Elixir
by Lener
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville.
Chapter Ten
The pain coursed through her veins, something she'd never experienced before. A new and yet strangely exotic agony pierced her hands, and Chloe squeezed her eyes shut so hard that tears were forced out. Sara ripped out the knife, and another explosion of pain burst out like a bomb of fire in her brain. Fireworks exploded across her vision, and Chloe cringed, totally helpless, as Sara raised the knife to stab again…
*
Clark got up from the ground and, with all his might, ran to where he'd heard Chloe's scream. When he was a short distance from the place, he stopped superspeed and instead slowed down into a fast run to where she was.
He scrabbled through thicket and pushed aside thorns that got in his way, and then saw the large tree, Sara leaning over Chloe, tied to the tree… Sara holding the dagger. Without thinking, he leapt forward and grabbed Sara's wrist, pulling her away from Chloe.
She let out an anguished cry and wrestled strongly. Clark felt his strength lessen as Sara brought the glowing dagger close to him. The meteor rocks! It would surely zap his strength away if he didn't get it away from him! With one last push Clark sent Sara sprawling into the bushes a few metres away. With her out of the way for the moment, he sprang towards Chloe and began to untie the ropes binding her to the tree, speaking to her as he did so.
"Chloe, Chloe! Are you all right?" he cried, shaking her shoulders gently. She looked like she was going to pass out from the pain, and indeed, her hands looked terrible. A mixture of blood and sticky green meteor liquid coursed down her scratched palms from the deep wound that the dagger had left.
"Clark… you finally made it on time," she managed some of her Chloe Sarcasm even in her state. Clark could not help but smile. She would always be like that.
"Come on," he said, almost done with the ropes, "we're going to get out of…"
"Clark!" Chloe's voice was sudden and curt, "Behind you!"
But before Clark had time to react, he felt that familiar nausea creep over him, and then something slammed into the back of his head, knocking him sideways onto the dirt.
Clark saw no more.
*
Chloe screamed as Sara used the butt of the dagger to hit Clark in the back of his head. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, but Sara cared not for him. She needed to finish up what she came for- her revenge on Chloe.
"Now, I've had enough of your hands… they're probably useless now anyway, you'll never be able to write again. Now for the next most important thing… your eyes…" Sara brought the dagger to Chloe's face, and Chloe tried to turn away, but Sara brought her hand up and held her face straight.
The dagger seemed to be emitting some sort of radiation, which hit her straight in the eye and seemed to blind her. The pain was just as intense as the pain she'd felt when the dagger had been stabbed into her hands.
But that was not what Sara wanted… Sara wanted to drive the dagger straight into her eyes. Rage welled up in Chloe's chest. Was she going to die like that, helpless and at the mercy of someone who had had a grudge on her 2 years ago? She was not going to go down like that. Besides, her ropes were loosened and even if her hands were seized with pain and her eyes blinded, she could still put up a fight.
With a loud cry Chloe broke free from the ropes and used the trunk to support her back as she gave a fierce kick at Sara's stomach. Sara went flying into the nearby bushes, and Chloe seized the chance to pull free from her bonds, her hands hurting with every touch of the ropes. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind, determined to win the fight and get Clark and her out of there was soon as possible.
Sara was up in a second- Chloe had not thrown her back as hard as Clark had done. She came charging at Chloe with the dagger, and Chloe felt her eyes welling up with tears from the stinging sensation of the radiation.
Chloe darted out of the way as Sara lunged, and the girl hit the trunk with a sickening crack. She turned around, ready to pounce again, but Chloe pinned her to the trunk with both hands, ignoring the wounds and the blood streaming down. All that mattered was saving herself and Clark, and stopping Sara from doing any more harm.
"This is your last chance, Sara… give yourself up or…" before Chloe could finish her sentence, Sara kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the middle of some bushes. Chloe scrambled to get up, the pain in her hands and her eyes unbearable.
Sara chuckled evilly, tapping the dagger against the trunk of the tree. She took a step forward, and Chloe took a step back.
"It's all over, Sullivan. You're going down… I'm going to…" before Sara could finish her words there was a loud CRACK and both of the girls instinctively looked up. Chloe saw the branch that had broken off- a large thick segment of the tree Sara was standing under.
"Sara… watch out!" Chloe lunged forward to try to get the girl out of the way but it was too late. The branch plunged downwards, raining twigs and leaves on both girls and with a sickening crack it fell on top of Sara. Her meteor dagger flew from her hands and landed on a pile of leaves, its glow lessening.
Chloe looked away, feeling sick.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
Chloe stood under the tree for a while, taking in the sounds of the night. The wind coursed her clammy cheeks and the pain in her hands seemed to go down. The tears that welled in her eyes made everything seem a vast, blurry green smudge. Then something jolted her back to reality- perhaps it was the small cry from Clark. Chloe rushed to his side and shook his shoulders as hard as her hands would allow her to.
"Clark!!! CLARK!!!" she cried out.
He did not answer.
"I have to get us out of there…" Chloe muttered, looking around. Her eyes caught sight of the dagger and she rushed to snatch it up, scrutinizing it for any sign of some engraved words. There they were, along the edge of the blade. She lifted Clark up, wincing at his weight and the pain, then said the words that were carved on the knife.
"Through space and time
Return me now
I wish to find
The way through thou."
And the green portal burst in front of her immediately. Gathering up her courage, Chloe stumbled and staggered towards the portal, dragging the unconscious Clark after her, then she lunged into the portal.
Seconds later both of them tumbled out of the green doorway onto hard soil, breathing heavily.
"May no one ever find this dagger…" Chloe whispered. She raised the dagger above her head and with one smooth motion, threw it into the portal. There was a burst of blinding green light, and then everything was gone. The portal had disappeared. The knife was lost.
"Chloe?" she turned to gaze at Clark, who was sitting up and looking at her.
Author's Note: This is the second last chapter, so watch out for the surprise at the end of the last chapter!!!!!!!!
Suz- Hey! Thanks for the review! I hope you were satisfied with this update… most of the action is over but the best part is still to come! Lolx!
Sylphide- Yo! Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter! Well, as you can see, Chloe's not dead (yay) and neither is Clark. They made it! What's gonna happen next? Only the next chapter can tell you. *grinZ*
