Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up, had massive writers block
Sophies POV
Running from Spencers to my house never felt so long but 3 minutes later I was rushing through my front door and into the arms of my father
"There gone Dad, A got them" I cried into his arms "we have to save them"
"We will sweetie, I've already called back up and they'll be here shortly and we'll go get them." He hugged me closer as my mum came in holding a cup of coffee
"Drink this sweetie, you're going to need to be fully awake, we'll find your friends don't worry" she handed me the cup and kissed my forehead. Just as I sat on the couch the doorbell rang and she let in 6 police officers I knew, including Officer Hinley and 2 people in suits that I've never met before
"Thank you all for coming. Soph you know these guys but let me introduce you to Lt/ Tanner and Officer Holdbrook they are leading Alison's disappearance, so I thought it would be best if they were in on this"
"What case? Alisons dead, case closed"
"We were sent these pictures 2 weeks ago" she handed me a yellow envelope "they show Alison in Philadelphia and in a warehouse talking to her 2 of her friends" at this I looked up at her with a shock look on my face they would've told me, we said no secrets, I looked back down and pulled out the pictures looking at them. One of Alison taken through a bank ATM, one of Ali talking to the girls with shocked looks on their faces, one of Ali hugging Hanna then the one that broke my heart, Ali hugging Emily, tears fell down my face and a my stomach twisted, I can't believe they lied to me about this. Then a thought hit me
"She is alive, I saw her last night" I whispered through tears
"When" nearly everyone in the room asked
"About 2.30, we all fell asleep and Emily's phone fell and woke me up, I took a drink of water then fell back asleep. I felt someone staring at me and woke up again and she was sitting on the coffee table, told me she was checking up on everyone, I thought I was just dreaming then I started feeling drowsy and asked if she drugged me, she just laughed and said she was dead remember. I thought the whole thing was a dream" I whispered the last part more to myself then to everyone else, who all sat there processing what I just said
"Ok, well I guess when we find the girls we'll ask them about Alison then but now our number 1 priority is finding the girls and getting them home safe. Eric find out where the tracker says the book is, hopefully they are there with it" my mum ordered while taking the pictures from my hand and giving them back to Lt Tanner
"The tracker is at the school but according to the map they aren't anywhere near classrooms or lockers, according to this they are on the football field" Dad said walking back in
"Well it's moved since last night, it was at Monas" I said just as my phone started ringing, looking at the caller ID I picked up "Hey Toby, now's not really a good time, can I call you back?"
"Why what's going on? Spencer didn't answer so I rang everyone else and no one is answering, you're the only one who did" he sounded frantic
"Toby I think you should come to my house, something's happened, call Caleb too" I told him, knowing he would want in on this
"should I call Ezra too? He'd want to know" he said as I quickly got up, leaving the room
"I don't know, there's heaps of cops here, I'll talk to my dad and see what he says. I don't want to get him or Aria in trouble any more than they already are. Maybe just give him a call, let him know what happening and if my Dad ok's it I'll give him a ring to tell him where to meet us" I said and after a quick goodbye and a promise to call Ezra I hung up and called my dad into the kitchen
"What's happening? Is Toby getting Caleb and coming here?"
"Yes, but theres someone else who would want to come and help but it's a delicate subject and I don't want them to get into trouble"
"Tell me who and I'll let you know what I can do"
"Aria's boyfriend"
"Ezra Fitz?" he said like it was no big surprise
"You know?"
"Do you really think I wouldn't put two and two together, technically there's nothing I can do now anyway, he no longer works at the school and Aria is 18. Tell him to come, we can use all the help we can get, especially they are at the school, he and you probably know it better than most" he walked off and started to talk a plan with everyone else.
10 minutes later Toby, Caleb and Ezra rocked up and we went over the plan again, the 4 of us would go with Mum, Dad, Lt Tanner and Officer Hinley through the main entrance of the school while he others would go past the football field then through the back entrance until we meet up in the middle.
"Do we know for certain they are at the school? If they aren't we are just wasting more time" Ezra voiced
"we won't know for sure until we get there" one of the officers answered
"wait, Emily might still have her phone, I put it in her bra, I don't think they would've looked there, maybe we can use that find my phone app, it's always on silent so it shouldn't arouse any suspicion if it makes a noise" I said pulling my phone out but quickly lost my enthusiasm when I remembered I turned her phone off so it wouldn't lose battery by morning. "Damn it! Why would I turn her phone off, I guess we just going in blind now" I mumbled while putting my phone back
"Wait, Soph, give me your phone" Caleb put his hand out and I handed it over, after a minute of playing with it he smiled "got it, it says it's in the same spot as the tracker" he handed my phone back
"I don't even want to know what you just did" my dad laughed and the other cops nodded "Alright, we know what we're doing, you 4" he said pointing to the boys and me "stick behind us, at no time should you be in danger, you shouldn't even be coming but I don't think you would stay away even if we told you to, so lets go" we all nodded and headed out, hoping to finally end this once and for all
Emily's POV
"Ali? What are you doing here?"
"Are you going to help us out?"
"Oh my god" the three girls asked all at once and I just sat there shocked and confused
"Oh ladies please, there's enough of me to go around" she laughed but didn't attempt to help us "now one question at a time, I'm here because how could I miss this? And no I'm not going to get you out because then you'll miss all the fun" she smiled then walked further into the room, the look in her eye not at all sane
"What are you talking about?" Aria asked
"Oh Munchkin, you've always been a couple of steps behind" Ali patted the top of her head as she walked around us
"You're behind all this aren't you? You've been A from the beginning" I said as she came and stood in front of me
"Ding Ding Ding and here I thought Spencer was the smart one" she giggled
"So what? You've been torturing us for the past 2 years for no reason? Because we stuck behind you through all the shit you put people through then trying to find you're killer?" I yelled while struggling in my seat
"Calm down killer, I knew you weren't the weakest link" she smiled then walked over to Spencer "you're losing your touch, thought you were the feisty one"
"Fuck off Ali, what do you want from us?" she yelled
"I want some fun, I was having fun playing with you guys but then you all turned your back on me so I had to change the game plan" she said starting to sound even more psychotic
"This isn't some game, we've all almost died like 5 times each" Hanna yelled back
"Yes, almost. It's fun isn't it, almost dying, gives you such a thrill" she squealed
"What! You're fucking crazy"
"Hey, no need for language like that, especially in front of Mona and Spencer whom have both been guests at Hotel Radley"
"So what is your plan for us now? Kill us? Mind fuck us even more? You can't exactly leave us down here" Spencer asked
"Oh, I'm not 100% sure yet, do you think you all have been treated the same by me over the years? I mean from my count Aria and Hanna have almost died way less then you two" she said looking over to me and Spencer "so we should make it a bit even, you two get to decide which one time you almost died that you think these two should experience. Of course there are some that can't be done now like getting stuck in an elevator or sauna but I do have a snake and some drugs so that could be fun" she said with a massive smile
"Um, how about no, we aren't like you, this isn't fun for us, we won't put our friends through that" I yelled at her
"Well it's either that or I set this whole place on fire and you can all die now" she laughs
"You wouldn't do that Ali, if you kill us then there's no more games for you"
"Oh please, I can always torture someone else, I reckon Sophie will be fun, not to mention Caleb, Toby and Ezra. Imagine how fun it will be to screw with them while they are grieving for you 4, actually that sounds a lot more fun, Mona get me the gasoline can" she orders and just before she goes up the stairs I feel my phone vibrate in my bra, knowing Caleb is the only one who could turn it on remotely, I figured they must be searching for us
"Wait! I'll do it, what drug are you using? I mean HGH isn't going to do much to them straight away" I say trying to bide time
"Emily! What the hell are you doing?" Spencer yells while the other two turn around and stare at me in shock and with a frightened look on their face
"Well?" I ask looking straight at Ali
"Ooh, fun! I've got some Milizopam that I could mix with some whisky, you and Paige know how fun that is and if it helps think of it as doing a favour, whomever you pick probably won't remember what happened" she smiles as a chill run downs my back, of course she was behind that too, but now isn't the time to dwell on the past, I just have to stall for time till we are saved
"So I choose either Hanna or Aria to get drugged and the other will get what done to them with the snake?" by this time all 3 girls have stopped talking, hoping they don't stay mad at me after I get a chance to explain
"Probably just wrap itself around a limb or something, I was just going to place it on them and see what happens. Don't worry though, the fun of this game is almost dying so I'll take the snake away before too much damage occurs" she smiles, obviously loving that I'm playing along
"Alright, can you give us a minute to talk about this? See who gets what" I ask, hoping I'm not pushing my luck, she stares at me for a while, looking into my eyes trying to find out what I'm playing at so I just stare back, after a minute she just nods and walks up to Mona and drags her out, before shutting the door she turns back to me "you have 5 minutes"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING EMILY!" all 3 girls yelled as soon as the door shut, I turned my head as much as I could to look at them
"My phone turned on, the only person I know to remote access it is Caleb, I'm guessing they are looking for us and I'm trying to stall for time" I whisper to them, hoping to god Ali doesn't have this room bugged or anything
"What? Where's your phone?" Spencer whispered back
"In my bra, Sophie must've put it there last night, she usually turns it off when she puts it away so it has charge in the morning."
"Ali messed up leaving her at my place, I'm guessing they have no idea about the trap we set for A. I just hope wherever we are we aren't too far away so they can get here soon" Spencer said
"That's why I'm trying to stall, unfortunately it means Aria and Hanna have to go through something. I was just going to argue with her and ask questions and stuff but once she mentioned burning us down I knew this was the only way. I'm going to try and stall a bit longer but I think we have to decide which one of you two do what" I said looking back at Hanna
"I'll do the snake, at fitness camp they taught us what to do in case we ever saw one, I should be ok and Aria" Hanna turned to her "Emily and Paige both were fine after taking the drug so you will be too, if that's ok" Aria just nodded
"We'll get through this, they'll find us and this will be finally over" Spencer quickly reminded us just as we heard the door opening
"So ladies what have we decided?" Ali came down holding a snake while Mona followed stirring a glass of whisky
"Can you answer some questions for us first? It's the least you can do after putting us through years of torture while trying to find your "killer"" Spencer said trying to stall a bit longer
"Where is the fun in that?" she laughs while playing with the snake while it wraps around her arm
"Please Ali" Aria whimpers
"Oh, just for you Munchkin. You all get 2 questions each. Aria you first"
"Where have you been?"
"Around, mainly in Philly but here and occasionally New York as well"
"Why did you pick us to be a part of your group?" she asked the question that she's always wanted to know
"Because you're the compassionate one, Emily is the loyal one, Spencer's the smart one and Hanna is the admiring one, together you make a fun group to play with" Ali laughed while Mona smirked at us
"OMG! She's gone full on Socio" Spencer mumbled
"Why's that?" Hanna asked
"Because that is the perfect combination for a sociopath to manipulate. Separately she would've got bored with us but us as a group we make it fun for her to fuck with us" Spencer described for us
"Well you got your smartness crown back there Spence" Ali smirked "OK Hanna, your two questions"
"Has Mona been helping you the whole time?"
"Yes, she was actually the one who suggested faking my death, then from there I taught her how to be popular and in return she would keep me in the loop on what was happening with you all"
"So you could be A? Continue fucking with us beyond the grave?" Hanna snapped
"Not to start with, first it was just to see how you were all coping with my death, to see how my not being around affected you all. But once Aria moved to Iceland it got boring and then when you came back and they found my "body" we decided to have some more fun and bring A back. That's your two questions, Spencer?"
"Bring A back? So there really was an A after you?"
"Yes, Mona. She didn't tell me until after though" she looked over to Mona and smirked
"Who was the body that was found in your spot? Did you know her?"
"Her name was Bethany Young, she was a suicidal chick from Radley. I didn't really know her, but she was more than happy to play decoy for me" she said so calmly that it sent a chill down my back "Your turn Em"
"I don't have anything to ask. Sociopaths don't feel anything so I know you never loved me, which has been the only question I've ever wanted to know. You've answered the rest that we've wanted to know. I guess the only one is what happens now?"
"Wow Em, thought you'd be full of questions and standing up to me, who knew you had a back bone"
"We did" the 3 girls answer at once and I smirked back at her
"Well now that that's been sorted, who's having the snake and who's up for a drink?" she asks, just then the door slams open and Lucas comes running down and whispers something in Ali's ear and runs back up the stairs. She goes over to Mona takes the glass and gives her the snake, whispers something in her ear and as Mona leaves Ali goes up to Aria and cuts one of the ties on her wrist and hands her the glass "Drink, now!" she yells and glares at her until Aria takes the glass and knocks back the whisky.
"What happened Ali? Things not going as planned?" Spencer laughs but soon shuts up as Ali punches her in the temple, knocking her out cold
"What the fuck Ali?" Hanna screams at her just as Mona walks back in with the rest of the bottle of whisky and hands it to Ali
"We'll take care of things upstairs, you deal with this" Mona says to her and takes off. Ali cuts the tie of Hanna's wrist as well and hands the bottle to her "drink up honey, I know you want to, stressful situation, actually maybe I should've just given you some cake. I bet Hefty Hanna is busting to get out of the compartment you've put her in" she laughs and I hear a sob coming from Hanna just before she skulls back the drink and thrusts it back at Ali "Your turn Em" she cuts the tie off my wrist and hands me the bottle
"Fuck off Ali, I'm not drinking that" I say and throw it against the wall and Aria and Hanna jump at it smashing
"You shouldn't have done that" she punches me in the side of the face "I really hate to hurt you Em, you were always my favourite but you don't make it easy" I turn back to look at the girls and notice Spencer still out of it and Hanna's head drooped forward and I guessed Aria's was the same. Meanwhile Ali pulled out a flask from her back pocket and puts two pills in it "Drink it this time" I just stare back at her, refusing once again. "This can either be easy or hard, it's your choice"
"Look Ali, I've been drugged too many times in the past 2 years, I'm not going to voluntarily take drugs" I say back but soon as I said it she puts a hand around my throat and squeezes
"Drink now" she scarily stares into my eyes and forces the flask into my mouth. I try and fight it but she keeps squeezing my throat and as I gasp for air some whisky gets down my throat and it burns from the pressure from her hands and the alcohol. After 3 gulps she lets go "see that wasn't so bad, now you all should pass out soon, I have to get out of here before your girlfriend finds us" she leans in to kiss my cheek but at the mention of Sophie I snap and punch her with the hand that was still free. She stumbles back and hits her head on the wall, temporarily dazing her. I quickly try and untie the rest of ropes, I knew I had to act quickly before the drugs started kicking in and I wanted to get a message to Soph if I could. I just got the last rope undone and tried to stand when Ali fully woke up "you bitch! You're ruining everything!" she screams and lunges at me, I manage to duck and avoid the contact. I start feeling the drugs and lean against the wall for support, as Ali turns around and sees me like this she jumps at me again and she lands on top of me, pulling me to the ground. Her hands go back around my throat and starts to strangle me again, I notice the neck of the smashed bottle and try and reach for it. Just before I pass out I grab it and stab it into her neck. The pressure from her hands loosens and the last thing I see before everything goes black is blood running down her neck, her eyes lifeless as she rolls off me.