Unknown to Daniel Cain that was not Herbert West's first time screaming. He had not come into this world screaming like most infants, he was not a baby that cried. He was born silent into this world, as if already knowing how disappointing life was going to be. He did not cry as a baby, not for food, or sleep, or attention, and for this he was feared to have some sort of disease, something that was genetically wrong with him that prevented him from the basic instinct of crying. No, the child that Herbert West was, was quit content with being silent, having found nothing amazing to say, and to the surprise of his doctors he developed speech as normally as other children without saying all that much.
But it would be at seven years old where he would first cry. Herbert as a child was not allowed much, his caretaker that was assigned as a parent in society did not give Herbert the liberty of toys or anything playful. Yet Herbert once found this puppy, this stray puppy in the woods that were the backyard. So he built this puppy a house, as he was good with his hands, to have in the woods, and he would go and venture out to feed it and play with it. But one time when the man he called Father followed him out into those woods to find out why Herbert had been smiling so much something terrible happened. To hide the puppy from his father Herbert ran with it, ran across the woods over to the hospital where he knew it was safe.
He ran out of those trees and onto the pavement the world had put over the grass, and looked over to see his companion. But the puppy had been run over, and was nothing more but a flat piece of red fur, resembling nothing of the puppy he had grown attachment to.
Then was the first time Herbert West cried and screamed, and it would be the last for a very long time.
Years later, Herbert West was on his way over the seas to Europe for schooling, after all his hardships, and his education, and the difficulty of standing out to European professors when growing up in such a small town. He had not told the man he called Father of his departure, nor did he really tell that man that he was going to be a doctor, and spent all his time at the hospital, and how the nurses liked him, and how he had helped in birthing many babies, and how he was a genius. And how he was experimenting on dead animals. So when finally he confronted that man, who still lied upstairs in that bed with bottles of alcohol on the floor, that he was leaving to better things, and he was never going to come back, that man was furious. How dare that boy even think of leaving, how dare that boy who doesn't even speak think he could at all amount to anything.
And so did the man he called Father hit him, and Herbert West fell down the stairs, to crawl back up this his knees, to get kicked in the stomach, and to roll over in pain. To listen to that man that he called Father tell him he was not going anywhere, that no good school would have accepted a meaningless thing like him. Finally did Herbert West get pushed into the backyard, and finally did he grab a shovel. Finally did Herbert West run screaming into the house, spitting out blood, and hitting that man in head. And so did that man he called Father fall over, and did Herbert West hit him again, and again, and again, until there was little of anything that resembled that man's face. There did Herbert West stand over that man who smelled of death and beer, and there did he wipe his face, and glasses, and went into the kitchen to wash his hands.
Then did he slowly walk upstairs to get his fallen bags, and walk down stairs over to the couch to lay out his small doctor's hand bag he had found in the basement of the hospital. Then did he open it up to reveal a green glow, and then did he prepare a syringe. So did he slowly walk to that man's body, cautious as if not sure he had really killed him, that maybe this was all a sick joke, a lapse in sanity, or something of the sort of a dream. So did Herbert West stand above that man with the syringe, and so did he tilt his head.
"Come see, Father, what your son has done." He had told that body.
Then without knowledge of how to properly do this, he stabbed it into the chest, and pushed that serum into the body, and stood back, grabbing the fallen shovel again. At this time his serum was but a mere prototype, the culmination of half his life at the age of seventeen back then. The serum was only to reanimate dead tissue for a limited amount of time, and there was absolutely no sign of any higher thinking like there is now.
The body of that man began to twitch and finally did that man's mouth open to unleash an inhuman scream created by the voice box simply having a spasm and without any knowledge of how to form words. Herbert West stood and watched the pathetic thing try and crawl, and fail, and fail, and fail. And finally did Herbert West put it out of its misery, and he hit it again with the shovel until the twitching ceased.
He killed that man he called Father, all to bring him back, just so he could kill him again.
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Of course Herbert West had neglected to inform even the closest of his fellow human beings, the only one being Daniel Cain, of this moment in his lifetime. If all Herbert West had done could not be considered murder since they were already dead, that moment was murder, there was no getting around that. And Herbert West would not have denied it if anyone accused him. He would have said he was simply enacting justice, a cut off lifetime after the ruining of one's other life, a fair trade it seemed to West. What remnants of a social life West could have had even beside his work were destroyed by that man, and he was well aware of that. It was books that told him it was his father's beating that gave him an initial distrust of all people, with the exception of doctors and nurses, whom he had found refugee with.
Herbert West quite enjoyed giving himself a psychology test. He knew very well he had done incredible emotional damage to himself not only due to his father, but his determination to not expose himself to culture, even though it really was the one thing he really wanted. Yes, culture, more knowledge on people and what they've done, and what they do, and what they may do. The very idea of it sent a sensation he was unfamiliar with down his spine, it was something more than excitement, more than anticipation. Culture constantly changed itself for further observation that never was the same as before. It was something West had planned to spend eternity in investigating, once he got that whole, never going to die thing out of the way. He knew in denying himself of culture and human contact he was indeed destroying social skills, it was a wonder how he got along in this world with a companion like Daniel, who was so very bent on friendship, when it meant quite little to him. Herbert defined friendship through loyalty, as he had not yet experienced a simple fun night, loyalty was all he had to define it, and Daniel so far had shown immense loyalty to him, and it was fair that he returned the favor.
West understood he was not very human in that idea. But he figured that if he was going to live forever he would surely have enough time to build necessary social skills to enjoy other people after all his work.
West also understood he had a rather irrational trust towards Doctors and nurses. As in his past, he had found safety within the hospital, and it was through watching people in the emergency room that he first became fascinated with the idea of bringing things back to life, and in fact started with electricity instead of chemicals in his attempts. It was the nurses that gave him much of the knowledge on medicine he still retains, and they knew he could not afford medical school but knew he wanted to be a doctor, so many attempted to teach him the basics of injecting IV, and sewing stitches up, and so on. Of course the nurses could never have imagined what West toned these taught skills towards.
West also knew he very much enjoyed babies. He had aided in many births, and was quite fascinated with women in their ability to create and house life, when all this time he had been unable to with all his skills. But women, women were just made that way, they just did it. West quite loved babies at first birth, as in a sense they had just be animated for the first time, they came out crying, and wiggling, and grabbed onto anything they could feel from basic instinct. They knew not language and were untainted by abusive fathers or dead mothers at the time.
Daniel was still staring at him, still holding the letter.
"My father and I were not close, Dan." Herbert explained.
"Still…" Daniel folded up the letter.
"I hated him." Herbert injected. "I. Hated. Him, yes, I hated him, and I am glad he's dead." Herbert spoke rapidly.
Daniel didn't seem to understand this idea of hating one's relative, he seemed confused, but looked at West's tired face and decided to pursue it no further.
"We can drive up there after my family." Daniel offered. "It's not that far you know."
"I said." Herbert took in breath to speak. "I never want to go back."
Daniel didn't know what to say.
"Hey, you can get a house at least…" Daniel tried, and West seemed to consider. "A freaking house man, I'll take it if you don't, I hear that's a good place to settle down."
Daniel smiled and tried to make a joke out of this.
"We will go to claim the house." Herbert sighed.
And just then the door knocked and in stepped Megan. West in his current state had forgotten her appearance and was surprised to find her with her hair cut short and in a bun on the back of her head. She wore a black collar shirt and dark jeans, and was very lean and almost as tall as Daniel. She came in with her head lowered as she looked to the sick Herbert West before she ever looked at Daniel, a motion Herbert found very kind, and then she went to hug Daniel.
Daniel seemed more please to see her than she was, but Daniel was like that when living in a house where he could smell death on the walls. His affection made her laugh and she gave him a kiss on the forehead and cupped his face as if she was protecting him from something. She seemed loving, warm, holding Dan in a rather long embrace, and assurance that she was really here, and that no dead corpses could keep her from him. Dan finally turned to Herbert and laughed, and pushed Meg away, that's enough in a way he told her.
She gracefully walked away and sat on the couch opposite Herbert.
"I heard you were hurt." Meg said, and her eyes searched him up and down.
"Yes." Herbert said. "I died."
Meg's eyes widened, and she put her mouth her hands and stared at Herbert. She quickly turned to Dan who dodged her looks, and looked back to Herbert.
"I didn't know that part." She explained.
Herbert nodded.
"I came back." He said obviously. "Of course, I am not up to full strength and the causes are unknown, but I hope with further research soon I will be able to replicate it." He nodded, reminding himself more than telling Meg.
"I never…thought you would actually…" Meg trailed off. "I've been worried about it all. I never…I never agreed to this, I'm glad it's done with."
Meg looked to Daniel, not really believing the two of them had really done it at all, hence her lack of excitement.
"I know we haven't gotten along, West, but…" Meg was cut off.
"Gotten along? We've hardly begun to go along." Herbert said.
Meg stopped and nodded.
"Herbert's coming with us, he's too sick not to." Daniel told her, and she nodded again. "His father died recently."
"Not too recently." Herbert corrected.
"Oh, oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Meg began. "That must be terrible for you, I mean, you just…found out how to…"
"No." Herbert said. "I'm quite content with it."
There was an awkward silence that was not going to end for the seven days ahead of them, packing, preparing, driving and such, all up to Daniel's home.
Herbert West took those days to observe this Meg of which he was sure Daniel was going to devout his life to. The signs were already there, even one such as Herbert West who lacks these abilities to show off such signs were recognizable to him. Meg stayed with them those five days of preperation, and Herbert could hear their love making through the paper-thin walls, and how Daniel would kick the bedpost as whenever Herbert assumed she was on top. Herbert did not process this act as rude and not thoughtful towards him, as he was pretty sure they were unaware that he could hear them, and he saw that this was a natural act between two people such as Daniel and Meg. They apparently loved each other, and instinctive sexual drive brought them to it.
Meg knew how to cook, and for once Herbert West was eating non-burnt pancakes. He awoke to their discussions on their future that at times became heated debates on what was going to happen. What was there to move on from, what money could be made, what was to be the fate of Daniel with this man named Herbert West? He became quite fascinated with the mechanics of such a relationship, as a part of him looked forward to it, while another in the fit of old habits despised them for this. He watched as Meg would end conversations of anger with kisses and all would be forgiven, and he watched as she made her pathetic attempts to engage in conversation with West. He found her much more interesting to watch than to speak to, but that was the way he felt about everyone.
One night she stayed with him, while Daniel went to bed, he appreciated her attempts to become friendly as it were, but admitted in all truthfulness he was not in a state to form any sort of relationship. But there was one thing that struck a cord with him.
"He made this creature, and it called him father." She told him. "He only wanted to create life, he only wanted to be as God, and create something in his own image. He was horrified however, when it first came back." She nodded and he nodded. "So much so that he cast it out, afraid of it, and he forgot it, believing the world would destroy it itself, taking him completely out of it. But it followed him, and it taught itself, and it sought revenge upon its father for its creation. And so the creature, damned as it was, killed his father's family, and Dr. Victor Frankenstein chased the monster to both their deaths." She told him.
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It was the first time he was able to walk, getting up from the couch, blanket wrapped around himself, as he limped over towards the car for a two day trip to Daniel's home, and to his own. His legs somehow knew how to walk after their long rest, and he was able to get used to the feeling of the weight moving over his foot, and was able to get to the car with little trouble. It was morning and he could barely see, Daniel assured him he had his glasses and walked beside Herbert prepared to catch him. He heard Meg say something from behind him, but quickly locked the door. Daniel gave Herbert a briefcase of all the research accumulated over the years, and any free syringes left over, he gripped it before he completely let go.
"Don't tell her." Daniel said.
The she came in to the car, and the two switched driving occasionally, as Herbert got used to resting in the back seat, still wrapped up in a blanket. He tried not to look out the window, he didn't want to be exposed to the world just yet. The hours went by unchecked on the road, it did something to how he thought, as he hadn't really been in cars that much, and had no first hand experience driving one himself.
In fact it made him quite tired, and he slept most of the way.
"Hey, we're here."
Two floor house, white with red shutters a brown roof, and a huge tree that had been used by all the children of the neighborhood, bearing a swing and a tree house. A home Herbert West had not even seen in movies, because he had never seen a movie. It brought up the question, do most people live in such nice places?
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Meg out of nervousness stayed beside West in a lying act of kindness, when really she just wanted Daniel to go into the house first, Herbert could tell from how she breathed this was true but felt no offence to it. The doors opened to love if such a thing were possible. Daniel stood in front a shower of smiles, and Herbert could hear the footsteps of children running down the stairs.
"Danny!?" He heard one of the sisters yell.
"Danny!" a brother indicated.
"Daniel, oh sweetheart come here!" A mother said.
A mother, and wonderful mother, with open arms that embraced her child. A mother who housed life within her now held that life once more. A mother, a woman of age, a wrinkled face but Herbert assumed good for her age, lean and healthy looking, dyed hair to hide the grays, the woman held Daniel and the siblings ran out to greet their long awaited brother. The younger ones cheered as they grabbed each arm of the brother, and the oldest sister came out to hold him after the mother, with a kiss and hug, and a step father could be seen in the hallway, greeting the boy with a hug of his own.
And Herbert suddenly grew very cold as Meg gripped his arm uncomfortably from her nervousness. She looked to him, and began to step forward, reminding him they had to go part take in this as well, but he did not want to, he would have rather stood and watched further, this happy family that seemed compelled to touch each other. She stepped forward with Herbert and Daniel turned to look at her.
"This is Meg, and my friend Herbert West." Daniel said, letting them into the noising hallway.
Herbert West had not experienced such sound levels apart from screaming dead people. But here, two young children were matching the level of dozens of dead in joy instead of pain. They giggled and screamed in joy as their brother had returned. Meg soon found that it was Herbert who had begun gripping onto her. The siblings pulled in Daniel into the living room and the two of them followed along with the rest of the family.
"Herbert's my doctor friend I wrote about." Daniel yelled over his sister and brother. "Okay you guys, I get it!" He turned to them, "I missed you too!" To this they giggled and shut each other up. "He caught something on the way here." Daniel walked over to the curled up Herbert, and upon Daniel's hit on the shoulder Herbert gave a fake cough that became a real one.
"Hello." Herbert said weakly, as if silenced by the giggling children.
The step father came in and turned on a brighter light so they could all see each other. With the light Herbert was able to see that the siblings were still in their pajamas and the older sister was dressed in all back and sat across from them on the floor, cross legged. The step father sat down on an opposite couch as the mother came in with cookies that caused the younger siblings to yell in joy.
"Hello, Herbert, Dan's told us a lot about you." She said.
"He has?" Herbert coughed out.
"Of course." Daniel shrugged.
The mother came close to hand each of them some cookies after the younger siblings had taken their share. Herbert West declined and she smiled at the three of them.
"And you're Meg!" Pointed the younger brother named Joseph.
"Yes I am." Meg finally spoke up.
"You're gonna marry my brother!" The younger sister named Carrie said.
"Carrie!" Daniel yelled at her.
To this the family laughed, and Herbert West stared at each one of their faces and watched, unbelieving, unsure if it was possible at all for so much joy to be held. Carrie jumped onto her older brother who grabbed her and flew her around the air, before gently putting her back to the ground and picking up Joseph.
And so this continued for an hour, this nonstop laughter as the mother and step father asked of Meg and Daniel, and at the end of this hour Herbert West could not stand it any longer. This joy, this happiness, those smile, the likes of which he had never seen, he finally excused himself from the company with the excuse of his illness. He noted the family patterns, the obedient siblings, the older sister sitting contently to herself, and the step-father who was obviously not blood related to any of these children before them except for the youngest boy, and how even he separate from them somehow enjoyed himself as any other. He noted how Daniel changed, how relaxed he seemed, the tension in his face was gone, the responsibilities he put on himself were for a time set aside. Those responsibilities of course including the guidance of Herbert West, and in it all there was some rejection felt by Herbert, as if they were somehow teasing him. But he dismissed this as mere paranoia.
To this the sister in black, about to go to NYU stood and followed him.
"I can take you to your room." She said, going up to the stairs. "You can take Daniel's old room."
He followed this sister, dressed in formal black wear as if at a funeral, with eyeliner, and black nails up those stairs. She opened the door to a neat bed with books of Daniel's still on the shelves. He pushed up his glasses and took in the room, adding it to Daniel's file he kept in his brain.
He saw a cross with a sculpture of a Savior on the wall, to which he walked to and took from the wall and looked at. Wondering why it was that people worshiped a God and looked upon him in his worst moments. He considered what a strange thing it would be to re-animate this Messiah, how he would laugh at it all, and how in a way it would make him greater than this God. Hubris, thought Herbert West, but he allowed it, for he like this God and died and come back.
He turned to the girl, and wondered, if only they knew.
"Thank you." He said.
"That's my mom's." The girl said. "Please don't."
Herbert West with gently hands of a surgeon placed the piece back up to the wall.
"I don't believe it, but it's for her, you know?" The girl continued.
"I see."
"You don't look very sick." She said. "If it's the family, I know how you feel." She smiled. "You're the experimental surgeon right?"
"Yes…I suppose I am." He nodded.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" She asked.
"I don't watch movies."
"None?"
He shook his head.
"You're lying." She laughed.
To this he did not laugh but walked into Daniel's room to find a small television on a bare desk, the room was cold, no one slept there since he left, as if waiting for his return no matter how far they were between each other. He sat on the bed, and the sister came in.
"How's Dan?" She asked. "I mean, really."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"He's been acting weird these last couple years…Everyone else ignores it, but I hear it, in his voice, in his e-mails. Something's disturbed him, it makes him write and speak more vaguely. Is it Meg?"
"No."
"Well what is it?"
Herbert West looked at this sister.
"Me." He said plainly.
She seemed confused by this.
"He is all right." He said before she could ask. "He is strong, he will get through this."
"Wait, what? Is he gay?" She looked strangely at him.
"I lack a sexual orientation, so even if he were, it is not with me." Herbert West said, now wanting this girl to go away. He looked at her coldly in a manner where he knew he was staring at her coldly.
"I'm just trying to look out for my brother, I'm sorry." She lowered her head.
"Why?" Herbert West asked.
"What? Cause he's my brother." She smiled.
Herbert West found he was not going to get a straight answer from this girl.
"…What's wrong with him?" She asked again.
"He cares too much."
"Excuse me?"
"About patients. He looses them and feels personally responsible for it, even when there was nothing at all he could have done."
"Oh." She sighed. "Come on, I got a good movie collection." She smiled. "Evil Dead?" She asked innocently.
She ran and got it and started it for him, while walking down to rejoin the family.
He raised it to full volume, and still found the sound insufficient for drowning out the laughter he could still hear coming from downstairs. He almost sickened him that was what a family was truly like. It was far more enchanting than he had anticipated. And for the first time, as he laid down, and began feeling rather light-headed in the moonlight, he wondered what he had missed all these years.
When he finally went to sleep he could still hear them, laughing, talking, loving each other to a degree he did not understand. He could hear the little siblings walking up the stairs and going by his door, asking their older brother if his friend was all right, and Daniel answering with a hushed yes.
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Next Chapter: My House
In which the childhood of Herbert West shall be seen again, and those of the hospital will welcome his aged face, remarking on his childish features that have retained. Lives will be saved, and Meg shall explore the rooms she should not. And at the dead of night will Herbert see something or someone that is too much like himself, and the visitor will call upon him. (The Plot shall finally thicken).
Anyone ever read Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator? It's a good read, I hear they're making a comic series for our dear old Herbert, can't wait you know.
Please R/R