My Grave,
The Basement
Disclaimer: I came up with this idea a long while back but never got around to doing anything with until now. Set in a darker timeline and now that we know about the Red Death being in him, makes the situation that much darker. Or should anyway. Anywho, let's roll on!
A loud boom echoed on the bridge shortly after a rather brutal fight had been drawing to a close. "Shit! He's been hit in that too! Find him!" Yelled Detective Quentin Lance as he caught sight of the latest crazy the Hood had gone after all over the place once the smoke cleared up.
Someone whose methods he had never agreed with as not only were they violent but going outside of the Law. Something he didn't appreciate at all and hated it even more that his daughter seemed to gravitate towards the son of a bitch. For the past 3 years, the Hood had been active and racking up one Hell of a body count and Lance still strongly believed that bastard and Oliver Queen were the same two people. Especially anytime the punk showcased a skill or two he didn't have before Lian Yu. It was also easy to see that Queen was going further and further down a path he just couldn't escape from and it was only a matter of time before he finally got put in a mental institution as he sometimes exhibited signs of being unhinged. Malcolm Merlyn having murdered his mother in a bid for revenge clearly had helped worsen the punk's mental state in the Detective's view of things when she had only ended up in a coma. Thea he knew was living with Laurel as she couldn't be around her brother anymore as he spiraled downward.
The scum of Starling was frightened as shit thanks to the Hood, though some of the more braver (stupider perhaps?) of their kind tried their luck. Only to end up badly hurt or very damn dead. The Hood had gained a few like minded allies in his quest to put the fear of God and Death into scumbags. The only things known about them is that they called themselves Deathstroke, Harbinger, Vigilante and Wild Dog. And somehow, Black Siren could somehow emit a scream that was capable of doing a lot of damage while Deathstroke could withstand a lot of damage despite the fact it should have killed him ten times over. Wild Dog, that guy freely expressed his love of guns by shooting the Hell out of scumbags and Vigilante was pretty much the same way. That guy too could somehow pull off surviving shit that should have killed him ten times over. But it had seemed like the Hood and his allies were starting to find themselves in disagreement over things. Why that was, Lance had no clue. "Sir, he couldn't have gotten far. Not after that!" Detective McKenna Hall declared with a certainty about her.
Lance scoffed at that. "Come on, Hall, you damn well know better then that where the Hood's concerned."
Reluctantly, she did after a few of her own experiences with the man and if she was being honest… She was feeling horrified and worried as she damn well knew who was under that hood. And it had been why she couldn't be with him despite how much it hurt her where that decision was concerned. As the search continued, Oliver, despite the amount of pain he was in, managed to avoid being seen by various people in the city. A clear testament to his strength and willpower with such a thing for that matter as well. He groaned as he climbed down the steps to the basement of the Foundry. Feeling somewhat glad his plan for a club there had fallen through due to how focused he'd gotten on his Mission. As it meant he wouldn't have to answer any questions or get have the cops called there to arrest him. "Well, here you are, bleeding out all over the place again." Came Felicity Smoak's voice in a condescending manner.
"Guh… Go away! You're not really here!"
A scoff was heard. "Yeah, just push me away again. Just like you always do. But I guess I was right about you eventually dying down here alone."
He tried his best to ignore the scathing tone of the woman who wasn't there. Knowing it was the Red Death acting up yet again as it tended to do so. The damn stuff had twisted a large number of his memories of Lian Yu and it was why he had believed Slade to be against him when the man showed up when it was really Sara who had been the real threat. One that the LoA hadn't realized they had been refining until she left a number of them dead in a bid to escape back to Starling City. Nyssa herself had nearly been killed when she tried to bring her back to Nanda Parbat to face judgement and it was thanks to Slade and Oliver that she was alive. Oliver had known he would more then likely end up in the Foundry, alone and bleeding out to a slow death. But he didn't need Felicity's voice and her view backing that up. The Blonde had chosen to leave after that first year with him, primarily because she couldn't handle what he was doing and because he refused to give them a chance due to feelings she had unfortunately developed for him.
Feelings he thought were a waste of time as he had warned her early on not to get attached like that. But she hadn't listened, thinking that perhaps she could try and change that point of view and failing in the end. Digg had eventually left as well as anything he said or did fell on deaf ears. Last Oliver knew, his friend had established his own Private Security business and hired former Soldiers that needed something to keep them occupied now that they were home and no longer serving their Country. "I suppose it fitting you die down here, Oliver. After all, you did let Malcolm kill me for something as petty as revenge." Oliver closed his eyes tightly at the sound of his mother's voice.
"N-No… I didn't, I didn't let him do anything!"
His father's voice could be heard next. "But you did, son, you did. You failed her just like you did me tonight. Do you understand that? YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FAILURE!"
"NO!" Roared out Oliver as he swung at the empty air and crashed against a shelving unit with a groan.
His bloodloss soon saw him no longer able to stand as he went down to the floor none too gently. His back against the shelving unit as his breath ran ragged. "I, I did the best I could. Even… Even if that cost me everything." The dying archer said lowly.
"If!? Oh please! It did cost you everything! I can't even think to call you my brother after all you've done!"
Oliver shook his head at the sound of his little sister's voice as tears broke free and came down his face. Whimpers of denial escaped him as the figment of Thea continued to blame him. Her and others were heard and try as he might, he couldn't get them to stop as he bled out and the pain and the sting of his burns seemed to worsen by the minute. "Oliver! Hang on!" Laurel told him pleadingly.
But he ignored her as he looked at the ceiling. "N-Nothing to… To ha-ang on for..."
"Did what, what I th-thought was, was ri-ight." Moaned the man despite the fact that many disagreed with his thinking of right.
Tommy's voice could be heard next. "We know, buddy, we know. But you have us! That's what you need to hang on for!"
"He's right, Oliver, I never shoulda left my brother to his demons."
"YOU DISHONOR ME, SHADO, AND HOOD!" Thundered Yao Fei's voice.
Oliver shook his head in a defeated manner, accepting that he had done exactly that. Apologizing to his first mentor and not willing to believe what had been said by the others thanks to the Red Death. "An Ambulance is comin', Kid. Do you hear me!? An Ambulance is comin' so you hang on!"
Oliver's vision began to go blurry and his eyes grew heavy, slowly, he closed them as he could no longer keep them open. Or even keep his head up for that matter as his chin touched his chest. "So… Sorry..." Near whispered the man brokenly as he faded away as the voices continued all around him.
His own belief and Felicity's cruel words it seemed, had come to pass.
Author's Notes: So I hadn't intended on the first portion of this happening like it did with Lance and McKenna. But I think it works. Is Oliver dead now? Was he truly alone down in that basement with only those voices courtesy of the Red Death? I'll leave that up to your imaginations.