Through Illusions and Fire [17]

Clark took a deep breath as he left Principal Kwan's office, feeling that he had taken the first step in controlling the situation.

"Now, the next step is Coach Walt," he murmured to himself as he walked through the school corridors.

Clark decided he needed to find Chloe.

As he approached the journalism club, Clark heard raised voices. He immediately recognized Chloe's voice, and to his surprise, the other voice was Coach Walt's.

"You have no right to write these things about the team!" Walt raged, his voice full of anger. "You're going to ruin my players' reputation!"

"I have every right to write the truth," Chloe shot back, firm and determined. "Are you trying to censor me? That just proves something is wrong. The whole school deserves to know what happened!"

Clark approached, stopping just a few steps from the two of them. He could see that Walt was clearly out of control, his posture threatening. Chloe, however, stood her ground, not backing down.

"You're not getting away with this, Sullivan. I run things here, and you're going to stop writing these articles right now!" Walt continued, his voice full of fury.

"I'm not going to be intimidated, Walt. What you're doing is wrong, and I'll keep writing about it whether you like it or not," Chloe responded, crossing her arms defiantly.

Clark knew it was time to step in. He quickly moved between Chloe and Walt. "Is there a problem here?"

Walt looked at Clark with disdain, clearly irritated by the interruption. "Nothing that concerns you, Kent," he said in a threatening tone. "This is between me and this nosy girl."

Clark remained calm, but his eyes never left Walt's. "It looks like you're trying to intimidate the wrong person, Coach. I suggest you step back."

Walt narrowed his eyes at Clark, but something in Clark's stance made him hesitate for a moment. Without saying another word, Walt abruptly stormed off, still furious.

"This isn't over, Kent," Walt muttered as he walked away.

Clark sighed, knowing that the issue with Walt was far from resolved, but at least he had prevented the situation from escalating right then and there.

"Let's go inside the journalism club," Clark said, gently taking Chloe's hand and leading her inside, away from prying eyes.

Once the door was closed, Clark turned to Chloe with a serious expression.

"Chloe, I need to warn you… Walt isn't who you think he is. He's dangerous."

Chloe, her face still flushed with anger from the argument, looked at Clark skeptically. "Dangerous? Seriously, Clark? He's just another arrogant coach who thinks he can boss everyone around. I'm not going to stop writing my articles because of that."

"It's more than that, Chloe," Clark insisted, trying to make her understand the gravity of the situation. "Walt would do anything to protect his team. He's already manipulated grades, and now he's losing control. This isn't just about the team. He's changing."

Chloe crossed her arms, clearly irritated. "Do you think just because we're dating now, you can tell me what to do? I'm not going to stop being who I am just because you're worried, Clark."

"Chloe, Walt is exactly the kind of guy you'd put on your Wall of Weird. He's hiding dark things," Clark argued, trying to convince her to be more cautious.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and, with a defiant smile, said, "If he's that kind of person, then that's even more reason for me to keep investigating."

Clark sighed, realizing it was no use trying to convince her. "Okay, but at least be careful. I don't want you getting hurt because of this."

Chloe shrugged, still determined. "I always take care, Clark. But now, I've got a bus to catch."

Chloe grabbed her backpack and left the journalism club, waving quickly to Clark as she walked away. He watched her leave, feeling a bit frustrated that he hadn't been able to make her see the danger Walt posed.

"I should have stayed single," Clark muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Chloe walk down the hallway.

Clark looked around, making sure the corridor was empty. When he was sure no one was watching, he took a deep breath.

Clark became invisible.

With light steps, Clark left the journalism club and headed towards Coach Walt's office. He knew he needed to act quickly before something worse happened. Walt was becoming more unstable by the minute, and Clark had a plan to deal with it.

The coach was in his office, sitting in his chair, running his hands over the papers with irritation.

Clark phased through the wall, still invisible, and observed Walt for a moment. The coach muttered incomprehensible words, clearly frustrated with everything that was happening.

"This is my chance," Clark thought as he slowly approached. He reached out and placed his hand on Walt's head, and the coach froze for a moment.

Clark knew he had to be precise. He didn't want to hurt Walt, just guide him to a place where his anger would consume him and, at the same time, end any chance of him causing more problems. So, he began creating an illusion in Walt's mind.

In Walt's vision, he was in a critical football game. The score was tight, and he watched his players make mistake after mistake. The opposing team dominated the field, scoring point after point.

"You're a failure, Walt!" a voice from the stands shouted.

Other voices began to join the chorus, mocking him, calling him incompetent, a loser.

"You ruined everything!"

"It's your fault the team lost!"

"You led us to failure!"

Walt looked around, desperate, his heart pounding. He tried to shout back, but his words were drowned out by the voices insulting him. The feeling of failure and anger grew inside him, like a fire ready to explode.

"Perfect," Clark thought as he manipulated the illusion.

Walt's anger reached its peak, and in the real world, he stood up from his chair, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost pierced his skin.

Clark removed his hand from Walt's head, still invisible, and watched as the coach stormed out of the office like a hurricane.

Walt, consumed by the rage Clark had induced, marched straight to the school's sauna, the place he usually went to relax, but now it would be the setting for something much more intense.

Clark followed Walt closely, always invisible, making sure everything went according to plan.

In the sauna, Walt entered and locked the door behind him.

The room began to heat up quickly, but this didn't seem to calm Walt's anger. On the contrary, the heat only intensified the feeling of oppression he felt, as if he were trapped in a nightmare. The words from the illusion still echoed in his mind.

"Failure! Loser! You ruined everything!"

Unable to control his emotions, Walt felt a burst of energy inside him. His hands began to emit intense heat, and before he realized it, flames ignited on the sauna's rocks.

The fire quickly spread across the walls, and within seconds, the sauna was engulfed in flames.

Clark, still invisible, watched calmly, staying away from the flames but paying close attention to everything.

When the fire had grown large enough to pose a real danger, Clark left the sauna and quickly ran to the nearest hallway, where he pulled the fire alarm.

Biiiiiiiiip! Biiiiiiiiip!

The sharp sound of the alarm echoed through the school, and Clark sped back to the journalism club, where he deactivated his invisibility. He settled in, pretending nothing had happened.

The fire alarm continued to blare through the school, and students began evacuating the building.

Clark stood up, looking around, imitating the concerned expressions of the other students as they moved quickly toward the exits.

"What's going on?" Clark asked, pretending to be worried as he followed the crowd.

He calmly walked along with the rush of students, keeping a neutral expression, but inside he was alert to everything he had orchestrated.

Clark looked around, searching for Chloe in the chaos. Suddenly, he spotted her outside the building near the entrance, but unlike the other students, she was trying to get back into the school.

"What are you doing, Chloe?" Clark muttered, frowning as he watched her struggle to open the door. He knew she was stubborn, but this was going too far.

Clark rushed over to her before she could even notice his approach. He stopped right next to her.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear the fire alarm?" Clark asked, his voice filled with disapproval.

Chloe looked at him, with a determined expression. "I need to get my laptop! All my articles are on there!"

Clark sighed, unable to believe what he was hearing. He knew Chloe was determined, but running into a burning building for a laptop? That was ridiculous, even for her.

"Forget the laptop! We're getting out of here now," Clark said, not giving her time for more arguments.

Before Chloe could protest, Clark effortlessly picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Put me down, Clark! Put me down now!" Chloe shouted, kicking her feet against his back, but Clark didn't seem bothered at all.

Clark started walking toward his truck, carrying Chloe without breaking a sweat. The panicked crowd of students around them was too distracted to notice the scene.

"Put me down, Clark! I'm serious!" Chloe continued to shout, trying to squirm out of his grasp, but it was useless. Clark ignored her protests, his expression staying firm as he kept walking.

When they reached the truck, Clark opened the passenger door and gently placed Chloe in the seat. He closed the door before she could get out and quickly moved around the vehicle to the driver's side.

"You're impossible, Clark Kent!" Chloe yelled, visibly furious.

Clark glanced at her, starting the engine. "And you're too stubborn for your own good."

Vruuum!

The truck's engine purred softly as they pulled out of the parking lot, driving away from the chaos still unfolding at the school.

Chloe crossed her arms, huffing in frustration. "You could have at least let me grab the laptop, Clark."

Clark gave her a quick glance, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you risk your life for a laptop. It can be replaced, you can't."

Chloe was silent for a moment, her anger slowly dissipating as she thought about Clark's words. She knew he was right, but she hated to admit it.

"Okay... maybe you're right," Chloe finally said, sighing.

Clark just smiled slightly, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm always right, Chloe. It just takes a while to convince you."

The soft hum of the truck's engine and the silence between them finally brought a bit of peace after the chaos. Chloe, still a little annoyed but relieved to be safe, relaxed in her seat.

As they drove away from the school, Clark glanced at her, smiling slightly.

'I really should have stayed single,' Clark thought, internally laughing at the whole situation.

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