Oliver Queen has gone through more hell than every other character on Arrow combined. It honestly baffles me how he has not had a psychotic break at some point over the course of the show.

The human mind is a rather fragile thing. It can only take so much before it snaps.

Oliver Queen had been through hell that most men can't even begin to imagine. A mere fraction of it would break most men. But despite all that, he still stood tall, ready to soldier on. But something in him broke when he had to send his son away, something deep inside his heart shattered. And then when Felicity Smoak, who he believed had loved him, was so easily able to walk away from him, to turn her back on him when he needed her most, it was all too much. Something inside Oliver Queen snapped that day. And something else was born, something twisted. A much darker entity than anyone thought was possible.

Star City

Night

Marcus Redman was sitting in his loft apartment, enjoying a fine glass of scotch. It had taken him a long time, the better part of three years, but he had managed to rebuild what The Hood had taken from him.

He suddenly heard gunshots from the hall and started, his glass falling from his hands and onto the floor. It shattered the liquid spilling onto the floor but Marcus paid it no mind as he heard the cries of his security from behind the door. Suddenly, the door burst open as one of his security guards was thrown onto the floor. A man in a green hood, wearing a suit that was an exact replica of The Hood's, walked in, wielding a bow and arrow. The man notched an arrow into his bow and, without hesitation, fired it into the chest of the security guard.

"Wait, wait!" Marcus pleaded as the man notched an arrow and took aim at him.

"Marcus Redman, you have failed this city!" The man bellowed before he fired.

The arrow flew through the air and hit Marcus in the chest, piercing his heart. Marcus stumbled back, gasping in pain before he tripped over his arm chair, falling down into the floor. The man walked over to Marcus, seeing his eyes staring without seeing. The man in the hood then turned and walked out of the room, passing the pile of dead bodies he had left in his wake.

Several weeks passed with Team Arrow trying to find out who this man in the hood who seemed to be following in The Hood's footsteps was, as he targeted people that Oliver in his first year back had gone after that were now rising back to power. Only he was far less concerned with collateral damage as Oliver had been. Then one night, Diggle's brother, Andy went missing. None of them were able to reach Oliver as they searched the city for Andy. Finally, after hours of searching, they managed to track them to, of all places, Verdant. They walked into a site they had never expected to see.

The man in the hood stood before a table, a body lying underneath a sheet. There were surgical tools, blood covering them, on a small table near the man in the hood.

"What the hell did you do? Is that my brother?" Diggle demanded as he, Thea, and Laurel aimed their weapons at him.

"Yes. And I have done what I've always done, what I have to do for this city," A voice, familiar and yet so different, spoke up from beneath the hood and the three tensed as the man turned around and lowered the hood.

"Oliver?" Diggle gasped as they stared at his face.

"Hello John," Oliver said coolly, his face a perfect mask, devoid of any emotion.

"Ollie, why?" Thea asked horrified and her brother flashed a cool smirk.

"Because you weren't getting the job done. Because you were more interested in playing hero than saving lives. Because you weren't willing to do what was necessary and I was," Oliver told them coolly.

"And my brother, how was that saving a life!?" Diggle snarled and Oliver laughed.

"Ah John, so blinded by sentiment, something I have freed myself from. Andy was working with Hive. He admitted to everything John, told me all their plans. And now I know how to stop them," Oliver said confidently.

"You didn't have to go this far Ollie, we could have worked together!" Laurel said and Oliver scoffed.

"No, we couldn't have. Because John has a blind spot when it comes to Andy. Oh, I'm sorry, had a blind spot," Oliver said apathetically and Diggle growled. "He would have refused to hear my suspicions, told me to fuck off, ignored my advice, and someone probably would have died, likely one of you. Which is the way it's been since I came back, no one has died yet but I believe that's a miracle with how much you guys refuse to even hear me out. You blind yourself to the fact that the city is dying, you fool yourselves into thinking you're making a difference but the truth is you're failing the city. We have failed the city. I refuse to do so anymore. Even if I must become as bad as Malcolm Merlyn, as twisted as the devil himself. Every story needs a villain. If I must bear the mantle of villain to save this city, so be it."

"Oliver, you're having some sort of psychotic break. Come with us, we'll get you the help you need," Diggle said as he lowered his gun, trying to reach his friend.

"No, I don't want to. And even if I did, there's work to be done. And I can't allow you to stop me," Oliver said as he reached back into his quiver.

Diggle realized a second too late what was happening as Oliver notched an arrow and fired at Thea. Diggle tackled Thea out of the way but in the process got an arrow to the shoulder. As Diggle winced, Laurel used her sonic scream but Oliver did not seem affected as he made his way over to Laurel, using his bow to easily block her strikes with her side batons. Oliver punched Laurel in the abdomen, grabbed her, lifted her over his shoulder, and threw her around. Laurel hit a piece of wood and went right through it, landing painfully on her back. As she stared up, dazed, Oliver walked over, an arrow notched n his bow as he prepared to fire.

"Believe it or not Laurel, I wish it didn't have to go down like this," Oliver said before he fired.

However, his arrow was knocked out of the way by a red arrow. Oliver looked over to see his sister aiming her own arrow at him. Laurel took this opportunity to knock Oliver off his feet with a well-aimed kick to his feet. However, as Laurel sat up, she soon found herself in a choke hold, Oliver behind her.

"Like I said, I wish I didn't have to be this way Laurel," Oliver whispered in her ear.

"Don't move!" Thea snapped, aiming her shaking bow at her brother.

"If you want to stop me Speedy, you'll have to make it a kill shot," Oliver said and, when Thea doesn't move, he shrugs. "Disappointing."

Oliver bent Laurel backwards slightly and, with a twist, a sickening crack echoed through the abandoned building. Oliver let Laurel drop to the floor and picked up his bow before standing. He looked over at his sister to see her staring at him in horrified shock. Diggle was on the ground, holding his sounded shoulder as he took stared at Oliver in shock and horror.

"You can take that kill shot now. And you don't have the risk of hitting Laurel by mistake now," Oliver spread his arms wide, as if offering himself to Thea, but she still didn't move. "And that's why this city is dying. Because you don't have what it takes to save it. But I do. My only regret is that it took losing nearly everything for me to open my eyes."

"Ollie," Thea trembled as Oliver began walking towards her.

"Don't move!" Diggle shouted as he aimed his pistol at Oliver.

"If you want to stop me John, you'll have to kill me. Go ahead, do it," Oliver egged on but neither of them made a move. "Do it!"

Still, they made no move to fire and Oliver sighed.

"See, even now! After I've killed Laurel in front of you, you still won't kill me! That is why this city is dying and why I have to do this," Oliver snarled.

Oliver pulled a flechette from under his sleeve and threw it at Diggle. It hit Diggle in the chest and Diggle gasped in pain. Diggle dropped his gun, stumbling back before falling on his back, dead. Thea started, staring at Diggle's body as Oliver took a step towards.

"And then there was one," Oliver said and Thea looked back over at him. "I'll give you one last chance Speedy. Stop me, here and now. And you'll have to make it a kill shot. Sure, you can try and arrest me, but I've been trained by Ra's al Ghul, Malcolm Merlyn, and Slade Wilson. I'll get out one day, no matter where you put me. The only way to stop me is to kill me. Go ahead Thea, do it."

Thea aimed her bow at Oliver, her entire form trembling as she prepared to fire. But she still couldn't bring herself to let the arrow go. Oliver waited for several seconds before he struck. Whirling his bow, he used it to knock Thea's bow out of her hands before he attempted to strike her with it. She dodged and attempted to strike him but Oliver easily brushed her strikes aside. He pulled out an arrow and attempted to strike her with it. She grabbed his hand, managing to hold him back as he tackled her into a wall.

"You don't have the urge to kill anymore and it shows," Oliver told her as she struggled trying to hold him back, the arrowhead itching closer to her heart. "You have failed this city for the last time."

Thea gasped in shock as the arrowhead pierced her skin. The arrowhead went into her chest and into her heart. She looked into her brother's eyes, seeing apathy staring back as he twisted the arrow. And that was the last thing Thea Queen saw.

Oliver let her go and stepped aside as she fell to the floor. Oliver then picked up his bow and walked out; leaving aside the chaos and death he had left in his wake. There was still much work to be done.

So, what do you think? Please leave any thoughts or comments you may have in a review.