Love and Death

Humanization Fanfiction based on The Love Bug [1997]

I own zero rights to any names or characters used

Enjoy and review!

 ~~~~

He didn't know what had happened. But everything felt cold.

The numb awareness that his body was in a bad place. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't get up, or move, or see, or even breath on his own.

Everything was numb.

He kept replaying the memory.

~~~~

Herbie walked down the street, the dark was slightly bitter as the wind blew.

Hank had made his point, he wasn't welcome. It wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, but it was something that made him hurt every time.

The sound of tires slowly turning the pavement whispered in his ears. Light high frame with a four stroke engine, the hum of the engine sounded dead and uncorroborated. He knew it.

He turned to see the black beetle that he had left for his own pearl coated beauty.

“Late night, huh?” Rupert steeped out of the door. Herbie was familiar with the man, he didn't hate him, he was blinded by a pure light and enjoyed his job. Herbie wondered why the man has stepped out of the passengers seat but didn't worry much.

'just out for a walk' Herbie signed over, Rupert smiled, he reached into the car and stood back up.

“It's a nice night for a short walk.” Rupert smiled.

Herbie gave his a odd look, Rupert smirked and slammed the door. He gripped the baseball bat in his gloved hands. Herbie gulped.

“End of the line, little friend.” Rupert said with a bitter and sticky happiness.

Herbie felt his blood go cold, he turned and ran but ran into the brick wall he had been walking to to sit down next too. He knew that his day was going from bad to worse. He turned and looked at the man approaching slowly.

Herbie noticed someone shunt themselves out of the driver window the way any veteran racer would. Standing almost as tall as the mirror, the thin body started to coyly nudge themselves towards the front of the car. Rupert turned as he saw Herbie look behind him.

“Horace, get back in the car!” Rupert called as he saw the form gripping the fender of the black beetle.

The form, in defiance, stood taller and started to walk towards the pair. Rupert turned and started to scold Horace who was now walking faster. Herbie looked for an escape route. He rushed to trash cans near by and tried to jump over the cans. Rupert turned and cursed at himself as Herbie started to run.

Herbie felt a small body slam into him and throw him into the ground, he yelled out as his head hit the concrete.

“Horace- wait!” Rupert yelled, the man started to run over to stop Horace before stopping.

Herbie felt himself hitting the concrete over and over, his head splitting with screaming pain but his body going numb-er with every bash into the pavement.

~~~~

Herbie didn't know why it had happened. But everything felt cold.

He felt a warm voice in his ears, but couldn't respond.

“It's worse than you think, sir.”

Herbie wanted to shift towards the sounds but couldn't.

“Don't worry, I've seen pretty bad.”

Herbie felt something flutter in his chest, he felt better as the voices grew closer.

A noise from the man Herbie knew best made his heart sink, it was a quiet sound that sunk into his skin.

“My little boy....” Herbie felt the second voice, and felt something warm and sweet somehwere on his body, like his hand was being held or his hair being swept out of his eyes, he knew this feeling and the voice just as well.

“I'm sorry but if your his father, then who is this?”

“He helped me raise him, not so many years ago.”

“Well, uh,” Herbie knew Hank wasn't a people person, “Nice job, he is amazing, or, was.”

“He will be again.” Herbie felt another warm feeling, this time he knew what it was. He felt his mind smile as a firm fatherly grip met his shoulder.

“That would be an amazing trick.”

“He's pretty far gone, Mr Douglas.”

“All he needs is love and care. When we get him home and snuggled up with a soft blanket and some nice food he will be better.”

“Yeah, well that's fine but all we have is Chucks shitty insurance plan, sorry Chuck.”

Herbie felt a sting, not from the bitter words of the new friend, but from the shake he could feel now, coming from one of his hands as it was tightly griped.

“But what are we even talking about here, he should really stay here for now.”

Herbie felt the hand leave his shoulder.

“We're going to help him.”