Archers of the Multiverse- Book One

Chapter 10- Green Arrow

"The Hood..... is Death?" Green Arrow asked, bewildered. 

"CORRECT! Two points to you!" Clint replied gleefully.

"How in the world do you kill Death?" Oliver asked again.

"Ollie, my dear boy. It's simple. To find Death, you must die!" Joker said with a hint of malice in his eye.

He pulled out a pistol and shot Clint through the side of the head.

"NO!" Oliver screamed.

"Relax!" Joker assured him. "You'll see him again, although sadly the J Toxin will have worn off. He will be back to boring old Hawkeye." Joker said with a slight sigh.

"How.." Oliver said. 'How will I see him ag-"

All he saw was Joker aiming the gun at his head, and then the world went black.

Oliver was still in the darkness, but he could tell this place was different.

"Oliver?" A groggy Clint said from somewhere near.

"Clint! Thank God!" Oliver said with relief.

Soon another thud landed beside the archers.

"Congrats boys, we made it out of Purgatory!" Joker informed them.

"Purgatory?!" Clint questioned.

"Ah, yes, hello Clinton. I must say you made a fine 'Jokeeye'. But on to the matter at hand. Yes, you were in Purgatory. And we are about to march in to Heaven and kill Death once and for all!"

"What the hell?" Oliver asked.

"Seriously, do you boys know nothing?" Joker asked, frustrated.

Oliver and Clint gave each other a look as they both realized the same thing.

"Okay, Joker. We want some answers." Clint ordered.

"Why certainly! Ask awa-"

The Joker disappeared.

"Damn it!" Clint yelled.

"We're coming for you Death!" Oliver screamed in to the darkness.

"nO..... i'M CoMiNg FoR yOU." Death's voice came from above them. Suddenly, a trap door opened and a set of stairs fell down to meet the archers. The glow of the white room blinded them.

"The white room.... is Heaven?" Clint looked severely confused.

"WeLl, ThE ENTraNce To HEAvEn, YEs." Death answered them. He appeared on the screen as the archers walked up the Stairway to Heaven.

"ThE ComPEtiTion Is pREtty muCH oveR bOyS. JoKeR Saw tO thAt." Death grumbled. "So I MiGhT As WeLL GIve YoU SOMe ANsWeRs BEFore we  ENd it ALL."

"How did we get here?" was Oliver's first question.

"WhY, I TooK YOu, oF COurSE." Death answered. Suddenly, news headlines replaced Death on the giant screen.

AVENGERS HELICARRIER GETS BLOWN TO BITS. HAWKEYE MISSING.

GREEN ARROW SHOT WHILE CAPTURING THE ASSASSIN DEATHSTROKE. IN CRITICAL CONDITION

"We're.... we're dead?" Clint muttered.

"qUItE. HowEvER, bOtH oF yOu ArE stILL clInGiNg tO SHRedS of ConSciOuSneSS. WHiCH brInGs uS tO ThE VeRY END oF thE comPeTiTiOn. BoNuS RoUNd: SAcRIfICe."

The archers were plunged back in to Purgatory. On first observation of the area, they were back at the edge of the woods where Bobbi and Venom had been killed, but the bodies had been removed. The darkness had been walled off and directly in front of them were two elevators.

"ThE RIgHt ELEvAtOr wILL bRiNg yoU BaCk tO youR EarTH. ThE LeFT OnE wilL SEnD yOu to HELL. OnLY oNE arCheR LeAvEs AliVe. Oh, AnD I WoULD DecIDE QuickLY."

Clint and Oliver could see them coming from a mile away. Four huge villains towered over the woods. The worst of the worst.

On Clint's side of things, he saw Thanos, and Galactus.

Oliver recognized Darkseid, and Doomsday.

"You have one minute." Thanos spoke for the group. "Then we kill you both."

The two archers realized they had come to the end of the road. Oliver realized it had been so long since he heard Clint tell a joke.  What he wouldn't give to laugh with him one more time. Their relationship had changed drastically since the beginning of this whole thing. Oliver didn't want to make this decision.

"Go, Ollie." Clint finally told him.

"What? Hell no, Clint! Get on that right elevator right now." Oliver demanded.

"No, listen. Just hear me out." Clint said before Oliver could interrupt. "You're a part of the Justice League. You've saved COUNTLESS lives. From what I can hear, you're one of the Justice League favorite! Right up there with this 'Batman' and 'Superman'. Your world needs you Oliver. My world? Hell, nobody gives two shits about me in my world. The Avengers would be just fine without me."

"You know that's not true, Clint!" Oliver retorted.

Clint grinned at him. "I'm not gonna get you on this elevator, am I?"

"No." Oliver said. "We fight these guys together."

"Alrighty then." Clint agreed.

Oliver turned to face the mighty villains, but Clint shoved him in the elevator and hit  the close button from inside. The doors happened to be made of glass, one last insult Death added. Oliver was forced to watch as he was trapped in the elevator that would send him home.

"We all know I'm the better archer, Ollie!" Clint beamed at him. "I don't need you for this!"

"No, CLINT!!" Oliver screamed, fighting to open the doors.

"Don't sweat it,Ollie." Clint told him. "I'm gonna give em Hell."

Clint had four arrows lodged in his bow. Oliver could see that the arrows were labeled 'PYM'.

The arrows hit each villain right on the chest and they all began to shrink. Soon they were no taller than a jellybean. Clint picked all four of them up and dumped them in his quiver. He waved at Oliver, and then entered the left elevator.

Oliver's elevator began to go up.

And up.

And up.

Then, he opened his eyes. He heard the beeps of a hospital monitor beside his bed.

Inside his head, Death's voice rang one more time.

"ThE WINner iS GrEeN ArRoW."