Chapter Eleven: Closure
Why?
Again and again Jimmy came back to that same question. Why had it all gone so terribly wrong? Why had Chloe gone to his apartment? Why had she found him? Why had the bullet hit her, and not the man who had ruined everything he'd ever dreamed of? So many questions, but there were no answers – at least none that made sense, anyway. Everything was ruined. All that he had worked for, all that he had planned for – all gone, destroyed in a matter of minutes. And it had been going so well! Just one more shot of Zed and Queen would have been dead, and he could have slipped easily into the role of faithful friend to a grieving Chloe, the ever-reliable Jimmy. And later...who knows? He felt sure that she would have come to love him eventually, appreciate all that he could offer once she was no longer dazzled by that fake smile and a billionaire's bank balance.
There would be none of that now, of course; no happy ending, no fulfilment of a dream. There was no escaping the hard truth of what had happened. He had but one course of action left to him, a reality that he understood all too well...
He glanced at the clock in front of him, the digital display telling him that he had been driving for over two hours now. Not that he had any real appreciation of the passage of time, his mind reeling from the shocking turn of events that had unfolded back at his apartment. All he had done on leaving his home was to drive. It hadn't mattered initially where he'd driven, as all he'd wanted was space to think and clear his head. But right from the moment he'd pulled away from his apartment he'd known deep down his ultimate destination. It was true that for a time he had contemplated going to the hospital; hell, at one stage he'd come within one block of Metropolis General. But the truth was he couldn't do it. He couldn't take her there, knowing full well that to do so would be to lose her forever – more than that, to lose her to him. He'd been through too much to entertain such an outcome. Face years in prison, knowing every day that he had her, that they were together? No, it was impossible – he would not, could not, allow it. Sure, Oliver said he would get out of their lives for good, but he didn't believe it – sooner or later he'd return, and all would be ruined once more. No, going to hospital was not an option – which left only one possible course of action...
He glanced across at Chloe. She had been unconscious since they had left the apartment, and only the large stain caused by the gunshot wound gave any clue as to her perilous position. He'd hastily improvised a makeshift bandage, and this had gone some way towards staunching the flow of blood; nevertheless, Jimmy knew that her injury was serious. He was thankful that she was not awake, so that he did not have to face her questions, her pleas for Oliver, her pain. Instead he could look at her face, which seemed even more beautiful drained of its color, and call to mind happier times, times when his dreams still had a chance of becoming reality...
Soon it will be over, Chloe – I promise. Soon the pain will disappear, and we will be together, just as it was always meant to be.
A loud thump sounded somewhere to his rear. Jimmy frowned, the reminder of Oliver's presence in the trunk an unwelcome interruption. He'd already had to make one stop to bind and gag his rival, who'd long since regained consciousness, but it hadn't been enough; for the last thirty minutes or so the sound of his captive's struggles to escape had accompanied his drive through the streets of Metropolis and out into the countryside. He was nearing his destination now, and the problem of what to do with Oliver could be ignored no longer. He knew one thing, and that was he was not going to allow the man who had ruined everything to complete the journey; he and Chloe must be alone at the end, without his presence contaminating the moment. But what to do with him? It was dark now, and the roads he was travelling on appeared deserted. He just needed to find the right spot, the right place to do what he should have done all those months earlier when he held that gun in his hand...
And then he remembered. Of course! It would be perfect, and was just a couple of minutes' drive from where he was at that moment. His pulse quickening, he drove on for a minute or so more, before taking a left onto a narrow track. The road was not properly surfaced, and the car lurched from side to side as it made its way over the uneven ground. Jimmy could not help but smile to himself as he thought of his prisoner being tossed about in the trunk a few feet behind him. The adrenalin was pumping now, and the disasters of the previous few hours were momentarily forgotten as he felt the thrill of knowing that at last he would achieve some form of closure, even if it was not what he had originally intended.
It didn't take him long to reach his destination, pulling up just short of the end of the track. In front he could just make out a narrow path winding off into the darkness. As he took his gun from his pocket he looked across at Chloe, and was relieved to see that her eyes remained closed; he did not want her to witness what he was about to do. As he stepped from the car a strong gust of wind almost took his breath away. A storm was approaching fast, and looking up he could see clouds turning the night sky an inky black. He quickly made his way around to the rear of the car, sensing the heavy spots of rain which were already starting to fall. He opened the trunk, before grabbing Oliver and dragging him out. The young hero fell heavily to the ground, unable to move due to the ropes that bound his wrists and ankles.
"Stay still!" ordered Jimmy, as he knelt down to untie Oliver's feet; he had no intention of carrying the other man the short distance to where he expected his rival to meet his end. Quickly he undid the knot that held Oliver secure. He then gestured for him to get to his feet, before indicating with the gun the direction in which he was to walk. Oliver stumbled forward a couple of steps, but then came to a halt next to where Chloe sat motionless in the car. Jimmy could see the desperation in the other man's eyes, the fear that it was all already too late. His lip curled into a sneer of satisfaction. This time there would be no last minute stay of execution, no tearful reunion to stick in his throat; this time he would make sure that Oliver could not return to deny him one last time.
"Move!" he demanded, thrusting the barrel of the gun into Oliver's back. The young hero shot him a glance of pure hatred, before returning his gaze towards Chloe; he shouted her name into his gag, a muffled cry for her to wake up and reassure him she was still alive.
"I said move, you piece of shit!" This time there was anger in Jimmy's voice, and as he spoke he shoved Oliver forward. Oliver stumbled, before awkwardly falling to the ground.
"Do as I say, or you'll wish Lex had killed you after all!" hissed Jimmy, grabbing Oliver by the hair and pulling his head off the ground. The rain was falling heavily now, and Oliver's face was stained with drops of dirty water from the puddle into which he had fallen. He appeared defiant, grunting once more into his gag; Jimmy could not make out the words, the sound of the falling rain and the wind drowning out their meaning. Was he asking about Chloe? Almost certainly he wanted to know whether she was still alive. Jimmy did not care; he had no intention of giving his rival the solace of knowing that Chloe continued to live, even as he breathed his last. Roughly he hauled Oliver to his feet, before propelling him forward and away from the car. This time Oliver was more cooperative, and the two men began to make their way down the track that stretched out into the darkness in front of them.
Does he know what's going to happen? The question appeared in Jimmy's head as he watched Oliver walk in front of him. He suspected that he must have an inkling, that he knew that this path did not lead to some hideout in which he would be left, bound and gagged. This was the endgame, and Oliver knew it; he knew he was never going to retrace his steps back along this path.
What must it be like, knowing you're going to die? Jimmy didn't know, but he hoped that Oliver was afraid – more afraid than he had ever been in his life. He wanted that small triumph, the knowledge that at the end he hadn't just won, but that he had broken Oliver in a way that even Lex had failed to do. It would be some minor consolation for the failure of his plan, and for the countless times he had had to endure the self-satisfied smugness of this man that he loathed so much.
This time there will be no last gasp rescue, Oliver – this time you will die!
They walked for about a minute, until the path took a sharp turn to the right. Oliver stopped when he saw what lay around the corner; the track led onto a narrow footbridge, which crossed a deep valley. The sides of the gorge fell away steeply to either side of them, and the sound of a fast flowing river somewhere far below mixed with the noise of the pouring rain to create an ominous roar. It was clear from Oliver's hesitation that he understood that this was journey's end, and that his time was finally up.
"Move!" ordered Jimmy, shoving his captive forwards. A few paces further and they were both on the bridge, an inky blackness to either side of them making it feel almost as if they were stepping out into a void. Jimmy forced Oliver on, pressing the barrel of the gun into his back; the bridge was narrow, and swayed alarmingly as they moved further out towards the center. The wind was stronger here, lashing the rain against the two of them and soaking them still further. Jimmy didn't care; the effect of the wind and rain only served to heighten the drama of the moment, and the sense of desperation of his victim.
"That's far enough!" he shouted eventually, struggling to be heard against the sound of the elements that now swirled around them. He then struck Oliver on the back with the butt of his gun, forcing the young hero to his knees. Oliver was taken by surprise by the blow, and it was easy for Jimmy to grab him by the collar of his jacket and drag him to the side of bridge, so that he was perched perilously at its edge.
"Goodbye, Oliver," he said, staring at the back of the other man's head as he raised the gun and levelled it at his skull. "I hope you rot in hell!"
He hesitated for a moment, his finger poised on the trigger. He was shaking, and brought his other hand up to steady his aim.
Think of what he's done to you, Jimmy! Do it – pull the trigger and end it once and for all!
He closed his eyes, and fired.
The shot rang out, echoing above the sound of the wind and rain. Jimmy's eyes snapped open, to find...
Nothing.
Where Oliver had knelt just moments before, there was now just an empty space.
He stepped forward, and stared down into the void below him. He could see nothing, but instinctively he knew...
Finally, Oliver Queen was dead.
Sorry you've had to wait a long time for the update. I've been really busy, and for some reason my inspiration to write has just dried up recently - getting this chapter out was not easy. Got there in the end, and another cliffhanger for you. Will Oliver survive? What does Jimmy have planned for Chloe? I'm afraid you are going to have to wait to find out...
Next update could be in a week, but more likely it will be in two weeks - as I say, I'm finding writing really difficult at the moment. Please leave a review if you can - the way I feel, a little encouragement is really needed!
