Island of Death

[tarawhipped]

Replies to Chapter 13 feedback:

will: Thank you so much, Will. I have every intention of keeping with a Sunday posting schedule, though I thought I only had a couple of chapters left, and it may be one or two more than that. Still, the end is near, and all will be revealed in due time.[br]
Boadecia: I’m glad you’re enjoying the suspense. I hope not having to wait 6 months between updates is helping, hmmm? lol. Thanks r.e. Willow’s desperation, as you so aptly put it. I wasn’t sure about having her consider running away to save herself, but in the end it seemed like it would be a normal reaction to danger. Obviously, she’s not going to leave Tara, but I think the thought would cross anyone’s mind…self-preservation is a strong instinct.[br]
beanie:

Valium and alcohol?!?? Anya couldn't have been THAT dense! Capitalists know their meds.

LMAO. Welllll, for the purposes of this story, I’d put Anya more in the ‘gold-digger’ subcategory of capitalism, so maybe their laws are different. In any event, I’ll just say that this behavior (Which is bad! Please do not mix drugs and alcohol! [/sermon]) is usual for her…so usual, in fact, that someone with nefarious intentions might plan ahead and lay a deadly trap.

Oh my goodness, she's gonna see Tara with gun. With dead body of Oz.

Actually, Willow is in the room with Oz’s body at the moment she hears the gunshot, and Tara and Riley are not there. I’m not saying that she won’t see Tara with a gun…and I’m not saying that she will, either. hehehe[br]
Always410: Welcome, Jen. I like your hypothesis regarding Giles. As per usual, I won’t confirm or deny the speculation, but it’s a neat idea, and I don’t think anyone has mentioned it before. I’ll be updating on Sundays til the story’s done (at this point maybe 3 more chapters after the next one?…I’m not even sure, lol). Thanks![br]
potential_angel: Hi Mel! I guess the suspense is working, huh? Yeah, Anya’s cavalier attitude toward mixing pills and booze is bad under normal circumstances, but especially on an island of DEATH! I’m afraid there won’t be many answers in the next part about the gunshot Willow heard, but all will be revealed in time.[br]
abtotallyrules: It’s always nice to see people come back to W/T, and let me echo your “Wow, just wow.” Thank you for the wonderful praise, Rachel. I hope the rest lives up to it. Update next.[br]
taralicious:

Wow, at least Grandpa's cough medicine had some restorative properties; the only result Anya achieved from self-medicating with Valium and alcohol was a "well, at least I'm not the killer" seal of approval.

That had me LMAO. You gotta cut Anya some slack, though. I’ve been sober for almost 7 years, and god knows I’d be tempted to ‘self-medicate’ if I were in her shoes. Actually, I probably never would have snapped out of catatonia. Willow and Tara are still apart in the next bit, but they’re both working on finding each other, no worries. Thanks, Blayne.[br]
Artemis: You know, I’d completely forgotten about all the speculation that Anya had fucked her hubbies to death. That would have been a little hard for OMH to recreate. So yeah, it was always poison. I’m sticking with my original plan, though people’s comments have led me to wish I’d done some things differently. Oh well…no fair to change the game at this point (even if it would mean I could say HA! to Carleen and her “I know what’s going to happen.” Curse me and my big mouth.). You are correct that OMH didn’t get to watch Anya’s death, but OMH is a very busy person. Places to be, people to kill, etc. Who is s/he off…offing? Well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it? Thanks Chris![br]
watty:

I don't think it was merely a combination of valium and alcohol, it's never as simple as that. Her poison was in either her pills or the amaretto. Not the ice since Willow took it with her scotch.

Excellent deduction, my dear Watson! No, there had to be a little extra something, or else that would simply be a chance OD, and as we know, OMH doesn’t like anyone/anything getting in the way of doing the deed him/herself. You might want to get cozy under that table, ‘cause it’s only going to get more claustrophobic.[br]
caz: Yep, the population of the island is seriously dwindling. For the moment, you can breathe easy on that gunshot…it won’t come up again for another chapter.

gobsmacked means that I'm speechless

Y’all have way better slang than we do. But I’m still giggling. Thanks, caz![br]
WickedReds: Another fine piece of deduction regarding the location of the poison. Such smart Kittens around here. You know I love the cliffhangers, Gina…as do all of you, apparently. Thanks![br]
Sandman78: Hooray for dancing elephants! I see that emoticon and get ‘Flashdance’ stuck in my head. Hmmm…you think the gunshot could be Riley getting killed, huh? Interesting…say, how’s the weather?[br]
Still Waters T:

little sisters can be somewhat scary sometimes

Now wait just a damn minute! Little sisters are perfectly wonderful…big sisters, on the other hand, are evil incarnate.

OMH will eventually come out of hiding, but is far too much of a control freak to tip his/her hand too soon. I empathize with your needle-fear. Despite donating blood regularly, I can’t actually look at them stick me, or at the needle while it’s in my arm, or I get nauseous. I’m glad you admitted you thought Anya or Willow was in danger when they separated. It’s such a horror cliché to have the tense moment followed by the ‘oh good, they’re okay’ followed by the ‘SURPRISE! You’re dead,’ but what can I say? I just love the classics. Thanks, Liv![br]
histchic: Now now, Beth…I didn’t say which award you might be getting. You could be getting the one for best spelling in a supporting feedback…or possibly: least gratuitous use of emoticons. hehehe.

Even if the killer didn't actually see Anya mix the Valium and alcohol, s/he knows everyone on that island well enough to know how they'll react given certain pressures.

Excellent point! I admit I should have set it up earlier, but that’s exactly what I was hoping people would keep in mind. Thanks, Beth![br][br][br]

[tarawhipped]

Title: Island of Death
Author: Tarawhipped (Cameron)
Email: tarawhipped@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17 (violence, language, sex)
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy; plot borrowed from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None
Feedback: I LIVE for it!
Distribution: Sure, just tell me where so I can visit!
Summary: Ten strangers are invited by a mysterious host to a remote island off the Pacific coast of South America.
Notes: AU (no Scoobiage at all); thoughts in italics. As always, many thanks to my beta, Carleen.
Warning: Character death[br][br][br]
Chapter 14[br][br]
“Close your eyes,” Tara whispered, but before the last words had slipped from her lips, she realized he was already gone.[br]
Oz slumped forward onto the concrete floor, his hands still clutched against his stomach. Tara’s arms trembled from the heft of the revolver, but she felt frozen in place, crushed under the weight of what she’d almost done.[br]
Almost had to do, she told herself as a shudder rippled through her body. The thought gave little comfort.[br]
A shoe scuffled against the floor, and she looked up in a daze to see Riley gaping at her with bald shock…and something else. Appreciation, or fear? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t like either option, and moved to hand to gun back to the officer. Riley flinched.[br]
Fear, then, she mused with sadness, turning the weapon in her hand to offer it grip-first to the man. He recovered quickly and looked immensely relieved to have the gun back in his possession. Still eyeing Tara warily, he returned the weapon to its holster and tilted his head toward the dark corner to the left of where they’d first entered the room.[br]
“I think the shot came from over there,” he said. Not waiting for a response, he crossed the room, careful to avoid the two dead bodies, and began running a hand along the bricks, shining his light on each crevice.[br]
Tara absently looked at her watch, which read 11:30. She stepped back to the wall by the other exit and let her weary legs fold underneath her, her back sliding down the cool, damp walls. Her shirt soaked up some of the moisture and clung halfway up her back. She listlessly tugged it down and looked at Oz. The flashlight she’d dropped when she’d grabbed Riley’s gun still lay on the floor, pointing directly at the young man’s face, where his lifeless eyes were glassy and wet.[br]
“You would have done it, wouldn’t you?”[br]
Tara started at the sound of Riley’s voice. Her eyes darted to where he stood, his back to her as he continued to inspect the walls. There was more curiosity than accusation in his voice.[br]
“Yes,” she rasped.[br]
“Have to say, I’m surprised,” the cop continued from across the room. “I’m usually pretty good at reading people. Never would’ve pegged you for a killer.”[br]
Tara didn’t answer right away, but even in the darkness she could feel Riley turn to appraise her. She thought back to the hours spent in a suffocatingly small locked room, interrogated for hours. Something in Riley’s tone reminded her of the detectives from back then: their words carefully chosen to elicit a response; their deceptively conversational air seeming to say ‘go on, tell us everything, you’ll feel better.’ In the cavernous enclosure of this room, Riley’s voice sounded unnaturally loud, and Tara wished he would speak softer. It already felt like a tomb even without the bodies, but with them…well, Tara’s mother had always taught her to show respect for the dead.[br]
Back then, with the vision of her father’s angry face still fresh in her mind, the detectives had reduced her to a sobbing, quivering wreck.[br]
She’d sworn no one would ever make her feel that way again: small…terrified…guilty. She closed her eyes and took several long, deep breaths. When she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper, but still it echoed off the white bricks.[br]
“One day when I was nine, my mother and I were driving home from the store. We lived out in the middle of nowhere and the road was really winding through the woods. There’d been a snowstorm several days before—completely unexpected—but it had cleared up enough to run into town for supplies.[br]
“I guess the road was still pretty icy, ‘cause when we came around the bend past the Martin’s orchard, there w-was a deer, and my mom braked, but we started skidding. It was like…time stopped…just for a minute, and the next thing I remember was the b-bump—like driving over a speed bump too fast, you know? Except I knew it wasn’t a speed bump.”[br]
Tara closed her eyes as she recounted the memory in a soft monotone.[br]
“She got the car stopped by the side of the road and jumped out. She was yelling for me to ‘stay in the car, stay in the car, oh goddess no, stay in the car!’ But I’d already gotten out and seen. It—she, it was a she—wasn’t making a sound, but she kept thrashing her head around. S-she looked right at me for a second, and her eyes were so big and afraid.”[br]
The images behind her closed eyes were too much, and Tara snapped open her eyelids to see Oz, his wide, vacant eyes staring through her. Tears clouded her vision.[br]
“Her hind legs w-were crushed, her whole back half was all…twisted and she w-was trying to crawl away, but…her front hooves kept sliding on the ice. I just stood there…just…I couldn’t move. My mom had walked over and crouched down next to her, and I remember thinking ‘Mom’ll fix it! We’ll take her home and wrap her legs with sticks and gauze, and keep her as a pet.’” Tara laughed bitterly at the memory and roughly swiped a tear from her cheek. “That’s when she stood up and told me to bring her the jack handle from the trunk.”[br]
Riley had stopped all pretense of searching the wall, which had proven useless anyway. He looked to where Tara sat on the floor, her knees bent to her chest, her upper body rocking slightly. He didn’t make a sound or move, lest he startle her, but just stood still as she spoke, her voice regaining its even timbre even as she physically seemed on the verge of collapse.[br]
“I started screaming my head off…pleading…I called her every bad name I knew. She waited for me to stop and just came over and hugged me. She put me back in the car and told me to close my eyes and cover my ears. I felt the trunk open and close, and I started humming as loud as I could.[br]
“When she got back in the car, I was afraid to l-look at her, afraid she’d have that deer’s blood all over her. I just sat there hoping she’d start the car…I just wanted to go home, but she didn’t do anything. I looked over out of the corner of my eye and I could see she was crying. As soon as she looked back at me I turned my head and stared out the window. She said ‘some times things are beyond saving, and it’s less cruel to put them out of their misery than to let them suffer needlessly.’ And she asked me if I understood.”[br]
Her eyes still locked on Oz’s, Tara uncurled her legs and crawled on her hands and knees to the dead musician’s side.[br]
“I think I probably nodded, but I didn’t understand. Not then.”[br]
With a silently mouthed word of prayer, Tara passed her hand over Oz’s face, drawing his eyelids closed. She pushed herself to her feet, and looked at Riley, who was staring down at the floor.[br]
“I should have—,” he started, his voice unusually hesitant.[br]
“Neither of us should have had to make that decision,” Tara insisted, quietly adding “and it doesn’t matter now. Now we just need to figure out—”[br]
Tara’s voice was drowned out by the sudden roar of sixty thousand gallons of water draining from the pool in a matter of seconds. Riley trained his flashlight at the source in time to see the last of the water disappearing through a trap door at the deep end of the now empty pool.[br]
A trap door that remained open.[br]
Tara and Riley looked at each other, matching expressions of surprise and trepidation on their faces. The seconds ticked by as both strained their ears for a voice, a cry…anything that could be interpreted as a man-made sound.[br]
There was nothing but the distant lapping of water on stone.[br]
Riley jumped into the pool, drawing his gun as he edged closer to the opening.[br]
Tara retrieved the discarded flashlight and followed. She peered into the breech and saw a long tunnel like a drainage pipe, four feet in diameter. The unspoken question hung in the space between them, but they both knew the answer. There was light at the end of the tunnel…sunlight. Whatever danger lay on the other side, they had to take the chance. It was a way out.[br]
Tara looked back at the steel door blocking the room and wondered if Willow was still on the other side.[br]
Maybe she’s found a way out too, she hoped. Maybe she’ll be waiting at the end of that tunnel.[br]
They stepped inside.[br][br][br]
TBC[br][br]
Author’s note: Whether or not Tara would actually shoot Oz was a huge dilemma for me, and I have to thank both Car (GayNow) and Cyd (hermitfish) for helping me work through the decision. I intended the cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 12 to cause a lot of “will she/won’t she?” reactions, and hope that this chapter isn’t a disappointment, since it seems everyone assumed she did shoot him. I’m grateful that so many people could understand how/why she would, but in the end I decided I just didn’t want her to have to.[br][br]

[caz]

Excellent update! I know I explained why Tara might have shot Oz but I'm so glad that she didn't have to do it.

All I can say is DON'T GO INTO THAT TUNNEL! I'm the kind of person who watches a horror movie and screams at the characters to 'put the light on' before they enter a room. I'm a very sad scaredy cat!

Still hope that Willow is alright - and where did that gunshot come from?

Looking forward to your next update.

Caz

[potential_angel]

Just finished reading and all I can say is wow again... my sudden lack of vocabulary scares me. Seriously though there is no word to describe your writing talent!
I'm glad Tara didn't shoot Oz cause that would be so out of character for her. I'm sorry but a light at the end of a tunnel? A tunnel which just suddenly appeared after water drained away? Tara, Riley it's far too easy don't go!!! Who shot the gun? I hope Willow is okay.
Can't wait for the next update... *sets up camp by the computer*

Mel

[WickedReds]

Wow... that was... wow... I understand ur choice of not having Tara shoot Oz... That is a very hard thing to do. Hell its hard for some to put an animal down. I couldnt see Tara pulling that trigger, shes to good a person to do that...
what an update.

-reds

[spells42]

I can entirely see Tara being capable of killing someone under the circumstances in your fic. Her compassion for others would be enough, I think, to overcome the fear and horror at such an act.

But I'm very glad she didn't have to, 'cos just as her nature makes her capable of doing such a thing, she also (IMO) would suffer terribly from guilt, remorse, etc...

I'm enjoying this fic... your murders compare well with any AC wrote, and I'm looking forward to your finale and the revelations to explain everything. Not that I'm in any hurry, mind you. Have lots of updates with W&T in them before you get to that point, especially if they contain W&T smooching or better!, and I'll be a happy

Anne

[Still Waters T]

Still Waters T:

little sisters can be somewhat scary sometimes

Now wait just a damn minute! Little sisters are perfectly wonderful…big sisters, on the other hand, are evil incarnate.

I take it you're a little sister? Well, I have a little sister, and even though I'm bigger and stronger than her I have a healthy dose of respect and almost-fear of her (when she's pissed). She has the ability to chase me from a room with only a rolled up newspaper. And she likes to just come into my room whenever she feels like it and start chatting, no matter if I'm busy or not (thusly expecting me to drop everything). However, I do consider her one of my bestfriends who I can confide in about anything, so I wouldn't change anything about her, even if I am a bit scared of her sometimes. (And this got a bit more detailed than I had planned.)

I can’t actually look at them stick me, or at the needle while it’s in my arm, or I get nauseous.

It's the opposite with me; I can't look away...like a deer caught in the headlights.

I just love the classics.

Me too!

Great update, Cam! And nice how you fooled some of us into believing she killed Oz. I'm sure Car got a good laugh out of that. But whew, she didn't have to kill Oz. Then she won't have that weighing down on her as well. The story of the run over deer was so sad. Although it's just fiction, it's just heartbreaking thinking about it the way you described it.

When Riley said this:

“Have to say, I’m surprised,” the cop continued from across the room. “I’m usually pretty good at reading people. Never would’ve pegged you for a killer.”

I just wanted to hit him upside the head, and say "watch it!"

And with the trapdoor opening the suspenseful mystery continues! or they continue to play into the mystery person's hands.

You're still keeping me on the edge of my seat with this fic Cam! Keep up the great writing, and yes of course credit should go to Car as well since she's your beta.

Livvy

[Sandman78]

Wonderful update, as always
You never cease to dissappoint me with your talent...and suspense factor.
I'm kinda glad Tara didn't shot Oz 'cause she probably would have felt guilty for the rest of her life, even considering the circumstance. But the flashback behind her reasoning was a nice touch to the story even though it was grim. But all in all...Great read!!!
And Oh, by the way...the weather has been beautiful now that the rains have gone

[sacinema]

Your cliffhangers are the best. I just hope sunday will be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Good decision that Tara didn't have to do it. I wouldn't blame her for giving the final shoot to Oz - it's always the shy ones - but I think for her it is healthier. Maybe spares her some nightmares. And the confrontation between her an Riley was written very sensual.

They'll go through the tunnel otherwise there would be no coming out of the poolroom. Even if it might be better not to. I wonder if Riley and Tara will be separeted too. But Tara and Willow will be reunited in the end. Have to be.

Thanks for sharing your writing with us.

[watty]

It actually won't bother me to see Tara shoot Oz, because she was being compassionate at that moment. Don't forget, all these other people have died within the past few days, things are far from normal for them and Oz wasn't ever gonna survive. Their minds are all sorts of fucked up, in fact I have a lot of admiration for Tara for the mercy killing, if she had gone through with it. I always pictured Tara as being from the country, and therefore more used to the necessities of life and death. Not sure if it's true for this fic, but the association is there.

She listlessly tugged it down and looked at Oz. The flashlight she’d dropped when she’d grabbed Riley’s gun still lay on the floor, pointing directly at the young man’s face, where his lifeless eyes were glassy and wet.

In fact, this imagery scares me more than the prospect of Tara shooting Oz. Eerie light shining on a just-dead face. Very scary. I'm staying under the table.

Hmm, tunnel. Bad bad vibes from that. Even someone without nuance and subtlety like me get that.

Well, this is Pens. So Riley is the next to go, perhaps as soon as he gets in the tunnel or exits to the other end, and all we're left with are Willow and Tara. It'll only get more and more interesting.
[br]

[Artemis]

So, the gunshot wasn't Tara putting a merciful end to Oz's suffering... Well, one the one hand, that's good - though ultimately it would have been a compassionate act, though a tremendously difficult one, which is why I'm not at all surprised that Tara hesitated, it's also something that I have no doubt would haunt Tara forever. And even in the best case scenario, that she and Willow get out of this and have lots of hot gay lovin', they'll both have quite enough issues already.

On the other hand, Willow was last seen heading towards the sound of the gunshot... and if Tara didn't pull the trigger, who did? Someone who's not Tara, that's who, which could be bad for Willow if she finds that someone.

I have some theories, which I might as well give, seeing as I'm resigned to looking like a doofus if I'm wrong. But I'll use this fancy spoiler tag thing, so anyone who'd rather not know won't see any potential spoilers by accident, just in case I happen to be close to accurate on any of these:

[spoiler]Theory One: Dawn found a gun and killed herself. It'd fit in with how she 'killed', in OMH's eyes, her unborn child - death by her own hand. And she was, when last seen, looking awful pessimistic, and guilt-ridden about her own situation. Assuming Dawn isn't OMH, of course.
Theory Zwei: OMH has just shot Giles. I didn't like his prospects once OMH hinted that he'd get to see who his employer was.
Theory Trois: Giles has just shot OMH. I kind of like this one, for its out-of-nowhere value - who'd expect the mastermind to get killed two-thirds of the way through the story? And the way everyone's scared out of their wits, it's entirely possible they'll all still be in mortal danger from each other - OMH's game may be far enough along that it doesn't actually require OMH anymore.[/spoiler]

On the positive side, Riley might be a touch more dependable as an ally now - he was afraid of Tara, not impressed by her, and that fear can be (and I'd imagine, has been) allayed, whereas if he'd been impressed, he's even more not someone you'd want to be around at this point. And even Riley can't fail to be moved by Tara's story, surely.

[wimpy0729]

Damn Cam, you really got me there. I just ASSUMED from what you wrote (so deceivingly well), that Tara had actually done it. Sure made an ass out of me. lol I admit it doesn't take much to do that to me anyway, and I'm very capable of making an ass of myself without any assistance.

Okay, just another example of how you're teasing us along about what's really going on.

And now Anya too?? Okay, not a real surprise since they're dropping like flies, but man, now I'm scared to put my amaretto creamer in my coffee. Damn you woman!

So now, let's just all go running into a scary dark tunnel, shall we? Oh, a gunshot. Who knows what really happened? I sure don't cause this story is making me drain bamaged...I mean brain damaged. See?

Okay, come on. Give it to us. We can take it. We are, after all, the strong, the mighty, the warped...The Kittens!!

Great job, and more soon please before my brain totally turns to mush.

Oh yeah, one more question...is there going to be more smut? Never hurts to ask.

Wimpy

[taralicious]

Cam,
Although I could have seen Tara shooting Oz to end his misery, I am relieved that she didn't have to go through with it and that fate, or whatever you want to call it, decided for her.
The adrenalin rush and the implied consequences of what that would have meant were exhausting enough as it brought about the persistence of memory and illumination of that past event.
Tara's temporal displacement had my breath catch in my throat as she was reliving the experience and all of the sensory cues which it brought up.
At such a young age to have to be confronted with the questions of life, death, and the unfairness of choosing between prolonging the suffering and relieving the suffering by taking on the responsibility of creation itself, it's a wonder Tara is as stable as she is.
The distinction of Riley feeling more at ease when he put his gun back into its holster leads me to believe that he has a phallic complex or something.

[GayNow]

I KNOW WHO DID IT!!!!!!!

But I can't tell. Cam would be mad at me. And I don't want to take the chance that she would punch me in the kneecaps.

[tarawhipped]

Le sigh. So much for my regular posting schedule. I'm too exhausted to do replies, but I'm glad the concensus was that Tara was better off not having to kill Oz, and thank you all for writing.


Title: Island of Death
Author: Tarawhipped (Cameron)
Email: tarawhipped@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17 (violence, language, sex)
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy; plot borrowed from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None
Feedback: I LIVE for it!
Distribution: Sure, just tell me where so I can visit!
Summary: Ten strangers are invited by a mysterious host to a remote island off the Pacific coast of South America.
Notes: AU (no Scoobiage at all); thoughts in italics.
Many thanks to both Carleen and Watty for giving me the go-ahead on this one.
Warning: Character death[br][br][br]
Chapter 15[br][br]
Sunlight streamed into the cave from the East end. The cave had been the selling point for this particular island; the name of the place a coincidental and fortuitous bonus. The tide obscured the cave’s presence for all but a few hours of the day, during which it was possible to navigate a small speedboat under the natural arch. At anchor near the entrance to the cave was just such a craft, its keel brushing the muddy bottom visible at low tide.[br]
A metal grating ran halfway around the cave’s perimeter, its handrail parting at several intervals for three staircases leading up to doors and one leading down to a small wooden pier. Each door opened on a tunnel that led to a different section of the house. Five feet above the center door was a circular opening, the terminus of a drainage pipe. Giles stood below it, pacing. He was too busy eyeing the speedboat to notice my presence.[br]
Dad had seen the cave’s potential, and had purposefully built the house above it, linking the two through a tunnel cut into the rock. I had seen to the others, expanding the underground system as my plan took root. Converting the wine cellar onto a command center had taken little effort. The servants’ passages within the walls were also in Dad’s original design, and it had been remarkably simple to hide them; replacing the doors into each room with silent sliding panels, camouflaged with heavy drapes or hollow-backed armoires.[br]
I spared no expense, and suffered no delays. Dad would have approved. Dependability, punctuality, responsibility: these were virtues not to be taken lightly. Giles was punctual, yes. He had also proven dependable. Now he would get the chance to atone for what he was responsible for.[br]
I took several steps toward him, stopping on a thick rubber mat and sparing a quick glance to the electrical box mounted on the rock to my right. A thick cable stuck out of the bottom of the box and my eyes followed its path down, to where it disappeared in the murky water below.[br]
“Giles.”[br]
I startled him, and when he spun to face me, I could see he was angry. Not at being startled, no doubt. This wouldn’t take long. I looked at my watch, which read 11:40, and pressed a button on the doorway remote that would let Rosenberg and Jenkins back into the manor’s main floor.[br]
“I won’t be a part of this anymore.”[br]
I laughed. I couldn’t help it, really. He seemed so sincere, so shocked. It was funny.[br]
“You never said anything about killing them!”[br]
“I never said I wouldn’t, either.”[br]
“It’s sick, brutal. Those people are—”[br]
“Are what? Innocent?” I chewed the word and spat it out. I could see he thought it…thought they didn’t deserve their judgment—my judgment. I felt my blood rise. He deserved judgment. “So now you’re the champion of innocents, are you, Ripper? Did you claim that title before or after you and your friends murdered Randall? At least Thomas, Deidre and Philip paid for it, didn’t they? While you and Ethan ran away, left the country.”[br]
He didn’t even have the sense to appear contrite.[br]
“That’s not what happened! If you’ve told anyone—”[br]
“You’ll what? You’re complicit in the deaths of five more people now.” Well, seven, if you’re counting, which I am. “Are you going to blame that on ‘demon possession’ or ‘multiple personalities’ or some other nonsense too?”[br]
“You killed them, not me! You forced me to help you, but I’m done.”[br]
He started to walk down the stairs to the dock. He could easily wade out to the boat, push it through the cave entrance, make his escape. I raised my hands and peeled back the hood covering my head.[br]
“My father had so much faith in you, but you failed him too.”[br]
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned at the sound of my unaltered voice. I curled my hand around the remote control in my pocket; my fingers poised on the proper buttons.[br]
“Your father?”[br]
“You were supposed to be there. You were his ‘trusted servant.’ But no, you were off fucking some school teacher while my father was tying a noose around his neck and killing himself!”[br]
“Miss Hewitt?”[br]
I’d never seen him scared before. Granted, I’d been off at boarding school for most of the time he’d been around, but still. It was a fitting picture, and I took a mental snapshot of it to savor. I pressed two buttons at once, and 60,000 gallons of water roared out of the pipe. He grasped desperately for the rail, but the deluge ripped him away from the staircase with no more difficulty than plucking the legs off of a spider. I reached behind me for the switch on the side of the electrical box, and pushed it up. I counted to ten to be sure, and dropped the switch back down. Giles’ corpse bobbed face-down, the surge of water slowly washing him out to sea.[br]
I covered my head again and moved to the far left door. My watch read 11:51, and after a quick glance at the pipe, I pulled out my hand-held monitor. The tiny screen glowed to life just in time to see Rosenberg crouched over Jenkins, shaking her violently. A scuffling noise coming from the pipe announced the imminent presence of Finn and Maclay. I passed through the heavy door and held it open, waiting for the sound of shoes hitting the walkway before I let it slam shut and squeezed myself into a narrow crevice just inside and behind the door.[br]
I knew Finn would take the lead. I was counting on it. His ill-advised shot at the poolroom door had proved his nerves were starting to fray, and Officer Finn’s file had revealed a series of questionable decisions under tense situations. I felt along the rock in front of me for a cubby hole. My fingers found the butt of the revolver I’d stashed there, and I let my hand curl around it as the door swung open. Finn’s flashlight skipped over the walls for scant seconds before he was running down the hall. I could hear Maclay yelling at him to wait, and recognized the sound of her just dropping down to the metal platform. I let go of the gun and reached for the bottle of chloroform, quickly unscrewing the cap and grabbing the cloth.[br]
When I peered out of the crevice, Finn had already entered my control room. I typed the code into the remote that would unlock every door in the manor and inched out of my hiding spot. The steel door opened slowly, and I upended the bottle against the cloth. Maclay tiptoed into the hall, her unlit flashlight raised above her head as a weapon.[br]
She never had the chance to use it. I slipped the bottle into my cloak and kicked the door closed, plunging the passage into darkness, save for the weak light emanating from the end of the hall. She jerked toward me at the sound and I shoved her against the wall, pinning her raised arm and pressing the soaked cloth against her mouth and nose. She clawed at my head with her free hand, pulling the hood further down my face, but I felt stronger than I ever had before. In moments she was slumping heavily against me, but I held the cloth in place as I let her slide down the wall to the floor. I replaced my tools in the cubby hole and retrieved the gun.[br]
Officer Finn had his back to the door, staring at the wall of monitors as I crept into the room. I glanced up and saw Rosenberg enter the passage to the cave, the door automatically closing behind her. Finn stood in front of my desk; one hand holding the file I’d left for him. In the other was a framed snapshot.[br]
He’d better not bleed all over it.[br]
I raised the gun to the back of his head and fired. He fell face first across the desk, the file contents fluttering to the floor. I kicked them under the desk and laid out another file. I found his revolver tucked into the back waistband of his pants, set it on the desk by his right hand, and hurried back to Maclay. The rush of adrenaline surging through my veins served me well as I dragged her down the hall and hefted her into a chair behind Finn. I curled her fingers around my gun and placed it on her lap. She was already beginning to come around when I slipped out the back entrance of the room.[br]
After passing through it, I pulled the tapestry by fireplace off of the wall, folding it neatly and setting on the coffee table. I removed my cloak and draped it over a chair, which I dragged to the middle of the room. I found the rope under the couch cushion where I’d left it, and stood on the chair to throw one end over a beam. After adjusting the noose height, I hopped down to tie off the loose end.[br]
I picked up a napkin from the bar and took a small bottle of paint thinner out of a vase on the mantle. Wetting the cloth lightly, I dabbed at my face in the painting until the color washed away, leaving Giles’ in its place, slightly smudged. I used my red marker to cross out Oz, Anya, and Giles. Minutes ticked by, and I sat on the couch, my leg jiggling, my stomach fluttering.[br]
I knew the waiting would be difficult. So far everything had gone more perfectly than I could have hoped, and I hated leaving anything to chance. Not that there was much…not really. My gun had only had the one bullet, after all. Finn’s still had five. Maclay would be defenseless, unless she somehow managed to get the other gun from Rosenberg, but that didn’t seem likely. She wouldn’t even consider it until it was too late.[br]
I stared at the second hand sweeping around my watch face and began to pace.[br]
Something should have happened by now.[br]
12:15, 12:20, 12:25.[br]
At 12:30 I’m going—[br]
A shot rang out. I resumed my place on the couch and waited, my body trembling with anticipation. It would be over soon.[br]
I looked at the snapshot frame, cracked when Finn had dropped it, and peeled out the photograph of me and Dad in front of the car he’d given me for my high school graduation. A drop of Finn’s blood had seeped through the glass, and I wiped it off with my thumb. I kissed the picture and smiled, tracing my finger over the green ribbon wrapped around the car, reading ‘Congratulations Dawn.’[br][br][br]
TBC[br][br]

[Missocki]

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!

OH MY GOD! I knew Dawn was sick, but this just proves it!

[GayNow]

I KNOW WHO DID IT!!!!!!!

Oh...wait...everyone knows now.

Wwwaaahhh!! I'm not special anymore!!!

[wimpy0729]

HOLY SHIT!!

Damn Cam, you are one evil kitten. More evilness soon please.

Wimpy

[Sandman78]

What a twist, with a little cliffhanger in the mix as usual...and finally Finn gets it!!
Can you tell I'm happy?, I love this story
Plus I always knew Dawn was evil , that little back stabbing b**ch!
I never liked her anyway.

[watty]

I'm not special anymore!!!

Of course you are still special. Very berry special. All sorts of specially themed ice-cream special. Um, okay, I'm talking nonsense again.

*Turns attention to Cam*

Island of DEATH!!! whoo-hoo. I was deliberately not thinking of who was the OMH ( so much so that I've forgotten what OMH stands for). I was avoiding reading the last sentence of the chapter, covering it with my hand and blurring it as I made my way towards the bottom of the screen. But at the end I had to reach the last sentence ... and I had to read it (well, considering I was giving it a once over before you posted, I couldn't not read it). Anyway, I felt appropriately suspenseful, and when you revealed that it was Dawn, I had this "oh wow why didn't I think of it, she slipped away but you were cleverly vague about her disappearance" revelation.

I don't want to reveal too much, since you very kindly gave me a summary of what happens next. Boy, Dawn really is a sick, twisted, calculating bitca isn't she. Don't know if I should feel sorry for Giles or not; in most jurisdictions he'd be considered an accomplice. To be controlled and threatened by someone so young means either he's weak or she is a master of manipulation. I should "praise" her meticulous planning but I can't bring myself to say anything good about her.

Anyway, what a place to end this chapter. Dawn doesn't seem to be watching the monitors (are there monitors in the room where Riley's brains are splattered everywhere?). What was that shot about? Which gun? Who shot at who? Argh! Too much suspense! It's brilliant, of course!
[br]

[PancakesinBellies]

Wow. I was not suspecting that. Of course, I never figured out the end of 'And Then There Were None' either, so my ignorance isn't suprising. But oh, the suspense! Can't wait for another update!

[Still Waters T]

I looked at the snapshot frame, cracked when Finn had dropped it, and peeled out the photograph of me and Dad in front of the car he’d given me for my high school graduation. A drop of Finn’s blood had seeped through the glass, and I wiped it off with my thumb. I kissed the picture and smiled, tracing my finger over the green ribbon wrapped around the car, reading ‘Congratulations Dawn.’

I've come to the point where I suspect Dawn or even the recently dead now.

AH HAH! Guess I was right in suspecting young, "innocent" Dawn, huh? Not that you somehow tipped me off, but I tend to suspect the seemingly innocent ones - must be my trusting nature.

Yet, another awesome update! Keeping us on the edge of our seats reading, keeping us just as fascinated with each update. How do you do it, Cam?

I can't wait to see what happened down in that room with Tara and Riley.

Livvy

[taralicious]

Cam,
Who knew that Dawn had it in her to craft and manipulate such a Machiavellian scheme as this?
The topographic description of the cave and how she had carried out the excavation and renovation to blend in with the house in a very underground lair "You Only Live Twice" kind of way added a delicious verisimilitude to the expositional unmasking of her villany.
She has been ruthlessly efficient up to this point in dispensing a macabre and twistedly ironic justice to those she has deemed guilty and Giles, her puppet administrator, is no exception.
Not that he could have stopped her father from killing himself but there must be an extenuating circumstance of which schoolteacher Giles had the opportunity to fuck.
Callous maybe but suppose Giles had the chance to play a game of the school teacher and the detention bound student and the teacher looked like Natalie Portman?
OOO, electrocution and then the deluge washing his body out to sea, nice one.
Dawn slips Tara a Mickey Finn via the ol' chloroform rag and then shoots Riley Finn execution style, positioning Tara's body right behind him.
nice employment of skullduggery and cloak and dagger tactics in which Dawn is leading up to something big for her grand finale.[/center]

[EasierSaid]

Little Dawnie runs the Island of DEATH!?!? Holy shinola. Well, that just takes the cake. Takes the cake and smashes it into my poor little gobsmacked face. I have no clue how this is going to end... Well, I mean, I know it's going to end happily for Willow and Tara, and you know, not so much for Dawn, but it's all in the details, isn't it? And that's what you're great at, the details. Thanks for creating this intricate fic, excrutiatingly gross deaths and all Can't wait to see how it ends.

(And just once more, cause it bears repeating: little DAWNIE runs THE Island of DEATH?!??!)

[NeTGiRL]

hi!
umm.. i've been reading this fic for a while now and i have to say that i got hooked but i was too lazy to leave some feedback so here i am now. i hope you forgive me for being a lazy butt.

and can i say..

HOLY CRAP!!

DAWN?????

who would have guessed that the creepy mastermind was the "slightly" disturbed woman? and did she really carry Tara all by herself? cos i don't think she could. just kidding!

i really like that poem from the beginning of the story.. even though it's kind of disturbing.

hoping for more updates.. and Willow/Tara lovin'.


Kirstin

[Kaia]

HOLY CRAP!!

I think that sums it up.


I started reading this today and while half of my brain was kicking itself for not reading this when you started posting, the other half was actually glad that I didn't 'cause I dunno if I would have been able to stand the suspense.
And what a great way to write suspense, considering it's really hard to be successful at it.
I could probably say that I kinda thought it would be Dawn by the time she was talking to Giles...but it's not relevant. What is absolutely relevant is that you update soon, so we can start letting our threatening-to-bleed-anytime stomach ulcers heal.
Thanks!!

Karinna

[Artemis]

Woo-OOO-ooo-OOO, I guessed something right! Okay, not the Dawn part, because although I was suspecting that due to the lack of a fittingly-killed Dawn corpse lying around the place at this point (kinda difficult to abort yourself anyway, without a time machine that is) other people had suggested it before I latched on to the theory... or that Dawn's father is/was Willow's 'victim', but even though I suspect I forgot to mention it anywhere, I promise that I did guess quite early on that Willow and Tara would be the final two, and that... the rest of this feedback is hidden in case anyone hasn't worked out the plan, and wants to remain unspoiled...
[spoiler]Tara killed her 'victims' in self-defence, and Willow caused her 'victim' to commit suicide, so Willow's going to find evidence that seems to incriminate Tara as OMH, kill her in pre-emptive self-defence, and then kill herself out of grief at never again being able to get some hot Tara lovin' - or possibly that, according to the Amazing Fake-o Evidence, her part in Hewitt's suicide caused Tara to go nuts and kill people, making Willow partly responsible (probably not very responsible, but she'd be pretty upset by this stage). But I suspect that Dawnie's plan will go awry, as Willow is evidently her primary target, and the swapping of the chess pieces back in chapter whatever suggested that she hadn't anticipated Willow hooking up with Tara. And while Willow might, under extreme stress, kill someone else in what she believes is self-defence, that argument doesn't work for Tara. Why, you ask? Because she's too hot - Willow would think "Nuts, Tara's a psycho who killed everyone else, and is now presumably going to kill me. But she's so hot! Well, maybe we can work something out, involving handcuffs and not giving her any weapons. Or maybe I can just not turn her in, in exchange for her promising not to kill me, and then we can live out our days happily in carefree bliss - and I bet some of these people she gruesomely murdered were rich, we can empty out their bank accounts and live the high life! Totally awesome plan, it's settled then." And that should at least give Tara enough time to explain that she, in fact, isn't OMH. That all seems logical to me.[/spoiler]

Incidentally, bub-bye Giles, not missing ya much. Okay, perhaps he's technically not as much to blame as Dawn, but I'm not letting him off the hook - he knew there was something fishy going on, and helped set it all up without bothering to find out what. And besides, have you seen Michelle Trachtenberg recently? Rowr. She can survive, for all I care, so long as she gives up on the whole killing-Willow-and-Tara idea - she can see her evil plan has failed, admit defeat like a sporting psychopath, and go become a costumed supervillain in some generic metropolis. She'd make a great Riddler, much better than Jim Carrey.

[caz]

I always disliked Dawn, and now I know why - the bitch!

Leave Willow and Tara alone you homicidal maniac.

Can't wait for your next update.

Caz

[Sn0wflak3]

OMG! I just found this!!!

This is great!!!! PLEASE don't hurt willow or tara! lol Let them live, ans have lots of hot luvin

UPDATE PWEEEEZ!!!!!

[histchic]

Wow...so it was little Dawnie...On one hand, I'm shocked (for once I guessed the right answer!) but, who else from Buffy- or Angel-dom could it have been?

Great story Cam! looking forward to more....and I have every confidence that our gals will make it out (and hopefully make out?) in the end.

Beth