Thanks for reading! Update on Sunday, feedback replies now.
Trom DeGrey: Thanks so much, Trom. I didn’t conscious write this chapter without a lot of dialogue, but I’m glad you noticed and thought it worked well for the scene. The rest of the story will hopefully continue the tension, and with the action moving faster, there will be more description and less talk. Description has never been my strong suit, so it’s nice to hear positive reinforcement. Now I have a picture of you staring wide-eyed at your monitor, leaning forward, teeth chattering in fear…hehehe. BOO![br]
Katez0r: I read the original Christie story, but can't remember a damn thing about it.
I read it too many years ago to count, myself, and tried to just use the basic plot points. Originally I had more of a House on Haunted Hill idea in mind, but kept coming back to this instead. I agree with you that Willow and Tara (with or without sex) make just about any story more interesting. I might have actually read past chapter 3 in my freshman year chemistry textbook if there’d been some W/T action in there.
Speaking of W/T sex, can we have an interlude where they just do each other forever to distract themselves from the death and horror?
LMAO! As much fun as that would be, I’m not sure there will be time between now and the end. However, your comment had Carleen (GayNow) and I giggling like mad at the idea of an interlude… “we interrupt this program for---‘OHHHH!! YES! Right there…there?…no, there!’---and now back to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress.” Thanks for your comments about the humor. This turned out to be much harder for me to write than I expected, ‘cause I really like a lot of these characters and killing them off is depressing. It’s what made it so easy to ignore the fic for so long, but all the positive feedback has made me glad I came back. Thanks again.[br]
caz: As I said above, I’m not sure there will be much time left for serious smoochies, but at this point the girls are deriving a lot of comfort from each other’s presence, even if it is just holding hands. As for the PDA, well, they’ve already been as outed as they can get, so who cares? lol. Personally, if I was Tara, I’d have left one of Willow’s wrists handcuffed and locked the other one on me! Hmmm…oh, sorry, just having an ‘interlude.’
Thanks, caz![br]
WickedReds: Awww…Gina’s in luuuuurrrrve! That’s the best excuse for being MIA, but I am glad you’re sorta back.
everyone is nervous about Anya having a Knife, but now she has a rolling pin, which can do some major damage as well, but but but Cop boy has a gun, A GUN! now i'd be more nervous of him
No kidding! Especially since we know that two of the people are there for having shot someone. Gee, I hope that’s not foreshadowing…
Thanks so much for the comparison to Hush, that’s quite an honor. As I told Trom, it wasn’t conscious on my part, but I’m glad it worked. I’m updating every Sunday til it’s done, so no need to keep checking…I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.
[br]
GayNow: You still
THINK you know, but maybe…I might have…well…oh poopy.[br]
cantbefredless: is it bad that i was thinking "aww their holding hand" then thinking dawn is probably being killed and cordy is floating in the water like a seaweed
Not at all! It means you are feeling exactly what I want you to feel, and falling into my devious trap of cuddling-induced complacence before the---BOO! Haha, oh yeah, I crack myself up. Seriously though, I think having some sweetness amidst all the death makes it less grim. There’s not a whole lot they can do in this situation, but they can take care of each other, ya know? Thank you.[br]
taralicious: LMAO at the Riley-ire. Questionable intelligence aside, I’d feel better having him walk first into the danger. lol. Honestly, I’m glad so many people picked out the hand-holding. I think it’s a natural reaction to fear, and it just seemed to fit that they would keep that physical contact. Maybe I should let Riley and Oz hold hands…then they’ll feel better too. Huh. No. I’m glad you liked the pool room. Did you see the link to the inspiration? When I first toured Biltmore and walked in there, I was blown away. It was so cool, but kinda creepy too. Thanks Blayne.[br]
sacinema: Are you really going to let the murderer kill all the others?
Err…well…if you know the original story, the body count is even higher than I’m going to go. The ending got “Hollywoodized” when first filmed, and I’m more or less following that style. When I started writing this, I just thought it would be a fun homage to Agatha Christie style thrillers, and it wasn’t until I’d killed off a few Scoobs that it sunk in how upsetting this is. Knowing how much further I had to take it, I stopped writing it for awhile. Unfortunately, the alternative is making it all a dream, or deviating from the original story to such an extent that it wouldn’t resemble it in the least. I think that would be a copout on my part, and am hoping that everyone will be content with the knowledge that Willow and Tara are safe as houses. Thank you.[br]
EasierSaid: Every time I get mopey about killing off the characters, I just think of you saying Island of DEATH!, and it makes me smile. Honestly, it’s frickin’ fanfic…why am I being such a baby?
Interesting that the gang-o-leftovers is suspicious of Willow... and even more interesting that they're thinking that this is an elaborate scheme to get back at one person
Yep, some crackpot theories out there. Personally, I think it’s an alien in a cart…oh wait…that’s a different crackpot theory.
Thanks r.e. Oz. I keep forgetting he’s there! Luckily, it’s easy to keep him in the scene with a simple “Oz raised an eyebrow and said nothing” every now and then. Where is Dawn? Hmm…maybe she’s having tea and milkshakes with Giles somewhere…I dunno. Thanks for the feedback, Heather, it’s always appreciated.[br]
Watson: If you read this at work, watty, doesn’t that mean I should get 10% of your salary? I think it does.
I need to update the website and I don't have a lot of time and even though you won't mind it'll spaz me out.
And Spaz!Watty differs from Regular!Watty how?
Thanks for the word count…I hope you're not disappointed, but I don’t keep track. This is their third day on the Island, so yeah, things are moving pretty fast. If not for my criminal negligence in updating, it wouldn’t feel like they’ve actually been there for a year and a half. I hope in rereading it makes sense that they would be suspicious of each other, but at this point they’re realizing they have to work together in order to survive. Or if not work together, at least not let anyone out of their sight.
I can't help but feel it's all an elaborate plot, but what the plot is, I can't quite grasp it.
Hehehe. I always think back to Truman Capote’s character in Murder By Death bitching at “Miss Marbles” that her stories always throw in some new character at the end who reveals some info, without which it would be impossible to guess who the killer was. All my characters are already there, so I’m not doing that, but I did set out to make it next to impossible to figure out the killer’s identity until I want you to. So yeah…I’m feeling pretty smug right now.[br]
Artemis: Missing people do not fare well, it’s true, but I’d hold off on any assumptions until you see a body.
I wonder how Cordy ended up in the pool though? Did she wander down there on her own for some reason, or did OMH whack her on the head elsewhere and put her in the pool for the others to find? I'm guessing the secret door didn't just open itself. Tara's 'stick together' plan seems a good one, but no doubt some of the group will find a way to wander off on their own sooner or later.
You’re a clever one, Chris…almost
too clever.
But I’ll no doubt catch you off-guard when I reveal that Travers is actually Willow’s dad! Err…damn. I can’t wait to get to the end if for no other reason than to find out what your theory was r.e OMH’s identity. Thanks![br]
histchic: Thank you, Beth (my best friend Beth says “toodles” too…is that a Beth thing?). I’m glad you liked the cliffhangery goodness. I’m a big fan of the old radio serials, and try to structure the chapter endings accordingly. Interesting idea about Giles hearing a voice. You’re the first person that’s mentioned that possibility, and it’s really cool. Of course, I can neither confirm nor deny your speculations at this time.
Not surprised at Xander being the first casualty, though I would have thought Cordelia would have been the burn victim instead of Buffy. Somewhat saddened by Faith leaving so soon
I have to admit I’ve never been a fan of Xander. Despite some great moments and lines, I found him self-righteous and judgmental on too many occasions, so it was my own bias that made him victim #1. Buffy was the burn victim because her “victim” was burned, while Cordy’s sorority sister drowned. I planned the order based around the poem, so while I knew how long I wanted certain people to last, a lot of it was random according to what rhymed. Lame, huh? In retrospect I would have kept Faith around longer, but I didn’t realize how much fun I’d have writing her.
I offer my theory that Tara is the team switcher. I agree with the theory that Willow will be the last murderer, imitating her victim's death. So, what would give her cause to kill herself? Only Tara joining the chorus of "Willow's evil!" So yeah. There is my pinhead supposition.
I’ve known pinheads, and you, madam, are no pinhead. Very good theorizing. I wish I could say more…but then you’d have to ‘disappear’ too.
Thanks![br][br][br]
I'm so happy!!! 
,and the "OMG who's next".
for an update soon.
Or if it's the one I'm thinking of, I was wrong anyway. But I have a new theory, never fear.
You've been very supportive of this fic, Mel, which has helped me to keep it in mind over many months when I couldn't work on it. I'm glad you still find it suspenseful after all this time, and hope you like the next bit, even if it is short.[br]
This is just evil, Cam. Now I have to wait yet another week! 
Thanks, beanie.[br]