Día de los Muertos

Outside the Gotham City police department, the van that brought in Harvey Dent’s crew were shuffled out in cuffs and moved to holding. Once inside, the two dozen or so people were made to sit and wait for processing.

“Hey! Can I get my phone call?” Barked out one of the felons to a cop standing watch over them all. But before the officer could say anything, he heard something off his radio and quickly darted out the door along with several other police, leaving only the skeleton crew to watch over them “Hey! The hell’s going on?”

Looking up at a television hanging overhead of the cell, they all looked up to see what was going on at the festival grounds where they had been arrested. The news copters hovered over a massive structure that looked like a circus tent made of glowing white light that seams to give off a rainbow of other colours.

“What the hell is that?”

*

Throwing his quiver over his shoulder and pulling out an arrow to be slung between his fingers and the bowstring, Oliver looked back at the pale skinned woman glaring at him and back to Dinah, the living one. The woman he loved was still confused over where she was and what was going on, but eventually set her sights on the over version of her standing at the other side of the circus tent.

“THAT’S RIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” Called out Zatanna to the confused crowds sitting in the bleachers and benches surrounding the center of the circus tent. Her arms spread out to get their attention as she pointed back down to the four in the middle of the ring. “THE BEST MAGIC IS CONQUERING YOUR OWN PERSONAL DEMONS. OR BETTER YET, WHEN YOUR WORST DEMONS ARE DEFEATED BY THEIR BETTER SELVES!”

“Ollie… Who is that?” She asked, clenching her fists, and making ready to fight, despite the monster behind the vampire locking its eyes on her and snarl. “Why does she look like me? What is going on?”

“That’s YOU honey.” Looking to the strigoi still growling behind the vampire, a cold numbness crept up Green Arrow’s legs. “And… I think that used to be me.”

“THAT’S YOU?”

“That monster ruined our marriage!” Called out Lois from the crowd, the lupine woman shocking Dinah as she spotted the alien creature being hugged by another four-armed, horned werewolf. “She made us do horrible things…”

“She enslaved me and my people!” Accused Hippolyta, pointing a finger down at the two. “She would have had us murder an entire city for no other reason than to hear its suffering!”

“SHE KILLED MY SON!” Screamed Talia from the seating where Kori and Dick tried to console her. The vampire beating her fist against a thin white barrier of light conjured by Zatanna to keep anyone from interfering. “SHE KILLED MY SON!”

Turning her attention back to the vampire that shared her face, Dinah watched the woman narrow her eyes with a pursed fanged smile, folded her arms together behind her and chuckled, seeing her living counterpart’s shock to the crowd’s protests.

“He fought SO hard to get me back… Olliver I mean. Even after the years I spent leading him on, dangling a proverbial carrot on a string in front of his nose for so long. He’s better like this, don’t you agree?” Looking over her shoulder, the vampire stroked at the creature’s head, the strigoi not even reacting to her mock affection as its mindless gaze focused on Dinah in front of him. “At least the conversations are more intelligent.”

“Bitch!” Dinah cursed; her fists raised. “I’m going to take one of Ollie’s arrows and drive it right through your heart… The LONG way there.”

Her eyes going wide with rage and turning a glowing blood red, the vampiric woman screamed out a canary cry that launched towards the couple like a wall of concussive force. Oliver made to protect Dinah when his wife shoved him aside and screamed with the same ferocity back at their attacker.

The air warbled from the two concussive forces colliding with each other, the two women keeping up their scream as the ground rippled. Spotting the strigoi behind the vampire charge towards Dinah while she was distracting fighting her evil twin, Green Arrow took aim and fired. The arrow never met its mark, but it didn’t need to as it exploded between the two women screaming and blew out a grey mist in all directions.

Stepping back and finally catching her breath, Dinah pinched her nose to the pungent scent from the smoke. Hearing the strigoi whine in pain and her opponent wail and cough.

“The hell is that?”

“Ground garlic flowers, mixed with sacred oils and bound in aerosol form.” Oliver explained, stepping back with another arrow ready. “The church in Star City was pretty generous, considering I made them special to deal with vampires.”

The smoke faded, thinning enough that the two could see the woman and her beastly pet come into view. What swiped her hand to clear the fog away was an emaciated, almost skeletal creature. Her paper thin skin hung off her bones as did her black gown, her hair whisp thin and brittle and her eyes sunk into her sockets. The vampire shambled out of the smoke, hissing out thin breaths and looking down at her thin fingers, her face in a perpetual mask of rage, her lips pulled back to reveal nothing but fangs.

“Mortal filth…” She rasped. “What did you do to me?”

“Something tells me you’ve never been hit with a holy artifact, its not pretty, ain’t it.” Looking to the shocked face of his wife, Oliver smirked as he pulled back his bow string to aim another arrow. “Don’t worry Dinah, I’d love ya no matter how old you looked.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

Shambling forward like a zombie, the weakened vampires hissed as she extended a hand out to the two. “Blood. Musssst have blood…”

The strigoi exploded out of the garlic laced fog, its form rotten and just as skeletal as his master. Barreling towards the two, it opened its tattered wing and brandished its claws to attack Dinah, its eyes focused solely on her, until it felt something hit its chest. Oliver fired an arrow that struck at the side of the beast’s head, forcing it to turn away and take to the air, roaring out in pain and rage as it did. While his target was up in the air, Green Arrow continued to fire explosive arrows at the monster. Each blast filled with garlic dust that continued to burn at the strigoi’s body until it finally focused its rage on it’s attacker. With a well-timed shot, Oliver had hit the creature in the chest and ducked out of the way as the monster fell like a rock and rolled into a collision with the white light force field behind them, Green Arrow and Black Canary could only watch as the strigoi looked down to see an arrow in its chest, right where its heart was.

What happened next was haunting to the two as the creature began to shrink, its body transforming into something more humanoid as its tail rotted away, its wings melting back into its back and its body shrinking down from the size of a horse to the size of a person. Dinah clutched onto Oliver’s arm as the crowd gasped and looked away, to see a drawn, starving, and dying Oliver Queen on the ground reaching out to them before disintegrating into dust.

“My God Ollie… That really WAS you…” Hugging her husband’s arm,

The crowd cried out again, gesturing for the couple to look behind them. Turning to look over his back, Green Arrow barely made it in time to catch their remaining vampiric assailant with his bow. The undead monster snapping her fangs over the shaft of the weapon as she tackled the man to the ground and struggled with him on the ground.

“Blood! BLOOD! Give me your blood!” She slurred, her fangs gnawing on the bow until it began to chip and crack under the inhuman strength of her jaws. Oliver was in a panic as he tried to keep her off him, but with his hands on the bow, he was unable to brush away her hands which grabbed at his neck.

“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY HUSBAND YOU WITCH!”

Prying the vampire’s arms off Oliver’s neck, Dinah helped Oliver as he kicked the undead woman off him, the vampire fell on her back and clumsily propped herself up to sit, staring up at the couple as they stared back down at her. Dinah was furious, disgusted, and ashamed of the monster in front of her as it wiped the drool off its teeth and leered at the couple.

“Don’t you DARE lay another boney finger on him you bitch!”

Getting to her feet, the vampire took a demure pose, despite her skeletal appearance. Combing her spindly fingers through her wilting hair as she slowly approached the two.

“You know, we don’t HAVE to fight…” She spoke, her voice dry and phlegmy, yet it had a tone, the two found disarming. “It can be the three of us, together. Oliver, I’m sorry for what I put you through, but I learned my lesson, I didn’t appreciate you after my change of heart.” The vampiric Dinah stated, clutching her hands over her chest, now flat and revealing her ribcage behind her thin, pale skin.

“I…” Oliver blinked sluggishly as she heard her words. Dinah felt the same, lowering her fists as the vampire drew closer.

“We can be together, forever, just the three of us.” Reaching out to the man, the skeletal woman tilted her head and tried to smile, only succeeding in peeling her lips back more to show her fangs.

Finally in front of the man as his wife clung to his arm, the vampire wrapped her arms around his shoulders, ignoring the crowd screaming and crying out for the man to break free of her hypnotic voice. Cupping his face in her hands, the vampire moved forward as if to kiss him, slowly opening her jaws wide as her burning red eyes leered at his throat.

“Wha… What do you want me to do?”

“All you have to do is let me…”

A dull ache in her chest stopped the vampiric Dinah as she blinked and looked down to find an arrow sticking into her chest, one held in the gloved hand of the man she had her arms around. Feeling it dig deeper, she realised it had pierced her heart. Looking back up to the man, Oliver had a sad expression on his face as he twisted the arrow.

“I’m sorry Dinah…” Tilting his head, he revealed he was wearing earplugs, likely put on while she was distracted. “This is goodbye.”

“Ollie?” At that the vampire crumbled away into dust and scraps of cloth, leaving her human counterpart to blink and look around. Finding the two vampires gone and her reunited with Oliver at last.

Pulling the woman close, Oliver took off his hunter’s cap and kissed Dinah full on the lips. The crowd exploded with cheers as the barrier lifted and everyone entered the stage to join the two as they finally broke away, looking on to all the people and Lycanthropes who greeted and congratulated the two. It was a bit much for Dinah to take in, meeting werewolves who bowed or sniffed at her hand like friendly dogs. The circus tent conjuration disappeared, leaving everyone back in the ruined streets once more. Her gaze quickly focused on the tall, cloaked man who quickly approached the two, quickly recognising him as the king of vampires himself as the wolves and spiders and serpents parted to give him space.

At first, Dinah thought he was going to harm Oliver when he raised his hands, only to find the man rest them on Green Arrow’s shoulders and nodded back to the man in respect.

“Welcome back my brother, it pleases me to know your tale was not as grueling as our own.” Turning his gaze to Dinah, Dracula extended a hand to the woman, one shared with Selina as she took her other. “I am deeply sorry for what you have become.”

“Uhm…” Gently pulling Dinah close, Oliver nodded back to the count and his wife Selina and Hippolyta who smiled back at them. “Thanks.”

“It would seem Lycanthropes aren’t the only dangers to the world if left unchecked.” Stated Bruce, approaching the two couples and standing over them, with Pamela and Harley at either shoulder of the great wolf. “Dinah proved any vampire could be a danger if left to their own devices.”

“Indeed… So much destruction, so much chaos.” Turning his attention to the Krypto-Wolves, Dracula’s face took a more stern appearance as he looked up at Superman and his pack. “So, what to do with you?”

“We can’t go back to our old lives.” Explained Clark, looking down to Lois and Karen taking either side of him like Bruce and his lovers. “And we can’t all live in New Gotham. We’d go crazy! Hearing so many people across the globe crying out for help and being unable to answer it.”

“You are a special case my friend.” Answered Dracula. “Too powerful and too dangerous to stay, but too well meaning to be cast aside.”

“Well…” Thought Zatanna out loud, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. “There’s always Venus.”

“Venus?” Asked Karen with perked back ears. “Like the planet?”

Shrugging, Zatanna nodded. “Yeah, why not? I mean you can live out in the vacuum of space, I’m sure Venus is just a fixer upper. Plus, you’d still be within earshot of Earth.”

Looking to each other, the krypto-wolves whispered to one another, slowly nodding, and shrugging to the idea.

“And so the sky wolves rid themselves of the rogue wolf who howled a dirge of hatred from their pack and made claim for the world of love to make their den.” Proclaimed Bastet, approaching the group and stood regally before the white lantern. “As was prophesized.”

“Well now… Bastet.” Bowed Zatanna. “However poetic. I bow before your presence.”

“It is I who should bow to YOU oh champion of the light.” Bastet bowed graciously, as did the rest of her pride of werecats. “You are now an avatar of creation and life. It is a superb honour.”

Looking over the white ring on her finger, Zatanna smiled warmly. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

Looking away and to the others who now looked her direction, the goddess looked down with a wistful smile. “No. The future is always in motion, too many things can happen, too many choices can be made that lead to winding paths. There ARE absolutes; blessings, calamities, apocalypses… Those outside of our ability to choose. But this thread was quite tangled. I merely planned on how to face certain knots in the thread of fate when they came.”

“And what of OUR fates then?” Asked Dracula sternly, his wife gripping his arm tightly as Selina looked back at her daughter with a cold look. “Did you plan for our demise all these years?”

Instead of answering, Zatanna cut the queen of the werecats off to approach Dracula and cup her hands under his bearded chin affectionately.

“You had been robbed of true love and happiness for centuries, millennia… BOTH of you. Today that ends.” Closing her eyes and breathing in, Zatanna let white light envelop the man, confusing him for but a brief moment… Until he gasped. Letting him go, Zatanna watched lovingly as Dracula staggered back a foot and clutched at his chest.

“My love?” Asked Selina, she and Hippolyta going to him as he quickly grabbed hold of Selina’s hand and brought it to his chest. The man in hysterics as he watched her confused face turn to wide eyed surprise. “I feel a beat!”

“Welcome back to the land of the living Vladimir Tepes.” Zatanna announced. “You are now Dhampyr; LIVING vampire. May you two finally have the lives you were meant to have, just the two of you.”

“The three of us.” Announced Hippolyta, taking Dracula’s hand as Selina did. “You were right Cain, immortality can be a prison if you are alone. I had my daughter… But she has outgrown me, and I am all who I am left. And after the Canary’s deception, our island is now uninhabitable, we are homeless.” Looking up to Dracula and Selina, the queen of the amazons smiled sadly. “I am yours… If you’ll have me.”

The two traded a look, leaving Hippolyta unsure until Selina drew the woman close for a shared embrace, making the amazon queen shed a tear of joy as she rested her head on the man’s shoulder. She would have been there forever if not for the wooden tap of a staff from Zatanna getting everyone’s attention.

“EVERYONE? Gather around!” Proclaimed Zatanna, smiling to the crowd who all turned to her as they cheered, the woman bowing graciously as she found Constantine and grabbed his hand affectionately. “You’ve all had a terrible Hallow’s Eve. So many frights, so many scares, so many losses. Halloween is about facing your fears, but it also has another meaning, and another name.”

Waving her staff over her head, Zatanna struck the ground with her staff and suddenly hundreds of columns of white light sprouted from the ground, taking shape as she willed them all up from the Earth where they all appeared throughout New Gotham.

“Día de los Muertos; the day of the dead. The one time you get to speak with the spirits of your loved ones both gone and past. But tonight, I’m changing the rules! You’re not going to see your lost loved ones… You’re getting them back!”

The columns of white light finally dissipated, leaving confused men, women, and children to look around confused, some in surprise as they looked up at the towering werewolves around them. It wasn’t until Talia broke from Kori and Dick to run towards a black garbed man that they realised what Zatanna had done.

“Damien?!”

“Mo…” Batman didn’t get the chance to answer as he found himself in the alien experience of his mother hugging him fiercely. Quickly joined by Nightwing and Starfire. Looking to everyone else in the crowd Zatanna found couples reunited with loved ones, people lost from the lycan wars… And her own hands. Smiling when she spotted Bastet reunited with Umbra, Bruce reunited with Jason, the two werewolves eyeing each other briefly before colliding into an embrace.

Feeling a hand squeeze her own, Zatanna smiled back at Constantine who looked around, nodding, impressed.

“Happy Halloween love.”

“Happy All Saint’s Day John.” Leaning over, she kissed him on the lips, all while New Gotham cheered and celebrated behind them.