No Retreat
Chapter 2
Chloe was finished that article for the torch and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment as she drove home. With the weight of her deadline lifted from her shoulders she could enjoy the sunshine, fluffy clouds and fresh country air. Well maybe not the air, someone was fertilizing nearby. But life was good anyway and possibly about to get better as she spied the Kent family truck parked just off the road on the dirt track that used to lead to a railway bridge. The bridge had collapsed and never been repaired making the road a dead end. That's odd. Why would the Kent's truck be parked here?
Chloe pulled up behind it and was surprised to see produce in the back. Clark usually made deliveries on Thursday after school but he should be done by now. Chloe stopped her car and got out.
"Clark?" she walked slowly towards the truck. As she got closer she saw movement in front of the truck and Clark suddenly popped up. He was looking at the hood and not meeting her eyes.
"Hi Chloe. What are you doing out here?" Clark's voice sounded odd.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. I've just put the Torch to bed and had to drop some of my dad's papers in Luther's drop box. Shouldn't you have finished your deliveries by now?"
Clark cleared his throat, "I just needed a bit of a break. I had a rough day at school."Clark ran his fingers tentatively along the front of the trucks hood. It was the kind of gesture he made when unsure of others around him. Chloe knew him well enough to recognise the gesture but how could he be unsure of her?
"Clark, what's wrong?" She moved closer to him and he actually backed away from her. This was not right. As she got closer she noticed a smudge on his cheek as if he'd hastily wiped wet away with dirty fingers. "Clark look at me." She closed the distance between them and looked up to see his eyes that he'd been hiding behind his fringe of hair. "Goodness Clark, you've been crying!" Chloe had never seen Clark this upset before. Sure he was excellent at pining and moping but this was real sadness. His look was almost one of despair. "Clark tell me what's going on. Is it your parents? Has something happened on the farm?"
"No Chloe they're fine. I'm just not myself that's all."
"Clark, this is more not yourself than I've ever seen you, even after the whole scarecrow thing you didn't let it set you back. What happened?"
Clark looked off across the fields that surrounded them and up at the sunny sky taking note at how surreal it all seemed. It should be dismal, stormy, something other than this cheery day.
"Chloe you've got to promise not to tell a soul and I mean even Pete, especially Pete. Something happened at Lex's place and I don't even know what to think." Clark sighed with resignation and sank down to sit on the front bumper of the truck. Chloe sat beside him and took his hand.
"You know I'd never betray you. You can tell me anything" Chloe smiled a little smile and looked up into his beautiful eyes. It was hard to see so much sadness in this man she loved. He may not know it and she couldn't have him but it helped her feel close to do what she could, swearing to herself that her journalist nature would never do anything to take away his trust.
"I... I went to Lex's to deliver his order and he wasn't there...but his dad was. God... Chloe he was really mad and really scarey and he was yelling about Lex defying him and then he grabbed me and accused me of stuff and I couldn't get away from him. I felt so sick and he said...he said..." It started in a rush but Clark got stuck fast. He sucked in a sob and whispered, "I've never been so scared of anyone before... and the stuff he said Chloe...I'm not completely clueless. I've been on the internet and stuff but he said Lex likes me...like that...and he touched me and I feel kinda dirty and kind of sick and...and.." another shuddering breath in "..and I can't tell any body cause it would hurt my mom and dad and Lex and he threatened me and told me to tell Lex that if he didn't do what he was told he'd hurt me." Clark shuddered at the memory but found he was able to compose himself now that he'd said it. It was still real but he was getting perspective. Lionel could not hurt him. He must have had a meteor or part of one on him somehow.
"God! Clark are you saying Lionel Luther thinks you and Lex are lovers?!" Chloe yelled in surprise.
"Chloe!" Clark hissed as if worried that someone would overhear. Chloe paused and looked pointedly at the empty countryside around them. Clark straightened to his full height, cracking his spine as if relieved and raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. He could see that Chloe was surprised but not shocked and her reaction seemed to help ground him. Chloe always made things clearer.He stopped to consider. "Do you think it's true? I mean that Lex... likes me like that?"
"I think you'll have to ask Lex. I think you're going to have to tell him about this. It sounds like you're being dragged into something between Lex and his father and only Lex will know what that is."
"I guess you're right. I'll have to talk to Lex first. I don't want anyone else to know. If my dad found out that a Luthor threatened me he might get mad and end up hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Clark seemed to slouch in on himself again. Carrying the weight of the world, Chloe thought. He'd obviously been hurt badly but his concern for others always seemed to come first.
Chloe couldn't resist the urge to touch him. How could anyone threaten and hurt this sweet boy. She touched his cheek with the palm of her hand making him look her in the eye. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, I've never been that scared and it really freaked me out. It wasn't like I was afraid of pain... more like I was afraid of how truly evil he seemed. I can't describe the look in his eyes. I can't imagine how Lex would feel to have a dad like that." Clark looked at the horizon for a few seconds then back down at Chloe. He reached out and pulled her into a gentle hug. "Thankyou."
"What will you do now?" Chloe tilted her head, happy to see her Clark returning to himself. Clark felt much better with a purpose, or at least a first step. He was going to have to figure this out as he went along.
Chloe also stood taking in Clark's more decisive stance. "Ready to take on Lionel Luther?"
"Ready to try. I'd best see Lex. Can I call you later?"
"Whatever the hour, you had better." she admonished.
Clark leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Bye Chloe"
Chloe backed her car out of the dead end lane and watched Clark drive off. This sunny day had taken a dark turn and she had no idea where this would lead.
Chloe was finished that article for the torch and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment as she drove home. With the weight of her deadline lifted from her shoulders she could enjoy the sunshine, fluffy clouds and fresh country air. Well maybe not the air, someone was fertilizing nearby. But life was good anyway and possibly about to get better as she spied the Kent family truck parked just off the road on the dirt track that used to lead to a railway bridge. The bridge had collapsed and never been repaired making the road a dead end. That's odd. Why would the Kent's truck be parked here?
Chloe pulled up behind it and was surprised to see produce in the back. Clark usually made deliveries on Thursday after school but he should be done by now. Chloe stopped her car and got out.
"Clark?" she walked slowly towards the truck. As she got closer she saw movement in front of the truck and Clark suddenly popped up. He was looking at the hood and not meeting her eyes.
"Hi Chloe. What are you doing out here?" Clark's voice sounded odd.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. I've just put the Torch to bed and had to drop some of my dad's papers in Luther's drop box. Shouldn't you have finished your deliveries by now?"
Clark cleared his throat, "I just needed a bit of a break. I had a rough day at school."Clark ran his fingers tentatively along the front of the trucks hood. It was the kind of gesture he made when unsure of others around him. Chloe knew him well enough to recognise the gesture but how could he be unsure of her?
"Clark, what's wrong?" She moved closer to him and he actually backed away from her. This was not right. As she got closer she noticed a smudge on his cheek as if he'd hastily wiped wet away with dirty fingers. "Clark look at me." She closed the distance between them and looked up to see his eyes that he'd been hiding behind his fringe of hair. "Goodness Clark, you've been crying!" Chloe had never seen Clark this upset before. Sure he was excellent at pining and moping but this was real sadness. His look was almost one of despair. "Clark tell me what's going on. Is it your parents? Has something happened on the farm?"
"No Chloe they're fine. I'm just not myself that's all."
"Clark, this is more not yourself than I've ever seen you, even after the whole scarecrow thing you didn't let it set you back. What happened?"
Clark looked off across the fields that surrounded them and up at the sunny sky taking note at how surreal it all seemed. It should be dismal, stormy, something other than this cheery day.
"Chloe you've got to promise not to tell a soul and I mean even Pete, especially Pete. Something happened at Lex's place and I don't even know what to think." Clark sighed with resignation and sank down to sit on the front bumper of the truck. Chloe sat beside him and took his hand.
"You know I'd never betray you. You can tell me anything" Chloe smiled a little smile and looked up into his beautiful eyes. It was hard to see so much sadness in this man she loved. He may not know it and she couldn't have him but it helped her feel close to do what she could, swearing to herself that her journalist nature would never do anything to take away his trust.
"I... I went to Lex's to deliver his order and he wasn't there...but his dad was. God... Chloe he was really mad and really scarey and he was yelling about Lex defying him and then he grabbed me and accused me of stuff and I couldn't get away from him. I felt so sick and he said...he said..." It started in a rush but Clark got stuck fast. He sucked in a sob and whispered, "I've never been so scared of anyone before... and the stuff he said Chloe...I'm not completely clueless. I've been on the internet and stuff but he said Lex likes me...like that...and he touched me and I feel kinda dirty and kind of sick and...and.." another shuddering breath in "..and I can't tell any body cause it would hurt my mom and dad and Lex and he threatened me and told me to tell Lex that if he didn't do what he was told he'd hurt me." Clark shuddered at the memory but found he was able to compose himself now that he'd said it. It was still real but he was getting perspective. Lionel could not hurt him. He must have had a meteor or part of one on him somehow.
"God! Clark are you saying Lionel Luther thinks you and Lex are lovers?!" Chloe yelled in surprise.
"Chloe!" Clark hissed as if worried that someone would overhear. Chloe paused and looked pointedly at the empty countryside around them. Clark straightened to his full height, cracking his spine as if relieved and raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. He could see that Chloe was surprised but not shocked and her reaction seemed to help ground him. Chloe always made things clearer.He stopped to consider. "Do you think it's true? I mean that Lex... likes me like that?"
"I think you'll have to ask Lex. I think you're going to have to tell him about this. It sounds like you're being dragged into something between Lex and his father and only Lex will know what that is."
"I guess you're right. I'll have to talk to Lex first. I don't want anyone else to know. If my dad found out that a Luthor threatened me he might get mad and end up hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Clark seemed to slouch in on himself again. Carrying the weight of the world, Chloe thought. He'd obviously been hurt badly but his concern for others always seemed to come first.
Chloe couldn't resist the urge to touch him. How could anyone threaten and hurt this sweet boy. She touched his cheek with the palm of her hand making him look her in the eye. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, I've never been that scared and it really freaked me out. It wasn't like I was afraid of pain... more like I was afraid of how truly evil he seemed. I can't describe the look in his eyes. I can't imagine how Lex would feel to have a dad like that." Clark looked at the horizon for a few seconds then back down at Chloe. He reached out and pulled her into a gentle hug. "Thankyou."
"What will you do now?" Chloe tilted her head, happy to see her Clark returning to himself. Clark felt much better with a purpose, or at least a first step. He was going to have to figure this out as he went along.
Chloe also stood taking in Clark's more decisive stance. "Ready to take on Lionel Luther?"
"Ready to try. I'd best see Lex. Can I call you later?"
"Whatever the hour, you had better." she admonished.
Clark leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Bye Chloe"
Chloe backed her car out of the dead end lane and watched Clark drive off. This sunny day had taken a dark turn and she had no idea where this would lead.