Chapter 3: Walking the Streets
The moment he set foot outside, the voices came. Voices of people, of men, women and children he didn't know; they screamed for help. The sound of them were louder than it had ever been before. Every single one of them, heard so clearly in his ear. Some were near, most were far.
How could he possibly help them?
What could he possibly do, he told himself. He was just one man.
He looked up to finally see the moon shine brightly above him, if he was crazy enough, he could almost see it mocking him.
He visited this city many times before, but as familiar as the landscapes were to him, it felt different, and if he looked close enough, it would probably look different to him as well. He debated with himself to run home, to Smallville, but there was an unspoken force that kept him in Metropolis.
Could it be Jor-El forcing his hand once again?
He did not know.
He desperately needed answers, and at this point, any kind would do.
As he continued to walk, he felt the strong breeze sweep against his face; he stopped for a moment before looking down. There was a lose page off a newspaper, that from the look of the worn out globe, he knew it was a copy of the Daily Planet. But it wasn't the newspaper itself that caught his eye; it was the two names in bold black printed in the byline.
Lois Lane and Clark Kent.
Me and Lois? Reporters? He shook his head, that couldn't be right.
He skimmed through the article, surprised at how well it was written, and just when he thought that this was some kind of elaborate hoax or some vivid hallucination, he saw the date.
March 17, 2015
Ten years. Ten years. How was that even possible? How did he go from going to sleep in 2005 to waking up in 2015? Can an elaborate hoax supply a worn out newspaper in the middle of a random street? No, he didn't think so, either. Not even Lionel Luthor could be this flawless.
He accepted the possibility for now.
Another surprise came his way when he made his way back to the building he had left hours earlier, unsure how he found his way there. Upon the hundreds of voices that invaded his mind, one sound stood out above all the rest.
A beating.
A heartbeat.
It was like a rhythm that gave him comfort in all the chaos that surrounded him.
Subconsciously, he had followed it back to where he found himself.
The question is, whose was it?
He stood outside for a moment before entering, he is greeted by a security guard. The middle-aged looking man was a little shorter than he was and he looked just as equally nervous to approach him. If he didn't know better, this guy was new.
The guard greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Kent." Clark relaxed once he heard his friendly tone. "I didn't see you leave, what brings you out this early in the morning?"
"I... Uh..." He glanced quickly at the man's name tag, "... I felt the need to stretch my legs, Howard." He hoped he sounded convincing enough, and didn't appear out of the ordinary.
To his relief, he bought it.
"I understand, sir. You and the Mrs. has been working hard all week, the article you did was a page turner," he commented with great enthusiasm.
He raised an eyebrow. Mrs? He lifted his left hand and saw the wedding band he hadn't noticed before, gleaming in his eyes.
He has a wife?
He remembered the woman he felt by his side when he woke up earlier this night. He mentally berated himself for not checking to at least see who it was.
He looked towards the elevator, realizing he had no idea which floor the apartment was at. He reluctantly turns back to the security guard, quickly coming up with an excuse.
"Umm... Howard"
The guard turns. "Yes Mr. Kent"
"It could be exhaustion or the early morning air, but you think you could lead me upstairs, I don't have my keys"
"Sure thing, Mr. Kent," he answered without question.
He sighs another relief.
"Thanks, Howard"
To be Continued…