“General Hospital” finally concluded the Peter August (Wes Ramsey) storyline last week when the character succumbed to his injuries following a fall over an embankment that was preceded by a hit over the head with a tire iron by Felicia Scorpio (Kristina Wagner) who was trying to save her daughter, Maxie (Kirsten Storms), from Peter’s reign of terror. In a new interview, the show’s head writers Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor talk about their decision to kill off Peter, how they chose which characters would ultimately handle the final act, and what’s next for all of the characters involved.

“When you have a villain who has left a wake of bodies in their path as Peter has over the last four-and-a-half years, you certainly know that the ending to that story needs to be big,” shares O’Connor to Soap Opera Digest in the magazine’s latest issue, on newsstands now. “We ran through countless different scenarios of how to come up with an ending that was not only produceable, given the confines of our show, but also exciting and big and not just any other episode of the show. It needed to be bigger. It needed to be spectacular.

With Felicia handing the deathly blow and Anna standing by without providing any medical assistance, coupled together Peter met his maker on the Wednesday, February 23 episode and it wasn’t hard to imagine why those two characters were chosen for the role they played in Peter’s demise. “Felicia was so connected to the story, even when she was not on screen, and it was important to us that she have a big role in the final chapter,” explains O’Connor to Digest. “This is Maxie’s mother. This is somebody who would do anything to keep her children safe. We thought the audience would love the surprise of Felicia’s role in Peter’s demise – but just as importantly, we always knew the final moment had to be between Anna and Peter. There was no other consideration.” Van Etten chimed in, saying, “The story started with Anna and it had to end with Anna.”

With no one left around after Drew (Cameron Mathison) escorted Felicia and Maxie away from where Peter lay, Anna told Peter that Maxie and their daughter, Louise (now going by the name Bailey Louise Jones), will no longer have to fear him once he is gone. Anna wished Peter to be at peace just as he passed with his eyes still open. Afterward, a tearful Anna, who had been holding his hand in his final moments, closed Peter’s eyes and walked away from his body as the audience saw the character one final time. Later in the week, it was noted by Sam (Kelly Monaco) that the WSB had collected Peter’s body, confirming the character had indeed died.

As for what’s next for those involved in the storyline, O’Connor says, “Peter’s demise in Europe is the finale of a story that’s been told for years, but it is also the beginning of a brand-new story for every character that was involved.”

To find out what those stories turn out to be, make sure to watch “General Hospital” weekdays on ABC. Anytime on ABC On Demand or Hulu.