Did I Kill Him? | A Hermitcraft Murder Mystery ~ ON HIATUS

Chapter 4

I do not have the time, patience, or motivation to edit this as thoroughly as I usually do. The writing is terrible. I haven't been getting enough sleep. I promise I'll come back to it when I feel less burned-out.

Edit from the future: I've edited it and it's good to read now.

~Chapter Warnings~

-Censored swearing

-Brief mention of suicide

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Grian POV

"It was Grian!" Ren slams his fist down on the table, rattling the leftover plates that nobody had bothered to clean up.

The humid air is stained with the metallic scent of sweat. Flys buzz lazily around the room, in no danger from us.

"I would never do that!" I grip Mumbo's arm, trying to hold back tears as Ren presses me for answers that I don't have.

"Ren, quit trying to peg this on Grian. How do you know it wasn't suicide? You're making it sound like you did it", Mambo retorts.

I look out the window to avoid anyone's gaze. The haze of summer lays over the garden. My vision is blurry from unshed tears but I can just make out Zedaph and Tango digging the grave for Impulse, perspiration dripping down their faces.

"Shut the hell up Mumbo. You didn't know anything about Impulse. He wouldn't commit suicide", Doc spits.

"And you knew him better than me!?"

"He was Ren's employer, you idiot!"

"Now that Impulse is gone, Ren gets a promotion", I mutter, not trusting my voice.

Ren's face turns beet red in anger.

"Are you suggesting...?"

"Yeah, Ren. Did you kill Impulse?" Mumbo speaks up.

He stutters, trying to find a defense.

As they continue to argue, I'm the only one who notices when Tango and Zedaph come into the room and take their places at the table.

Tear streaks stain Tango's face. His hair is disheveled and he looks like he slept in his clothes. He grips Zedaph's hand like his life depends on it.

Zedaph, however, is calm. He keeps his gaze on the floor, refusing to acknowledge anyone.

"Maybe it was Zedaph", I blurt out, interrupting the argument.

I feel my ears turn red in embarrassment as they all look at me.

"Grian you complete idiot. He wouldn't kill his own boyfriend." Mumbo spits, focusing his glare on me.

I shrink back, hurt.

"But Mum-"

"No. Stop being so stupid. It wasn't Zedaph."

I feel my face close down, instinctively hiding the emotions coursing through me. I stand up and stride out of the room, ignoring the stares following me. I manage to make it to my room before completely breaking down. I sit on the edge of the bed as the tears start running down my face.

Why did he yell at me for blaming Zedaph? I wasn't the only one who accused someone. Is it because of me? Did I do something to make Mumbo angry? Does he even love me anymore? What if I'm just not good enough? What if he secretly hates me?

My insecurities run around my head, fueled by uncertainty. Why does Mumbo want to defend Zedaph?

Maybe he knows something about Impulse's death.

I immediately dismiss the thought. Mumbo is a good person. If he knew something, he would share it.

I push through my headache and try to remember last night. It's just a blur, cut into fragments of sensations and feelings. The warmth of a kiss. The sight of Mumbo walking away from me. Fireflies lighting up the night. A silhouette in a window. A raven cawing. The sound of shattering glass. The sound of shattering glass a second time.

Wait. Why did glass shatter twice? The second one was probably the window breaking. But the other one? And how did the window break anyway?

A thought occurs to me. At first, I try to deny it. But the more I think about it, the more likely it seems.

I saw Mumbo walking away from me. Which means there was a period of time when I was alone. I heard the glass shattering, so my drunk self would have gone up to investigate. I probably saw Impulse, standing at the window, and pushed him, killing him. That means I'm the murderer. I reel back in horror. No one can find out about this. I'll go to prison. I can't go to prison! I have to make sure no one finds out.

I sit for a while, reveling in my thoughts. A while later, Mumbo walks in, mumbles something about being tired, and lays down on the bed.

Not wanting to see him, I leave the room and head to the small balcony overlooking the woods behind the house.

The air shimmers with heat. I try to push it away and rest my chin on my hand as I look over the lush green forest. The sun shines off the distant mountains. A raven soars past me.

"Hey Grian."

I jump and spin around in surprise. Zedaph is standing in the doorway. He gives a huff of amusement when he sees my reaction.

"Hey Zedaph."

He joins me, leaning against the railing.

"About earlier...", he says hesitantly, "I'm sorry all that happened."

I sigh at the memory. "It's not your fault. I don't actually blame you. I wasn't thinking."

He hums in response. We fall silent for a while, wrapped in our own thoughts. He opens his mouth as if to say something but stops himself. Before he can do anything else, Mumbo walks on to the balcony and grabs Zedaph's arm.

"I need to talk to you, Zed", he intones, not looking at me.

As Mumbo tugs him away, he sends me a withering glare. They round the corner and I'm left feeling hurt and confused.

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917 words