Live Another Day
Part 11:
Clark had hung up the phone, but his hand was still resting on the receiver. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. He hadn’t expected to hear Lois’ voice again so soon. She’d seemed genuinely concerned about his well-being, even after all that he’d done to her. The thought caused a pleasant flutter in his belly that was rather difficult to suppress.
Heaving a sigh, Clark stepped out of the phone booth. The afternoon was gradually fading into the evening. The sun would soon set and he drank in the last rays of sunlight. Fortunately for him, the sky was once again cloudless. So Clark wandered around aimlessly until dusk settled in. Then he returned to Hobbs Bay.
During the hours he had spent on the streets, Clark had taken some time to rest and nurse himself back to reasonable health. He still was a far cry from his normal self, but he was no longer on the verge of collapsing from weakness. His worst problem now was that he felt so very tired. Usually, he avoided sleep as long as he possibly could, because he was afraid of the nightmares. But he really was past the point of having a choice in the matter.
Part of him wanted to just let himself be caught by the Shamrock of Horrors and put an end to this charade. But he needed to keep his wits about him if he wanted to escape Luthor. And though he really had no idea what to live for at the moment, he didn’t want to pass up the chance for a real life.
So Clark did his best to stay out of sight. He knew that his three goons were still looking for him. And they would be even more keen to find him since Luthor had put a price on his head. It stood to reason that the Shamrock of Horrors wouldn’t be the only ones looking for him. Luthor had a network of people who did his bidding.
Even though the odds probably were against him, Clark managed to approach the area around the old hotel without incident. He knew the houses of Hobbs Bay like the back of his hand. Some were shelter to homeless people; others were used by drug addicts. Then there were places that were too damp and drafty even for the humblest person. He headed for one of those latter buildings. Clark had found it during his initial investigation and had built himself a simple hideout there. Now he was glad that he had decided to keep the place.
Clark looked over his shoulder as he entered the dilapidated building. The meek light of a street lamp shone through the empty overhead windows, allowing him to see where he was going. Clark shivered and draped his jacket more firmly around himself as a gust of wind hit him. The room he had prepared for himself was in the back of the building. There was a secret hole in the wall that once had belonged to a storeroom. The door to the room had been locked with a key that had probably been lost a long time ago. Clark knelt down in front of the wall and removed a few bricks. Then he reached inside the hole and withdrew a waterproof bag where he had stored his sleeping bag, a camping mat and a few other things, including an old oil lantern and a camp stove. When he was done, he put the bricks back in place.
Clark rolled out the camping mat and his sleeping bag. With a sigh, he sat down on top and stretched out his aching leg. Then he reached for his shoulder bag and withdrew a few canned soups and a box of matches that he had purchased earlier. He also had a bottle of whiskey and some plastics spoons that he left in the bag. Just as Clark was about to unpack his first-aid box as well, he heard steps not far from the window.
It wasn’t the scuffling sound worn out shoes made on the pavement but the staccato of high heels that belonged to distinctly female steps. Clark scrambled to his feet and sneaked off to the nearest window. He needed to stand on his toes to get a glimpse of the world outside.
Several yards from his spot was a woman. She looked around as if she was searching for something. Her hair, as far as he could tell in the twilight, was long and blond. She wore sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had already gone down. Something about her stance and the way she was walking felt familiar. Almost automatically, his special hearing picked up the sound of her heartbeat that for one reason or another was already engraved in his mind.
He lowered himself to his feet and rested his forehead against the wall. Lois! Why did it have to be her? What was she doing here, of all places? She was putting their whole operation at stake! Had she come looking for him or was she just desperate to get into yet more trouble?
Clark took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It would be best if he sat her into the next cab that would take her back to Henderson. But knowing Lois, she wouldn’t simply go back like a good little girl.
He at least had to try. He couldn’t let the Shamrock of Horrors find her, or anyone else in this part of town for that matter. Clark swallowed down a soft curse. He limped his way back to the entrance. He really needed some rest.
A couple of minutes later, Clark was back on the street and looking out for Lois. She had turned another corner and for the moment had vanished out of his sight. But he could still hear the faint sound of her steps and followed her silently. Despite his injured leg, it didn’t take him long to catch up on her. She was standing in the doorway of a building that was used by the junkies. Luckily for her, they were usually sleeping off their latest intoxication at this time of the day.
Feeling guilty because he was scaring her again, Clark approached Lois from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. She stiffened. Then he pulled her with him until they had left the building.
“Shh, it’s me, Clark,” he whispered into her ear. Then he removed his hand and gave her a chance to look at him.
Her eyes were wide with fear, but as she recognized him she quickly managed to collect herself. A smile appeared on her face.
Immediately, she went into babbling mode. “Clark! I’ve been looking for you. What-”
He interrupted her. “What do you think you’re doing here? Go back to Henderson, Lois.”
“Oh, no, I won’t. Not until I know how you really are.” She folded her arms in front of her chest and stubbornly stuck out her bottom lip.
Clark ran a weary hand through his hair. “I told you I’m fine.”
“Yeah, very convincing,” she snorted. She gave him a once over. “Try again, buster.”
He knew he probably still looked like hell. Right now, he was so tired he had trouble staying on his feet. But he needed to pull himself together or he was never going to get rid of her.
“It’s dangerous here,” Clark replied angrily. “In case you didn’t notice this isn’t exactly the best part of town. And if the Shamrock of Horrors finds you here, we’re busted.” Why didn’t she see reason? He shot her a look so stern that he hoped she would feel compelled to listen.
Lois didn’t waver. “In that case, we better get off the street quickly.”
Clark groaned in frustration and shook his head. “Go back to Henderson, Lois. I can’t have you stay here.”
“There’s just one way to get rid of me,” Lois stated firmly. “I have to see for myself that you’re really okay.”
Exasperated, Clark growled. “Why do you have to make this so difficult?” He threw up his hands.
“I’m not the one being difficult,” Lois protested. “You are. Clark, you saved my life and I know you need help. I saw you back at the Planet. You could hardly stand on your own two feet. Good gracious, you’re swaying right now.”
He hung his head in defeat and a lopsided grin played around his lips. “You’re not giving up, are you?” She shook her head. “Okay. Come on. We can’t stay here.”
Though he knew that it was a bad idea to touch her again, he laid an arm around her shoulder and guided her to his hideout. She felt so slender and fragile. His fingertips tingled with the need to caress her and make up for all the things he had done to her. But he couldn’t do that because it wouldn’t be right to touch her so intimately. He did his best to even out his steps, but tired as he was he soon forgot to keep up appearances and stumbled rather than went on.
Clark looked over his shoulders and checked the immediate area before he ducked into the right doorway and dragged her with him. Silently, they followed the barely lit path into the back of the building where Clark’s sleeping bag lay on the floor. It looked so very inviting that Clark couldn’t stifle a yawn.
The twilight of dusk had faded to darkness and the room was lit even more dimly than it had been when Clark had arrived. There was just enough light to make out her face. He sat down on his makeshift bed and gestured for Lois to join him there as well. Then he pulled the oil lantern towards him. With his other hand he reached for the box of matches and lit a match. He lifted the glass casing with one hand and lit the lamp. He turned the knob on the side to increase the flame until they were both bathed in a flickering light.
Lois eyed him carefully before she sat down as far away from him as she possibly could. “How are you really?”
Clark let out a breath. “Tired and achy,” he said quietly. “But there’s nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
“How’s your leg doing?” Lois asked. Her eyes wandered across his leg as if she was trying to discern his state through his trousers.
Clark was slightly irritated by her curiosity. “I was just going to take a look when I heard you outside.”
Lois scrambled to her knees. “May I help you? My dad is a doctor. He had me attend several first aid trainings because he was hoping that one day I’d follow in his footsteps.”
His mouth went dry at the prospect of letting her touch him again. He wanted nothing more than to feel her skin on his again. He longed for another taste of that magic. His breath hitched and Clark squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t feel like this. Lois was probably still scared of him and most likely she would just be plain disgusted with what he really was.
He inched backwards. “No.”
“Please let me help, Clark.” She shot him a pleading glance that made his knees go weak despite the fact that he was sitting already. “I still feel like this is my fault.”
He averted his eyes and studied the hands in his lap. “It’s not.”
She laid a hand on his knee. “After everything you did for me, I believe it’s my turn to do something for you now.”
Even through the fabric of his pants he felt the heat of her touch. He laughed bitterly. “After what I did for you? I scared the hell out of you, manhandled you and treated you pretty badly. My behavior certainly wasn’t of the kind that entitles me to any sympathy on your part.”
Lois shook her head vigorously. “I don’t see it that way. Okay, you scared me pretty badly. But you didn’t have a choice in the matter. I understand why you couldn’t let me go in the Daily Planet. And Hank, Ray and Joe would likely have raped me if it hadn’t been for you. And all I did was make your mission even harder. Clark, please. I want to make up for my mistakes.” She looked at him, her eyes almost begging him to forgive her. His resolve was torn to pieces.
He let out a soft chuckle and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You do realize that you’re being here is another one of those mistakes.”
Her voice sounded just a bit guilty. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. I’m sorry. But I couldn’t just ignore the fact that you’re hurt.”
As Clark put down his hands, he saw her rueful smile. It was absolutely adorable.
He took a deep breath, trying to remember that this was a bad idea. “Anyone ever told you that you’re awfully stubborn?”
She grinned. “The same could be said about you.”
Despite himself, Clark felt something in his belly flutter with delight. No longer able to come up with more excuses, he slipped his injured leg out of his pants. As Lois reached out to undo the dressing, he flinched. But soon her gentle movements managed to soothe the aches and pains until he could no longer understand why he’d put up such a struggle in the first place.
After she’d removed the gauze bandage, she peeled off the gauze compresses. Clark was relieved to see that while the wound was definitely no longer bleeding, it also hadn’t healed in a supernatural fashion.
“Do you have something to disinfect the wound?” she asked.
Clark nodded. “There should be some iodine solution in a small bottle.”
Lois rummaged through his first aid box and quickly found the disinfectant. She unscrewed the lid.
“This might hurt a bit,” she warned him.
Then she poured some of the solution over the wound. Clark sucked in a breath, startled by the burning sensation. When Lois was done, she dabbed the wound dry and placed a new compress on it before she wrapped another bandage around his leg.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “You should go now.”
She looked up. “I also came to warn you. I heard Luthor talk to – I believe you called the fat guy Ray, didn’t you?”
Clark couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yeah, that’s Ray.”
Her voice was hoarse. She sounded worried. “You didn’t hear Luthor when he ordered Ray to capture you. He-” Her voice cracked. “I don’t think I actually understood how evil he really is until I listened to him over the phone. Be careful, Clark.”
“I will be,” he promised.
He felt incredibly bold as he laid his hand on hers. But she didn’t flinch and she didn’t withdraw her hand, either. Her hand felt so small underneath his and it was so soft to the touch that he had a hard time letting go of it again. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, savoring the intimacy of that small motion to the fullest. He knew that he could never ask for more than that.
As Lois spoke again, she interrupted his train of thoughts. “I don’t understand Dan. He is so nonchalant about your safety. As if there was nothing that could hurt you!” She laughed bitterly. “As if you were James Bond who can run through a hail of bullets without suffering as much as a scratch.”
Clark stared at her in shock. His breath caught and for a moment he thought that his heart would stop beating. She knew!
***
Clark stiffened. “What did Dan tell you about me?”
In the twilight, Lois saw Clark’s eyes that were wide with – fear? She didn’t know a better word to describe his expression. His jaw worked and his face hardened. Anger seemed to be seeping from his every pore, filling her with dread. While she’d tended to his wound, she’d almost forgotten that Clark wasn’t only the gentle man she felt drawn to. He also had this other side that could make him quite scary.
Suddenly Lois remembered what Scardino had told her about Clark’s threat. She felt uncomfortable. Had she already said too much?
When Clark spoke again, his tone was demanding rather than frightened. “What did he tell you about me?”
“Nothing really,” Lois hastened to say.
Clark let out a grunt and his brows furrowed, indicating that he didn’t consider that a satisfying answer.
“He told me that you used to be a spy,” Lois clarified. “And he kept telling me that I shouldn’t worry about you too much. He said that you’d probably just pretended that you’re injured. That’s all he said.”
He seemed to relax somewhat. Lois thought that the wrinkles on his forehead had smoothed out a bit.
But the slightly queasy feeling in her stomach stayed with her. Lois shifted her weight. “Dan said you’d kill him if he told me more.” She tried to read his expression, but that was impenetrable. He’d put the high walls around him back in place. Her heart rate increased. “You didn’t mean that, did you?”
For long moments he didn’t reply. Then his expression softened. “I’m not sure.” He ran a hand through his hair and felt the sudden need to get up. “You should know that there’s someone from my past who believes I’m dead.” He stood with some difficulty, but he was too agitated to stay in one place. He started to pace. “If he’ll ever learn that I’m not, he’ll stop at nothing to kill me. I’m afraid that he’d even use my parents against me. Dan knows things about me that I can’t have anyone else know.”
Lois held her breath. “So you’d really kill him?”
Clark stopped his pacing and shook his head. “I guess not,” he said quietly. “But at the end of the day, I’m not sure what I’m capable of if push comes to shove.”
He turned his back on her and looked out of the overhead window. His shoulders were slumped in defeat and the man who had scared her just a moment ago had vanished, leaving just the kind-hearted person behind that had worked his way through her own lines of defense.
Lois heart went out to him. In the light of what he’d just told her, his reaction was completely understandable. “Why does this person hate you so much that he wants you dead? Did you do anything to him?”
Clark stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. She could sense his discomfort.
“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to,” she said softly. “Just let me know if I’m crossing any lines. And I promise you that whatever you tell me, whatever I may learn about you won’t ever be printed. Or even leave this room.”
Clark let out a shaky breath. “Even if you’d come to the conclusion that this person was right to want my death?”
Lois’ heart skipped a beat and she felt her throat tighten. Did Clark believe that he deserved to be dead? Was that the reason he was so willing to risk his own life for the sake of others? But why would she ever wish for the life of such a man to end?
“Even then,” Lois vowed. She got up and went over to where he was standing. Her arm was trembling as she laid her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. “But I can’t imagine that I’d ever want to see you get killed, Clark. You’re a good person.” She let her hand rest on his shoulder longer than necessary, because it felt so good to touch him.
His eyes met hers as he looked over his shoulder. A small smile spread across his lips. “I didn’t do anything to him. It’s my sheer existence that irks him. I really can’t say anything more than that.” Then he turned to face her. His movement caused her hand to lose contact with his shoulder, which left Lois with a sense of loss.
“You should go now,” he said firmly. “Thank you for tending to my wound. You’ve seen that I’m not in any immediate danger. I just need a little rest.”
Lois wanted to protest, but she knew that she really had no arguments left to stay with him. He was right. Her presence was putting the whole operation at risk. And the last thing she wanted was to be responsible for Clark’s death because she felt this stupid need to be close to him. So Lois nodded with a lump in her throat and turned to fetch her handbag from where she’d been sitting on his sleeping bag.
Together they followed the path back to the entrance. Lois was just about to say good-bye to Clark when he pulled her back. She wanted to ask him what was going on, but he just put his index finger over his mouth indicating for her to remain quiet. Then she heard the sound of an engine. The car stopped and Lois heard someone open the door.
“I’m beat. We should get some rest and try findin’ him later.” Lois’ heart skipped a beat as she recognized Hank’s voice.
Ray sounded less relaxed. “We can’t give up now. The boss is gonna kill us if we don’t hand Chuck over.”
“But we’ve spent all day lookin’ for him. Damn, we almost had him in that alley,” Joe cursed. “I’m runnin’ out of ideas where else to look for him. Nobody we asked has seen him.”
“And if he’s come back here?” Ray suggested.
“He’d have to be mighty stupid to do that.” Hank laughed. “You can say a lot of things about Chuck. But unfortunately, he’s anything but stupid.”
“That’s true,” Ray sighed. “But most of his things were still here when he left. Besides, he’s injured and alone. And surely he knows that the Boss is after him. What better place to hide than Hobb’s Bay? I’ll stay here for a while and keep my eyes open.”
Hank chuckled. Lois heard what sounded like he was slapping him on the shoulder. “You do that, Ray. Just don’t get mugged.”
There were two sets of steps that gradually faded as two persons walked away. Lois was sure that one of them was Hank. And there was a scuffling sound that probably belonged to limping Joe. She looked at Clark who still stood next to her. He tugged at her flannel shirt and indicated for her to follow him back into the depths of the building. They tiptoed their way around litter and debris that was cluttering the floor and somehow managed to get back to Clark’s makeshift bed without making a sound.
Lois still felt her heart pound so loud that she thought Clark just had to hear it. She whispered “What are we going to do now?”
Clark shrugged and hung his head. “Looks like you have to stay here. There’s no telling how long Ray will be outside looking for me. And even if he returns to the old hotel, it would be too dangerous to go. Several windows are facing this area. He might still see us.”
“I could sneak out alone,” Lois offered. “With that wig and the clothes Henderson lent me, he’s not going to recognize me.”
“Maybe,” Clark conceded. “But I can’t let you wander through Hobbs Bay on your own. There are many seedy characters just waiting to mug you or do things far worse than that.”
Lois wriggled her brows. “One of those seedy characters being you?”
A smile played around Clark’s lips. “Yeah. I’m the worst.” Suddenly his stomach growled audibly. He groaned slightly. “I’m starving. Care about something to eat?”
Lois realized that she was rather hungry herself. Besides Dan’s hearty breakfast, she hadn’t had anything to eat all day. So she nodded. “But I don’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense,” Clark brushed her concern off. “All I have are a few cans of soup. It’s not like I asked you out to dine at the Ritz.”
He sank down on the sleeping bag and fetched a can of soup and a camp stove that were sitting on the floor a few feet away from him. For a couple of minutes, he busied himself with both items until the camp stove was heating the now opened can. Lois joined Clark on the far side of the sleeping bag and watched him in the flickering light of the oil lantern as he stirred the soup. She would have liked to know what was going on inside his mind.
Was he afraid of what Luthor was going to do with him? And who was he really? The calm and collected man she was sitting next to in this very moment? Or was he this intimidating stranger who sometimes scared the living daylights out of her?
After a while she asked. “What are you going to do about the Shamrock of Horrors?”
Briefly he looked up from what he was doing but quickly focused his attention back to the camp stove. Carefully testing the temperature of the soup and obviously finding it acceptable, he removed the can from the cooker and gave it to Lois. Then he withdrew a plastic spoon from his bag and dropped it into her can.
Quietly, he said. “They’re going to have to find me.”
“But when?” Lois couldn’t keep the worry from her voice. “Tomorrow? The day after that? How do you even plan to make sure that Luthor doesn’t succeed in killing you? This plan of yours sucks. You don’t even have the means to inform Henderson when they capture you.”
He grinned and started to prepare his own can of soup. “I do now. You’re going to tell Henderson they captured me as soon as dawn breaks.”
Lois couldn’t believe her ears. “You want to get to them tonight?”
He nodded solemnly. “But first I need to get some sleep. I can hardly keep my eyes open.”
Though Lois was tired as well, she felt far too amped up to even consider going to sleep. “You’re insane, you know that? How can you be so calm?”
“I have faith in Henderson’s ability to rescue me in the right moment,” Clark replied.
Then he tested his own soup and turned off the camp stove. He produced another plastic spoon from his bag and started to eat.
He closed his eyes, obviously savoring the taste. “That’s better.” For a while he just dug into his soup with gusto. When he’d half-emptied the can, he looked at Lois. “It’s a good thing those spoons come in larger packages. I wasn’t exactly expecting company this evening.”
She smiled at him, suddenly realizing how absurd their situation really was. Yesterday morning, she’d been agonizing about her answer to Lex’ proposal. Now she was sitting on a sleeping bag eating soup with a man who had until recently been a perfect stranger. To top it all off, the flickering light of the oil lantern created an almost romantic atmosphere.
And Lois felt that the atmosphere was getting to her, too. She could drown in those dark brown eyes that rested on her. His gaze was warm and caring. And suddenly even the air seemed to be filled with this inexplicable tension between them. Lois’ mouth went dry. Was Clark feeling it as well? For a moment, Lois thought that she saw the same longing in his gaze that she felt. Then he averted his eyes and focused his attention back on the can of soup in his hand.
“Who would have thought twenty-four hours ago that the two of us would be sitting here sharing a candlelight dinner?” The words were out, before Lois even realized she was going to say them.
Clark choked on his soup and started to cough. He needed a moment until he was able to speak again.
But his voice was still hoarse. “What?”
“I know you feel it, too, Clark!” Lois was surprised by her own boldness. Coming to terms with her own feelings and – worse even – talking about them had never come easy to her. But somehow Clark brought out the strangest things in her. “This connection between us. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s as if I’ve known you my whole life.”
He just stared at her in shock. His mouth opened and closed a few times as if he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head. His expression turned sad. “You’ve known me for all of twenty-four hours, Lois. Not my best twenty-four hours, I might add. How can you talk like that?”
She threw her hands up. “I know it’s crazy. And I’m not about to confess my love for you, if that’s what you were thinking. But I have this strange notion that we could be the best of friends. And maybe even more - if we would know each other better. I just know that there’s something between us. I feel it whenever I touch you.”
He heaved a sigh. “I feel it too.” His voice was so quiet that Lois had to strain her ears to hear him. “And it’s slowly driving me insane. But you really don’t know me, Lois. You wouldn’t want to be my friend if you did.” He put down his empty can of soup with a thud and faced away from her.
His shoulders were slumped and he looked so incredibly unhappy that Lois just had to reach out and touch his shoulder. He flinched at her touch but didn’t withdraw any further.
“Are you talking about the things you did as a spy?” she asked tentatively.
He shook his head. “I never killed anyone. Mostly, I went on reconnaissance missions. The things I did were for the good of the country. While I didn’t exactly choose this profession for myself, I don’t regret what I did.”
“So you saved the world a few times,” she said fondly.
“One time,” he said gravely. “I saved the world just one time.”
Lois blinked. A shiver ran down her spine as it dawned on her that unlike her own casual remark, Clark was being serious. Her breath caught as she tried to imagine what this man could possibly have done to save the whole world.
She couldn’t understand what was troubling him. “That only shows that you’re a good person. Why wouldn’t I want to be your friend?”
His expression was apologetic as he looked at her. “I really can’t tell you, Lois. It’d be best if you’d just forget about me.” He yawned. “Boy, I really need to sleep now. You take the sleeping bag.”
Clark tried to stifle another yawn but failed. Lois felt guilty as she realized how very tired he looked. His eyelids were already drooping. Without her interference, he’d probably already be fast asleep. She wanted to protest against the sleeping arrangement he’d suggested. But before she had a chance to do so, Clark just shoved the camp stove and the cans aside. Then he rolled over and in a matter of moments, his breathing evened and he started to snore lightly.
Lois stared at him, feeling dazed. There were a myriad of questions that she still wanted to ask. But even if Clark hadn’t been asleep, she was almost certain he wouldn’t answer them. What kind of secret was he harboring that he was building up such high walls around himself? She dreaded the next morning and her heart clenched in fear as she imagined what Luthor would do to Clark. And even if he succeeded in bringing down Luthor and somehow managed to stay alive in the process, what was going to happen then? Would he turn his back on her and vanish out of her life as just suddenly as he’d appeared?
For a long time, Lois just sat on her end of the sleeping bag and listened to Clark’s soft snoring. She desperately pondered what she could say to him to make him stay long enough that she could really get to know him. At the same time, she wondered what it was exactly that attracted her to Clark. Maybe, she was just losing it and trying to find an anchor in a world that had just been thoroughly turned upside down. Were her feelings for Clark – whatever they were exactly – real, or was it just the psychological effect of being captured and threatened and almost killed by an explosion? Lois honestly didn’t know. But if Clark would vanish out of her life, how could she ever find out?
Lost in thought, Lois let her gaze drift around the room. The flickering light of the oil lantern cast a warm light on Clark’s sleeping form. Next to him, the camp stove and the two empty cans lay on the floor. She should clean the stove up and get rid of the empty cans before rats were crawling all over them. Glad that she had something to do, Lois got to work. She spotted Clark’s shoulder bag to her right and started rummaging through it.
She found his first aid box and another box. Curiously, it was secured with a belt. Lois frowned. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that box. It was the one Clark had taken from the shelf in the bathroom, just before he had ordered her to stay inside and the strange noises had started on the other side of the door.
Why had Clark taken it with him?
Pushing the thought aside, Lois continued to search the bag and found a bottle of water and some paper napkins that she could use to clean both the stove and the cans. For a while she was busy. A little later she set the clean camp stove aside and put the empty cans in an adjoining room. When she returned, Clark was still fast asleep. The sleeping bag next to him looked inviting.
But involuntarily her thoughts started revolving around the mysterious box.
What was inside it that Clark felt the need to take it with him? She crawled closer. Her hand involuntarily wandered to the box. Then she hesitated. If Clark wanted to keep his secrets at all cost, it wasn’t her place to open this box.
But perhaps he was just afraid of what she might think about him, if she knew? Perhaps his worries were unfounded and she could prove it to him? She withdrew her hands without opening the box and crawled back to where she’d been sitting. She should just go to sleep.
Lois lay down and tried to get comfortable on Clark’s makeshift bed. But sleep just wouldn’t come. Instead, her mind came up with all sorts of things that could be hidden in that box. Her resolve to let the box untouched gradually weakened.
When Lois finally couldn’t take it anymore, she crawled back to the box and undid the belt. Then she sat back on the sleeping bag. Taking a deep, calming breath, she prepared to open the box. He didn’t have to know. She just wouldn’t tell him, whatever it was that she may find. One last time she had a look at his sleeping form.
Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as Lois pried open the lid. Her breath caught as she saw the eerie green glow of a crystal that was covered in blood. For long moments she was staring at it, completely mesmerized.
Then she heard a strangled voice beside her. “Shut that box.”
To be continued…
