Kara's eyes widened, expecting to see a bullet whizzing through the air, killing Aria instantly, but instead, she was blinded by a bright light. Instinctively, she raised her hand up to shield her eyes from the glaring light, her mouth hanging open when she realised the movement in her limbs was returning. Ezra hadn't been able to inject her with the whole vial, meaning the effects were wearing off quicker on her.

"You're surrounded, Ezra. There are officers covering all exits. Leave the Church willingly or we will be required to use force!" A familiar voice called out, by the sounds of it using a megaphone.

Toby.

Kara dropped her hand quickly as Ezra's eyes darted around the room, seeing floodlights from outside were being used to illuminate the Church. Just like the rest of them, Ezra was questioning how they had been found so quickly, and how they knew he was the one who had taken them hostage.

"Ezra, what do we do?" Jenna questioned, looking uncharacteristically worried.

"We go to plan B" Ezra announced, sprinting towards one of the back rooms.

Jenna was quick to follow him, while Kara tried to get her legs moving, hoping she would be able to stand. She was starting to get more and more feeling in her limbs, but she would still be weak. She couldn't put up much of a fight.

"Run" Dylan croaked, having seen she was able to move her hand.

"I'm not leaving you here" Kara replied, as Dylan grit his teeth.

Kara flinched when Ezra charged out of the back room, a determined look in his eyes. Kara's heart stopped for a moment when she saw what was in his hands. He was carrying two gas cylinders and wasted no time in spreading the liquid over the church walls, his plan clear. He was cutting off all their exits.

"No…no, you can't do this!" Alison cried, as Jenna got to work with spreading the gasoline on the other side of the church.

"What's wrong, Alison? I thought you liked playing with fire" Jenna spat out, anger lacing her words.

"Toby! Toby?!" Spencer screamed, hoping her ex-boyfriend could hear her.

"Toby!" Ezra mocked, with a manic laugh.

"He's not going to save you, Spencer. Because he knows if anyone enters through those door…my associates here will start killing hostages" Ezra explained, rushing towards the large doors of the church, and throwing gasoline up as high as he could.

"You'll die too" Hanna gaped.

"After watching you all burn…sounds like heaven to me" Ezra grinned.

"Please, Ezra! Don't do this!" Emily sobbed, pulling at her restraints.

"Why should I show you mercy, Emily? You never did!" Ezra retorted, as he walked towards the alter, his shoes clicking on the stone floor.

"We're sorry, okay? For what we did. I know nothing can make up for it, but—" Hanna began, as Ezra leapt forward, covering her mouth with his hand.

"You're the worst one of them all, Hanna. She thought you were her friend! She trusted you!" Ezra spat out, shoving her head back.

"P-please…" Hanna cried, as Ezra released her.

"You took away the thing I loved the most. It's time I repaid the favor" Ezra exclaimed, a gleeful look in his eyes.

Meanwhile, from outside, tensions were growing. The local police weren't equipped to deal with a hostage situation, and those with the experience were unlikely to reach the town in time. Toby gripped his gun tightly, as he itched to run through the church doors, but he knew what would happen. Either Ezra would gun him down, or he'd kill someone else.

"Toby?" A voice called out, as he turned around to see Jason rushing towards him.

"Why aren't you in the hospital? You can't be here—" Toby began, as Jason shut him down instantly.

"My girl is in there! Now, tell me what the hell you're doing to get her out!" Jason insisted, as Toby let out a sigh.

"He's got half the town in there, Jason. We can't charge in all guns blazing. The risk to life is too great" Toby explained, as Jason ran a hand through his hair.

"What about Kara's life?" Jason retorted.

"I promise, I will do everything I can to get her out but—" Toby was cut off, by a shout from an officer nearer the church.

"Cavanaugh! I think he's…we can…" The police officer stuttered, sprinting over to the pair.

"What is it?" Toby frowned, seeing the horrified look on the man's face.

"We can smell gasoline, sir. I think he's going to burn the church down" The officer admitted, as Jason felt bile rising at the back of his throat.

"Toby, we have to do something. He's gonna' kill them!" Jason cried.

"What do you want me to do, Jason? It's too dangerous! For all we know she might already be…" Toby trailed off, as Jason's jaw tensed.

"I'm not letting her die" Jason told him, firmly.

His eyes flickered over to something behind Toby's shoulder, as an idea formed in his head. He'd already lost Kara too many times. There was no way in hell Ezra Fitz was taking her away from him.

A terrified silence washed over the church as Ezra pulled out a lighter, flicking the flame on. He looked out at the crowd in front of him and smiled. Not a smirk, but a genuine, happy smile. He was about to kill dozens of people and seemed overjoyed by it.

"The perfect end to my story" He mumbled, before he tossed the lighter onto the gasoline.

Kara couldn't stop the gasp that left her lips as she watched the fire spread around the perimeter of the church, far quicker than she would have imagined. Before anyone could stop it, they were surrounded by the flames. Aria cried out in panic, as she desperately tried to pull her hands free of the rope tied around her wrists.

"Don't worry, Aria. You'll be the last to burn. I want you all to watch as everyone you love dies. I want you to know what that feels like" Ezra explained, through gritted teeth.

"Your insane" Hanna gaped.

"I'm just as sane as you are...if a little more impatient" Ezra retorted, bitterly.

Hanna's eyes widened as Ezra stormed over to the pew Caleb was sitting at, flinching as he dragged her boyfriend from his seat. Caleb dropped to his knees, barely able to move a finger. Hanna was close to hyperventilating as she watched on helplessly.

"This is for Bethany" Ezra announced, his eyes connecting with Hanna's as he pulled out his gun.

"No! Don't, please—" Hanna's begging was cut short by the sound of a gunshot.

"Now you know how I felt. You know my agony" Ezra spat out, as Caleb flopped to the ground, blood pouring out from under him.

Kara didn't need to turn around to know what had happened, Hanna's heartbroken scream told her enough. She tried to keep her breathing calm, knowing she couldn't afford to lose her nerve. Caleb may have been a dick, but she hadn't wanted him to die. She was surprised when she realised she didn't want any of them to die. There had been enough bloodshed. She wanted justice, not revenge. While Ezra was distracted, Kara leant down to touch her boot, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt an object on the inside. She swiftly pulled out the small pocketknife from her boot, hiding it under her sleeve, hoping no one had seen. Time was running out. The church was growing hotter by the minute, as the flames started to leap up the walls.

"G-go. I'll…take care…of him" Wren said, in a hushed voice, having to force the words out of his mouth.

"You can barely move your hands, Wren! You can't—" Kara's whisper was cut off as Maya spoke up.

"Ezra, what the hell have you done?" Maya exclaimed, in horror, storming over to the older man.

"Oh, Maya…I'm just getting started" Ezra replied, a dark look in his eyes.

Kara jumped out of her skin at the loud bang that echoed through the room. Her jaw dropped open as she watched blood pool underneath Maya's shirt and realised she had been shot. Maya quickly fell to her knees, clutching at her bleeding abdomen, a pained grimace on her face.

"You called the police" Ezra suggested, as Maya let out a scoff.

"I'm surprised it took you so long to figure out. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Maya goaded, as Ezra took a step closer to her.

"I thought we understood each other" Ezra sighed, with a shake of his head.

"I was trying to save my friend" Maya muttered, as blood ran down her hand.

"After all she's done, you'd still try to protect your ex?" Ezra scoffed, in disbelief.

"Wrong friend" Maya replied, making Ezra frown, as Maya's eyes flickered to the friend in question.

Before Ezra had time to react, he was suddenly being lunged at, as Wren threw all his weight at the other man. They rolled onto the floor, as Wren fought against him, but his limbs were still weak. Ezra was able to roll on top of him, holding his gun above Wren's head, who tried to shove it away from him. Suddenly, Ezra head was ripped back, as Kara pulled him into a headlock, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Ezra struggled against her, allowing himself to be dragged off Wren's body. He clawed at her arms, his nails scratching her skin deep enough to draw blood. Kara was pulled off her feet as Ezra quickly pushed himself up, but she still wouldn't let go. He moved his hands behind his shoulders to grab her arms, and managed to throw her forward, slamming her onto the ground, as she landed with a hard thump. Kara's eyes flickered up to Ezra's, as he moved to aim his gun at her head.

There was no way out this time.

A second later, there was a loud crash from the front of the church, followed by the sound of a car horn. Ezra stumbled backwards; eyes wide as he found the source of the commotion. Kara shot upright, peering past a nearby pew to find a police car had crashed through the front doors of the church, completely shattering half the wall. A relieved sound left her lips when Jason exited the car, his eyes finding hers in the crowd.

"Jase!" Kara cried, pushing herself to her feet.

She was about to run towards him when she saw Ezra pick up one of the gasoline cylinders by his feet and watched as he threw the contents around the altar. Kara only had a second to react as Ezra pulled out a pack of matches from his pocket. Without a second thought, she leapt over the line of gasoline just as Ezra lit one of matches. She turned around just as the gasoline ignited, cutting her off from Jason who had been running down the aisle.

"Kara, watch out!" Jason yelled, as he came to a halt in front of the fire.

She ducked just in time to miss the bullet that Ezra had sent her way, missing her by only inches. She spun around with her leg raised out, managing to knock the older man off his feet, the gun slipping out of his hand. Kara was quick to react, but so was he, both their hands reaching the weapon at the same time. Kara tried to wrestle him for the gun, but she was still too weak from the paralyzing agent, allowing Ezra to raise the gun towards her. Before he had the chance to pull the trigger, she used all her strength to shove her elbow against his stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Once she had the upper hand, she sent a hard punch to his face, disorientating him. With a tug, she was able to get the gun from his hands, and sent it hurtling through the air, far past the ring of fire that was now surrounding them. Ezra let out a growl, raising his fist out to strike Kara, an angry look in his eyes.

"You little—" Ezra's yell was cut off as Kara kneed him in the crotch, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you" Kara spat out, as Ezra fell to knees.

Sending another kick to his face, she threw him onto his back, satisfied as she watched blood run down from his nose. She quickly turned her attention back to the flames which were growing at an impossibly fast rate. She was now completely cut off from the people in the pews, and the fire was still advancing on her. Kara's eyes widened as she looked down the aisle, to the police car still rammed through the front door and saw how the fire was getting closer to the vehicle.

"Jase, the car! You need to get everyone out!" Kara cried, as Jason immediately realised what she was concerned about.

If the fire got to the car, the explosion it could cause could kill them all. Without a second thought, Jason was rushing towards the car, a dangerous idea in his mind. He ripped open the front door and turned the engine back on, hoping to reverse out of the church. He banged his fist down on the wheel when he found the car wouldn't budge. Looking out of the window, he could see a large piece of wood was stuck behind one of the tires, and another had completely burst. There was no way he was going to get the car out in time. He immediately jumped out of the car and sprinted back towards the front pews, making a beeline for both Mona and Dylan.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" Kara insisted, taking a step back as the flames blew closer to her.

Placing their arms over his shoulders, Jason all but dragged his two friends down the aisle, having to take most of their weight. Mona's knees buckled under her halfway towards the door, as she slipped off his shoulders, and would have fallen if she hadn't been caught by strong arms. She looked up to see Toby, who had rushed into the burning building, holding onto her.

"Thought you said it was too dangerous?" Jason questioned, hiking Dylan's arm further up his shoulder.

"I couldn't let you be the only hero of the hour" Toby replied, as he started to pull Mona towards the front doors.

"Not to get in the middle of this touching moment, but this building is burning down around us!" Dylan insisted, exasperated.

Meanwhile, Kara was trying to look for a way out of her own predicament. The flames had closed in on her, now only leaving two rooms which she was able to make it to. Her eyes widened as she realised one of the rooms was the one that led to the tunnels below. She rushed towards a suspicious cellar door, knowing it had to be the way out and pulled on the metal doors.

"Dammit!" Kara exclaimed, when they didn't move an inch.

Her eyes fell to a switch near the doors and flipped the cover off to reveal an electronic panel. She thought back to how Ezra had opened the door to her cell with his fingerprint, an idea forming in her mind. She rushed back towards the altar, glad to see Ezra was only just pushing himself up.

"Kara, help us!" Hanna begged, pulling at the ropes on her wrists.

Kara came to a halt, her eyes darting between her former friends and Ezra. She could feel the heat in the room growing by the second, the flames almost at the altar now. She swiftly pulled the pocketknife out of her sleeve, gripping it tightly in her hand, unsurely.

"Leave them" Ezra announced, catching Kara's attention.

"Think about what they've done, Kara! They deserve to die. You know that" Ezra stated, as she nodded slowly.

"You're right…" Kara trailed off, approaching Alison, who was the nearest of the girls.

"…But I don't deserve to be a killer" Kara finished, quickly reaching out to cut the rope around Alison's wrists.

"You always were weak" Ezra muttered, pushing himself to his feet.

"Do you ever shut up?" Kara complained, walking over to cut Hanna's bonds next.

"I'm not opening that cellar door for you. There's nowhere to go" Ezra announced, watching Kara cut Spencer's ropes next.

"I'll figure something out" Kara mumbled, finally reaching over to release Emily.

"You'll help those killers escape?" Ezra scoffed, stumbling towards the table they sat at.

"Escape to a nice cold prison cell. Yeah" Kara retorted, as the girls shared a look.

"They're my dolls! I decide what happens to them!" Ezra yelled.

Wren grit his teeth as he desperately tried to push himself up off the floor, watching as the flames got closer to him. He could feel the heat on his face, as he turned to try to use the nearby pew to pull himself up, but he didn't have the energy. He turned back to the fire and could just make out Kara and Ezra facing off against each other. He prayed she would make it. If anyone deserved to get to finally get away from Rosewood it was Kara.

"What are you doing lying around for?" A familiar voice spoke up, as Wren's eyes snapped up.

A grin formed on his lips as he saw Alex looking down on him, a hand grabbing his shoulders a second later. With a groan from both of them, she was able to pull his arm over her shoulder, but he wouldn't move his legs. He looked back to Kara, losing sight of her as the flames grew, his hands balling into fists.

"There's nothing you can do. She'll make it out. You know she will" Alex insisted.

By now most of the guests had been dragged out of the church, as some of the officers desperately tried to keep the flames away from the car, and make sure people still had an exit. Wren let out a sigh as he saw Dylan stumbling towards them, his eyes darting around the church. They both knew who he was looking for.

"Where's Kara?" Dylan questioned.

"You can't get to her—" Alex started, but Dylan immediately cut him off.

"Like hell I can't" Dylan retorted, walking forward, almost falling over his own feet.

"There might be a back exit, we can get to her that way" Alex advised, holding out her arms.

"I'm not leaving without my sister!" Dylan stated, firmly.

"I know" A voice mumbled behind him, in a sad tone.

Before any of them could react, a hard lump of wood had been slammed against the back of Dylan's head, as he slumped towards the ground. His attacker caught him instantly, a despondent look on his face.

"Get him out of here" Jason sniffed, all but throwing Dylan towards Wren and Alex.

"What about you?" Alex frowned, grabbing Dylan under the shoulders.

"I told her I wouldn't ever leave her again" Jason replied, walking past them.

"What are you gonna' do? Walk through the flames?" Alex gaped, as Jason shrugged.

"…Sounds like fun" Wren muttered, pulling away from Alex.

"You two are completely insane!" Alex exclaimed.

"Kara has a type" Jason scoffed, making Wren chuckle, as Alex reluctantly turned on her heels and dragged Dylan out of her church.

"And what are you without your dolls, Ezra? Without your game? Do you even remember why you started this?" Kara goaded, as she ushered behind her back for the girls to back off.

"You think you can beat me? You think you can stop me?! This is my game!" Ezra cried, angrily, banging his fists on the table.

"You're right, this is your game…but guess what?" Kara asked, her eyes flickering down to his now outstretched fingers.

"What?" Ezra sneered.

"I'm the winner" Kara smirked, suddenly bringing her pocketknife down onto his fingers.

Ezra howled in pain as Kara sliced off one of his fingers roughly, blood pouring out for the stump it left. She quickly grabbed the bloody finger, the grin still plastered on her lips.

"Goodbye Ezra" Kara exclaimed, raising the knife in the air.

Everything moved in slow motion, as the entire group were thrown off their feet, the car at the front of church exploded and sending debris and flames hurtling their way. Kara was knocked out instantly, her head slamming onto the floor, only being protected from the fire by the table that had been pushed in front of her. The others had not been so lucky. Fire now surrounded them all, the smoke in the church was so thick, it was almost impossible to see. Jason peered up from where he had ducked just before the explosion, protected by one of the pews. Wren was kneeling beside him, letting out a hacking cough, as he tried to push himself up. His eyes quickly landed on a nearby body, scurrying forward as he realised that she had been left behind.

"Maya? Maya, can you hear me?" Wren shook her shoulder, pressing his hand against her abdomen which was still bleeding.

She stirred lightly, but her eyes didn't open, her skin looking deadly pale. She had lost too much blood, that was clear. Wren was quick to pull her into his arms, looking around the church for some sort of exit. He quickly found a window that had a pew and other debris thrown underneath it, where the flames hadn't reached.

"Get her out of here" Jason instructed, as Wren's jaw tensed.

"Jason, I can't just—" Wren started, but Jason cut him off.

"Maya saved you. Now you save her" Jason insisted, as Wren nodded.

"Kara's gonna' pissed when she knows you came back for her" Wren mumbled, pulling Maya into his arms.

"Oh, I know" Jason chuckled, watching Wren pick her up and make his way towards the window.

Stumbling over the glass and broken wood on the floor, Jason made his way towards the altar. He ripped off part of his shirt, to cover his mouth, feeling how he was beginning to wheeze. He almost fell over Ezra's unconscious body, frowning when he saw one of his fingers was missing.

"Jason?" Alison called out, holding out her hand.

He rushed towards his pregnant sister, his mind only on his unborn niece or nephew. He pulled away a piece of wood that had fallen on her legs and helped her sit up. He looked around him to find the other girls bodies scattered around the altar, his eyes landing on one in particular.

"Kara!" He cried out, instantly pushing himself to his feet and running towards her.

When she didn't stir, he pulled her into his lap, reaching behind her head when he saw blood on the floor. He felt sick when he pulled his fingers away to see the red substance now coating them. He shook her shoulders, feeling tears well in his eyes.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up, baby" Jason all but pleaded, as she still remained motionless.

A sob racked through Jason's body, as he held her closer to him, a look of despair on his face. This couldn't be how it ended—

"Jesus, Jase. Your kind of crushing me here" Kara's soft voice muttered, as Jason pulled back.

He leant down to press a searing kiss against her lips before she could argue, feeling her melt into the kiss. Her hand came up to tangle into his hair, pulling him closer, as she kissed back. A nearby falling beam near them, had the two springing apart, their eyes wide.

"Oh, and before I forget..." Kara trailed off, punching him in the shoulder, as Jason gave her a look of disbelief.

"What was that for?" Jason gaped.

"From putting yourself in danger, idiot!" Kara complained as Jason helped pull her up.

"…Uh, Kara. Why do you have Ezra's finger in your hand?" Jason grimaced, spotting what she was holding.

"Long story. Follow me" Kara replied, ushering him towards the side room.

The other girls were picking each other up, as the only one still unconscious was Aria, who had a chair thrown over her. Kara's eyes flickered over to Ezra, who still lay on the ground, unmoving. She hoped he was dead.

"What about Aria?" Hanna inquired, as she followed Kara and Jason.

"What, now you care about loyalty?" Kara scoffed, rushing over to the cellar door.

"We can't just leave her!" Spencer exclaimed, as Kara shrugged.

"You're welcome to go back into the flaming room if you want" Kara retorted, pressing Ezra's finger against the electronic panel, which flashed green.

"Let's get the hell out of here" Kara announced, ripping open the cellar doors.

She couldn't stop the gasp that left her lips when she saw the person on the other side, donning a black hoodie. Her eyes flickered down to the gun in their hands, before darting to Jason, who mirrored her look of shock.

"What the fuck?" Jason questioned.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed that 'explosive' chapter...get it? Sorry, that was such a dad joke, haha. We've got another action-packed chapter, as we find out who makes it out of the fire! Please leave a review:)

Ineveryfandom: I guess that chapter did have a saw vibe, haha. Fingers crossed over the next few chapters we'll het justice for poor Bethany. A couple of years ago when I came up with this ending I had been reading the books, so you're definitely right there! Oh and with the question about the spiders, in my mind they basically just crawled out of the room or went to find a hiding spot as spiders do. Pretty grim, haha. Thanks for the review:)

silentmayhem: Pretty much, haha. I hope you liked the new update:)

Hope10: They should have taken Annalise Keating's class, haha! Thanks for reviewing:)

NicoleBeverley234: Couldn't have said it better myself, haha.

Princess1: That's exactly the reaction I wanted! To both your questions, we will have some more things answered after this big confrontation, not spoiling anything yet, haha. Thank your for reviewing:)

LiLuLo12: Aria's character had so much potential that I felt like the show wasted, so I definitely wanted to make her a big part of this story! I hope you liked the new chapter:)

Guest: Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you like the Aria twist:)

warriorqueen: I got the idea of the girls being the ones to kill Bethany from the books, so there are definitely big comparisons there! Thanks for the review:)

Guest: Thank you! Oh my God, really? I always thought he was meant to be A in season 5, so much pointed to him! Ugh, the show really wasted his potential.

Guest: Not that I remember, but she did get beaten frequently by Noel, so she certainly had cuts and bruises from that.

Pll guest reader: Jason and Kara have definitely been living together, and we'll see more domestic scenes with them coming up soon!