"Live Forever" | The Re-Animator's Family Story

07

Herbert decided that it would be best if Charlotte were to sit out on the rest of the experiments. She was hesitant to, but realized he was probably right. Neither of them could believe what happened was actually real. Crawford let her sleep in his bed, as the others discussed what had happened in the attic. She could hear them squabble at each other. Katherine wanted to run the experiments again, but Crawford refused to let her go down the same path Pretorious did. Bubba wanted to just leave, but Katherine stated that no one would believe them without evidence. Herbert didn't care what anyone else wanted. He had seen enough and wanted to get Charlotte out of the house before she could get seriously injured. It wasn't long before the yelling stopped and everyone else decided to go to bed as well. 

Charlotte opened her eyes she felt Herbert climb into bed behind her and wrap his arms around her bump. He rubbed it gently, faintly whispering to himself, but Charlotte wasn't able to make out what he was saying. She knew he would be upset if he knew she was actually still awake, thankfully he was also putting her to sleep as his fingers made circles on her tender stretched skin.

Hours later, Charlotte awoke to a loud noise coming from above her, the attic. She looked over to see Herbert still fully dressed, but fast asleep. She carefully pulled away from his grasp so she could sit up and go investigate the sound. She stepped out into the hallway and bumped into Crawford.

"Charlotte, what are you doing?" Crawford questioned.

"Clearly investigating the same thing that you are about to," Charlotte stated, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"No, you have to stay down here," Crawford demanded.

"Hey, just because you look like my boyfriend, does not mean you get to boss me around like you're him," Charlotte sassed as she began to carefully walk up the stairs on her own... slowly.

"Fine," Crawford rolled his eyes and sighed. "At least let me help you up here then." He put a hand on the small of her back and grabbed her hand to help her up the steps. "If Herbert finds out, I'm not taking the fall for you just because you're pregnant."

"This isn't my first crazy rodeo, Crawford, and I'm sure it won't be the last," Charlotte remarked.

"Comforting, it really is," Crawford sarcastically stated.

The reached the top of the stairs to find Katherine had turned on the resonator and was standing right in front of it.

"Katherine, what are you doing?" Charlotte yelled over to her.

"Turn it off!" Crawford demanded.

"No," Katherine turned towards them. Her arms outstretched wide. I have to see more... feel more."

"Crawford, what do we do?" Charlotte brushed Crawford's shoulder, but he walked up to Katherine before she could touch him.

"Turn it off," Crawford reiterated.

"No," Katherine refused. 

She cupped Crawford's face as she planted her lips onto his. Charlotte watched as Katherine began to make out with Crawford. He tried to pull her off, but with the resonator's vibrations, he couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around Katherine and kissed her back.

Herbert slowly opened his eyes as he no longer felt Charlotte next to him. He adjusted his glasses that he accidentally fell asleep with. He looked around to find that he was alone in the room he was in. He began to panic as heard what sounded like the resonator coming from the attic above him. He jumped out of the bed and ran out into the hallway.

"No," Crawford tried pulling away from Katherine. "No, no... we've got to stop."

"Please don't stop," Katherine gasped, her lips still attacking Crawford's face.

"I'm impressed, Crawford," a voice rang out of nowhere.

Herbert reached the top of the stairs and ran up behind Charlotte, startling her.

"Charlotte, what the hell are you doing up here?" He began to question his girlfriend.

"It was Katherine, she turned on the resonator," Charlotte explained. "And now..." The couple looked up in horror as the now saw a creature that looked like Pretorious standing beside the resonator with Crawford and Katherine.

"Do you know realize what I was trying to create?" The Pretorious created spoke.

"Edward, my God, what have you become?" Crawford stared at him in disbelief.

"Myself," was all that it said as it smiled.

"Herbert," Charlotte held onto Herbert as he tried to move closer to help his brother.

"Get the switch, I'll distract him," Katherine whispered to Crawford. Before either of them could do anything, Pretorious grabbed Katherine and pulled her close to him.

"Yes! I do find you distracting," Pretorious gushed, and looked up at Charlotte's terror filled gaze. "I find you both very distracting." He laughed as he wrapped a worm like tentacle around Charlotte's ankles and pulled her to the ground and towards him.

"NO!" Herbert shouted as he heard the loud thud of Charlotte hitting the ground and watched as she wrapped her arms around her bump as best she could. Both of the women screamed as they were in the grasps of the deranged creature. "Crawford, turn it off!" Crawford hand his hand on the switch and was about to switch it off.

"Don't!" Pretorious yelled as another tentacle wrapped around Charlotte's neck and pulled her to her feet. Another also having a tight grip on Katherine. "Crawford... listen to me."

Crawford looked over at his brother, who looked back at him. He had never seen Herbert more afraid in his life. He didn't want anything to happen to Charlotte or Katherine, but if he turned off the machine with Pretorious holding them, there's no telling what Pretorious would do to them.

"Whatever you are, you're still Edward Pretorious!" Crawford stepped away from the machine. "You're still human!"

"More than human," Pretorious laughed. "Join me, forever." He ripped Katherine's night gown open to expose her naked skin underneath. Charlotte could feel another tentacle begin to wrap around her leg and slowly move dangerously up. Both screamed in fear. 

"NO!" Herbert spotted a nearby axe and grabbed it. He ran towards the resonator and before he could make a swing at it, a sharp-pointed tentacle was jabbed into Herbert's shoulder. He yelled in pain as he dropped the axe and fell as he was being bound to the ground with the same thing that attacked him.

Crawford bolted down the stairs, having an idea.

"We'll be waiting for you, Crawford!" Pretorious laughed manically. He looked down at Charlotte and saw as one of his arm-tentacles ripped a whole in the crotch of Charlotte's sweatpants. "Everyone must join me." Charlotte's heart began to pound as she was afraid of what he was about to do.

"No, no, no, please don't!" Charlotte begged as she began to squirm in the creature's grasp. "Please stop, wait!" A slimy hand was placed over her mouth. She could feel it brush across her underwear, trying to poke through it. Herbert only looked on in horror, feeling useless as he was unable to move from his restraints to save her.