CHAPTER 25: Heroic Sacrifice

EMILY'S POV:

"No!" I screamed, as a single gunshot echoed through the basement.

Wren's body jerked slightly, before he fell. He bore a look of surprise. I watched as Spencer moved aside and sat on the ground, clearly exhausted.

I turned to Eddie, whose hand was outstretched, gun pointed at Wren's chest. He glanced at me.

"I'm sorry. I wanted revenge on Alison, but not like this." He muttered. "However, I still deserve to be put away for what I've done. Don't try and change that. I still made poor choices, even if I did the right thing in the end."

"I understand…thank you…" I muttered. I turned and walked over to where Aria and Hanna were attempting to soothe Spencer.

"Do you have, scissors anywhere?" I asked Eddie, who nodded and handed me a pair of small surgical scissors. I thanked him once more, and walked over to my girlfriend. She looked up at me as I approached her, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's okay." I cooed as I took the scissors and cut away the stitching. I gently removed the pieces that were still in her lips. She winced, and I knew it must have been painful, but I wanted to remove it as soon as possible.

Once the entire thing was removed, I held her in my arms. She cried within contact, and I knew just how terrified she must have been.

"It's okay now, he's gone." I mumbled to her softly, as tears ran down my face.

"As much as I love seeing the two of you together again, I think you should get out of here." Eddie warned.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aria questioned, uncertain.

"Wren has this building on a timer. He was planning on surviving through the night, but didn't want to leave any trace of him, or of you. This building is going to explode in about five minutes. He intended on trapping you down here as he escaped to kill you off. However, that's not happening now." Eddie explained.

"What? He was insane!" Hanna shrieked. I stood up, and helped Spencer to her feet. She still hadn't said anything since the stitches were removed, but I didn't blame her.

"I know, but you need to leave, now." Eddie insisted.

"Alright, let's go." I nodded. The four of us climbed back up the stairs and into the cabin. The lights flickered as we walked out the door.

"Wait, where's Eddie?" Aria asked, as she turned around.

"I thought he was right behind you!" I panicked.

"We have to go back in to get him." Hanna insisted, and I nodded. However, as we walked back I felt a hand on my arm. Spencer was shaking her head, and holding my arm.

"Spencer, what is it?" I asked. Hanna paused, and turned to see what was going on. Just as she turned, the cabin exploded in a bright flash of energy. Flames engulfed the building, and pieces of it were sprawled across the woods.

I screamed and fell to the ground, as did Hanna and Aria. However, Spencer remained standing, staring off into the fire.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Why didn't he follow us out?" Aria asked.

"He wanted to pay for what he did." Spencer rasped, and I glanced at her. They were the first words she'd spoken since the stitches were cut.

"He knew he would never be able to live with himself for what he did, and so he knew the only way to fix that was to die." Spencer sighed.

"Wow." I muttered, surprised by her answer. "I guess he was decent after all."

Spencer nodded, and turned to me. Her eyes hid shadows, but danced in the light of the flames.

"He died a hero." She stated.