Tortured Hearts, Tortured Minds

Amelia was broken all over the place, tortured to the core. She never knew that Shirina would dig into her fears and annoyances so hard and fast as to beat her physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everything Amelia seemed to have worked so hard to build had been for naught.

All she could see was reality! And reality was gloomy inside and out. Every hour, every minute, every second revealed Frodo's death over and over again, like a broken record. She didn't know if Frodo was alive, but then Shirina threw in a curve ball on her over Frodo's death. Over time, Amelia saw Frodo only as a monster, an abomination that had to be defeated.

What was love anymore, if the one she loved was going to be tortured and dead? She didn't know if Frodo would live to see another day, but she would make sure it stayed that way. There was no love for her, no companion to nurse her when she was ill, or for her to do the same for him in return.

She felt awful! She wanted him dead.

.

Frodo returned to the dorms, finding Merry, Pippin, and Sam at work with the holy water balloons. He smiled, greeting his friends as they readied their sacks with the water balloons. He wasn't finished, for he passed to his friends' sharpened sticks, as many as he could find. "That way, we can take down Shirina's minions and Shirina herself."

"Let's do this!" Sam said, taking a handful of sticks and putting them into his pocket. He looked at Merry, Pippin, and Frodo as they did the same thing, as well as ready their crossbows. Frodo also passed to them wooden spears with sharpened tips.

"Very useful, cousin," Merry said, pleased.

"You ready?" Frodo asked his friends, also carrying a wooden spear.

"I'm ready," Pippin said, as he passed to each hobbit a pack filled with fresh food and water bottles, filled to the brim with fresh, clean water.

"Now, where is Shirina's lair?" Sam asked, following his best friends out the door and back to the exterior of the ruined campus.

"Um…" Frodo checked around. At last, he found the tunnel leading into the dark realm. "It's there! Let's go!"

"Do you think she's home?" Pippin asked, following his friends down the secret tunnel.

"Of course!" Merry said, gathering his wits. "Shirina would, at this point, flee to her home." He asked Frodo, curious, "Can you sense Amelia?"

"Hardly, but I know she's here," Frodo said, sensing his wife a little at a time.

He looked around the dark realm in shock. It was dimly-lit here, but the thunderstorms lit up the place in reds and purples, the two colors that would not work so well together. Typical Shirina.

And there, standing before them, was a manor with red banners draped over the windows, as well as a red rug leading them straight into the house. Frodo could only guess the house was Shirina's, but then he could sense Amelia was inside. He journeyed with Sam, Merry, and Pippin into the house at last, fearing the worst.

A strangeness entered the first room, where Frodo and Pippin could detect that other vampires were around, lurking the corridors in search of food. The servants moved about the house, surprised to see the four gentle-hobbit vampires there, waiting for something. The servants fled the scene, not getting in the hobbit vampires' way, as they walked across the room.

Sam hissed the moment an assortment of dark monsters crept up out from the shadows. He told Frodo, "Mr. Frodo, find the lasses! Mr. Merry, Mr. Pippin, and I will fight these monsters!"

"Go Frodo!" Merry told Frodo, throwing a holy water balloon at one of the dark creatures.

Frodo nodded, taking off down the first hallway to his left. He looked back, stunned to find the majority of dark monsters had fled into the first room. He hacked and slashed a few dark monsters that blocked his path, watching as the other straggler dark monsters hurried to the first room.

It was strangely quiet afterwards. He chuckled, grateful he wouldn't have to face danger… or so he hoped.

He turned towards the first door on his right, opening it to discover Estella looking wild and unruly. There were scores of bruises and burns all over her body. She looked thin, like her torture had been rigorous and death-defying. He smiled timidly, only to jump as she slashed the air, attempting to kill him.

"Whoa! Estella, it's me! It's Frodo!" Frodo said, grabbing her arm and tossing the dagger away. "No! Please don't attack me—"

"I'll end you!" Estella hissed, reaching for her dagger again.

Frodo released her, heading for the door and closing it. He had moments, before spotting Diamond fly out of the room to his left, hissing at him in rage.

This was not what he wanted!

"Hey, it's me! It's Frodo!" Frodo pleaded, hoping the lasses could control themselves.

"Grrr!" Diamond growled, charging towards him while swinging blades in the air.

"Oh boy," Frodo said, darting down the hallway in search of another room, one that was empty; at least, that's what he hoped. If anything, he wanted to find Amelia and get her out of here! At last, he found another door, discovering Rosie badly burned and wounded. He waved to her, hoping she would be friendly.

She wasn't. In fact, Rosie charged towards Frodo, knife in hand. Frodo ducked, before closing the door behind him. He jumped upon seeing the knife's blade meet the door's wooden surface.

"I could leave you here or help you escape. Sam is waiting for you," Frodo said, not realizing that was her trigger. He moved away from the door before she could open it, charging at him once again.

Frodo raced down the hallway, turning to another closed door that was also unlocked. He opened it, closing the door fast before Rosie, Estella, and Diamond caught up to him. He smiled, grateful he got away from them, at least until he would lead them out of the manor, where Sam, Merry, and Pippin waited for them.

He turned around upon hearing slow, angry breaths. He recognized that breath. He could sense her very clearly. He turned around, stunned to see Amelia laying on the floor, glaring at him. She looked so drained, so weak, so scared, and so burned from head to toe. The sight of her horrified him. He did his best to hold back the blood and his food as he saw his wife, beaten and tortured beyond recall.

"What did she do to you?" Frodo asked, wondering why Amelia didn't speak to him. It didn't matter right now. He would take his wife out of this manor and end this. "Come on. We're getting out of here." He said, scooping up his wife off the floor before she snapped out of her trance. Just as he did, he found Amelia kicking and screaming. Her voice was different, filled with pain and anguish.

Frodo couldn't stand it. He darted out of the room and ran down the hallway. Yes, there was Rosie, Estella, and Diamond giving chase. Perfect! He could lead them straight to Sam, Merry, and Pippin! Fortunately, he did the moment when he saw no more dark monsters lurk about the place. Unfortunately, there was no one here to greet him until he ran outside, finding Sam, Merry, and Pippin out on the green grass, grabbing the lasses before they thought twice about the situation.

Frodo sighed, grateful that, for once, he did something right. At least until the lasses started screaming again, to him and his gentle-hobbit vampire friends. Great! What did Shirina do to them?