Chloe tucked a stray wisp of blonde hair behind her ear and heaved a sigh. 'This article is going no where!' For some reason she couldn't concentrate today, not on her article or any one of the three movies she'd popped in her VCR, only to pop it out ten minutes in. It was frustrating her to end, and the more that she tried to focus the more frustrated she became until finally she'd just given up all together and collasped into her bed in a heap.
Glancing at the clock, it blinked ten o'clock. It surprised her that it was so early, she felt as though it must be at least two. Almost on sight of the glowing number an odd feeling of fatigue raced through and she grew so strangely tired. Chloe scolded herself and struggled to stay awake. 'You slept like 10 hours last night, now you need to get something done for a change!' Her eyelids fluttered and she stifled a yawn in her throat, refusing to let it out and admit defeat. But after ten minutes of this, all the fight was drained out of her and she slowly started to drift off to sleep...
THUMP! BANG! THUMP! CRASH!
Chloe was wide awake in no time flat. Tradionally, she was a profoundly deep sleeper. It often took her alarm clock and a very annoyed Lana armed with a glass of cold water to wake her up in the mornings. Once, she'd slept over a fire at the neighbors house, complete with fire trucks and police cars with their alarms on full tilt. It frightened her a little how deeply she slept, and though she wouldn't admit it, she often worried about sleeping through a break in or an ax murder or something. Given another minute, even the thunderous banging from downstairs couldn't have roused her.
Sitting straight up in bed, Chloe tried to surmise what she'd heard. It was almost like someone banging on the wall, and then falling. And...a muffled yell? Breaking glass, yes, there had definetly been breaking glass and now that she thought about it, there'd been a mechanical groan, too, like the one from the back door on particularlly humid days. Uncertain and little spooked, Chloe glanced around her room and grabbed an aluminum lamp she kept near her bed and wrapped the translucent cord around her hand. Stealthly, she ventured toward the door. On a whim, she shoved her cordless in her pocket as precaution.
Easing the door open, she peered down the hall and listened carefully. Nothing. Stepping lightly and sticking close to the walls, Chloe walked toward the stairs. She knew she was probably okay on the top floor because the noises had come from down below, but she wasn't taking any chances, not in Smallville. Turning so she could check the mirror that hung in front in the stairs, a small gasp escaped her lips as she through all precautions, but not her lamp, to the wind. Rushing down the steps, she knelt beside her fathers slightly battered body, shaking him gently. "Dad? Dad??"
Chloe strained to keep her voice free of tears and checked him over when he didn't respond. There was a welt on the back of his head and he was rather bruised, probably from falling down the hard wood staircase. There were scratches and cuts on his legs and arms, and blood on various places down the steps marking where'd he had aquired them. Checking his pulse and breathe, she noted both were weak and cursed slightly as the tears she'd held back so carefully spilled over her eyes and fell silently down her cheeks. Urgently, she called for him until she was nearly screaming. "Daddy?! Daddy, come on. Daddy, please. Please. Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Daddy! Dad!"
Dropping the lamp, she startled herself with the sudden clatter it made. Wipping the tears on her wrist, she pulled out the phone and started to dial 9-1-1 before setting the reciever down. Chloe's breathe was coming out in gasps from the crying and her hands shook violently as she tried to regain control. She failed miserably as a quiet whimper fell from her lips and she ran her hand through her hair. Rocking up onto her ankles so she could lean against the wall to steady herself before she called, Chloe averted her gaze from her fathers prone form. It wouldn't do to be so hysterical that she couldn't tell the operator what was wrong. She picked up the reciever once again and rose to her feet, walking the rest of the way down the stairs over her father and settling down on the last stair near his feet. She started to dial again.
There. A dark shadow swept past a window to her left and her breathe caught in her throat. Watching the next window, she saw it again, just for a second. 'It's a person. It's a man,' her thoughts screamed as she retreated for the safety of the stairwell again. Her eyes traveled over to the back door, the one she'd heard squeak earlier. There in the door was a broken pane of glass.
Glancing at the clock, it blinked ten o'clock. It surprised her that it was so early, she felt as though it must be at least two. Almost on sight of the glowing number an odd feeling of fatigue raced through and she grew so strangely tired. Chloe scolded herself and struggled to stay awake. 'You slept like 10 hours last night, now you need to get something done for a change!' Her eyelids fluttered and she stifled a yawn in her throat, refusing to let it out and admit defeat. But after ten minutes of this, all the fight was drained out of her and she slowly started to drift off to sleep...
THUMP! BANG! THUMP! CRASH!
Chloe was wide awake in no time flat. Tradionally, she was a profoundly deep sleeper. It often took her alarm clock and a very annoyed Lana armed with a glass of cold water to wake her up in the mornings. Once, she'd slept over a fire at the neighbors house, complete with fire trucks and police cars with their alarms on full tilt. It frightened her a little how deeply she slept, and though she wouldn't admit it, she often worried about sleeping through a break in or an ax murder or something. Given another minute, even the thunderous banging from downstairs couldn't have roused her.
Sitting straight up in bed, Chloe tried to surmise what she'd heard. It was almost like someone banging on the wall, and then falling. And...a muffled yell? Breaking glass, yes, there had definetly been breaking glass and now that she thought about it, there'd been a mechanical groan, too, like the one from the back door on particularlly humid days. Uncertain and little spooked, Chloe glanced around her room and grabbed an aluminum lamp she kept near her bed and wrapped the translucent cord around her hand. Stealthly, she ventured toward the door. On a whim, she shoved her cordless in her pocket as precaution.
Easing the door open, she peered down the hall and listened carefully. Nothing. Stepping lightly and sticking close to the walls, Chloe walked toward the stairs. She knew she was probably okay on the top floor because the noises had come from down below, but she wasn't taking any chances, not in Smallville. Turning so she could check the mirror that hung in front in the stairs, a small gasp escaped her lips as she through all precautions, but not her lamp, to the wind. Rushing down the steps, she knelt beside her fathers slightly battered body, shaking him gently. "Dad? Dad??"
Chloe strained to keep her voice free of tears and checked him over when he didn't respond. There was a welt on the back of his head and he was rather bruised, probably from falling down the hard wood staircase. There were scratches and cuts on his legs and arms, and blood on various places down the steps marking where'd he had aquired them. Checking his pulse and breathe, she noted both were weak and cursed slightly as the tears she'd held back so carefully spilled over her eyes and fell silently down her cheeks. Urgently, she called for him until she was nearly screaming. "Daddy?! Daddy, come on. Daddy, please. Please. Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Daddy! Dad!"
Dropping the lamp, she startled herself with the sudden clatter it made. Wipping the tears on her wrist, she pulled out the phone and started to dial 9-1-1 before setting the reciever down. Chloe's breathe was coming out in gasps from the crying and her hands shook violently as she tried to regain control. She failed miserably as a quiet whimper fell from her lips and she ran her hand through her hair. Rocking up onto her ankles so she could lean against the wall to steady herself before she called, Chloe averted her gaze from her fathers prone form. It wouldn't do to be so hysterical that she couldn't tell the operator what was wrong. She picked up the reciever once again and rose to her feet, walking the rest of the way down the stairs over her father and settling down on the last stair near his feet. She started to dial again.
There. A dark shadow swept past a window to her left and her breathe caught in her throat. Watching the next window, she saw it again, just for a second. 'It's a person. It's a man,' her thoughts screamed as she retreated for the safety of the stairwell again. Her eyes traveled over to the back door, the one she'd heard squeak earlier. There in the door was a broken pane of glass.