Chapter 20

(The answer to their question does not take long to come to them. Clark's eyes go wide as he hears a piercing shriek echo through the woods. A ravaged figure stumbles out onto the path several hundred feet away – the woman from before. She stumbles and falls to her face, collapsing on the ground. Not caring any more, Clark disappears in a blur and reappears next to her. He picks her up and disappears ago. He reappears beside Amandil. Startled, Amandil looks up at Clark)

Clark: "Amandil."

(His mouth slightly agape, Amandil nods. He looks down at the woman. His eyes roll into the back off his head, his eyelids drooping. Again, small blue beads of light begin forming near his hands and traveling to the woman. They cling to the blood and to her wounds, and then disappear. Within ten seconds time, she appears to be completely renewed. Amandil falls to his knees, pushing Clark's hand away.)

Amandil (Sitting back on his hands, panting slightly): "I'm fine – and she'll be too."

Garret (Standing up, terrified at the progression of events): "This is bull ."

Robin (Pulling on his hand, trying to get him to sit down): "Garret!"

Garret (Pointing at Clark and Amandil): "You two are – you're – god, I don't know! You FREAKS!"

Clark: "Garret, calm down."

Garret: "Calm down? CALM DOWN?! THAT! I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE WHILE I STILL CAN!"

Robin: "Garret! Please!"

(He wrestles his hand out of Robin's grasp, and commences to run down the trail.)

Robin: "GARRET!"

(Garret barely even makes it into the trees before four dark shapes envelop him. A thick, guttural scream is heard, and then the path is once again clear. Garret is no where to be seen.)

Robin (Tears pouring from her eyes, her voice cracking): "GARRET!"

(Roby quickly grabs her before she can run off to where she saw him last. She collapses to her knees, sobs wracking her body. Roby hugs her tightly, his mouth slightly agape and his heart pounding. A silent look passes between everyone in the party.)

Roby: "Any chance they'll just go away?"

Chloe: "Doubt it."

Roby: "Any ideas as to what we should do?"

Robin (Trembling): "Kill them. Kill those – those – those THINGS!"

Roby: "I don't think we can…"

Amandil (Wearily raising himself up from his knees): "Something's not right."

Clark (Glancing about wearily, focusing his hearing): "Are they coming back?"

Amandil: "No – and that's the thing. Why don't they just come up here and kill–?"

(He is interrupted as a loud, echoing shriek flows over them. They all turn to its source – the black hooded apparition. It stands just beyond the clearing, its scythe clutched in its hand. The bottom half of its face is not covered by the hood, revealing starkly white bone. Its jaw hangs loosely, unsupported by any muscle. Again, it emits an ear-piercing shriek, and then moves off into the woods.)

Stacey (Trembling and holding on to Roby): "What's it doing?"

Roby (Scanning the woods for any sign of it): "I don't know."

Amandil: "I recognize it… somehow…"

Clark: "What?"

Amandil: "Roby, how far are you in your book?"

Roby: "Only about half way…"

Amandil: "Have you read about the horsemen, yet?"

Clark: "Huh?"

Roby (It dawning on him): "Oh! But – how?"

Amandil: "No idea. But that sure looked like 'death'. Clark, can you describe the other ones?"

Clark (Still confused): "Well, one was a swarming cloud of… something. Another had on armor and had a large mace. The last one was pale, and sickly."

Roby: "Pestilence, war, and famine!"

Pete: "What are you guys talking about?"

Clark: "Care to inform us?"

Amandil: "The four greatest fears of all humanity: death, pestilence, war, and famine. Whatever those things are, they take the form of what we fear most."

Clark (Remembering the nauseating cold he had felt earlier): "I think they're more than that, then. One of them touched me, and it felt like I was dieing… like I was already dead…"

(Pete and Lana stare at Clark, shocked.)

Pete: "Kryptonite?"

Clark: "No. When it touched me, I felt cold… bitter, bitter cold… Like I said, it was–"

(He is interrupted mid-sentence as another piercing shriek echoes through their ears. All at once, the woods seem to come to life with movement as all four figures hurtle themselves out of the trees.)

(Eager to avoid direct confrontation, Clark runs off to the side – away from the others. The creatures follow him, gaining valuable ground with each step. Clark looks over his shoulder to see the others running as fast as they can up the path. Amandil stops at the upper entrance to the camp and looks back at Clark)

Clark: "RUN!"

(Amandil does not respond. His eyes roll to the back of his head, and his eyelids droop. His hands, clutched in front of him, begin to shake and glow. All light around him seems to gather and collect around his hands. He takes a step back, drawing it with him, and then thrusts forward. It shoots off his hands with a marvelous bang and hurtles into the four dark figures. The ground seems to come alive beneath their feet, growing roots and stalks at an extraordinary rate, ensnaring their feet. Amandil falls to his knees. Quickly running to him, Clark seizes him about the waist and runs as fast as he can.)

(Behind them, the shrieks of the beasts can be heard. They tear at their bindings, struggling against their ensnarement.)

Amandil (His voice weak): "It won't take them long to break free…"

(They catch up with the others, but the sound of pursuit is evident. Clark looks around – there is no way he can carry all of them and still be able to run fast enough to get away. He turns to meet the onslaught with only his bare hands. War reaches him first, swinging its heavy mace. Clark blocks it and throws it to the side, ignoring the same feeling of cold. Pestilence comes at him next. Clark swings at it, but his fist simply passes through it. Screaming, Clark falls to his knees as they surround him. He tries to escape, to fly away, but they take hold of him and pull him down. Clark struggles as he feels them all around – choking him, killing him. All light is cut off, and everything is bitter, bitter cold.)

(A ray of light breaks through to Clark's eyes, and he reaches for it. It intensifies, and the apparitions draw back from it. The ground seems to tremble slightly. Amandil breaks into Clark's vision and he runs to meet him. Glowing a distinct shade of red, Amandil draws the attention of the creatures. They lunge, and for a moment, Clark loses sight of him. Again, the ground begins to shake. As Clark watches, it seems to shake itself loose and explode violently upward in a ring, moving outward from where Amandil just was. In a fierce explosion of light, Amandil bursts back into view. But he looks considerably weaker, and falls to his knees. Clark reaches him, dropping to his knees and helping him to his feet.)

(Sensing victory, the creatures begin to slowly circle about them. Shrieking excitedly, they begin to move in slowly. Clark follows them with his eyes, watching for any sudden movements. The noose draws tighter.)

(The ground again begins to shake. Clark looks to Amandil, but finds him looking around as well. Fissures appear in the ground, splitting and multiplying, surrounding the now retreating beasts. Bright beams of light erupt from the cracks, stopping them from escaping. Their shrieks escalate as the Earth rises to swallow them, and then descends again.)

(Silence again meets Clark's ears as he surveys four pillars of stone that were not there several minutes ago. Bewildered, he feels himself float into the air. Gliding above the trees, he looks to the top of the mountain. At its peak, he can see something shining brightly. Compelled, and without a thought to those below him, he moves towards it.)

(The light grows brighter as he nears it, making everything around him white. Reaching it, Clark sets down slowly to the ground. He hesitates, realizing that where he is standing now is remarkably similar to what Jor-El's plain was. Looking ahead, Clark can see a figure silhouetted in the distance. With each step Clark takes, anger festers inside of him – the same anger that led him to destroy Jor-El. It seems to be at once that Clark stands before the man. He wears a long, white robe and has hair to match it. A large, warm smile unfolds across his face, sending a wave of wrinkles across his old, wearied skin.)

Clark (Clutching his fist): "Who are you?"

Man: "Rao. Though I doubt you would know of me – not many do, any longer."

(Clark feels part of his anger ebb away, and loosens his fist.)

Clark: "Your name sounds familiar, though..."

Rao: "Indeed, it should – though we have not time for it now. What is important is that my time has past, and so have my enemies. Soon, I will take them down to the depths with me. Your time, however, is just beginning."

Clark (Thoroughly confused): "What?"

Rao: "You were made for great things, Kal-El."

Clark: "What things?"

Rao (Ignoring his question): "Do you know what your name means?"

Clark: "No?"

Rao: "Star-child. And so shall you be."

(Abruptly, the light fades, and Clark finds himself hovering in the air over the summit of the mountain. Thick clouds envelop him almost immediately, masking him from view to those on the ground below.)

Clark (Running the name over his tongue like a child discovering pudding): "Star-child?"

(The credits begin.)