Bloody hands - a Hermitcraft and last life murder mystery

Chapter 6

'Oh my goodness, what happened?!' Was the first thing Grian said, wings raised, looking down at Ren as he crouched there.

'He... I didn't see the murderer... he's just... Help...' Ren sobbed back, horrified. Mumbo fumbled through his pockets for something to stem the bleeding, eventually just tearing off his jacket and using that. 

'Impulse, hold on.' Grian resorted to saying, desperate. 'Please... Don't die on us...'

'I came as soon as I could!' Pearl crashed through the trees, stopping suddenly. 'Oh my goodness, Impulse!' 

'Etho and Bdubs are also dead. The murderer must've killed them, and then tried to disappear, taking out Impulse too. Luckily Ren was here...' Grian explained. 

'What?!' Tango and Cleo chose this moment to appear, from different directions. It took less than a second for Tango to realise what was happening.

'IMPULSE!' He howled his friend's name, falling next to him. 'Impulse, no... no this can't be happening... this was never- please... Impulse please... I can't lose you too...'

Right then, Impulse's eyes burst open, and Tango all but started crying out of relief. 

'What happened? Who did it? Who tried to kill you?' Was all Grian could say, the realisation that IMPULSE KNEW WHO THE MURDERER WAS overwhelming any kind of sympathy and worry. 

'I... I didn't...' was all Impulse replied. 'It... It hurts...'

'What happened? I hear Ren yelling and- oh my goodness...' Martyn and Doc skidded into view together. Cleo was staying out the way. Martyn noticed, but said nothing. 

'Someone find the others. Tell them what happened. And that- that Etho and Bdubs are also dead.' Grian barely held back his emotion as he spoke.

'What?!' Doc looked over in horror. 'No...'

'It... it seemed like Bdubs was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Etho did say... he was going to investigate.'

'Maybe he was targeted on purpose... But Etho's too big brained not to know it would get him killed... wait, maybe he did it on purpose!'

'What? Die?!' Snapped back Doc. 'Why would he do that?!'

'To narrow it down.'

'Grian, Impulse is still DYING HERE!' Tango snarled. 

'Get him to the house.' Grian's attention switched back to the important problem. 'Mumbo, you help too. Now.' Tango didn't need any further commands, helping Impulse to his feet, handing him Mumbo's now-red jacket so he could keep holding back the blood, stumbling away. Mumbo followed, keeping him up from the other side. Grian watched until they were out of sight.

'Ren, did you see anything? Did you see who did it?' He turned back to the shell-shocked half-dog. 

'I... not much... I was just nearby, dude. I heard a yell, and came as fast as I could. The murderer was gone before I could get there.' 

'Alright... Pearl, look for footprints. Doc, Martyn, go and find as many people as you can. Tell them the game's off. Obviously...' Grian looked to the bloody ground where Impulse had been, grimacing. 'Cleo... give emotional support.'

'We're all going to die.' The zombie replied, crossing her arms. 

'That... wasn't supportive, or helped our emotions...' 

'I can't see any obvious trails... there'd probably be some blood, unless they were especially quick.' Pearl called over. Grian sighed.

'Damn it. We would've been able to see where they'd gone, and who was coming from that way.'

'What about Etho and Bdubs?' Cleo offered. 

'The murderer would've come over here. It makes sense.'

'Unless there are two murderers, and just happened to kill at a very similar time.' Pearl replied. 'There's no way we can prove anything. Unless we get the exact positions of where everyone was.' 

'The weirdest thing is, Impulse was guarding one of our flags. Why would he even be over here?!'

'Maybe someone took it. We can ask if anyone saw him before he got here."

'He'll be able to tell us when he's better.'

'If he survives.' A nasty silence. Grian turned to Cleo. 'What?! You saw the state he was in. It's unlikely that he'd make it out alive.' 

Scott, Lizzie and Keralis, who'd clearly just been rounded up by the following Martyn and Doc, arrived right then. 

'We heard what happened.' Keralis began. Grian frowned remembering. 'Hang on, Scott, weren't you chasing Etho?'

'Knew it...' Was all the Scot replied. 'I knew it.'

'Scott?' 

'I lost him really quickly. He must've hidden somewhere. Lizzie can confirm.'

'I was with him the entire time after he lost Etho... It's not him.'

'Lost Etho, or killed him?' Cleo snapped back. 'You're looking sus here, Scott.'

'Oh really. Why couldn't Grian have done it.'

'Mumbo can confirm I didn't.' He replied. 'We were being Boogie Men.' 

'Boogey Men? Like Last life?' Martyn narrowed his eyes.

'Boogie Men like Boogie! As in dance!' He showed off a mini dance, stopping at the sight of the other's unconvinced looks.

'I don't know about you, but Grian's going right on the suspicious list.'

'It doesn't matter! We should get back to the house, anyway. Someone grab the bodies on the way. We should see how Impulse is doing.' 

'Hmmm...' Martyn and Cleo shared a glance, before the former helped Ren up from the ground. 'Very quick change of subject.'

'Grian's right. We should go.' Doc sighed, following the builder. 'And see if we can pick up any clues from Etho and Bdubs's bodies as we do.'

'Good idea. Doc, Ren, Martyn. You three stay here. The rest of us will head back. The bodies are just ahead, but we should cut around them so we don't mess up the crime scene.' Before anyone could argue, Grian diverted off the path he was on. After a few raised eyebrows were shared, Scott, Lizzie, Cleo, Keralis followed. 

The journey back to the house was made in awkward silence, cutting around the side to reach the entrance. Impulse's blood trail led all the way there, which everyone was trying to avoid looking at, but it couldn't really be helped, since it did aid the way back. Finally they reached the door, which was partially open. Grian swung it open further, seeing what was in front of him.

Standing as though in shock, Tango watched them from the top of the stairs, hands out, appropriately bloody. His face said everything.

'I... I... did it.' 

'Did... what?' Was Grian's first question, too distracted by Tango to look down, right below him. His eyes hit the floor, and more importantly what was there.

'I'm the murderer.' 

The dead body of Mumbo. 

:)