Chapter 18
Accelerated
Point Place, Wisconsin
May 26, 1977 (Thursday)
4:30 p.m.
Eric sat at his desk and cried.
That's all he did was sleep, barely eat, and cry. He couldn't believe his parents made him go back to school so
soon. It had nothing to do with Fez and Kelso even though he did love and miss them, they were his friends
after all, it was losing Donna and knowing that his romantic soul mate, what a load of bullshit, had really loved
Hyde all along hurt him to his very foundation. There was a knock on his door. "Go away." He replied. The door
opened, it was his father, Eric had to admit, Red was acceptable during all this, he didn't ride his ass to "be a
man" at all. It was probably because they knew Donna since she was a little girl who called him a "string bean"
when they first met and punched him in the stomach. It was love at first hit. Eric was still angry that Hyde still
hasn't said a damn thing to him. Was he feeling guilty? He should. Hyde knew how he felt about Donna, it was
never a secret and to break the guy code was unforgivable.
"Son, come downstairs and have something to eat." Red said, who looked drained
himself.
He didn't want to tell Eric, but they couldn't reach Laurie anywhere. Red and Kitty were
very worried about her whereabouts.
"Dad, I'm not hungry." Eric twisted a pencil in his hand.
"Eric, you need to eat something."
Looked like Dad, sounded much like Mom. Tragedy does that to people's personalities.
Eric supposed.
"Son," Red closed the door, "Do me a favor…. don't tell Steven or your Mother, but I
need to speak to you and Jackie alone as soon as possible, okay?" Red didn't know how he was going to
explain this to them, he still didn't understand it all, but he fought with less information during the war at times
and a man learns to trust his guts instincts. He debated telling Kitty, but that would put her square into danger
and he didn't want that.
"We can go to Fatso Burger tomorrow. Hyde will be at the Fotohut."
"Fine. Better yet. I'll phone Jackie, Eric."
Eric scratched his head as Red closed the door behind him. What did Red want to talk to him and Jackie about
that he didn't want Hyde nor his mother to know?
Day of Awareness
May 27, 1977 (Friday)
4:30 p.m.
Eric didn't know how he was able to go to school and how Red was able to pull both him
and Jackie out of their last classes of the day without Hyde knowing. They were at Fatso
Burger. Red didn't want to hurt his son or one of the girls that he loved like a daughter, but he had to tell them
exactly what he thought the situation was and what they were going to do about it.
"Jackie, are you alright?" Red asked
She already knew, well since Donna's funeral, that man couldn't be her Steven. Eric told
her about Hyde and Donna's sexual tryst last night on the phone. He never would have
hurt Donna and Eric like that, he always changed the subject with her, and he wanted to
have a private dinner at her house on the first of the month.
Eric couldn't eat anything; he just stared into outer space. Why wouldn't this stop? If
Red's theory was true, then he and Jackie were next.
Hyde was a lot of things, not all of them good, but a cold hearted killer?
The doppelganger saw them from the window as he drove by, they must all think that he
was very stupid. They knew and they were going to pretend that they didn't. To quote the
elder Forman, they were all dumbasses.
Fuck next month, tonight at dinner they were all going to be in for a surprise.
He knew what he had to do.
Forman house
The twin ran up the stairs to make sure there'd be a flush to his face. They wanted it sped up, he would give
them sped up. They'd never expect it. Mrs. Forman was an easy target she loved Steven like a son, she'd accept
anything he put on the table as long as he stayed as true to the character as possible.
"Mrs. Forman….Mrs. Forman!" He called out.
She had her hand on the doorknob of Laurie's door, oh shit, well her finding the suitcases would have to wait
this took top priority.
"What is it, Steven? Have you been crying?" She took his hand as they walked into Eric's room.
"I don't know how to say this to you…..Red thinks I did it!"
"Did what, Sweetie?"
"Kill everyone! I overheard them. He thinks I killed Fez, Kelso, and Donna…I didn't…! Why would he think it was
me?"
"Oh, Steven," She gave him a big hug, "Really? You heard Red say this? Who was he talking to?"
"F—Eric and Jackie. He's going to tell Jackie that I did these horrible and untrue things!"
Kitty kissed the doppelganger on the cheek. "Don't you worry, honey, you leave Red to me, okay? He's probably
flashing back to one of his wartime experiences…Why don't you go downstairs? Supper will be ready soon."
"I have to go back to the Fotohut…..but I just had to tell you, I couldn't keep it inside."
She held his hand. "It'll be okay. I promise."
He smiled victorious on the inside, "Thank you, Mrs. Forman. I knew I could always count on you."
Time was of the essence.
Random motel
The twin waited in line to speak to the young woman behind the desk. They wanted it this way. They chose the
direction in how it was all going to go down.
"May I help you, Sir?" the brunette with the green eyes took him out of his thoughts.
"Yes. I'm Steven Hyde, I called about the room earlier, I wanted to make sure that you installed the shower
seat."
"All of our handicapped rooms have those automatically."
"Thank you. I'm picking up my grandmother from out of down and I wanted to make sure everything was ready
for her. I'd like to pay for my room now."
"Cash or charge?"
"Cash."
She handed him the key with the blue tag on it as well as a paper receipt after she wrote about their
transaction in the ledger book.
"Thank you so much, you've been a help, dear."
Now he had to go back to the repulsive Forman house to start the next phase of his plan. He was getting a thrill
over the rush of it all.
Forman's
Kitty couldn't believe what her Red had said about Steven. The boy who had been like a second son to the both
them. The boy they took in because of his shitty parents. Then on top of it he had to get Eric and Jackie wound
up believing that he was the one responsible for the recent murders. Yes, Steven was from the wrong side of
the tracks and did a little stealing and yeah, she wasn't crazy about the marijuana smoking, but he was not and
never would be a cold blooded killer and Red should've known much better. Hyde parked the El Camino a block
away from the house, he stood by the sliding door, the smell of the food told him that Kitty would be here to
take the next phase of the bait.
"Steven, honey," she opened the door, "Come in, it's okay. Red's hiding somewhere in this house. He owes you
the biggest apology and I'm going to make sure you get it."
She left the kitchen as the twin took a packet out of his pocket, "I'm going to make sure you get it
too."
He said to the air as he dumped the invisible and scent free contents into the mashed potatoes and mixed it
with the big silver spoon that Kitty had in the bowl. He'd have a few hours of playtime; it was all that he
needed.
"Reginald Albert Forman, you get your ass in this kitchen, NOW!"
Perfect.
Red walked into the kitchen, this kid was lying. Now he put his wife in the middle, as far Red Forman was
concerned it was WAR. He said his apologies, the funny thing about words were that you didn't have to mean
them. He didn't know the why's or the how's, but this kid was as guilty as sin.
"Now, I want no more of this foolish talk. Where's Eric?"
"In the bathtub."
"We can eat without him….Steven, are you okay, sweetie?" He half wanted to tell her the truth and she could
save him with a phone call to Pastor Dave, kisses, hugs, brownies, and the ubiquitous scrambled eggs.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Forman. I'm glad that one of you has faith in me."
This dumbass was good, Red would give them that.
They sat around the dinner table as always, Eric was in the bathtub, which didn't
concern Red as long as Steven Hyde was in their presence. And Jackie told him she
would fine, she was having dinner at her cheerleader friends Leslie's house.
He ate his green beans first and waited for Eric Forman to join them in the kitchen.
"I'm tir-ed…."
Kitty couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.
"K—it."
Now Red.
Night-night.
The kitchen door swung open and Eric realized his world as he knew it was over.
"M…..oh…..fuck!"
Were his parent's dead?
"Relax, Forman, they're not dead," he stood up, "They just decided to take a nap in their
mashed potatoes….."
"W-who are you?"
This was not Hyde, it couldn't be Hyde. He would never turn on them like this.
Eric could defend himself, he could defend himself, he could defend himself,
but not when a gun was pointed at him.
"I'm not Steven Hyde, I'm his brother – go in the living room…NOW or I will blow your
fucking brains out and when your parents can wake up to the sight of their dead son in the
living room…..or I could kill your parents right in front of you if you don't start
moving NOW!"
There were two Hyde's?
Calling Jackie
"What's wrong, Eric?" Jackie asked from the Cannon's upstairs phone. Eric was told to
say that he left town.
Not Hyde kept the gun pointed at his head, "Red wants you to go to your house, there's
been some developments, and whoever this imposter is hasn't been to your house. We're safe now. Red and I
are coming to pick you up."
Why not just pick me up at Leslie's house?
Jackie swallowed hard.
Imposter?
Two Steven's?
He could feel this entity behind him and the gun pointed directly on the back of his head.
Eric was talking too rehearsed.
"He's right there. I know you can't answer that. I'll go to my house…stay safe, Eric…"
"Thank you. You too."
When Eric hung up the phone, a chloroform cloth was placed over his nose and mouth
from behind, when he woke up; he was going to be in for quite a treat.
Burkhart House
Jackie had two thoughts, the first one was, what wonderful parents Jack and Pam
Burkhart were, if they were here maybe none of this would be happening and the second
was, if she could trap this man, maybe, they could find Steven. She went in her mother's
closet, she had a role to play in this and she knew she couldn't fail.
If he wanted her in her house then let it be.
Screams
Hyde was in the middle of a half-asleep, half awake state. When he heard the screams of
his best friend he knew that Eric had met with the spiders. Hyde didn't know where
Forman was, he guessed the kitchen area from the directions in which the screams were
coming from. Would those spiders be paying him a visit when they were done with their
victim?
He brought Forman to him and he was terrified of the tarantulas crawling over him. His
mouth was taped so he couldn't say anything to Eric.
[[Don't scream, you'll only provoke them to bite you.]]
"Isn't it lovely?" The doppelganger said
[[Where did you come from?]]
"The same whore of a mother that you did."
[[Please…what's the purpose of brining Forman here…let him go….let the spiders
crawl over me…he's petrified!]]
Now Hyde felt guilty for scaring him with an empty jar in the carefree basement days and
saying there was a spider in there. "Hyde! I swear to god! Stop it!"
"We're going on a trip." He took the comforter that he used to wrap Laurie's dead body
in and placed it on the floor, but not before giving his brother an injection. It would wear off in time for the big
reveal.
[[Forman…..don't be the next one to die….fuck….]]
[[J-jac]]
He placed Hyde in the middle of the blanket and wrapped him up as Eric Forman screamed for dear life.
Forman's*
Red washed his wife's face with a dishtowel…the bastard had Eric.
"Kitty…."
Kitty's heart was broken. He lied to her….he did those things….it couldn't be. It just
couldn't be. Her Steven would never ever do such terrible things.
"We've been fooled! I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you. Find the kids, Red! That person is not Steven! Oh my
God! What happened to Steven?" Hugging and comforting each other would have to wait,
the lives of three teenagers, one their biological son, the one they loved like their second
son, and his girlfriend, all hung in the balance.
Kitty kissed Red on the cheek for good luck. Her hands shook as she didn't know if whether she should force
herself to clean up the kitchen to keep busy until she waited for the phone call that they were alive or if she
should just collapse in the corner with her Bible and a bottle of wine?
Please let this be over soon, God, please let this be over soon.
Edna's
Eric finally stopped screaming. He closed his eyes tight, while his body shook
uncontrollably, and prayed for his death so he could join Donna on the other side.
The spiders…..they'd be back.
Getting Jackie
Jackie was terrified letting this man who wasn't Steven, but had his face, touch her.
Where was Eric? Was he dead? What about Mr. and Mrs. Forman?
When Jackie realized that this psycho wasn't her Steven, she held out hope that he was
still alive somewhere. She was wearing a long white silk negligee and nothing else.
"You're very tense, Jackie…..I think it's because you know."
He kissed her on the lips before pulling away.
"Know what?"
He laughed, "You know that drink of water you took, it's going to knock you out in 5-4-
3-2-1."
It was time to reunite these two lovebirds before he killed them both, he smiled when she
clutched her throat and fell to the floor.
He was going to bring the princess back to the prince.**
Author's Note: * Unknown time later….by this time, Hyde and his brother are at
the motel and had a decent head start before Red & Kitty woke up. After he
prepares Hyde for the last mind game, that's when he goes back for Jackie to bring her to the motel.
**The upcoming motel scene with the Hyde and his twin took place before this final scene with
Jackie until the part when she enters the chapter. The original draft I have for this story is now down (I'm
deleting as I go) to 6 pages. One more pre-reunion 1977 chapter to be written, as in addition to editing
what I already have, then the 1977 aftermath and recovery period will begin. I wanted the motel chapter
to be the only place in that particular installment.
Some questions for the readers:
Will Jackie and Red be able to tell the Hyde's apart?
What happens to Eric?
Will Kitty get her family back?
I have an idea on how I want this to go (and remember some of the 1987 installments that are already put
up), but I am open to any suggestions for the showdown chapter. Such as if there are any questions that
only Steven Hyde knows the answers to that his twin couldn't. (Keep in mind that Hyde did keep a tablet
diary, but only from his high school time, not further back.)
Not a retcon, just a clarification, I'm below the 4 month mark, so I'm going to count the time spent in the
hospital before Hyde returns to the Forman house as being 4 months away.
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing.
It means a lot.