Alison's POV
The feeling of my brain pounding in my skull made my eyes feel like they were bulging from my head. I was faintly aware of the time ticking down, counting each second so they matched with the throbbing. I had lost track after seventy-something when I met her eyes. The look in them brought me back to a little over two months ago.
Emily's mom and dad had asked me to come over before Em got off work, so here I was, at their house, without Emily, scared out of my mind for what this was all about. I had the faintest worry that this is where they were going to tell me that I should stay away from their daughter – and it felt like high school all over again.
But, as soon as I got there, I was welcomed into the kitchen for some fresh lemonade.
"Ali?"
"Yes, Mr. Fields?" I stood leaning against the other side of the counter, watching the both of them as intently as I could without showing any ounce of nerves I had fluttering inside of me.
"Please, call me Wayne."
I swallowed, and repeated his name, without much confidence, "okay, Wayne."
Mrs. Fields, maybe soon just Pam, stood by his side with a slightly concerned look on her face, the purse in her lips, and the same worry line above her brow that her daughter has.
"Do you love our daughter," Mrs. Fields blurted out, her hand clutching the arm of her husband.
He didn't wince. But I did.
I looked confusedly between the two and my mouth seemed to want to move, but nothing would come out.
"I um, I don't understand."
"Do you love Emily? Please, be honest."
Well of course I do, I wanted to shout, but nothing would come. Instead I took a deep breath and stared at the shoes I was wearing. Emily had got them for me when we went out a few weeks ago, she seen me ogling them as we drove by, and the next night, they were a surprise to me after dinner.
"I know Em says that she loves you and we believe her, but things have gotten serious so we just want to know, do you-,"
I didn't mean to cut her off, but that was the time my mouth opened and words actually did find their way out.
"There's not much that I have been honest about in my life," I sighed. "I think a lot of that has to do with who I was trying to be when everyone was looking. I felt myself become two people: the person I was when everyone was around, and the person I wanted to be when I was alone. But, that being said, I didn't know that those were just versions of myself, not who I was…
"I think the purest I've ever been has been with Emily. It hasn't been long, you know, being romantically involved this way, but I think that I've always loved her. I know it wasn't in the way she wanted at first, but that was because I was scared. Sometimes I still am. I'm scared because when she looks at me, I know I can't hide. I am both my strongest and my most vulnerable with her."
It was risky to reveal this much of myself to them, I laid my heart out and I never felt more vulnerable. But when I dared myself to look at them, they were just, just...just waiting. So my mouth kept running.
"Before I realized exactly what Emily meant to me, I always felt like I was wandering around life, being someone I thought I had to be until I realized I wanted to be someone Emily would be proud of and more than that, someone she could love and who could love her. I felt like I was drifting, until her. She was my compass and my anchor. She guided me and kept me steady through every storm. And now she's home. She's the house that built me. The me I know I am, the me that I am proud of."
I looked up realizing that I still hadn't answered their question. I let go of a shaky breath that I didn't know I was holding.
"That, that's the truth. I love her with every fiber of myself. I love her wholly and to pieces, and I would never hurt her. I treasure that big heart of hers and I want to be worthy of her time and love and presence in my life. I know I didn't really answer your question, not directly, but I couldn't just say yes." My heart wouldn't let me. But I do love your daughter, I said in my head.
Pam and Wayne shared a look and I swear I could see the glimmering of tears in both of their eyes. Wayne was the first to stretch out his arm to me and welcome me in with a hug. I accepted it warmly and Pam followed, whispering in my ear, "you did more than just answer the question Ali."
I pulled away a little and stared at them. I looked between them back and forth and they smiled, "and our answer to you is yes."
I was confused for a minute until I remembered something important and my last thought: Hanna has a big mouth.
One of the happiest moments of my life faded rapidly and suddenly I was no longer staring at Emily, I was staring at the gun held in Toby's hand. My body reacted to the first gunshot before I could register what was going on. My muscles stiff, my wrists raw from the thick copper and twine rope tied around my wrists.
The second gunshot went off, the sound of shattering glass crashed around me everywhere, and Charles lunged towards us.
No One's POV
To everyone there it felt like time moved in ultra slow-motion. Emily watched with a tight chest as events unfolded before her. Toby stood with gun in hand, ready to empty the rounds into Charles's chest. Everyone else on Emily's side of the glass were coiled together, ready to run towards their loved ones.
Ali watched them all and covered her head and braced for impact as Charles made his lunge.
When she felt like forever had passed and Charles hadn't gotten to her, she finally lifted her head and I seen who he grabbed.
"SPENCER!" Toby screamed, running forward before stopping cold-blood.
Everyone seemed to have opened their eyes and followed his line of sight to see Charles kneeling next to Spencer, a shard of glass pressed to her neck. He moved with the swiftness of someone with complete confidence in himself and Emily could feel something resembling envy emerge inside her.
Alison watched with bated breath as he smirked, waiting for Toby to make a move. Toby's gun hand started to shake and the muscles in his entire body seemed rigid.
"Ah that's a good boy."
"If you hurt her I swear to God," Toby threatened.
Charles started to laugh, really laugh and then calmed down enough to address Toby, "Mr. Cavanaugh, surely you would've pulled the trigger by now if you thought you were a good enough shot right?"
Toby clenched his jaw and tried his best to steady his hand, "Spence, I'm gonna get you out of this okay?"
Spencer avoided talking or nodding, both of which would press the tip of the glass harder into her skin. But the two of them shared a look and as a single tear rolled off her cheek, Toby stepped forward.
"Ah, what did I say," Charles shouted and dig the sharp edge in until bright red blood started to drip, accompanied by a loud squeal of pain.
"God dammit, I swear if you-."
"If I what dear Toby," Charles mocked. "I knew the minute you walked through that door that if you should all succeed that I'd have to go straight for Miss Hastings. I knew you'd have the gun. I knew you would not risk taking the shot in case you missed and killed your own girlfriend! HA! So excuse me, but your threats have little to no weight with me."
Toby gritted his teeth this time and pressed on, "let her go."
Everyone else sat or stood in silence, too afraid to make a move.
"I SAID LET HER GO!"
Charles clenched his fist tighter around the piece of glass, so hard that he probably cut himself.
"CeCe," Charles yelled, "turn it on, I think Mr. Cavanaugh needs a reminder that he is in no position to make such rude demands."
CeCe? Everyone thought…and then it happened: CeCe walked in from what everyone assumed was just another wall and pulled down a lever that was never paid attention to.
Emily's POV
When CeCe walked in, I was angry at myself for being so dumb, so helpless. Of course, we should've realized that there had to be another way into the room. And I should've recognized CeCe at the hospital. I should be stronger and smarter, and had a plan. Maybe I should've never followed Ali that night and none of this would've happened. If I had just died in those woods then everyone would be safe right now.
Even as I told myself this, I could hear Caleb or Ali telling me to stop thinking this way, to not blame myself but they weren't doing that right now. No, right now, we were trying to save everyone's life.
So when CeCe walked in, I was only reminded of how dumb I was and how much of this pain, everyone's pain and heartache, was MY fault.
"Hello everyone, it's been a long time," she cooed melodically. She had pulled the lever and lights brightened, showing everything that was hidden in the shadows. The switch she pulled had literally shed light on more of the horrors I bet Charles has installed in his little play room. The furthest wall was no longer masked in shadows but now fully eliminated to show a series of switches and buttons. The buttons all had everyone's face on them: Hanna, Aria, Spencer, my mom and dad.
CeCe sauntered over to Charles and Spencer and danced her fingers over his shoulder, leaning down to kiss his cheek, "I love seeing you like this," she said dragging her hand along his arm that was positioned at Spencer's throat.
Charles was seemingly unfazed until he snapped again. Yanking Spencer's head back with his left hand and using the hand with the shard of glass to warn CeCe away.
"Get away," he hissed through gritted teeth.
It was then that I looked at her, and watched her closely while everyone else was zeroed in on Spencer. She loved him. I could see it in her eyes that since he saved her, she thought that was love. I knew in an instant that she was our key to stopping this.
I had to turn what had just happened to her upside down to get her on our side.
"Look here you idiots, while you've all been prancing around trying to find me, I've rigged this entire place to blow with just a push of a button."
"Bullshit," Caleb said from behind Toby.
"Mr. Rivers, I would not test me right now. Not unless you'd like your poor Hanna to be blown to bacon bits all over this place."
He made a gesture to CeCe and stood up, bringing Spencer with him. They stopped in front of the panel of buttons and switches.
"Shall I give you all a show?"
"Wait," my voice cracked.
Charles looked at me and peered around Spencer's head down at me. I hated the feeling, so I tried to stand, begging my knees to be stronger than I knew they'd be.
"Ah, Emily, you've been quiet."
"Let her go, let them all go."
"Haha sweetie were you not paying attention when your friends tried to say the same thing. You're going to have to try better than that."
"What do you want?"
I felt everyone's eyes on me then so I continued.
"Think about it, if you kill all of us, you're doing us a favor, we won't live our lives sad or afraid of you anymore. So I don't think you're really the mastermind you think you are. You don't know what you want, I think you're lost, confused and you are panicking inside that little brain of yours."
"Oh what do you know, you have half of a functioning brain right now. I'm surprised you know how to speak still. I should've beat you when I had you and left you on the side of the road."
"Why didn't you?"
"You had the pleasure of escaping."
"Em." Ali tried, I shook my head at her and tried to tell her with my eyes to trust me. I looked at Aria, Hanna, my parents and Spencer and hoped they got the message too.
I took a deep breath, held my hands out and stepped in front of Toby. This needed to end soon.
"Think about it Charles, you had me in your grasp, you could've killed me then and watch Alison live the rest of her life blaming herself. And that's what you've always wanted right? To punish Ali. You never wanted a family."
I seen CeCe flinch. Bingo. Charles had promised her a family. I needed to turn her against him if we were ever going to get out.
"Shutup, you know nothing."
"CeCe, is that what he promised you?"
Charles grip on Spencer loosened and he looked at the blond from across the room, "don't listen to her."
But I needed to be quick or else he might actually shoot Spencer.
"Emily, what are you doing?" Toby whisper-yelled between his teeth at me.
"Trust me," I breathed out slowly.
I took another step forward, barely lifting my feet above the ground.
"You think you wanted Alison back to have a family didn't you. But deep down you're a monster, you know that you could never really love anyone more than yourself. You use the people around you. You use them while they're weak, promise them exactly what they think they want, and turn them into your slaves. But you know you can't do that with Ali, you can't do that with anyone."
I could see him trying to look through me. The shard of glass in his hand started to shake. My chest was tight, heart pounding.
Everyone in the room was still. I looked at Ali. She was terrified. My parents were terrified.
I was pissed off.
"That's what you do Charles. Is that how you got CeCe to help you?"
"Leave her out of this!"
I turned a little to CeCe, "he doesn't love you, he needs you more than you need him. You're a means to an end and once he's done, he's going to throw you out. You know that don't you? CeCe, you can get out of this, you can have a life. Wren is at our room, he cares for you. More than Charles does. Think about it. Think about-"
"ENOUGH! I said enough!"
Spencer was looking at his hand, it was now outstretched at me, glass pointing at my chest. Less than 5 feet between us.
"C'mon Charles, what's your endgame? Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong. Unless you are just a sensitive little boy that was thrown away who actually does love something. You're quiet because you love her. Aw, how sweet, a monster with a heart."
"SHUTUP! I love no one! I don't need anyone! You think I couldn't do all of this by myself? I don't need anyone, never have, never will. It's just more fun to play with people. How dumb and little their brains are to follow my every command. If I kidnapped you from the hospital, you would be perfect to add with my other slaves. Doing my dirty work because I tell you that you're special."
From the corner of my eye, I could see this hit CeCe right where I wanted it to.
I slid very slowly to the side. I hoped Toby would have a better shot but Charles was still using Spencer as a body shield.
"Charles, you are weak." I tried to think of all the ways he made me feel before. "You are small, insignificant, a nobody, you are so weak. You are alone. You are dumb. You are not worthy. You know I'm right. You can't fight it. You are weak."
He was shaking, looking right at me, angry.
I swallowed and looked at Spencer. She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek and she took a deep breath.
Everything moved in slow motion again. Spencer let go of Charles' arm that was squeezing her neck and drove her elbow as far as she could into his ribs. He lurched forward in pain, she ducked under his arm that swung out for her and my ear exploded from the sound of the gun that went off behind me.
Charles flung back into the wall.
Toby hit him in the shoulder. And then in the chest. Twice.
When Charles' stumbled, his back hit the wall behind him.
He slumped down and forward, face heading towards the ground.
The shard of glass still in his hand...
I heard the sound of tearing flesh, then it disappeared into his chest.
He lay there face down in front of my parents, a small pool of blood forming around him.
My ear was ringing and I felt nauseous all of a sudden.
It was over. I stared at his body, unmoving. Lifeless. He was dead. This was all over. It felt like a curtain was lifted and I could breathe for the first time.
That's when I watched everything speed up to normal speed again.
I faintly heard the sound of the gun fall to the ground. Everyone behind me rushed forward. I looked down at Ali and my parents and grabbed some glass from the ground, cutting them loose. I felt arms surround me. My shoulders were wet.
Everyone was crying, saying things I couldn't comprehend. I felt lightheaded. My vision was blurring. I couldn't feel my fingertips. My chest was so tight I felt like my lungs were going to break my ribs every time I tried to breath.
I remember standing.
Now what?
"We have to find a way to get out of here," someone said. Maybe it was Ezra?
I looked around, my dad was holding up my mom. His other hand in mine. Ali was on my other side. Hanna was clinging to Caleb and Mona's arm. Spencer to Toby. Aria to Ezra. I looked around not knowing how that was going to happen.
We turned to look around each other but my eyes caught CeCe. She was staring at the ground where Charles' body was laying there, lifeless.
Ali followed my eyes, "CeCe," she croaked, "help us get out of here."
"He's - he's - he's dead."
Panic set in her eyes.
"He didn't care about you CeCe, you heard him, he was a monster, you can still be cared for and loved - but not by him. That wasn't real. Help us out of here and I'll take care of you."
For once, I didn't know if she was lying or not. I could feel the edges of my vision go blurry, dark even.
"Ali," I tried, but my voice sounded foreign to me. I'm not even sure if it came out at all.
I let go of my dad's hand and stood protectively at her side.
"CeCe," we inched closer, "I know you. You know me. We were like sisters," Ali continued. "We can still be that way, we just have to get out of here."
I looked at the panel we were nearing and nothing was labeled 'open secret door.' If Charles was right about rigging the place to blow, then I couldn't risk everyone's life. She was our only way out.
As I looked to her, I could see the gears in her head turning. Thinking it over and over. Weighing her options and trying to see the endings.
From clenched teeth, I heard Caleb growl, "why don't we just make her tell us?"
CeCe didn't hear. All of us were waiting for her to say something. Anything.
"I, I -," she looked from side to side, making eye contact with everyone.
"You can trust me," I finally said.
"I knew who you were in the hospital," that was a lie.
She looked at me, confused.
"I knew it, deep down CeCe. I knew who you were, and I knew you weren't going to hurt me. You knew that too didn't you? I knew that hanging out with me was the first time you felt like someone was actually paying attention to you. Not telling you what to do. I could tell that you were genuinely happy. Get us out of here and it can be like that again."
She swallowed deeply and nodded. I swear I felt everyone's breath of relief blow across my neck.
"I want to help, but I'm actually not sure which one of these buttons is for the door."
"What?!" Ezra pushed past us and walked straight towards her.
"What do you mean?" Hanna was tired, hurt.
"I come in here when he wants me to tie you up, or bring you water, but that's because he lets me. I've never actually opened the door myself."
Great, this was great. We finally saved everyone only to be stuck in a sealed metal box with the only person -
"Charles," I blurted. "He must've had a remote on him or something. How else would he be able to pull that off without physically being over there?"
Mona walked closer to me and nodded at CeCe, "can you remember if he had a remote with him, it might have looked almost like a walkie talkie or even an older looking-"
"Phone?" It was Ali. I looked at her softly as she let go of my hand. It wasn't the only thing that felt empty when she did.
Everyone looked down at Charles' back. No one moved.
Not yet.
Alison took a deep breath. "I got all of you in this mess in the first place, I'll look."
I wanted to fight her on it but instead I didn't say a word. I watched her take a deep breath and crouch near him.
I swallowed, hard. "Make sure Ali, make sure he's, you know..."
Ali's POV
I took a deep breath and leaned down to his slumped body. I could barely hear Emily over the sound of my heart beating in my ears. I think she was telling me to make sure he was actually dead.
We watched enough true crime TV to force myself to check his neck for a pulse. His skin was still warm, it was revolting but I mustered the strength to continue. I huffed and turned my head away dragging my arm along the pockets to the jacket he was wearing until i felt it.
I pulled a phone, cold and hard against the fleeting warmth of his body, from his pocket. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding and stumbled into Emily's arms. Everyone was frozen watching me. I stole a glance at CeCe; she was still in shock, staring at Charles.
I held the phone towards Mona and Caleb, seeing for the first time there was blood on it and on my hands. Mona took it from me in silence and my hand hung there in the air, trembling.
Emily's POV
I could see the tremble in Ali's hand when she noticed the blood. Instinctively, I reached out and held her hand in mine. I pulled our hands together and wiped them on the hem of my shirt. I didn't know what to say, I just wanted her to know that we were going to be okay.
Just as the silence was getting unbearably heavy, I could hear Mona and Caleb say that they could get us out of here.
"This son of a bitch really did rig the place to blow," Caleb scoffed.
Mona took the phone from him then looking around, "There looks to be only one way in and out of this place."
I felt my mom and dad close behind me. We all huddled close together. Waiting. Anticipating the release of the locks, waiting for a door to open.
Mona clicked around some more, "there."
The hiss was unmistakable, opening a wall from the direction CeCe had appeared from. We started to scramble for the door, filing out in a rush one by one. I had to reach for CeCe's arm.
"C'mon CeCe, we have to go."
She shook her head, still in a deep daze, "he's dead. He promised, but now he's dead."
I felt sorry for her. She put everything she had into believing in him. She trusted him and now she watched us take it all away. Something about that made me uneasy. But I had to believe that Wren really did love her and that with some help, she could get better and hopefully have a normal life.
We all ran through a dark hallway never looking back until light could be seen from up ahead.
The slapping of our feet to the ground, the labored breathing and the pounding of my own heart was all I could hear. I focused on the feel of Ali's hand in mine. I wouldn't let go this time. I gripped it harder. I wouldn't let go.
x-x-x-x-x
Author's Note: I'm back! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter? I had an alternate ending that would've killed off CeCe something made me keep her alive. This chapter was a bit short but the everything will be wrapped up soon. Sadly, this story is coming to an end. I originally planned for 30-32 chapters total. But the next chapter might be the last. I have new stuff coming though.
xo Lina