Green Arrow #23: "The Straw and the Camel"

[starlord]

Green
Arrow
Issue #23: “The Straw and the Camel”
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Joey Jarin
Edited by: Don Walsh

The last few months have been extremely difficult for our hero; not only physically, but emotionally. After discovering what he believed to be the corruption of a major White House Cabinet position, Green Arrow left the Outsiders to prove his theory. Before he left, he was dumped by his main squeeze, Black Canary. On his way to Washington, D.C. he stumbled upon the murder of a young man involved with a Mexican drug cartel.

Further investigation revealed a possible connection between the moving of illicit drugs across the Mexican border and the same Cabinet position. After narrowly surviving an attack by the assassin Dart, Ollie made it to the office of Secretary of Defense, Stephen Donaldson, only to learn that the man was more than an impostor, but had just been murdered by Terra Man – an ancestor of Ollie’s.

Terra Man was able to escape, and the real Donaldson was rescued, but the incident was swept under the rug by the Powers That Be, causing a very disillusioned Green Arrow to head back to Star City.

Warning: this issue contains adult language and situations that may not be suitable for all readers.[/i]

*******

Ollie heard the Justice League communicator go off again over the sound of his newly-bought motorcycle, for the fifth time that day, and once more, he chose to ignore it. Why couldn’t they understand that he just wanted to be left alone? Did he have to send them all personal text messages informing each one of the guys to butt the hell out of my life.

And it wasn’t just Hal, either; his communicator had shown that not only was Barry trying to get a hold of him, but Katar as well. Katar, of all people! He and that kid got along like oil and water, for Christ’s sake!

Still, he refused to answer any of them. This was his time and his time alone. He had told all three of them that exact same thing. The mood he was in... He wouldn’t have gotten along with any of them, anyway.

It had been a little less than an hour after he had crossed into Indiana when he made the decision to exit the highway and take some back roads. He needed to see the actual countryside, not the standard fare that one saw on a major interstate.

The sun had just risen behind him, casting his shadow along the two lane road when he found the body. He pulled over, shut off his engine and immediately heard the call of a rooster coming from a nearby barn. It was the only sound that to be heard as the sun continued to rise on the flat farm land that surrounded him.

He walked over to the body, involuntarily drawing in a breath at the horrific site that hung from the wire fence. The kid couldn’t have been more than sixteen, if that. His shaggy blond hair was matted down, soaked in his own blood. His arms were stretched out and draped behind him, used to suspend his body on the fence. The wire was cutting deep into the skin under his naked arms.

That, however, was not the worst of what he found. The young man was completely naked. His body was covered in his blood, forming a huge pool at his feet. What made Ollie violently ill, was the way the young man had been castrated. A sign had been placed around his neck that read: ALL FAGS MUST DIE[/b]

Wiping off his mouth with the back of his glove, Green Arrow took a deep breath, then made the nine-one-one call.

*******

“His name is Robert Curtis, folks in town called him Bobby. He came from a real good family; mother works part time at the high school library and his dad’s got about twenty years in at the automotive plant just outside Indianapolis. Whole family is well-liked in town.”

Green Arrow leaned against one of a dozen patrol cars that now encompassed the area. He listened to Sheriff Carder talk while crime scene investigators combed the surrounding fields.

“Pretty obvious the whole family wasn’t,” Ollie replied shortly. “How old was he?”

“His seventeenth birthday was in three days. Damn shame.”

“You mind if I go into town with you, Sheriff? I’d like to help out, if you don’t mind.”

The man, whose hair was well on its way to becoming silver, shifted his feet, not allowing himself to look at the emerald archer. “With all due respect, Mr. Arrow, my men and I are more than capable of handling this. I think it’d be a little demoralizing to my guys if we had one of your kind working the case as well.”

Ollie’s eyebrow shot up. “One of my kind?”

This time the Sheriff looked straight at him. “A cape. You know what I meant.”

“Yeah, I know what you meant, and that’s fine. I was just asking out of courtesy anyway. I’ll see you in town.”

As he headed for his bike, the sheriff called out to him. “I don’t care if you are some big shot hero, you stick your nose into this and I’ll have you up on charges of interfering with a police investigation so fast it’ll make your head spin. You got that, Mr. Justice Leaguer!”

Green Arrow spun around; his eyes were dead cold as he glared at the officer. “The fact that you’re more worried about who’s working to solve this than you are the murder of a sixteen year old boy says a lot about your priorities.”

The archer didn’t wait for a response, just turned to the shiny new motorcycle, started it up, and headed into town with a red-faced Sheriff glaring at his back.

*******

Edgewater, Indiana was just over thirty minutes away from the state's capital. A mid-sized town with a population of just under two hundred thousand, Ollie couldn’t help but notice that Edgewater seemed to be a town divided in two. At its center were several blocks of Norman Rockwell like buildings and homes. The classic town square stood at the center of the community with quintessential gazebo in white and red.

Surrounding the growing town, however, was the two-story mall, the fast food franchises and obligatory sports bars. The Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy that encircled downtown like a pack of wolves circling its prey.

The center of town had a few mom-and-pop stores that seemed to still be open, but all had seen better days. A coffee shop and pizza parlor sat on opposite corners and the park along the east side of town contained several people of various ages; including a mother and her three children who were enjoying a late morning picnic.

Several people openly stared as he parked and headed into a narrow doorway with a sign over it that read: Uptown Bar.

A woman of about seventy turned to her older sister as they watched the well known superhero march into the rundown bar. “Was that...?”

“I believe it was,” the sister exclaimed, catching her breath.

“Dear me, he’s even more handsome in person,” the other gasped in excitement.

“Who’d have thought it? A real live superhero like Green Arrow, in our little town.”

“I wonder if he needs his shaft polished,” the younger sister mused out loud.

“EDNA!”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, Nora, I’m old, I ain’t dead!”

“Like he’d even give you the time of day.”

“Are you kidding? That’s Green Arrow; he’ll fool around with any woman that winks at him. It’s a fact. They said it on TMZ once.”

Stepping inside the bar, Green Arrow waited a moment to allow his eyes the chance to adjust from the early morning sun. He noted three men sitting at the bar, all in security uniforms. He surmised that the midnight shift had just completed their day. All three of them, and the bartender, turned and stared as he shut the door and took a seat at the end of the mahogany-finished bar.

“Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” the one closest to him blurted out with a hearty laugh. He was a large man, six foot two and weighing in at almost two hundred and twenty pounds. He was also the only one who was carrying a service revolver.

Ollie tipped his hat and gave him a rueful look. “Just passing through on my way to Star City. I seem to have run across a gruesome site outside of town.”

All of the men at the bar now turned their attention to the archer. “What kind of trouble?” the tallest, lankiest of them asked. When he spoke, Ollie noted he was missing three teeth; a look that gave him an air of creepiness.

“Probably shouldn’t say yet,” Green Arrow started, knowing full well he was going to say it anyway, “But they found a teenage boy murdered and hanging from a wire fence.”

“Son of a bitch...” the bartender murmured.

“Who?” the lanky one asked, his face turning whiter than the others, his hand gripping the side of the bar, tightly.

“Sheriff said his name was Robert Curtis – Bobby around these parts,” Green Arrow replied, watching each of them carefully.

Their reactions were varied and surprising. The heavy man leaned back on his stool, wiping his hand across his face. The bartender turned away quickly, shaking his head and getting back to washing the mugs. A short, stocky guy who had yet to speak, drew in a breath, his eyes glancing quickly to the tall man he sat next to. It was the that man who had the reaction Ollie was hoping to see, and hoping he wouldn’t as well.

The tall, thin, toothless man just sneered, downing his shot before scoffing at the look the short one was giving him. “Stop looking at me like that, Tom, we all know that little fudge-packer was bound to end up dead eventually.”

“Shut up, Bruce,” the large one snapped. “Now ain’t the time.”

“Pretty harsh words there... Bruce,” Green Arrow said in a tone that rang so clearly of a challenge that even a deaf man would have picked up on it.

Bruce glanced over, obvious spite in his eyes for a second, before turning away. He finished the mug of beer in one gulp, turned and walked out of the bar without saying another word; nor did any of his “buddies” watch him leave.

“What the hell was that about?” Arrow asked the others who suddenly seemed to pretend that he were no longer there. “Hey!” he said a bit louder, making sure he was heard.

“It’s nothing, alright. Is there anything I can get you?” the bartender asked as the two other men just glanced at each other before turning back to their beers.

“Yeah, you got any coffee back there?”

Nodding, the bartender grabbed a mug and poured a cup of coffee out of what appeared to be a freshly brewed pot. When he handed it to the famous hero, his eyes made contact with those under the domino mask for just a second. It was as if he was telling him to be cool, say little. Going against what his gut was telling him, he did just that.

After several minutes and a replenishing of beer, the short one named Tom cleared his throat and broke the silence. “John and Ellie are going to be devastated.”

“Yeah,” the Bartender replied shortly.

“The parents?” Ollie asked.

They all seemed to nod in unison.

“You got any idea if they have any suspects?” Tom asked timidly.

Sipping from his coffee, Green Arrow eyed him for a moment before shaking his head. The other two men nodded in understanding, but another look was passed between them.

A few minutes later both men had finished their beers and excused themselves. After the door to the bar had shut, the bartender turned to the archer.

“I’m saying this once and then I want you to leave, and if you tell anyone I told you this, I’ll deny it. Bruce’s son, Kevin, well him and Bobby were rumored to be close, if you get my drift. Suddenly they stopped hanging out together. No one knows for sure why, but rumor was that Bruce caught them and beat the hell out of Kevin.”

“Did Bobby have any friends?”

“Just one that I know of – his neighbor. She’s a year older than him, a senior, named Terri Ponawaczick. Now, no offense to you, because I respect you a lot, but could you leave my bar.”

“Pretty rude request.”

“Well, wherever your people go, property damage seems to follow.”

Green Arrow sat there for a second, contemplated his words, then nodded in agreement finished the rest of his coffee, before setting down a twenty. “Keep the change.”

*******

It didn’t take him long to track down Terri’s family home. A typical ranch style house in a neighborhood of ranch homes, line with maple trees in the front yards. As he drove up to the house, he noted the abundance of cars directly across the street. It must have been the Curtis home; the news was obviously out.

The door was answered quickly after his knock by a woman in her late thirties. Her eyes were red from crying. She stopped short when she saw a costumed hero at her door, her eyes widening in surprise.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Ponawaczick, but I was hoping I could have a word with your daughter, Terri.”

“Why?” she asked, regaining her composure.

Ollie glanced over at the Curtis home and then back to her. “I was the one who found Bobby. I’m sort of doing my own investigation.”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding and allowing him entrance into her home. “I’m afraid Terri is very upset; she and Bobby grew up together. They’ve been best friends their whole life. I’ll get her for you.” As she headed towards the back hallway she stopped for a moment, turned back to him with a guilty look on her face. “This is the absolute worst time to ask this, but before you leave, would you mind having your picture taken with me? My husband isn’t going to believe me when I tell him who was in our home.”

“Sure,” Green Arrow said, genuinely amused at the request.

He took a seat on the overstuffed couch and waited. A couple of minutes later a young woman walked into the living room with a look of confusion and shock on her face. “Oh my God, you’re telling the truth!” she said to her mother who had come in behind her.

Green Arrow stood up. “She was. I was hoping you would help me, Terri. I want to find out who killed Bobby.”

“I know exactly who did it!” she exclaimed with a sudden burst of rage. “Mr. Jenkins did it! He said he was going to, and he finally did.” The outburst done, she started to collapse, but Ollie and Terri’s mother each grabbed an arm and took her to a nearby recliner.

Green Arrow knelt down in front of her, taking his gloved hand in hers. “Why would he have said that?”

When Terri hesitated, her mother came up behind her and placed her hands on Terri’s shoulders comfortingly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You can tell him.”

“Bobby and Mr. Jenkins’ son, Kevin, were dating...if you can call it that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She took a deep breath to steady her voice, but the tears continued to fall. “Bobby was in love with Kevin. I mean head over heals gaga in love. It was totally an obsession for him. He spent all his free time with Kevin. For a while, they were joined at the hip.”

“What about Kevin?” Green Arrow asked. “Did he feel the same way about Bobby?”

“No, not at all. See, Kevin is kind of weird. He’s all into that Goth emo stuff The kids make fun of him in school all the time. Until he met Bobby, he really didn’t have any friends. I think that was part of the reason he used Bobby like he did.”

“What was the other part?” Arrow asked.

“Kevin didn't have girls or guys as friends, so I think he was totally getting his rocks off with Bobby, the only chance he was getting. That's what I think.”.”

Ollie nodded in understanding. “Did Kevin’s dad catch them?”

“Yeah, that’s what Bobby told me. Kevin’s little sister told everyone and they got totally hosed at school. Of course, Kevin denied it to anybody who’d listen, but like no one listened to Kevin, it's why he was stuck to Bobby, right, so he completely turned on Bobby right along with the rest of them. He’s such a shit-head.”

Terri’s mom cleared her throat and she mumbled an apology.

“I think you need to tell the police about this,” Green Arrow suggested to her as he stood back up.

She looked at him with obvious disdain showing both in appearance and in her voice. “They totally gotta already know. Mr. Jenkins is a cop.”

Silence filled the room and Terri’s mom gave the archer a nod of agreement.

*******

Ollie spent the rest of that Sunday wandering the downtown area, talking to anyone who would speak to him. Most people were shocked and saddened by the news, but there was also a fair amount that stunned him by their attitude that the boy seemed to have deserved it. The more comments he heard like that, the more he felt his blood boil.

He also couldn’t help but notice the amount of patrol cars that always seemed to be in the area that he was in. They would always slow down, openly staring at him. At first he would wave at them, but as the day wore on, there presence became more of an annoyance and he found himself ignoring them completely.

That evening he found himself in front of the home of Kevin Jenkins. He drove his cycle by the house a couple of times, before finally pulling into the driveway. It was a nice two story colonial. The American flag waved in the evening breeze on their porch.

As he walked up the steps to the front of the house, he wasn’t surprised at all to see Bruce Jenkins coming out the door, anger on his face.

“Get the hell of my property!” he barked.

“Wanna talk to you, Officer Jenkins,” Ollie replied, making sure to emphasize the word officer.

“I’m not talking to you, you freak. Take your long john-wearing ass and get the hell out of our town. Go back to the big city with all the other weirdos and sinners.”

Ollie’s eyebrow shot up. “Oh, I see now.”

“See what?” Jenkins asked.

“You’re one of those.”

The man took a step towards him, his eyes narrowing. “I’m one of what?”

Green Arrow smiled pleasantly. “Oh you know, you’re a good Christian fellow who follows the Good Book to the letter, right? Every word written by God, which obviously makes you a much better person than me... or a lot of other people for that matter.”

Jenkins took another step forward, clenching the hands that were by his side into fists. “I’m a God-fearing man, if that’s what you’re saying. I’m also a man with a badge, so unless you want to be arrested for trespassing, I suggest you get the hell out of here.”

Ollie ignored the threat and pressed forward. “So did God tell you to kill Bobby Curtis, or did you just go by what your instruction manual said.”

It was the last straw as Ollie caught the punch from the off-duty officer, and then twisted the man's arm up behind his back.

“Cop or no cop, you son of a bitch, I’m going to prove that you killed that young man.”

“I didn’t kill him,” Jenkins retorted through gritted teeth. “But if I ever find out who did, I’m going to pin a medal on the person. One less abomination walking God’s green earth.”

Green Arrow let out a cry of rage as he pushed the officer away from him. “You’re not a man of God! You’re a creature of hate that hides behind religion! You’re the worst kind of human being.” Ollie’s ears felt as though they were filling as his blood pressure shot up. “That kid never hurt anyone a day in his life? How dare you play judge?”

Bruce stumbled forward, but regained his footing quickly and swung around, his eyes blazing with anger. “You unholy liberal shit! It’s people like you that have turned this country into Satan’s playground. I’ve got news for you, you’re not in New York, or Gotham City, or any of the other cesspools that allow Sodomites the right to walk the streets. You’re in the heart of America now, buddy! We’re the ones who keep this country from falling into a cesspool of filth and depravity.”

“Jesus Christ, another freakin’ wacko in authority!” Ollie exploded.

“GET OFF MY PROPERTY!” Bruce Jenkins bellowed.

“You’re going down, officer.” Green Arrow retorted, standing his ground. “If I’ve got to pull in every string I have, I’ll make sure that you pay for what you did!”

Without another word, Bruce marched back into the house. As Green Arrow stood there, unsure what to do, his hands shaking with rage, he saw the son in the upstairs window; staring down at him. He was in all black; his eyes were dark, nearly sunken in - made even more obvious by the use of eyeliner. The kid stared down at him and the first thing that went across Ollie’s mind was that the kid's eyes were dead.

“Where the hell is my gun?” he heard the father shouting from inside the house. There was a small, frightened, female voice that said something Ollie couldn’t make out, then crashing of glass as Bruce Jenkins began swearing.

Ollie had just made up his mind to go inside, to make sure people were safe, when the door flew open again and Bruce came back out with a baseball bat.

“Really?” Ollie scoffed. “You’re seriously going to try and take me down with a bat?”

“I called the department; they’ll be here in less than five. Leave or be arrested, I really don’t care which at this point.”

Green Arrow threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine, I’m out of here, but I ain’t leaving town until I prove what you did. My suggestion, buddy, is to confess now and make it easier on yourself.”

Without another word he got back on his bike and road away. As angry as he was at the man, there was something that just wasn’t ringing true for him. His gut was telling him that the bigoted bastard was telling the truth. That he wasn’t the one who killed Bobby Curtis. But if he didn’t do it, then who did? He was back to square one. Which made him wonder how long he was going to be in this town before he could discover who did it.

Although he didn’t know it at that moment, the answer to that question would be less than twelve hours.

*******

The first period bell had just sounded through the Addison High School hallways when it was followed by the first round of shots; followed by the terror-filled screams of students in Ms. Dallas’ speech class.

The door swung open and several students came sprawling out at a mad dash. Two young men were cut down by another hail of bullets as Kevin Jenkins pulled the trigger again from his father’s M-16.

Another door down the hall opened and a male teacher stuck his head out to see what was going on. Kevin fired at him, three bullets striking the teacher, whose head instantly exploded like an over ripe watermelon. Another classroom of students began to scream in terror.

*******

Half an hour later the school was surrounded by the city police, sheriff’s department, and Indiana State Troopers. Bruce Jenkins was part of the force. He was seen shouting at his captain, demanding that he be allowed to go in, to talk his son out of there. He was being denied.

The first several minutes were chaos as the different law divisions gathered to figure out their strategy, and it was more than enough time for Green Arrow to sneak through and make his way to the roof of the building; slipping inside through the maintenance door.

It took him only seconds to hear the gun, the screaming, and the weeping. It had been right there in front of his face the whole time, but he had been stuck on the idea that Bruce Jenkins had killed Bobby out of some kind of zealous rage. In truth, it had been Kevin, another abused kid who finally succumbed to the pressures of high school bullies and prejudice. A kid with obvious mental issues most likely ignored by parents who did not want to believe that their son was anything but normal.

A kid who... he stopped as he made his way down one of the many halls. There were two young boys, dead, lying in their own pool of blood. Their bodies nearly cut in half by the weapon that took their lives.

A boy who had been born a monster, or turned into one as he grew.

Ollie’s jaw set in determination as he brought out a sharp tipped arrow from his quiver and nocked it onto his bow. It never ended, he realized. He also realized just how tired he had now become. He was done... sick of it. The constant fighting. The long string of bodies that he had walked by in his life. The continual loss of people that he cared about: Eddie Fyers... and Bruce Wayne. After all this time he was finally willing to admit it. Batman was gone – dead. He wasn’t coming back, and neither was Eddie.

As he made his way around a corner he found himself in the school’s cafeteria. There were several more bodies, boys and girls, lying on the floor. Some were writhing in pain, others lay still. The carnage. The God damned carnage! He was done. Enough was enough!

“You looking for me?” the voice of Kevin Jenkins shouted from across the room.

Green Arrow turned to see the young man had exhausted the automatic and was now using a large hunting knife. He had it up to a young red-headed girl’s throat, the blade digging in just enough to send a few trickles of blood down her neck. She was sobbing quietly.

Raising his bow, he searched for the bulls-eye, but the kid was smart. He was making sure the girl was planted firmly in front of him.

“Let her go, Kevin.”

“Hell no!” he shouted.

“You don’t want to do this. Let her go and let me help you,” the archer said, but there was no conviction in his words. He didn’t feel it either. There was nothing behind his offer. He didn’t want to help this kid. Bodies lay sprawled through out the school; there was no help for this kid. He knew it... and so did the kid.

As if reading his mind, the kid said, “Help me? You can’t help me. I’ve already jumped over the edge. Every one of these cocksuckers got exactly what they deserved. Except this bitch, but she’s about to.”

“Is that the knife you used to kill Bobby?” Ollie asked, still searching for his shot.

Kevin’s face contorted into a sneer. “Yeah, it is. The little faggot actually made things worse for me! These guys already thought I was a freak, without him labeling me a pervert, too.”

“He loved you, Kevin.” Ollie had found one opening. One shot – the head. It was the only part of Kevin’s body that wasn’t covered. He could try for the arm, but there was a chance that the arrow would go clear through, striking the young lady as well. He sure in the hell wasn’t going to risk that.

“Shut up! He was sick, man! He was a fucking faggot! He got what he deserved.”

“So you just used him and then tossed him aside. What does that make you, Kevin? He just wanted to be loved by someone... by you. It took two to tango, kid. Doesn’t that make you just as big a pervert as you think he was?”

“I’m going to kill her,” Kevin stated coldly.

“Then what? You ain’t getting out of here.”

“I don’t care,” He replied and Ollie knew he was telling the truth. He didn’t care. He was just another psychopath, willing to create human carnage in the belief that everyone deserved it.

He wasn’t even a person anymore, Ollie thought to himself. He’s just a thing... a wild animal that had finally been unleashed. He pulled back on his bow-string, the arrow pointed squarely in the center of the teenager's head.

“You’re not going to do it,” Kevin sneered. “You’re the hero, the good guy.” He started laughing, a high wild, crazy sound. “You’re just going to stand there and watch while I slit this bitch’s throat. Crazy cool, huh?” He laughed, now actually grinning as well.

An image of Eddie appeared in his mind, followed by an image of Batman. “Goodbye,” He whispered, but not to the two friends he had recently lost; he was bidding farewell to himself, to who he no longer could be – nor wanted to be.

He released the arrow and as always, his aim was true.

*******

For any normal human being, the millisecond it would have taken for the arrow to make contact would not have given enough time for anything to be done. However, Ollie’s friends were a bit more than human.

The arrow suddenly seemed to suspend in mid-air, right in front of Kevin Jenkins’ forehead, before anyone noticed the red gloved hand that was holding it. As it registered to Kevin, Ollie, and the red-haired girl that the world’s fastest man, Flash, was standing there, a green vise suddenly appeared around Kevin's hand, causing him to yell out in pain as he dropped the knife. Flash grabbed the girl, pulling her out of harm's way, as a large mace flew through the air, striking Kevin in the gut and sending him back across several tables.

Green Arrow looked up to see both Green Lantern and Hawkman hovering above him.

Other than the sobbing of the young girl, the room was quiet as the three men of the Justice League stared at their friend in shock.

“GA, do you know what you almost did?” Hal said as he set himself down in front of his close friend.

The archer’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed as he looked right into the eyes of Hal Jordan.

“Yeah, I do,” he replied. “I’m going home.”

He turned and walked out of the cafeteria as Flash, Hawkman and Green Lantern watched in stunned silence. In their own way, the three of them were all thinking the same thing: The line had been crossed...

To Be Concluded![/i]

[HoM]

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