Cromulent

Chapter Twenty-Two

I drove about as fast as I could without going too much over the speed limit. "Avery, slow down!" Dakota warned.

"I can't," I replied. Matthew had clambered in the back of the car when I had yelled to him from the street. "Get in, Matt," I had ordered, "we're going to Hunter." He had nodded and obeyed immediately.

"Why can't you slow down?" Dakota whined.

"Because we have to get to Hunter before he does something," I snapped. Dakota was about to say something, lifting a finger to protest, but then reconsidered and shut her mouth.

"Hunter wouldn't...fuck," Matt stammered. "Katherine just texted me about it. He's...he's saying he did it, Avery."

"Well, we're gonna find out," I said, pressing the gas down further.

"Avery...maybe..."

"What, Dakota?" I demanded.

"Maybe Liam did it," she whispered.

"Why the hell would Liam kill Carson?" I softly inquired.

"Well, you saw the pictures. Liam and Jane were on Carson's pictures. Maybe Liam found out and he...you know," she slowly explained.

"Liam...Liam wouldn't hurt a fly, he wouldn't."

"He hurt you," she bluntly replied as she folded her arms across her chest. She huffed in annoyance and looked out the window to ignore both me and the panicked boy in the backseat.

"Hunter, open the door," Katherine demanded, banging her fist on the door. Matthew slid down the wall next to the locked bathroom door.

"No!" Hunter retorted. His speech was slurred and lethargic.

"Hunter, please," Katherine begged. She was still in her pajamas and the circles under her eyes were bold.

"Katherine, what did he say?" I asked, glancing down the halls of the Summers' mansion.

"He said he fucking killed Carson, Avery!" Katherine replied, stomping her foot. "He killed my Carson. My brother killed Carson..."

"It's...I'm sure that he didn't..."

"Why do you care, Avery? You're free now. Call the cops and you're off the hook forever," Katherine whined, a tear struggling free from her brown eyes. Katherine tugged at her hair and began to hyperventilate. "I need to go take my meds. See if you can knock some sense into him."

I was about to protest when Katherine gyrated on her heel and stormed away. Matt anxiously looked between his sister and me, twiddling with his thumbs. "Um, uh...I should uh...sorry," he stammered, standing from the ground and running off after his sister. I got a text from Dakota in the car, asking where I was and why I was taking so long. I hastily wrote a reply ("i don't know when i'll be back, call u later if you wanna leave now") and rested my head on the bathroom door.

"C'mon, Hunter," I mumbled. "Please."

"No, Avery...I...I can't..."

"Why did you kill Carson, Hunter?" I pleaded. "Please. I need this."

"Why, Avery? So you can roam free?"

"Fucking yes, Hunter!" I screamed, punching the door. "Is that what you want me to say? I'm selfish, okay? I should be saying I want this for Carson, and I do, but more than anything, I want this to be over."

"I...I understand, Avery." A thud emanated from the other side of the door. "I feel you."

"No, no you don't."