No Escape

Tight Rope

A/N: This chapter contains violence.

The pictures slowed down again, almost to a stop, lingering on a photo of the five of them entering the police station. These were the most recent ones. If this went on, they would all be busted. Spencer's arms that were holding Emily in place had slackened at that photo, but they tightened when the image shifted to another again. "Spencer, we need to help her!"

"There's nothing we can do," her voice was strained, unsure of how to tell Emily to give up. If they try to save Alison she was going to be shot. If not they would have to continue watching. The image changed again.

"Spencer!"

"What do you plan to do, Emily? What if you climb up that stage and -A shoots her? What do you do then?"

"I don't know! I just- I need to- I can't-"

'You're probably wondering why after all these years, I decided to kill her today.'

"Alison!" Emily's voice was already hoarse from calling out, and it was doing nothing. It wasn't slowing down the progress of the rope. Ali was dying. She was really dying. And Emily was summoned there to watch. She thought -A couldn't get more cruel.

'Ali knows too much.'

They all watched helplessly as Ali's feet dangled from floor, and her movements were getting weaker and weaker.

"No! Don't give up! Don't give up, Ali!"

But there was no room for struggling anymore. Two more photos, the last one of the last fight Emily and Alison had, and Ali was motionless.

"Cut the rope." Spencer's head snapped towards whoever gave the order while Emily started to collapse in her arms. Hanna and Aria tried to help keeping her up. Suddenly there was a thud, and Ali's body was free of the noose, now sprawled on the stage.

Nothing could have stopped Emily, then. She ran and she ran fast, but she still felt like she was moving too slowly. All her training for emergency situations in swimming flooded her mind. Six minutes of oxygen deprivation of the brain, and there will be permanent damage. She could still save Ali. She was going to save Ali.

She reached the blonde, and Emily's eyes were blurring from the tears that won't seem to stop. It was no time to cry! She needed to move! Her hands only loosened the noose, expertly tilting Ali's head up. Two strong blows through Ali's lips. Thirty chest compression. The mantra kept her focused. She didn't know how many times she'd repeated those instructions in her head before she felt someone, again, try to hold her off.

"Emily-"

Suddenly Alison inhaled, coughing sporadically, and Emily was flailing against the arms again, hurriedly cupping Alison's face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks again.

"Ali. Ali, you're ok." She wasn't. But she thought Ali needed to be reassured. She needed to be reassured.

"Em-" her voice was hoarse, from her vocal chords being compressed tightly. She tried to speak again but ended up coughing.

Emily shook her head. "Don't- don't speak, Ali, ok? You're going to be ok. You're- you're going to be-" She couldn't help it. Emily's hands were shaking from relief. Her tears weren't stopping. Her heart was still wrecking a havoc inside her chest, and she felt weak and strong at the same time from the adrenaline rush of the few seconds she'd thought Ali was dead. She couldn't help it. She leaned it and kissed her. "You're going to be ok." It was all she could say. Because it wasn't for Ali anymore. It was for her.

What happened next were a blur. Emily remembered struggling against arms that took her away, remembered a group of people surrounding Ali, taking her away in a stretcher. She remembered wanting to follow. But whoever took Ali were moving in fast and efficient movements. They were in and they were out in a flash.

She couldn't hear Aria calling her. She ran bother her hands through her hair, suddenly feeling lost.

"They're taking her to the hospital. We should follow."

Emily didn't react. She only started to walk out of that stage. Of course she was going to follow. Her whole being felt helpless staying here. There was a definite sense of uncertainty that had replaced the hot outpouring of relief she felt when she heard Ali breathe again. Now everything seemed to be slowing down, weakening.

"I need to see Ali." She barely paid attention to the other girls following her down. She now only had one goal in mind.