Any Man's Death

"Any man's death diminishes me." – John Donne

Clark nearly missed the brief story; a lightning strike in the previous night's severe thunderstorm had toppled a tree onto a car, killing its occupant.

Superman had been busy rescuing people from flash floods, but he surely would have heard Alejandro Benavidez's call for help. Wouldn't he?

Perhaps Benavidez had been asleep in his car, unaware of the danger.

Perhaps his cry had been drowned out by those other victims.

Either way, Superman had failed, and one man had died.

Clark's shoulders sagged. Guilt and Kryptonite had a lot in common.