gym. "What do you think has happened in there?"

"I don't know, Frodo," grunted Aragorn. "Just think happy thoughts and hope that they're all right."

They floor kept vibrating under their feet, sending chills and surges of despair through their bodies but they kept their ground. They were no closer to opening the door when an ear-splitting crash echoed through the school from the gym.

"Merry! Pippin!" Frodo banged his fists against the door in a futile attempt to get inside. "Guys! Can you hear me? Guys!"

"Frodo, calm down," said Legolas. He patted his shoulder to try to comfort him. "The little hobbits are not dead. I can hear them inside the gym. I also heard... something. Something that rolled across the floor with a clatter. I... I don't know what it is." His blue eyes were constantly scanning the halls but they showed a faint glimmer of confusion.

"Do you have any idea what it might be?" Gandalf asked hopefully.

"No," said Legolas after a small pause. I don't want to get our hopes up, he thought.

At that moment, they all felt a huge surge of power that emanated from within the gym. They were immediately filled with a renewed sense of hope.

"They found the Horn," said Aragorn, barely daring to believe it. "Unbelievable. They actually found the Horn."

"Make haste, Aragorn!" Gandalf called out to him. "They need a way out and a large band of Dark creatures will be coming soon."

"With all due respect, Gandalf, they're here now!" Legolas let his arrow fly from his bow. It whistled through the air and caught two Neos at the same time with a dull thud. "We need to get out of here!"

"Not without the Hobbits!" Gimli swung his axe and a Neo fell to the ground in two pieces. Frodo and Aragorn had abandoned their attempt to open the door and joined the battle. Sting glowed brightly in the dim lighting of the ravaged school but it was nothing compared to the magic Gandalf was using.

In a small pause in battle, Legolas tried to hear what was going on in the gym but two distinct gunshots were heard by the whole Fellowship.

"Are they...?"

"No. I can hear their weapons shifting around," said Legolas. He aimed his bow and launched an arrow that passed within an inch of Frodo's ear before killing the Neo behind him.

"We have to get to the Hobbits!" Anduril flashed in the dim light. Aragorn glanced around and saw a slight lull in the attacks. "We have to do it now!"

"Then follow me!" Legolas broke into a run down the hall, withdrew his knives and slid his bow to his back. Frodo followed him closely with Gimli behind him. Aragorn and Gandalf brought up the rear, taking out any Dark creatures that got too close to them. A large flock of Neos with their Orcish handlers snapped at their heels.

Legolas gracefully rounded the corner and immediately saw Merry and Pippin ahead of him. Pippin looked like he walked through a thresher and had the Horn of Gondor tightly in his hands. Just by looking at the Horn, he could feel the otherworldly power radiating from it. A sense of relief and hope appeared deep within him under the barely controlled panic and fear.

"Merry! Pippin!" cried out Frodo as he came around the corner. "You're all right!"

"Chat later, run now!" yelled Legolas. Quickly taking Merry and Pippin's wrists, he led them straight towards the back door. Through the window, he could just see the outline of the treetops of the forest against the starts in the night sky.

Legolas, the three Hobbits and Gimli almost flew out of the school and began to run. Merry had a sudden idea and pulled Legolas towards the forest.

"Let's hide in the woods," said Merry breathlessly.

"Are you crazy, Merry?" Pippin had a horrified look on his face. A single look on Legolas' face told him that he shared his anxiety about the forest. The Hobbits' encounter with the girl's mutilated body was still in both of their minds.

"The woods have more places to hide," retorted Merry.

Almost reluctantly, they followed Merry into the forest. Aragorn told Gandalf to go ahead of him as he exited the school.

"Go," he said tersely. "I'll catch up." He fumbled with something in his side pack.

"Aragorn, you must come with us."

"Gandalf, please, go!"

The wizard saw an intense determination in the young Man's eyes that he had never seen in millennia. Gravely, he nodded and proceeded to run to follow the others.

Aragorn finally managed to get what he wanted out of his pack and turned to face the school. Dozens of Neos were crowded at the doors and he knew that there wasn't a lot of time for him to react. The doors were already creaking under the pressure of the Neos.

"Now or never," he told himself. With a flick of his thumb, he took off the pin of a small, hand-held bomb in his hand. Knowing he had mere seconds, he flung the bomb into a high arc and ran as fast as he could away from the school.

The explosive barely touched the doorframe of the school when the doors flew open, pouring Neos out of the building. The bomb immediately detonated on impact in a fiery ball of blaze, incinerating everything in its blast radius. The smell of burnt flesh filled Aragorn's nostrils until he came into the track field.

It was then that he turned for one last look at the school when he realized how school could be so trivial in the game of life. Instead of being a place he went to for knowledge and wisdom, he now thought that this thing he called school was just a building that now had a corner of its foundation destroyed. He found this feeling quite liberating.

A whistle from the woods brought him out of his thoughts. Distant growls and screeches clarified his mind. Closer movements on the grounds sent adrenaline through his body. Immediately, he found his feet and dashed into the dark forest.

The ever-present moonlight was the only source of light in the forest and was their only guide around the trees. More than once, they thought they heard whispers that came from no one. Merry and Pippin recognized at once what it meant.

"Merry?" Pippin asked breathlessly. He wore a faint grin on his face.

"Yes, Pippin?" He, too, was smiling.

"The trees are talking to each other, Merry."

"I know, Pip. That's the point."