Superman : Elseworlds

The Old Ghosts of Deer Creek - 1

Everywhere I've gone, the story's been the same.

Here in the Dark Multiverse, there are no happy endings. No hope to be found. No way to fight back against the darkness.

But I know better.

Smallville, Kansas.

Before.

"This isn't a good idea, Pete.

Pete Ross shrugs his shoulders at his friend's words, "Don't you want to know if the story's true?" Lana Lang shakes her head, "I'm not losing

any sleep over wondering if there's a portal to Hell in Kansas, Pete." Pete turns to Clark, "What about you, pal?" Clark Kent frowns as both of his

friends give him expectant looks. Sighing inwardly, he admits, "Okay, fine. I'm curious, too, Pete. But--" Pete smiles widely as he cuts him off,

"Sorry, Lana. Two to one. You've been outvoted." Lana gives Clark a dirty look. Pete offers a solution, "You don't have to come, Lana. No one'll

hold it against you." "Someone has to keep you two idiots from doing something even more stupid than what you're doing now." Lana responds.

Clark eyes her with some bemusement, not missing an opportunity to tease her a bit, "You sure had no problem sneaking onto Jed Colder's

farm with me and Pete to jump off the silo." Lana glares at him, and Clark holds up his hands, "I'm just saying, is all." Pete laughs, and Lana keeps

shooting daggers at Clark.

A few minutes of squabbling later, Pete zips up his backpack, and so do Clark and Lana. "All right, let's go. We've got a date with the Devil."

Clark and Lana exchange skeptical looks, and Pete tries to walk his words back, "Figure of speech, guys. I swear."

It's a clear night in Smallville when they head out for Stull.

The stars are shining brightly, and the moon looms high above in the midnight sky. Its pale light falls across the trio as they climb into

Jonathan Kent's pickup truck. Clark is driving, and Lana is sandwiched between the two as Pete gets in after her. "Last chance, you two." Lana

offers. "We can still stop this." "No way, Lang." Pete declined. "I need a little adventure right now, and God knows Clark could use some excitement

to liven him up a bit."

Clark rolls his eyes at Pete, and Lana laughs softly.

If Pete only knew...

Clark pulls out onto the street now, and while Pete rolls down his window all the way, Lana considers the town of Stull. She's heard all the

stories just as much as anyone else in Smallville has, but once Pete came up with this harebrained idea of his, she'd decided to do a little

digging. Unfortunately, things came up, and all she could do was earmark the resources so she could read them later.

Later, as it turns out, being now.

Grabbing her flashlight from the bag she packed, she also retrieves everything she could find on Stull, Kansas. "What're you doing, Lana?"

Clark asks as they pass their high school. Lana smiles, "Well, since Stull is a bit of a drive from Smallville, I figured I'd read up on it along the