Zealous | [SUPERMAN]

Ch. 18 - Snake

"Be aware of your surroundings. You are seen as a threat to the common man. The green pill. Trust no one. And Marilyn-- wake up."

"Edward?!??" Marilyn jerked forward in bed, frantically searching the bedroom she didn't remember coming home to last night. She glanced down at her pajamas, wondering how she had gotten them on. The time on the alarm clock read 1:35 PM. She had slept nearly half the day away.

"Clark?" Marilyn called to an empty apartment with no reply back. She groggily left the bed to find a note on the kitchen counter.

"For the hangover. Went to run errands. - Clark"

She glanced at the two tiny pills beside a tall glass of water. Although she knew they were red Motrin for her pounding headache, she began to think back to her vivid dream of Edward's cryptic warning that made no sense at all. A green pill. Don't trust anyone. Did that include Clark? Should she just avoid all pills in general? She didn't know, and she silently cursed Edward for being so vague even in death. She left the pills on the counter and made her way back to the bedroom where she grabbed her now charged phone and began to scroll through the missed calls and texts from last night. Three new texts from Ramona, six missed calls from Clark.

From: Ramona DD (Designated Driver) - 12:12 AM

Are you okay?

From: Ramona DD (Designated Driver) -
1:27 AM

Let me know if you still need a ride, I gave your purse to your friend.

From: Ramona DD (Designated Driver) -
2:07 AM

Did you make it home okay?

Marilyn set the phone down as her heart rate picked up due to slight panic. She didn't remember any type of 'friend' that wasn't included in the party group of girls last night. She didn't even remember leaving the club with anyone. She frantically dialed Ramona's number in search of answers; hoping and praying that the 'friend' Ramona saw was just Clark coming to pick her up. Maybe it was all just one big misunderstanding.

"Hey Marilyn, thanks for calling I was getting worried!" Ramona on the other end sounded bubbly and full of life, it made her kind of jealous in her hungover state.

"Hey Ramona, I'm okay, sorry I didn't text last night my phone died.. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.." Marilyn asked nervously, wondering how she could phrase such questions so as not to make her think she let her leave with a stranger.

"Of course, what's up?" Marilyn paused.

"Do you remember my friend who you gave my purse to?"

"Oh yeah, that guy who came out of nowhere. Kinda creepy, but you said you knew him."

"I said that?!?!" She thought angrily. She still couldn't call upon the thought.

"Oh... Yeah, it's just I didn't get my purse back and he said he doesn't remember picking it up either.... Are you sure you gave it to the right guy?"

"Mmmm....... Yes.... It was the same guy you had been hanging out with after you came out of the bathroom. You guys were talking at the bar with some of his friends, then after awhile he came to me and said you were tired and wanted to go home, so I gave him your purse and he said he'd take you home. He even closed out everyone's tab and paid it ALL in full! That was so sweet of him!" Although she didn't remember it, things began to piece together and make a little bit of sense. She remembered spending time in the bathroom, but not anything after that until she was walking in an unknown part of town by herself. It was pretty clear that whoever this guy was, he had to have been a friend with false intentions. Someone who could hide in plain sight. Someone with enough money to pay five separate bar tabs including his own--