Chapter Twelve

As the girls pulled up, they recounted their plans. Before they could go over everything, though, they were startled by a loud pop. Was that a gunshot?

Aria screamed and ran out of the car. Each girl followed her, but Spencer grabbed Hanna's arm. "Alison's got to just be leaving if she just shot him. Let's go to the back." Hanna nodded and led the way.

Emily, oblivious to the fact that Hanna and Spencer had left her side, continued to chase after Aria. Aria reached the gate and let out another scream. "It's locked!" she cried.

Emily grabbed a bobby pin out from her up-do and went to lock picking. She thanked the heavens that Spencer had taught her how. "Hurry!" Aria shouted.

As Hanna and Spencer chased new A – Alison – through the woods, Spencer was beyond happy she made each bridesmaid wear the same color dress: red. It was easy to spot the culprit. But, to both girls surprise, there were two red dresses. Spencer halted and muttered, "Melissa."

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Emily got the lock unlocked and slid open the barn door. When she opened it a few inches, she immediately spied Ezra's limp head. Her stomach plummeted.

"Emily? Emily, pull open the door!" Aria ordered, getting closer to the open crack.

"Aria…"

"What?" Emily made a move to hug her, but Aria dodged it and pulled the door open the rest of the way. She saw the sight Emily had and let out a sob. "No! No!" Aria screamed.

Hanna and Spencer both heard Aria's heart wrenching screams from the woods, but continued on the hunt for Alison and Melissa.

Aria stepped into the barn and stared at Ezra's head. He was still in his tux and his ankles were strapped to the chair. His skin was eerily pale and his face was marred with a bloody, sliced cheek. Then Aria noticed the blood spilling from his torso.

Her head was pounding and she felt the walls closing in around her. This can't be happening. This can't be happening!

"I need an ambulance!" Emily shouted into her phone from outside, but Aria barely heard her. She knelt down a few feet in front of Ezra, unable to move any closer, petrified whether to see if he was dead or alive. All she saw in that moment was the blood dripping onto his dress pants. Suddenly all the thoughts of it being her fault dissipated and were overshadowed with pure hatred. Aria screamed for the umpteenth time, "Alison!"

Hanna was hot on Melissa tail. She was only a few feet away when she heard Aria scream Alison's name. Melissa must have heard it too because she paused and turned her head to the barn. Hanna took this to her advantage and tackled her best friend's sister in the quick moment. The two quarreled and it was safe to say that each of their expensive dresses were ruined. Finally, Hanna got the upper hand and pinned her down.

Spencer saw Hanna take down Melissa and took it as encouragement to go get Alison. She was stopped, though, when something red flashed past her. It was Aria. Aria pumped her short legs as fast as they could and she barreled straight into Alison.

Aria straddled her ex-best friend and wrapped her hand around her neck. "Why'd you kill him!? Why!" Wrath filled her veins and she punched Alison straight in her pretty, little face. She kept going and going until Alison didn't struggle. By this point, Spencer had pulled Aria away from Ali's body.

Spencer melted into Spencer's arms and sobbed. "That heartless bitch!"

"Aria, go back to the barn. Go!"

Aria did as she was told and Spencer pulled Alison to her feet. Alison gasped for air as Spencer pulled Alison's hands behind her back as if Spencer were a cop arresting someone. "Thanks for ruining my wedding."

Emily hung up with 911 after they said they were coming now. Emily tiptoed into the barn and stood before Ezra's badly beaten body. She heard him groan and her heart did a flip. She crouched down and carefully tilted his chin up. "Ezra? Ezra?!"

"Aria?" He murmured.

"She'll be here in a second, okay? You're gonna be fine, okay? You're gonna stay alive, okay?"

Emily grabbed a pair of wire clippers and went to work on his bindings. Aria walked in and let out a whimper. Just seeing his face physically hurt her. "Is he… Is he alive?" Aria stammered.

"For now, he is. He asked for you," Emily informed. "An ambulance is on its way."

Aria quickly knelt in front of her soul mate, her one true love, and carefully stroke his non blood soaked cheek. "Ezra?" He didn't say anything, but Aria could tell he was still alive. She sighed with relief and wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a few minutes, an ambulance came and two people grabbed Ezra's limp body and boarded it onto a stretcher. Cops went in the woods and gathered Melissa Hastings and a bruised Alison DiLaurentis. The police had also found Mona Vanderwaal hiding behind a tree further in the woods. They were all shoved in the back of a police car and drove away.

Ezra's body was pushed into the back of the ambulance and Aria sobbed as her three best friends each held her tight. All their eyes were damp, but Hanna cried a little harder than Spencer and Emily just because this moment all felt too déjà vu. It seemed like just yesterday it was Caleb's shot up body being loaded into an ambulance. She remember begging the paramedics to let her ride with them to the hospital, but they refused because she wasn't family. She broke away from the girls and went up to one of the EMTs. "Um, could you let her," Hanna pointed to Aria "ride in the ambulance with him?"

"Is she family?"

"She's his wife," Hanna lied.

The EMT nodded, "Ok, go get her."

Hanna smiled and ran up to Aria. She plucked a ring off her finger and shoved it on Aria's ring finger. "If anyone asks, you're his wife. That's the only way you can ride in the ambulance with him."

Aria, who was in such a daze, hugged and thanked Hanna before running to the ambulance. She stepped inside and the car drove off.

Ezra opened his eyes and realized Aria was staring down at him. He was so confused. At that moment, all he remembered were the texts saying that Aria was dying. "Are you okay?"

Aria laughed. "Are you?"

(A/N:) Sad news guys… there's only ONE more chapter! Get me five reviews and I'll post it sooner! Until then, bye lovely readers! I hope you're all surviving the hiatus!