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Chapter 17: Gone
Chloe had never been more thankful than the moment she reached her car, after having dropped off Lois at the Kents. Chloe planned to stay at her dorm for the night, figuring that, not only did she need to get used to living on her own again, but she didn't want to interrupt Clark and Lois' date on the off chance that they were doing something X-rated. Chloe had spent the remainder of her day with Lois, who was nothing short of frantic about her date with Clark. They had visited store after store and finally, 3 iced coffees and a tantrum later, Lois had the perfect ensemble and was ready to go. But while Chloe was happy for Lois and Clark, she still wished that they would be a little more self-sufficient. Today they had acted like 6 year olds with her, complaining and feaking out over their clothing, hair, everything.
Chloe was like their mother, and wanted nothing more than to send the kids away to camp and get some alone time.
Alone time. That was something Chloe hadn't had in a while. Everything with Lionel's murder, getting shot, dealing with a lovesick farmboy--she couldn't remember the last time she'd sat down and read a book or watched a movie. She planned on crashing on her bed, watching a few hours of trash tv, giving herself a pedicure and sleeping till noon the next day. She smiled at the thought. Finally...I can just relax...no work for me tonight
Chloe was speeding along the dark and desolate Metropolis streets, when she noticed that the blue van behind her had been on her tail since she'd left Smallville. She pushed this to the back of her mind, figuring that it was just a coincidence. After all, he could just be an innocent guy on his way home from work. But, to be on the safe side, she drove around the block twice--If the driver was innocent, he would go on his own way rather than follow her unusual path. If the driver was a stalker, he would be sure to follow her around the circle, even if she did loop it twice.
And he did.
Chloe panicked. She floored the gas, but the van was still close behind. Reaching for her cell phone, she quickly dialed 911. "Hello, operator? Some guy's following me. He's in an old blue van. Licence plate number? Ok it's KWY--"
The phone went dead. Chloe stared at the screen's message: "Low battery. Phone is shutting off." She pressed the power button frantically, but with no luck. She had no choice but to drive faster. But before she could even look, the van cut her off. Chloe's car careened into a lampost, deploying the airbags and shaking her up quite a bit.
The door of her car flew open, and Chloe looked up and gasped. A man whose face was hidden behind a black ski mask was pointing a fully loaded gun at Chloe's head. He was at point blank range, and any shot he fired was likely to blow Chloe's head clean off her neck
"Get out of the car."
Chloe reached for her keys, fingering them over looking for the panic button. The assailant saw her, and slammed the pistol over her head with full force.
And after that, Chloe's world went black.
When Lois awoke, it was still dark. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been asleep. Come to think of it, she didn't even remember going to sleep. Wait a sec...this isn't my bedroom! Lois gasped. She also realized that she was clothed in a fresh nightgown, one that she didn't remember putting on, or even owning for that matter.
The bedroom was coming into sight now as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and her surroundings became increasingly familiar, yet she still couldn't put her finger on her exact location. But one glimpse at the plaid shirt hanging on the doorknob told her all that she needed to know.
Lois bolted downstairs. "CLARK! YOU HAVE SOME SERIOUS EXPLAINING TO DO!"
Clark peeked at her from the kitchen. "I was just making breakfast! What, did I leave the toilet seat up or something?" He said, smiling at his joke. But his comment only made Lois steam more, her face turning a bright red, and Clark's smile quickly faded. "Lois, what's wrong?"
"Why the hell did I wake up in your bed? What the hell did you do to me last night! I swear, if Clark Jr. so much as left your pants last night, I'll cut it off!" She shouted.
"You fell asleep on the roof. I carried you down and put you in my bed. I slept on the couch. Nothing happened, I swear!" Clark said defensively.
Lois backed off. "OK. Maybe I overreacted a little bit..." Clark cocked his eyebrow at her. "OK, alot. Sorry, Smallville. But can I ask you another question?"
"Sure."
"I was in my dress when I fell asleep last night, right?"
Clark stammered. He knew what Lois was getting at. "Yeah..."
"Then how did I get into a nightgown?" Lois said, her voice as serious as she could make it, but her face beaming.
Now it was Clark's turn to flush red. "I...well, I kind of...you see there was--"
Clark was saved by the ring of the phone. "I'll get it!" he said, a bit too excited, which Lois picked up on and laughed at.
"Hello?"
"Clark, did Chloe come home last night?" It was Martha. She sounded out of breath, as though she'd just run a marathon, automatically alerting Clark that something was up.
"No, she didn't. Why, what's the matter?"
"They found Chloe's car abandoned in Metropolis. It had crashed into a lampost, but she wasn't in the car when they found it. There was blood, Clark. A lot of it in the car, and a trail leading outside into the street. They checked all the hospitals, her dorm, everything. There's no sign of her anywhere."
Clark's mind went completely blank. He didn't see Lois wave her hand in front of his frozen face, nor did he hear her ask him about what had happened. Clark dropped the phone, smashing it into pieces against the hardwood.
"Clark, what's wrong?" Lois asked, but there was no response. Clark just put his face into his hands and staggered backwards. "Clark! What happened?"
"Chloe's gone."
