The wind howled across the fields, carrying the scent of an approaching storm.
Alex stood on the Kent farmhouse porch, watching the dark clouds gather in the distance.
Something felt off tonight.
There was an unnatural stillness in the air, a weight pressing down on his chest. Even the farm animals seemed restless, their usual noises replaced by uneasy silence.
He frowned. Maybe it was just a storm.
Or maybe it was something else.
---
A Brother's Shadow
Clark walked up beside him, his presence almost too large for the space. Even when he wasn't in his Superman suit, there was something about him—an aura that made him seem more than human.
"You okay?" Clark asked.
Alex forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
"About what?"
Alex hesitated. He wanted to say about how I'll never be like you. But instead, he said, "About what I want to do with my life."
Clark nodded, staring at the sky. "You don't have to figure it all out right now, Alex."
Easy for him to say. He was Superman.
But Alex? He was just a guy with a few inventions and a dream that felt out of reach.
The storm rumbled in the distance.
And somewhere beyond the clouds, something watched.
Waiting.
And soon, the world itself would come to a stop.