I dragged myself back to the waking world, disoriented and miffed.
"21:00!? I can't have slept that long!" I got up and made my way to my discarded duffle, "There you are." I pulled my bow from the depths of dark canvas, "At least Vinyl Scratch is a creature of habit."
'Vinyl Scratch is an active member of the Canaries, a hacker clan that siphons accounts and SWAT's innocent people for fun.' I threw up my hood 'That ends tonight.'
Rain gently pattered against the pavement, providing a natural soundtrack for Vinyl's walk home. She kept a brisk pace, running late, and not once looking over her shoulder.
I followed at a distance waiting for opportunity to strike.
Suddenly Vinyl picked up the pace and turned down a back alley.
'Here we go. For the good of the city.' I forced my last meal back down, wincing as the acid burned my throat. Nocking an arrow, I turned the corner .
"Vinyl Scratch," I knocked off her signature headphones and readied another arrow, "You have failed this city."
"You're making a mistake..."
"You and your friends drained old man Copper's account." I drew the bow, "That money goes back where it belongs."
The only sound in the alley was the rain.
"It's about the money then?" Vinyl asked, reaching for something.
"Don't try it, Vinyl." I tried to put on an air of confidence, letting the Arrow's reputation do the talking.
Vinyl pulled out her phone, "Just a phone."
I bit back a tear, "Don't make me..." My voice changer quit! "what did you do?!"
Vinyl turned the phone towards me like a tazer.
I rolled, something impacting my thigh.
I felt suddenly cold and tired, Drugged!
I let the arrow loose, it buried itself in Vinyl's phone sending it rocketing down the alley.
The three Vinyls took a step towards me.
I closed my eyes, shaking my head. 'No! I'm not gonna die.'
"Sorry, Green Arrow. But I need the money."
I barely nocked another arrow, "Don't make me do it Vinyl..."
"I don't think you're in a place to make threats."
I collapsed to my knees, sending a spray of water in all directions. I looked up at Vinyl her jagged blue hair framed her face just perfectly. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think.
"Say goodnight Green Arrow," Vinyl kicked me over as my vision faded.
"Vinyl," I pulled myself up, searching for my assailant.
The sun beat down on me.
"That's not good..."
"CC PD!" voice from behind me exclaimed.
"That's even better," I grabbed my bow and started running.
I scanned the alley, pulse pounding in my ears as I sprinted.
I heard a short burst of gunfire behind me. One of the rounds shattering a window inches from my head; showering me in broken glass.
I was rapidly running out of alley, a police car blocking my only exit.
"CC PD! Drop the bow!"
There!
I slid into a narrow passage between two buildings, rolled to my feet, and hit the ground running.
The city street overwhelmed my senses. Cars rushing about, people going about their lives, and a flock of airplanes overhead.
A beat up pickup pulled off the street towards me, snapping me out of my daze.
"Green Arrow, get in."
I didn't question the invitation. I dived into the steel bed and threw the tarp over me, severing my connection to the outside world.
We waited there in silence as time seemed to stop around us.
I set my jaw, gripping the dart still buried in my thigh, 'This is gonna hurt.
I ripped it out, stifling a cry, 'I hate it when I'm right.'
I studied the dart, it was roughly three inches in length with grooves carved into it to ensure a straight flight.'This took time and bits, where'd Vinyl get this?' I turned it over, noticing that it had been modded to hold a syringe. 'Strange,' I popped it out and rapidly found the serial number. It was from a batch shipped to Memorial, the local hospital.
"What?" I was shocked, after going through all that they let this get out on the streets? I got hit by a bus! A bus!
"You're good, Green."
I made sure, lifting the tarp just enough to verify the all clear.
"Very good, if I do say so myself." The driver continued, "I have a job for you, if you're interested."
"I'm guessing I don't have a choice in the matter," I replied, throwing off the tarp.
The driver removed her shades, revealing her cold steely eyes. "You have a choice, Green Arrow. Everyone does, it's just that your choices of late are...endangering my employers. Making investors nervous never did the economy any good."
"Investors," The grip around my bow tightened, "You mean the fatcats who control the cops and people through intimidation and bribery?!" I leaped upright, nocking an arrow on the way up.
"Impressive, but you're not innocent. Are you Green Arrow?" She paused, "After all it's not like you haven't done this before."
"Who do you want me to kill?" I demanded, barely resisting the urge to put her down.
"It doesn't have to come to that," She assured, "Just get the message across."
I scoffed, "No."
"Really? you don't even want to hear what the job..."
I cut her off with an arrow through the steering wheel. The horn blasted a long, low, and distracting note.
She turned around, barely, long enough for me to slip away.
I ran back to the club Vinyl left the night before for my civilian clothes. Careful to stay out of sight, one of the things coming here made me good at.
I stopped outside the back door, and collapsed behind the dumpster.
"I don't know what I'm doing." I sighed, kicking the metal bin. "Am I even doing the right thing, anymore?"
The tears started running over my mask.
"This isn't who I am." I turned the bow over, debating just throwing it away. "I'm not a hero. I'm not a badass. I'm not even Oliver Queen."
I heard the door open and the rattling of a trash bag.
'shit.' I pulled myself further behind the bin, hoping whoever it was didn't see me.
"Wha-"
I closed my eyes, trying not to move.
"G..." I heard him stutter, "no way..."
I sighed, it was over. The city would stay as corrupt, I'd get life in prison and never get home. All he had to do was dial the phone.
He slid back beside me, "You're Green Arrow," He glanced around and lowered his voice. "You're my hero, man."
"I'm not a hero," I looked him in the eye, "all I do is take lives."
"So does the army," he settled in, offering me a cigarette.
I silently declined.
"You're the only one in this city that cares about us. The real people, us guys struggling to get by." He struck a match, "The cops, they're a joke. They don't do anything unless you've got money, and the city council..." He scoffed, lighting his cigarette, "They're even more corrupt. It's no secret that the one-percenters own them. They fund their campaigns, finance their office, you name it."
"I know. But you need someone who doesn't make the streets a warzone." I grabbed his cigarette and smashed it beneath my boot. "You need someone who can do things without the bloodshed."
"Listen. I'm all for the whole peace thing. But, that didn't work for us." He pointed west, "Sure the suburbs, and the upper class...it worked for them, but they've got money and power." He paused, patting the ground, "This, this is the Everglades. The wrong side of the tracks. The folks here, they've got nobody looking out for them. Nobody to look up to. We..." He stifled a tear, "w-we're just barely getting by. We dream of moving, gettin' out, but we know we can't. It's a trap, and nobody can get out."
"I'm sorry, but I can't give you a way to fix everything." I pulled myself up, "Only you can do that. I'm going to turn myself in." I sighed, trying not to cry, "I can at least get real justice."
"You can't do that!" He grabbed my shoulder, and I instantly pictured all the ways I could kill this kid. "We have nothing! You've saved this city, given us hope. A dream, you can't take that away from us, we've got nothing else!"
"If, it means anything, I'm sorry." I pushed him against the wall, pinching the nerve in his neck.
He fell to the pavement like a ragdoll.
"At least I didn't kill him..."
I walked the five miles back home with my head down. Too busy battling my own demons to see anything around me.
Sighing in defeat, I unlocked the door and tossed my duffel on the couch in the corner.
This is how it must be. They'll just have to find a real hero. I cracked a can of Manticore and stared at the empty fireplace.
Does it, though? This is your way home.
Maybe it isn't worth getting back. Besides, nobody misses me there.
Ha...I can't argue with that. But, you can still do this. Just a few more names and we'll be able to forget all about this.
I scoffed out loud, Back home? Back to Dairy Queen six days a week with no hope, no future?
I froze, I heard someone chamber a gun.
No...not now.
I dived for my bow as the door burst open.
I grabbed the bow, turned, and...
"Oliver?"
"Vinyl?!" I dropped the bow, it wasn't very good against a .45 at this range.
"Wait...you?" Vinyl dropped her gun, "You're Green Arrow?"
"How'd you..." I face-palmed, "Tracker in the dart."
"Yeah..." Vinyl backed away slowly, "you tried to kill me!"
"I gave you a choice," I shouted, pulling myself up, " besides, you drugged me!"
"You destroyed my phone, do you have any idea how long that took me to build?" Vinyl threw the remains on the floor.
"You ripped my pants, do you have any idea what those cost me?!" I laughed, "This--this is insane."
"Why me? There's a million other people to go after in this city." Vinyl eyed the gun lying on the carpet.
"You're on my list, Vinyl. I don't have a choice." I risked a glance at my discarded bow, "Besides, I didn't steal an old man's savings."
"You're still concerned about the money, really?" Vinyl threw her hands up, "What happened to the big bad Green Arrow who wants to save the city?"
"His widow deserves what's owed her," I shouted, flipping the footstool over the gun and diving for the bow.
I rolled, grabbing my weapon on the way up, nocked an arrow and drew. "Vinyl Scratch, you have failed this city."
"Copper's dead?" Vinyl shook her head, "No, you're lying! No fatalities, that's how we operate."
"You didn't know," I asked, lowering the bow, "He passed away Monday when the money ran out."
"No...," She sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor, a single tear forced its way down her face. "He lived down the block from me, I barely knew him. His wife brought us cookies when mom--"
I waited in silence for her to continue.
"I...I killed him, didn't I?" Vinyl looked at me, tears in her eyes.
"I...nobody can say for sure, they did all they could but..." 'God this sucks. This was her neighbor and his blood's on her hands. no matter what I say...' I found myself holding her hand, "Vinyl, you didn't know."
"What do I do?" Vinyl demanded, barely matching my gaze, "How do you deal with it?"
'I don't.' "The guilt stays with you, much like losing someone it never goes away. It just gets better." I sighed, trying to giver her something, anything useful, "Staying busy helps, not giving your mind time to reflect."
"I'm going to turn myself in after school tomorrow, but if you want to come with me you can. We can talk to the cops about what happened." I offered, trying to make the situation better.
"I-I don't know. I don't want to go to jail, Oliver."
"Do what you will, Vinyl." I told her, trying to put up a false front of confidence, "But do yourself a favor and go home. Get some sleep."
She nodded slowly, taking a step back.
"Just take the gun with you, Vinyl."
"Okay..." Vinyl gingerly picked up the .45, "You're not coming after me anymore, right?"
"No. You've learned your lesson, I think."
"Yeah...I'll see you tomorrow...?"
"Get some sleep Vinyl."
With that she was gone. Going home is the best thing for her now. Her family can help her through this far better than I ever could. ' I kicked off my boots and fell backwards onto my bed. This is my last day on this world...any world. One last day and it'll be over, all of it.'
I clicked off the light, and almost immediately fell asleep.