We're nearing the end now! This is a little more abstract! I hope that you like it!

Chapter 5

SPOV

She walked along the dark wooded path, shadows moving across the packed dirt like the hooked claws of demons reaching out from the trees to devour her. She was wearing a white nightgown that just barely skimmed the top of her knees. She didn't remember how she got here, and she didn't remember where she was going. But what she did know was that she was afraid.

Her hands were trembling. People were essentially animals who had primal instinct for danger. The hair stood up on the back of her neck and dread settled in her stomach. Something was wrong.

"Spencer?"

Usually when she heard Toby's voice she relaxed, but today her terror only grew and she didn't know why. She turned around slowly. Toby's eyes started happy, but that happiness quickly evaporated and was replaced with apprehension. "Do you have to?" His eyes trailed down to her hand.

She looked down, as soon as his eyes met her hand she felt something heavy clasped between her fingers for the first time. She glanced at her hand and saw a large knife. "Yes," she said. She didn't know why she said that. She didn't even know what she was supposed to do.

She took a step forward, lifting the knife up to waist high. No. No, she didn't want to do this. But she couldn't stop. Her plea for Toby to run died on her lips. She didn't understand why he was staying here. Why wouldn't he run. "I'm sorry," the words tore from her throat. She didn't mean to say it. She didn't want to say it. She didn't know why she was saying it. What was she doing? "I didn't want to do this," her voice sounded strangled. Probably because was fighting with everything inside of her not to do this.

She took another step forward, and Toby didn't move. "It's okay," he whispered. "I understand." His eyes, the eyes that she loved so much, were full of understanding. "I love you."

"I know," the voice that wasn't her replied. "And that's why I have to do this."

She took another heavy step, stumbling slightly. No. No. She lifted the knife to her chest level. She moved slowly, her motions jerky as she fought against whoever was making her do this. No. No. She took another step forward, falling into his chest. The knife plunged into his stomach, blood quickly pouring out of the wound that she left behind. Her arms, acting of their own accord, yanked the knife out and slammed the knife into his stomach again.

She was crying now. On the inside she was sobbing hysterically, but on the outside a single tear ran down her cheek. His warm, sticky blood covered her as his heavy body collapsed into hers. His weight sent them both to the ground in a heap, and all that she remembered before the world faded into blackness was his bright blue eyes full of forgiveness.


Beep, beep, beep

She couldn't breath. Her chest was on fire and the remains of whatever the hell that had been weighed heavily on her. She would never hurt Toby. She couldn't imagine a circumstances where she would ever hurt him. She would choose him over anything. But God, it seemed so real. It felt so real.

The scariest part of it all was that she was certain that in the cosmic, alternate universe that her nightmare was possible in, that was exactly how Toby would have reacted. It if kept her safe he would sacrifice himself, and that thought terrified her. Because they did live in a world where that could become real.

She tried to pry open her eyes but she couldn't. She couldn't open them, and she didn't understand what was going on.

Beep, beep, beep

"How is she doing?"

Why did her mom sound like she was crying? And what was that beeping?

"Her condition is still the same. No improvement, but nothing has gotten worse either. And in cases like this that's actually really good news."

Condition? So she was in the hospital? She struggled to recall what happened, but the last thing that she remembered was dancing with Toby after they snuck into Rosewood's prom. Something had to have separated them, unless he was here too? Was he in the hospital? Was that why she had that nightmare?

She had to open her eyes. She had to figure this out, because the unknown was agonizing.

"What can we do to help her?"

Her chest fluttered in relief, but her heart also dropped because of the anguish that she heard in his voice. Oh Toby. He deserved all the happiness in the world, yet she continuously caused him nothing but pain. She couldn't do this to him any longer.

She was Spencer Hastings. She could do this. She was nothing if she weren't stubborn. She put every piece of focus and strength into prying her eyes open. She had to see him. She had to let him know that she was okay. But that wasn't a promise that she could make. She didn't know that she was okay. She couldn't feel anything. It felt like she was floating, falling. Their voices sounded like they were coming through a long tunnel. She might not be okay.

It took a few tries, but she managed to flutter her eyes open into slits. A quiet, weak whimper made its way out from her throat. It sounded pained and raspy, but she felt nothing. She couldn't see much more than shapes and blurs, but it was something. One of the blurs crouched down next to her and she knew that it was him. "Spencer?"

And suddenly it was like someone turned a switch on in her mind. All the pain that her brain had been suppressing hit her like a truck. It was agony. Her entire body was on fire, but it radiated out from her chest. Her eyes flew the rest of the way open, her back arched, and her eyes drifted shut slowly.

Her breathing slowed and then stopped and everything started to fade away.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

"Get in here! She's crashing!"


TPOV

He was numb. And maybe that was for the best. Because if he acted on the feelings that were lapping at the back of his mind, the only part of him that could feel anything, he might cause irreparable damage.

He was an eternal optimist. He saw the best in people and he saw the best in every situation that he was put in. That was until now, because there was nothing to be optimistic about here. He thought that she could get through this. He knew that Spencer was stubborn. She was the stubbornest person that he had ever met, but that was doing nothing for her now.

She was crashing, she was falling. Her body was betraying her. Her heart didn't want to pump her blood throughout her body. Her lungs didn't want to take in the life-giving air that was so necessary for her continued existence. Her injuries weren't healing as quickly as they should be. She was crashing. And for the first time he thought that she might make impact. She might not recover from this, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

He loved her. He loved her more than life itself. He cared about her more than any other single person in the world, including himself. Hell, especially himself. And if he could trade places with her it wouldn't even be a contest. Spencer was the one that was going places. She was the one that was going to change the world. She was his better in every way, and she deserved to live.

He pulled his legs to his chest and hid his face against his knees. He didn't want to look or see. He didn't want to even breath. Maybe if she died he would want to go with her.

"I'm sure that will mean a lot to your mom." It was a beautiful speech, and it was so true. You needed support to get through the hard times, and her mom had slowly started becoming more of a support system for her. It was pretty incredible to watch actually.

"Maybe," she said softly. She paused and tilted back so that she could see him. "but I wrote it about you."

His chest soared. He loved her. He loved her with every single part of his entire soul. He loved her. He put a hand on the back of her neck and collided their lips together. This was more passionate a kiss than they usually shared in public, but he didn't care.

He loved her, and he would love her forever. He didn't care where the future took him. She was all he wanted.

"Toby."

He didn't respond. It was irrational, but he couldn't help but be upset with the other girls. They should have stopped. They should have waited. Spencer had had every single one of their backs for their entire lives, and they just left her behind when she needed them the most. Emily had been one of his best friends, but he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to look past this. He wasn't sure that they would be able to fix this.

She sighed lightly and sat down next to him, mimicking his position. She put something cold against his leg. "There's a bottle of water. Take care of yourself. Spencer would want that."

"Don't tell me what Spencer would want," he croaked out, immediately pissed at himself for talking. He wanted to save all of his words for Spencer. He didn't want to talk to anyone but her.

There was a long pause. "I'm sorry, Toby," Emily whispered, not apologizing for the water.

Maybe one day he would be able to forgive her.

Wren's POV

He felt like shit, but he knew that this was going to be the best time to do it, the only time to do it. He was going to escape and he was going to finish what he started. He didn't leave things unfinished.

He shifted through the iPad that he had snagged from a younger, more attractive nurse and scrolled through it until he found the name that he was looking for. Spencer Hastings, RM. 208.

It was going to end as soon as he could walk. He close his eyes and leaned back against the pillow waiting for his damned body to heal to that point.