Spencer slowly opened her eyes but everything was still blurry, the way a city looks through the glass of a car window on a rainy day. Her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. She sat up, feeling the rest of her body just as tense. Propped up by the wall behind her, Spencer looked around and remembered driving to the Lost Woods. As she had walked out of her car, someone had grabbed her from behind and put a piece of cloth to her nose and mouth.
The ugly carpet of the inn remained but all the furniture had been removed. From the doorway, a dark figure entered and walked towards Spencer, stopping to kneel before her. A fitted black dress outfitted the person and a black veil covered her face.
"Wh- who-" Spencer began, trying to articulate a simple question but failing.
"Spencer…"
Upon hearing the voice, a jolt ran down Spencer's spine. The woman lifted the veil and shifted from a kneeling position to elegantly sitting on the dingy carpet.
"I remember the day you were born. I wasn't like those siblings that are jealous and secretly want to pinch the new baby. No, I adored you and just wanted to take care of you. All I ever wanted was for us to be close, to get along," Melissa explained, with a nostalgic look in her eye.
"They'll be arriving soon, but before they do, you need to know why this all happened. Everything changed once you became a teenager. You wanted to take it all from me and I couldn't allow that. From the moment I got involved it was only about you. Your friends were just collateral damage to me."
Melissa shifted positions and stretched her legs out to the side, while Spencer couldn't stop her whole body from shaking. She couldn't do anything but listen to her sister.
"Hanna because she was Mona's target and she was the original A, after all. Emily ruined my best asset, that bitch. Maya was supposed to be a key pawn but I didn't even have to do the dirty work. Lyndon took care of that. As for Aria, where do I even begin? Both Charlie and Ezra are obsessed with her, which I will never understand, to be honest. Lucky for her though, those fools kept sabotaging each other to keep her safe."
Suddenly, a shadow passed over Melissa's face and she frowned, raising her voice.
"And let's not forget how they took you away from me. All you wanted to do was be with your friends instead of me. Nothing has changed!"
She breathed out and returned to her calm and composed demeanor in a quick moment.
"That's why it's ending today. What have I accomplished? Nothing. The police are on their way; I lead them here, of course. But don't worry, Spence, I've found a way to get what I want."
Spencer couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes as she stared intently at her sister, who had stood up and was looking out the window. The sound of sirens went from a dull echo to a deafening screech. Spencer closed her eyes, her head heavy. If the police had arrived, it meant she could allow herself to fall into the pain. She was so close to the finish line that she could almost taste the sweetness of freedom.
"Let's go in now. What are those kids doing here?" Abrahams groaned as she spotted Caleb, Toby Hanna, Emily and Aria in the parking lot of the Lost Woods.
"They must have tapped into the police radio," a member of Rosewood PD replied.
"Well, I wondered who did that," Abrahams grumbled, deciding to deal with that problem later.
Having seen Melissa from outside, the agents rushed in, fully armed and pinning her to the ground without a moment's hesitation.
"She's in here, bring in some medics!"
Spencer was mumbling incomprehensibly as the officers took Melissa away in handcuffs. Behind the police tape Agent Abrahams had ordered be put up, her friends watched and waited. Seeing Melissa handcuffed and smirking made Emily nervous and she had to look away, but the rest of them stared, dumbfounded. Caleb placed a protective arm around Hanna's shoulders as he clenched his fists.
When Melissa spotted them, she produced a chilling smile their way. It left no doubt in their minds that she was the brain behind everything. The cold, dead eyes could only belong to a psychopath. As thoughts of revenge, hate and even some pity crossed their minds, a loud noise brought them back to reality. Melissa had collapsed onto the gravel, a bloody bullet wound dead center on her forehead. The agents scrambled for cover, pulling Melissa's dead body along with them. From where they were hidden, Hanna looked around for a sniper in the trees but couldn't see anything.
As soon as the area was deemed safe, Spencer was wheeled out of the room in a gurney. The police allowed her friends to be at her side before she was taken to the hospital.
"Spence, we're here," Aria said, in as bright a tone as she could manage.
Spencer's eyes didn't open but what looked like a small smile formed on her lips and she moved her fingers slightly, prompting Hanna and Emily to take her hands in theirs. Toby reached a hand out to her hair and stroked it before placing a kiss on her forehead.
Slowly opening her eyes just a sliver, Spencer whispered almost inaudibly, "It's over."
"Yeah," Emily replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Alright, let's get her to the hospital," one of the medics said, standing at the head of the gurney to push it, "Two of you can come with us."
As they said a few parting words of encouragement, Spencer's entire body began shaking violently. The medics rushed over and held her arms and legs down as she frothed at the mouth. They quickly rushed her over to the ambulance and away from her friends.
