Chapter 8: The Exterminator
The next day, Pete and Chloe researched for ideas about Greg. "I found an article about Amazonian tribesmen who took on the traits of the insects they'd been bitten by," Chloe said. "But nothing as extreme as what Lex was talking about. Did you have any luck?"
"Only that Greg didn't move to Smallville until after the meteor shower," Pete said. "So he couldn't have been exposed to the blast."
"Yeah, but his bugs could have been." Chloe said. "Think about it, pieces of that meteor are still buried all over Smallville. The whole habitat's infected so when boy catches bugs and bugs bite boy, you end up with... bug boy."
"Look, Chloe, you can't even walk out your door in the summertime without being bitten by a mosquito." Pete said. "Why don't we have a whole town of bug people?"
"Uh, because you need a certain level of toxins to cause a mutation." Chloe said. "Those Amazonian tribesmen were all attacked by swarms."
"Greg did keep tanks of bugs in his room," Pete said. "Maybe they got sick of the view and staged a revolt."
"Well, according to this, bugs have a very short life cycle." Chloe said. "So if he really has gone Kafka, let's hope he isn't in the mating phase."
A little later, Chloe, Pete and Lex looking in through a window at Greg's house. "It doesn't look like anyone's home," Chloe said.
"The place is a mess," Pete said. "Greg's mom was such a neat freak, she even used to make me take off my shoes."
"Is that what broke up the friendship?" Chloe asked.
"After 7th grade, Greg's parents got divorced and he just stopped calling after that." Pete said. "Which sucked because he had a killer tree fort his dad built in the woods."
"Hey guys, come here." Lex said and opened a window. They all climbed in and looked around the very messing house. Lex and Pete walked into the bathroom and took pictures of the skin in the shower.
"Oh man, that's disgusting." Pete said. "What is it?"
"I think it's skin," Lex said. "He must be molting."
"You guys better come in here!" Chloe yelled from Greg's room.
"Oh man, looks like your brother's not the only one in Smallville with the hots for Lana." Pete said.
"I think Greg's found his mate," Chloe said, watching on of the Lana videos playing on Greg's television. Lex walked to a corner of the room where the spider webs are thicker. "Clark, what do you see?"
"I'm not sure," Lex said.
"Lex, be careful." Chloe said
"I don't like the look of this," Pete said. Lex pulled the webs apart and Greg's mother fell out, her face shriveled.
"We really have to find Lana," Chloe said.
Lex took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Klark, find Lana. She's in danger," he said, then hung up the phone.
"Why did you ask Klark to find her?" Chloe asked. "We could find her just as quickly."
"Trust me," Lex said.
Meanwhile Lana was feeding the horses in the stable when Whitney walked in. "Your aunt said you were out here,"Whitney said.
"How are you feeling?" Lana asked.
"Better," Whitney replied. "Especially that you're here."
"It's too late, Whitney." Greg said as he entered the stable. "She's mine now."
"Greg?" Lana asked
"Get away from her," Whitney said. He walked towards Greg and Greg threw him cross the stable.
"Greg, what's going on?" Lana asked.
"It's time," Greg said.
"Time for what?" Lana asked.
"For us," Greg replied.
Whitney regained consciousness as Klark entered the stable. "Lana?" Klark asked.
"Greg's got her," Whitney said.
"What happened?" Klark asked.
"I'm not sure," Whitney said. "Greg threw me against the wall like it was nothing, then grabbed Lana. I've never seen somebody that strong before."
'Well not that you know of,' Klark thought. "Which way did he go?"
"He headed off into the woods," Whitney replied.
"Do you know where he's going?" Klark asked.
"No," Whitney replied.
"Well I'll find them," Klark said as Whitney slowly climbed to his feet
"Hey I never got a chance to thank you for..." Whitney began, then looked up but Klark was gone.
Klark ran through the woods at a super speed, searching for Greg and Lana. He saw a large tree fort, then ran up a ladder and busted in. Klark looked down to see Lana under a blanket of webs unconscious.
"Get away from her !" Greg yelled.
"Let her go," Klark said.
"I've been freed and I don't have to listen to anyone," Greg said. "I eat what I want, I go where I want, and I take what I want."
"You're not taking her," Klark said.
"Well, then try and stop me." Greg said. Klark lunged at Greg and they both fell out of the tree fort. When Klark got to the ground, Greg was gone. He looked around and saw Greg run away and jump over a chain link fence. Klark followed Greg into an old warehouse. He becomes uneasy, and saw the meteor rocks on the ground. As Klark slowley walked up some stairs to a wooden platform, and he gets weaker. Greg walked up behind him and picked up a large pipe. Greg hit Klark with it, sending him flying across the warehouse Klark landed right next to some meteor rocks and the veins of his hand started to bulge.
"Did you know the Buffalo ant can lift 30 times its own body weight?" Greg asked then lift Klark up and threw him. Klark landed and crawled into a broken concrete shell. "Hey man, where are you? Come on out! I just want to play."
Klark's hand returned to normal and he looked at the shell around him. 'It's lined with lead,' Klark thought.
"Give it up, you can't fight natural law! Only the strong survive," Greg said. Klark came out of the shell and pushed him against another concrete slab. "Did you really think you could hide from me?"
Klark threw Greg, and he landed against a support beam. Klark broke off a piece of concrete then threw it, hitting a lever next to Greg. A large piece of construction equipment landed on Greg then thousands of little bugs crawl out from under it. Klark smiled and super sped back to the tree fort.
Klark ran up the ladder then inside. He pulled the webs away from Lana's face and she slowly awoke. "Whitney?" She asked.
"Close, but completely off." Klark said. "It's me, Klark."
"Oh Klark, what happened?" Lana asked.
"Don't worry about it, you're ok now." Klark said. He picked up Lana in his arms then brought her back home.