A response to the Dialog challenge ----------
“Only a fool would fall in love with someone as deadly as me.”
Lois slid to the ground beside him, her back resting against the remains of what had once been a wall. “Clark,” she whispered.
His head snapped towards her at the sound of that name, then he forced his gaze back to the ground. Around them, the ashes were still falling, the gray flecks landing in his dark hair, making him look older.
She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Listen to me: You are not a monster. You're not—”
“—I kill people, Lois.” He rose to his feet, stepping away from her touch. “It doesn't matter if it's willingly or even on purpose. I've killed everyone I ever care about. I just...” He pressed his hands against his eyes. “You should go.”
She drew herself up, brushing the ash from her jacket. “Clark, I'm not leaving you! Maybe we can find someone who can help you. Maybe—”
“Go!” He shouted, and she finally noticed the tremor in one of his arms.
Despite herself, despite everything she'd told him and planned to tell him, she started backing away. “Clark?” Her voice quavered.
With a sudden jerk, one of his hands fell away from his eyes. The air in front of his face distorted with the heat, a smoking black mark forming in the bricks a few feet away from him, tracing an erratic path as he lost his balance.
She turned and ran, struggling to keep her own balance as the ground beneath her feet started to shake.
-FIN-
