End of the Plague [14]

'Now I can act,' Clark thought, as he used his X-ray vision to see that Chloe was already in the barn. He was in the kitchen, calmly observing through the walls of the farm.

"This is my chance. I'll take care of this and get back to her," Clark murmured to himself, activating his powers. In an instant, he became invisible and intangible, disappearing from the kitchen with his super speed. The air around him seemed to ripple as he sped across the fields, leaving only a faint trail of wind in his wake.

...

Clark scanned the surroundings, checking each house as he passed by. Finally, he spotted one that appeared abandoned inside, full of cobwebs and insects crawling on the walls. Something was wrong, and Clark knew he had found the right place.

"This is it," Clark murmured to himself, feeling the weight of the situation.

Without hesitation, he phased through the walls of the house, still invisible and intangible. The environment was infested with insects, and the stench of decay filled the air. The walls were covered in webs, and the floor was a moving carpet of crawling bugs. Clark stopped when he saw something terrifying in the middle of the room—a large cocoon the size of a person hanging from the ceiling.

'This isn't good,' Clark thought.

He quickly used his X-ray vision to scan the house for Greg. Finally, he found him in the bathroom, the shower water running over his body as he bathed.

"Gross," Clark muttered, frowning.

Clark wasted no time. He phased through the bathroom door, and before Greg could notice his presence, Clark used his heat vision to kill Greg swiftly and painlessly. Greg's body collapsed to the shower floor, dead in an instant.

Clark made Greg's body intangible and quickly took it underground, burying it deep in the earth, where no one would ever find it.

'Now for the next part,' Clark thought as he resurfaced.

He emerged from the ground, still invisible, and assumed Greg's appearance. In Greg's form, he walked to the house phone, picked it up, and dialed the police.

"Hello, police? I need help," Clark said, perfectly mimicking Greg's voice. "Something strange is happening at my house... I think my mom needs help."

With that done, Clark hung up the phone and walked toward the cocoon. He carefully cut it open with his super strength, freeing Greg's mother, who was unconscious but alive.

Clark gently lifted Greg's unconscious mother and laid her softly on the couch in the living room. He covered her with a nearby blanket, ensuring she was comfortable.

"She's safe now," Clark murmured, watching her for a moment as he took a deep breath. He knew he had done what was necessary to protect the woman.

Keeping his calm demeanor, Clark left the house without haste, making sure everything was in order. He was still invisible, moving silently through the surroundings until he reached the road.

"Time to get back to the farm," Clark said to himself as he began sprinting at super speed back toward the farm.

...

Clark entered the farm quickly, breathing deeply as he deactivated his powers.

He passed through the kitchen silently, his footsteps lightly echoing on the wooden floor. Now, all that was left was to return to Chloe, as he had promised.

Clark walked across the yard to the barn.

He entered the barn, his steps slow as he observed Chloe sitting on the hay. Her hair fell softly over her shoulders, and she seemed distracted, lost in thought. The night was quiet, and the atmosphere around them conveyed a sense of calm, contrasting with the recent events Clark had just taken care of.

"I know, Clark," Chloe suddenly said, without turning around, as if she could read his thoughts.

Clark tensed, pausing for a moment.

'What did she mean by that?' Clark thought, trying to decipher the meaning of her words.

"Know what, Chloe?"

Chloe slowly stood up from the hay and walked over to Clark's telescope, which was positioned near the large window of the barn. She ran her fingers gently along the cold metal of the equipment, still not looking directly at him.

"The telescope... I realized you can see Lana's house from here. And it made me wonder how many times you must have watched, observing everything... without saying anything."

Clark felt a brief moment of relief, realizing that Chloe was only talking about the telescope.

"Oh, the telescope," Clark said, smiling lightly. "I used to use it to look at the stars... It wasn't about Lana."

Chloe slowly turned to him, crossing her arms, still with a slightly suspicious expression. "I know you like stars, Clark, but... let's be honest, I know how much you liked Lana. And when I saw the telescope pointed in her direction, I couldn't help but wonder..."

Clark tensed again. The sense of relief was quickly replaced by new discomfort. Chloe was misinterpreting the situation, and he realized she might be thinking he was some kind of voyeur.

Chloe watched him for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to believe him. She sighed, visibly relaxing, though there was still a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"I choose to believe you, Clark," Chloe said, letting out a sigh and relaxing a bit more. "Even though it's hard to ignore what I saw."

Clark slowly approached Chloe, his steps steady, but with the clear intention of resolving any misunderstanding. He knew this conversation was important to maintain the trust between them.

"Chloe, I understand it looks strange, but I really don't spend my time thinking about Lana like I used to. That... that's behind me now," Clark said, his voice calm as he stepped even closer to her.

Chloe smiled faintly, still feeling a bit hesitant, but her trust in Clark was growing. She could see he was trying to be honest with her, and for now, that was enough.

Clark took another step forward, closing the distance between them even more. He leaned in slightly, bringing his lips closer to hers, and Chloe didn't hesitate to meet his gesture. The kiss they shared was soft but full of meaning, like a silent promise that their relationship would be different.

When they pulled apart, they were both smiling, now more at peace with the situation.

"Chloe," Clark began with a playful grin on his face, "since my parents aren't home yet... what do you think about making the most of the night, just the two of us?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow, but soon her smile mirrored Clark's. "What do you have in mind, farm boy?"

Clark moved closer, placing his hands gently on her waist, pulling her in. "Something like... making the most of the time we have before the night ends. Just the two of us, no interruptions."

Chloe smiled, her eyes sparkling with a mix of curiosity and excitement. "I think we can have some fun," she said, giving Clark a quick kiss, as if to kickstart the idea.

Clark kissed her back, longer this time, and soon both of them were immersed in the moment, forgetting the world around them. They knew this time was precious, and they both wanted to enjoy it to the fullest before reality returned.

As the atmosphere in the barn heated up, with their kisses and embraces intensifying, the quietness of the farm around them seemed to be the only witness to the moment between Clark and Chloe.

...

In Coach Walt Arnold's office, the atmosphere was entirely different. The coach sat at his desk, speaking on the phone, his expression growing angrier. On the other end of the line, Whitney Fordman was desperately trying to explain his situation.

"Coach, I... I hurt my arm yesterday. I can't play in this condition. I need more time to recover," Whitney said, his voice tense and full of excuses.

On the other end, Walt Arnold gripped the phone tightly.

"You're telling me you're going to miss the biggest game of the year, Whitney? You think you can make a fool out of me?"

"I really can't play, Coach! I'm seriously injured. I don't want to make it worse."

Walt let out a heavy sigh.

"You know what, Fordman? I don't need injured players. Don't worry about coming back to the team. Consider yourself out."

Click!

The line went dead. Walt Arnold slammed the phone down, tossing it onto the desk as he rubbed his temples, trying to control his anger.

'What these kids don't understand is that I'll do whatever it takes to win. I don't care if they end up hurt or not.'

Walt stood up abruptly, the sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor echoed through the empty office. He began pacing back and forth, clearly trying to plan his next move.

"If I have to push every one of these kids to play until they collapse for us to win the championship, I'll do it," Walt muttered, his eyes gleaming with dangerous determination.

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