Live Another Day
Part 13
A few hours later, Clark woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He turned it off after the third beep and assessed his condition. His muscles were no longer sore and he was back to human strength. But what he’d regained of his powers the day before was noticeably absent. He heaved a small sigh. It would have to do. At least he wasn’t as tired as he’d been before. That in itself was a vast improvement.
However, he felt a gnawing hunger inside him that he knew had nothing to do with the need for food. It was his body demanding for sunlight. The feeling was so intense that Clark knew it was beyond his capability of control. When the sun came up with his healing rays, he would be helpless to stop the process.
Beside him, Lois was still asleep. He got up quietly and walked over to the window and looked outside. What he could see of the old hotel lay in complete darkness. Was the Shamrock of Horrors asleep or were they already searching for him? He hoped they hadn’t gone out yet, because he couldn’t wait for hours - for various reasons.
Clark looked back to Lois’ sleeping form. His heart clenched wistfully. Not much longer and he would say goodbye to her for the last time, no matter how this ended. He had to admit that his plan wasn’t exactly perfect. He’d bought a bottle of hard liquor to play drunk. That way, he hoped the Shamrock of Horrors wouldn’t wonder too much why he was walking right into the lion’s den after they’d almost shot him in the alley behind the Daily Planet.
Clark looked back over his shoulder and saw that Lois was sleeping soundly. It would be easier to just walk out on her, for his heart anyway. He wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say goodbye to her after she had kissed him. Clark buried his face in his hands. It had just been a brief kiss on the cheek. He shouldn’t read too much into that moment. Perhaps it was just the way men and women usually interacted on the outside world. After all, he didn’t have much experience in that department.
But using her help to let Henderson know that Luthor had gotten hold of him would be a lot easier than trying to find a way on his own. Besides, she would be furious with him if he shut her out. And if by some miracle he survived and if – the second “if” was the bigger if for sure – she was actually interested in his friendship, he shouldn’t make her angry with him.
Clark took a deep breath. He had told Lois that he wasn’t nervous about his assignment. That wasn’t true. He knew very well what was at stake and that he was completely vulnerable. And he couldn’t wait until the sun came up, because then his return to the old hotel would look even more suspicious.
Trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, Clark went to his shoulder bag and kneeled down beside it. His leg protested mildly. The pain level was significantly lower than it had been several hours earlier. He rummaged through his bag and produced the bottle of liquor. The he screwed off the cap and poured some of the liquid into his hand, splashing himself with it. Finally he took one large gulp and rinsed his mouth before he swallowed the liquor. It burned on his tongue and in his throat. When he was done, he put the lid back onto the bottle and stuffed it into his bag.
Now he certainly smelled like he’d downed at least a bottle of vodka. He could only hope the alcohol wouldn’t affect him too much. Normally, it had no effect on him whatsoever, but with the lingering poisoning the green crystal had caused, there really was no telling how the alcohol could add to his troubles.
Clark took the gun from his bag and once again stuffed it into his waistband. Then Clark reached for the box with the green crystal, careful not to open it again. Briefly, he contemplated taking it with him. But he quickly dismissed that idea. Much as he hated the idea of leaving the rock out of his sight, he knew that another exposure would likely kill him. He couldn’t risk Luthor or any of the other guys accidently stumbling upon that stuff. His belt was still lying on the floor next to him. Clark fetched it and once more secured the belt around the box. Then he put it into the bag.
He took the bag and gathered all his other belongings except for the sleeping bag and hid everything inside the secret hole in the wall.
Feeling as ready as he was ever going to be, he approached Lois and tapped her shoulder.
“Wake up,” he said quietly.
She didn’t stir immediately and once again Clark was tempted to just let her sleep. But if Luthor killed him without witnesses, the whole mission would have been in vain. So he stayed and continued to tap her shoulder. Finally, her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him.
“Clark?” she muttered.
Clark got up. “I’m going inside the hotel now.”
In one swift motion she sat up straight. “You’re doing what?” She wrinkled her nose as a wave of alcohol must have hit her. “Ugh, you smell like a liquor store.”
He chuckled. “Then it worked. I figured my appearance would look a little more convincing if I was drunk. You stay here and keep an eye on the hotel and the van. It’s parked in front of this building. I’ll take you to a room where you should be able to watch us and hopefully get an idea where they’re going to take me.”
She nodded as if anxious and got to her feet. Together they walked through the halls of the building back to the entrance and into an adjoining room. There were yet more overhead windows with broken glass cluttering the floor. Carefully they approached the empty windows, and Clark got on his toes to have a look outside. The van was still parked where the Shamrock of Horrors had left it a few hours before.
Clark focused his attention back on Lois. “You stay here until we’re gone. Then you inform Henderson. There’s a payphone close to the river. If you take the street to the right side of the hotel, you’ll be heading right for it. Do you have Henderson’s number?” When she shook her head, he searched his pockets, finding a pen and an old bill. He wrote down both Henderson’s phone number and Scardino’s. Then he handed her the piece of paper.
Lines of worry creased her beautiful face. “Are you sure you want to do this, Clark?”
He ignored her question. “This part of Hobbs Bay is not far from the harbor area. When you follow the river upstream, it shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes to get there. At this time, the first workers have already started their shift and I think it’ll be relatively safe for you. Use the phone to call a cab to the harbor and try to lay low until Henderson tells you that Luthor is in custody.”
He turned to leave, but Lois reached for his arm and held him back. “Clark, what you’re doing is dangerous. Why don’t you at least wait until you’re feeling better? You’ve been through so much in the past twenty-four hours. Please give yourself some time.”
Clark was deeply touched by her worry. “I can’t risk waiting any longer. The Shamrock of Horrors will become suspicious if I walk into their lair in broad daylight.” He couldn’t keep himself from brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Besides, there’s a good chance that Luthor will sooner or later smell the trap. Henderson can’t keep you on the list of missing persons forever. And sooner or later the firefighters will declare the building safe.”
Clark couldn’t tell her about the other reason why he needed to get this done as soon as possible. He was running out of time. After everything that had happened, his body was so seriously drained of energy that it was begging to heal. If he left the building any later, he would probably drop unconscious somewhere and his body would take over. Clark knew that was inevitably going to happen in a few hours and he didn’t want to have any witnesses.
Lois laid her hand on his chest. “Please be careful.”
Once more Clark felt like he drew strength from her. It made what he had to do all the more difficult. Then suddenly she leaned in and placed a kiss on his mouth. It was just brief, but the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him, including the moment he’d flown for the first time. And he knew that if he’d had his powers, he’d certainly have floated a few inches above the ground.
“What was that for?” he croaked.
She grinned at him. “Good luck.”
He managed a wry smile. As if on its own volition, his hand moved to cup her face in his palm and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You be careful, too.” He looked at her wistfully. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“This sounds awfully final,” she whispered and laid her hand on his before he had a chance to pull back.
“It is.” He didn’t feel the resolve that he tried to convey. “We won’t be seeing each other again. It’s for the best.”
She furrowed her brows. “For who? I’ve never met someone who could use a friend more than you do. And I can’t just turn my back on you, not after everything that you did for me.”
“Don’t make this more difficult than it already is.” He withdrew his hand from her grip and looked down at his feet. If he said goodbye to her now, he could at least imagine that she’d really be his friend. He didn’t want to give her the chance to hurt him. He knew that if she hated him for what he was, it would be much worse than what Trask had almost done to him.
He squared his jaw and nodded to her. “Goodbye, Lois.”
“Goodbye,” she said softly.
He could see her gulp and her lower lip quivered slightly, but as he turned away from her, she didn’t try to hold him back.
His heart ached as he went back into the dark corridor and toward the exit. The air was cool as he stepped out. A strong gust of wind tugged at his clothes and brushed his face. He felt slightly naked without his shoulder bag, but decided to ignore that particular source of discomfort for the moment. With a pounding heart, he headed for the old hotel. He shivered slightly and he knew that it wasn’t just from the wind. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he was afraid of what the coming hours would have in store for him.
The hotel was dark as Clark approached it. Once again, he used the staff entrance and slipped back into the building. He decided that it would be best to head for his room first. If he didn’t run into the Shamrock of Horrors on his way there, he could still decide how to proceed. He climbed the stairs. By the time he reached the third floor, his bad leg was trembling under his weight. Clark gritted his teeth and opened the door to the corridor.
It was dark and quiet. Clark could neither hear Ray’s snoring nor anything else that would hint at the whereabouts of the three guys. He felt nervous and tried to use his special hearing, but to no avail. His powers were gone. Clark followed the corridor. He was glad that he didn’t need to try and soften his steps. Any other mission than his current one might have ended in a disaster. But given that he wanted to be captured, his heavy limp was just the perfect way to announce his presence.
Despite the noise he made, Clark reached his room without encountering any of the others. He stepped inside and looked around trying to figure which item it was exactly that he would want to pick up in the drunken state he was supposed to be in. What inside this room could be worth risking his life over?
A rumbling sound behind him, made Clark turn his head.
He looked in the face of Hank. “Look, who do we have here?” Hank laughed. “You’re awfully cocky to return to this place. Forgot anything?” He pointed a revolver at Clark. It was the same Smith and Wesson model that they’d used during their break into the Daily Planet. “The Boss wants to see you.”
Clark deliberately slurred his words as he replied. “You’re cocky to think that you can intimidate me.”
He reached into his waistband to draw his own weapon, but Hank was quicker and kicked at his bad leg. Clark didn’t even need to fake the yelp of pain that escaped him as he went down hard. Hank stood above him, still laughing as he kicked him again, this time aiming for his ribs. The air rushed out of his lungs, and when Hank was done Clark didn’t feel like he had the strength to move.
Hank spit into Clark’s face before he pulled him to his feet and dragged him back into the corridor. Joe and Ray were already waiting there.
“I told you he was coming back,” Ray said with a huge grin on his face.
“Yeah, you did,” Joe replied grumpily. “But I’m wondering why?”
“To get some more bullets or something,” Hank said impatiently. “Hell, he could have tried to pick up his latest edition of the Playboy for all I care. Let’s get him to the Boss, before he gets us.”
Clark vaguely felt that Hank grabbed his one arm and Ray the other. Then, suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and the world around him went black.
To be continued…
Last edited by bakasi; 08/31/21 08:26 AM.
