The Red Maiden, Part Fifteen
The Red Maiden
Disclaimer: This is a work of Fanfiction, as none of the content is my original work. The characters are created by Stephen King and J.R.R Tolkien with content belonging to MGM and screen gems, as the 2013 film remake of Carrie was directed by Kimberly Pierce and produced by Kevin Misher.
Inner Demons
The impact of the fall left her unconscious for what felt like a lifetime. By the time she miraculously came to, she could feel a massive headache followed by a ringing in her ears. It was the tell-tale signs of a concussion that much Carrie could be certain of. She felt weak, sore, and like the wind had been knocked out of her as she started to assess her current condition. She blinked a few times as she laid there on the rough ground, giving a slight pained groan.
“Thorin..?” she moaned out as she began to try and sit up in spite of her aching body. Carrie continued to hear the ringing in her ears and was beginning to be disoriented and dizzy. Upon realizing what she could be going through, she remained sitting on the rough ground, not daring to push her body’s limits. With a trembling hand, she touched her head to make sure there were no severe injuries. Her worst fear was realized when she brought her hand back, only to find her fingertips red with blood.
It sent her into a panicked state, hyperventilating as she tried to put pieces of her fractured memory together.
“Thorin?” she called out. Her voice echoed in the tomb-like rocky shelter. She feared the worst for Thorin and her friends. “Thorin?!” she called out once more as an adrenaline rush came over her, and she sprang to her feet. Peeking among the rocky surfaces for any sign of Thorin or anyone else, she tried to keep a level head and figure out a course of action. But as she searched the high crevices, she could find no sign of the company anywhere.
Carrie began to fear the worst as tears formed in her eyes. She began to feel defeated, with dread growing as she thought of her friends’ fate. She knew deep down that, even if there was a chance of any one of them being alive, they’d be subjected to extreme torture until they wished they were dead. The enclosed rocky surfaces would also make it near impossible to use her telekinesis to float to them. With the added fact that she was suffering a concussion and bleeding, she knew it would make her body ache and weaken further to the point of not using her powers altogether.
Her theory was confirmed as she tried to use a little of her power to gain footing to climb her way up. It proved to be in vain as the moment she gained footing, her foot slipped, and she almost fell on her back. Carrie gave a small hiss in pain as she looked at her hands, one of them still colored red from when she touched her head injury. Carrie hyperventilated once more as the fear began to dawn on her that she was now powerless. It became a reality as she saw a small rock and raised her hand as if to use her powers to lift it. The rock did not move an inch, leaving her hand in pain as she strained. No matter how much she tried to use her powers, it left her exhausted to the point she gave up.
Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly sat back down, hugging her knees close as she felt helpless. With no way to rise back up the enclosed rock walls, weak and powerless, she began to despair and fear the worst.
“I’m so sorry, Thorin, I’m so sorry,” Carrie said in a choked sob. Keeping her knees close, she rocked herself back and forth. She’d failed to save everyone and, in turn, her quest to slay the beast. It would be impossible to find a way out in the rocky labyrinth. All Carrie could hope for was that Bilbo somehow escaped the clutches of the goblins. She dared not think of the worst when it came to Bilbo and the company as she kept her knees close.
“Carrie,” she heard the voice in her head and gave a small gasp as she looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. She immediately recognized the voice as the same stranger in Rivendell.
“Carrie, why do you despair? Your journey is not over yet.” She heard the voice once more, and Carrie shook her head, refusing to rise up.
“I failed my friends, though. I failed them. My powers are gone, I’m defenseless, and there’s nothing I can do to save them,” she whispered with a sniff. She still didn’t let go of her knees. The hopelessness and despair Carrie was feeling at this moment was worse than at the prom massacre. She wanted nothing more than to stay on the ground and wither the more she thought of the terrible turn of events.
“Carrie,” the voice repeated in a soft tone, making Carrie lift her head towards the source.
Despite the fact, there did not appear to be anyone present. If Carrie closed her eyes and concentrated enough, she could see a tall woman in white clothing with a warm smile. It was enough to make her distracted from the despair. Carrie felt a calm and comforting presence from this stranger. However, she could only remain silent and at a loss for words for what felt like an eternity until she began to think once more of her friends and the peril they found themselves in inside this cavernous hell.
It was at this moment Carrie knew, the longer she sat there, the less likely it was that they would be alive. Her eyes began to open slowly with this realization, and she felt the woman’s presence fade from her mind. The thought of her friends being in danger was now her priority, and she found newfound strength to rise up from the ground. Carrie spotted her weapon lying a few feet from her and grabbed it without hesitation.
“Hang in there, I’m coming for you guys,” she whispered as she sheathed her weapon and began to wander the pathways of the cave. Questions about why the woman once again appeared to her, let alone helped her regain her inner courage, were placed in the back of her head. All that mattered now was to find a safe passage that could lead her to Thorin and the company. She became determined to find them with or without her powers, hoping against all hope to find any sign of her friends or die trying.
