Chapter 9.

The motorbike had come to a stop near a small barren patch of land within the bounds of the wooded area known as Audrey Clearing. There were signposts dotted around instructing visitors where to find the picnic areas as well as signs warning visitors about hunting permits and so on. Kevin dismounted and removed his helmet, looking around warily.

Clark had been following Kevin by listening out for the sound of the motorbike. When he realised the road led to Audrey Clearing, he suspected that Kevin might head there. It was a hunch based on little more than the nugget of information his father had provided about the accident. Once Clark was within 50 feet of Kevin, he hid behind the trunk of a large tree. His red jacket did not make for the best camouflage.

Kevin walked down towards a more shaded section of the woods before stopping and viewing his surroundings. Clark kept an eye from a safe distance and saw Kevin turning this way and that. He seemed edgy. Maybe he was waiting for somebody. What Clark didn't know was that Kevin was trying to fend off the headache he got every time he visualised the accident when he came back to the woods. Coming to the area again intensified the memories and the headache.

Kevin's mind was now projecting the events from that day. He could see himself and his brother creeping along - guns loaded and at the ready - as their father followed a few steps behind. He was whispering to them to take careful steps and listen intently. Their eyes darted this way and that as they sought their prey. Dylan was becoming a crack shot and Kevin wasn't too far behind. More practice would develop a steady hand and a smoother action when it came to taking aim and firing. Kevin had the keener eye of the two brothers and was usually the first to spot the prey. It was a frequent source of the typical bickering between siblings of similar age as their competitive streak saw each claim to be better than the other.

The peace was shattered when Kevin stumbled on an exposed tree root and lost his footing. He heard a gunshot. His senses were bombarding his brain with sights, sounds and smells. It was so close - too close for comfort. It didn't sound right and he had yet to spot their prey. Had Dylan beaten him to the punch this time? Looking over to where Dylan was supposed to be standing, all he saw was the prone form of his brother sprawled amongst the leafy mulch. At first he assumed his brother had tripped too, then he'd maybe taken up a low shooting position, but Dylan was not holding his rifle. His face didn't have the intense concentration of the hunter. Instead, his eyes were glazed and staring at a specific spot on the ground. His face was spattered with blood. Kevin wasn't sure what had happened but when he turned to look behind him, he could see his father standing there staring in shock. Kevin's eyes went to his own rifle from which he could see a small plume of smoke - the tell-tale sign that it had been fired. Had he accidentally fired his gun when he tripped? He really couldn't remember pulling the trigger. In any case, Dylan was to his right whereas he was sure he'd held his rifle facing down and to his left. Their father had taught them to ensure their weapons were always pointing away.

"Kevin."

Kevin's mind brought him back to the present instantly as he heard the unfamiliar voice calling his name. Turning his head sharply, he saw somebody both unfamiliar yet familiar. Unfamiliar in that he didn't know the tall young man in the red jacket, yet familiar because he knew this man had tried to intervene outside the Talon. He felt a wave of panic again, raising his hands and getting ready to fire another blast of the memory-wiping rays of green energy.

Clark raised his own hands in a defensive gesture, unsure of what Kevin was going to do. "No wait, it's OK. I only came here to ask you about Summerholt."

Kevin lowered his hands again. "You! You're the one outside the Talon. How come you remember me?"

"I don't. I can't remember anything that happened but I'm told something did. I found your membership card at the Talon and tracked you down," Clark explained carefully. He was also ready to super-speed away should Kevin decide to try wiping his memory again as in that one sentence from Kevin, it was clear that he was capable of doing that.

"Why did you follow me here? I don't have the money," said Kevin.

"I'm not here for the money. My friend chased you outside the Talon and she was found unconscious. When she came to, she couldn't remember anything from the past 9 months. I just want to know if you know anything about that."

Kevin looked surprised. He knew the friend Clark was referring to. "Wait, she lost all her memories? You're only supposed to lose a couple of minutes."

Clark responded. "Look, your father told us about the accident. I know it's going to be hard, but is this where it happened?"

Kevin began to frantically search around, looking for clues in the woods as well as within his mind.

"It was somewhere here," and then whispering to himself, "somewhere here."

"Can you tell me what happened that day?" asked Clark, slowly moving closer to Kevin.

Kevin began recounting his memories of that fateful day. He described it exactly as envisioned moments earlier, only this time crouching down and approximating the position he was in when he spotted the prone Dylan.

"Did you fire the shot Kevin?"

Kevin pressed his hands to his temples and groaned, closing his eyes as his brain bombarded him with more memories.

"I was here, and Dylan was over there. I had the gun in my hands. It was smoking and I'd fired the shot."

Kevin then wailed in pain prompting Clark to ask what it was.

"I've been trying to block these memories out."

Clark realised this might have something to do with his treatment at Summerholt. Mr Grady had said they were trying to remove these painful memories but perhaps Kevin's mind was fighting that removal. Clark knew that Summerholt's memory programmes were brutal and invasive and he was wary of putting too much strain on Kevin. It was clear that the present situation was taking its toll on Kevin, but Clark needed to know what was happening so he could think about how they might resolve it.

"Maybe someone's been trying to block them out for you," Clark offered.

"No no, I saw the smoking gun," Kevin replied, getting more agitated.

"Do you remember holding the smoking gun, or do you remember someone telling you that?" asked Clark, sensing that Kevin was close to breaking point.

Kevin groaned again, falling to his knees and grabbing his head as his recollections of the day clarified. This new version was slightly different to the previous one. Here, the sights, sounds and smells were much more vivid. Much more like he was living it for real. He saw Dylan's prone form. He saw the tree roots he'd tripped on. He saw his father standing there almost pale with shock. He saw his own rifle beside him on the ground. He saw the rifle in his father's hands, gripped firmly and smoking from the end of the barrel. It was like an epiphany.

"I…I-I didn't do it! I didn't fire the shot! It wasn't my gun!"

Clark breathed a deep sigh of relief but then watched as Kevin put his hands to his face. He was crying.

"I didn't shoot him. My dad told me I did but I didn't do it. Why would he do that to me?" he asked, shaking.

Clark moved to Kevin and crouched down, his face full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Kevin."

Kevin removed his hands and looked up at Clark, confused. "I don't get it. I wiped your memory and gave your friend amnesia. Why would you want to help me?"

"Let's just say I know what it's like to be manipulated and not know reality from fiction. You lose a part of your life and it's scary."

Kevin began to stand up. "I'm sorry, about you, about your friend, about the money, about everything, but I don't know if I can help your friend. We'd need to break into Summerholt, and I don't know how to sneak you in there."

Clark offered the faintest of smiles. "I don't think that will be a problem. Look, come back to my place. It's not far and we can take my truck."

"How did you get here?"

"My friends gave me a ride. I live pretty close by, at the Kent farm. I'm Clark Kent," said Clark, using his 'trust me' face and extending his hand for Kevin to shake it. Kevin did, and the two made their way back to Kevin's motorbike.