"The Scavenger Bride"
Chapter 38: Giver of Life
I gave my little girl a clean diaper and then dressed her in the first outfit Meg pulled out of the duffle bag from downstairs. It was a little pink onesie with a handful of flowers embroidered on it, and I put little socks on her feet and a little hat on her head to keep her warm, then wrapped her up in a fresh blanket. I cried as I dressed her, remembering how cute Daisy had been in them when she was born. I then had Meg help me to the bathroom, where I stepped into the shower and rinsed myself off. I was so weak from having just given birth, I was surprised I didn't topple over. Everything was done in about a dozen or so minutes.
The phone rang in mere moments after my shower. I was getting dressed, using old clothes I'd left at the house. My heart stopped, and I glanced up to Dan. "Don't worry," he soothed. "I told Hannah to call me back here when she had more info." He raced downstairs to take the call. When he came back, he was all business again. "Okay, um….. we need to go."
"What?"
"We gotta go! Come on!"
I put my shoes back on. "Dan, what the hell is happening?"
"Get in the car, I'll explain everything on the way."
Herbert threw my duffle bag in the back with the rest of our things; I pulled on my coat, took up my baby, and raced down the steps with Meg's help. Herbert climbed into the back seat with me and the baby, and Meg stopped us. "Wait!"
"What? Meg, c'mon."
"I gotta take my car. You know. Get it outta here. I'll follow you guys."
"Good idea. Go, go."
Once in the car, Dan wasted no time in explaining things. "The cops are on their way to your house in Arkham, and to the house in Innsmouth. That's number one. Number two. Hannah got away from the hospital unscathed; she went by the docks on the way home. She says there's a boat leaving for Calais, France, in thirty minutes. From Calais, you can take a train into the Black Forest of Germany. They may initially suspect that region due to your past in Switzerland, Herbert, but for now, it will do."
I had to shovel my jaw up off the floor. "My German's terrible, Herbert, I hope you remember yours."
"Joking, Imogen? Really? Now?" But that smirk was there, and I smiled at him.
"You know I have to right now. Nothing makes sense anymore." I glanced down at the little girl in my arms. "Except her," I whispered.
Herbert watched her quietly, letting her hold his finger. She gripped it tightly, and I could see her little eyes trying to register the face in front of her. "She's so beautiful," he whispered.
"Have you two thought of any names?" Dan asked us quietly. He watched us from the front seat, smiling, and I glanced at Herbert.
"Not me. Herbert?"
He didn't say anything; he was lost….. somewhere far off…
"You have name for baby?"
George's question caught me off guard, as I had been preoccupied with the blood sample on the slide in front of me. But it wasn't just that - names? That was Imogen's division. As anxious as I was for the arrival of the child - our child - a name for said child was the furthest thing from my mind. "Um," I cleared my throat. "No. Not as of yet."
Adjusting my glasses, I glanced up from my work to see George coming towards me. In his hand was the book Steve had let me borrow, about ancient Sanskrit in the middle east. He pointed to it. "In history, Sanskrit names inspire Hebrew names." When I didn't say anything, he continued. "Imogen has baby girl, right?"
"Correct," I nodded.
"Well, some names keep same meaning."
"Such as?"
"Eva. It means 'giver of life.'"
I was rendered speechless for a moment and was surprised to feel my heart splutter a moment. "Eva." There was a look in George's eye, like he knew more about me than he was letting on. I felt uncomfortable for a moment but shook it off with a chuckle. "My goodness. How almost Frankenstinian."
"You understand." George chuckled, too.
"I gave you life," I nodded.
"Ah, not quite. In a way, you did. But you see, that's my point. It wasn't me you gave life to. I lost my life, you returned it. We all give life - you just gave it to her."
Herbert said something then, and it was so quiet, I didn't understand. "What?"
"Eva." He cleared his throat. "Her name is Eva."
"Eva?"
He nodded, and was silent for a few moments. "It means-" Herbert finally choked, overcome suddenly, and his eyes met mine. "'Giver of Life.'"
My breath was taken from me. "Eva." I said the name again, and nodded, curling up in Herbert's arms as we cradled our little giver of life.
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We were at the docks in twenty minutes after that; the ship was departing in ten. Dan handed the keys over to Herbert, who was going to drive the car aboard; we planned on tossing the plates over the side once the ship got itself out to sea.
"We don't want you to worry about anything, sweetheart, okay?" Tears started to pour from Meg's face, and Dan's eyes were watery, as well.
"That's right," Dan hugged me. "We're gonna take care of everything here. We'll pay for your family to have the best funeral in the world." It was then I started to cry.
"Thank you, Dan."
"Of course, sweetheart." He kissed my cheek, then turned to Herbert, shaking his hand. "What are you gonna do now? Now, that the formula is gone?"
Herbert shrugged sadly. "Back to square one, I'm afraid."
"Don't worry," Dan assured him. "You'll figure something out."
"Thank you, Dan."
Behind us, the captain called for those seeking passage to board straightaway. I turned back to Dan and Meg. "I love you guys. Thank you so much. We'll be in touch, okay?"
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Love you, too, Immi." Meg hugged me one last time.
"Love you," Dan hugged me, and with that, we took the car aboard. We left it in cargo, then made our way back out to the decks. I scanned the distance, looking for flashing blue and red, but there was nothing. Nothing yet, that is. I continued to hold my breath.
Leaning against the side of the boat, I waved at Dan and Meg, who were far below, waving back, and something bumped my side. "Huh…" I slid my hand into my pocket and produced Herbert's green journal. I gasped. "Herbert," I whispered. "Look!" I handed it to him, then reached back in my pocket. Down at the bottom was a little vial. I pulled it out. It was re-agent - and it had George's name on it! Herbert was beaming; he started to laugh. It was then I remembered Herbert dropping the journal on the way to help my family, and I remembered slipping the bottle into my pocket that day when I was cleaning.
"Ooh, thank God, thank God!" I cried. Then I laughed, and they fused until I didn't know which was which anymore. It was then that the ship's horn sounded, and below us, the engines rumbled to life. Blowing one last kiss to Dan and Meg, I clutched little Eva to me and put my free arm around Herbert. He wrapped his arms around me and held us close as I lay my head against his chest. In front of us stretched the Atlantic, black and unknown. I had no idea what was going to happen, and I was scared as the ship pulled out into the darkness.
"Don't be afraid, Imogen," Herbert murmured. "We're together, and we're going to be okay."
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In Arkham, Massachusetts, there is a legend. There are many legends, in point of fact, but there is one that revolves around a young, brilliant yet arrogant doctor from Miskatonic University who had the remarkable ability to bring the dead back to life. It was reported he even took in an assistant, a young woman with whom he shared his obsession with the darkness. "She absconded with the devil," they'd say in hushed whispers, but after awhile, no-one seemed to even remember her name. They called her the Scavenger Bride, for she helped collect the discarded bodies he needed to conduct his work. As the authorities closed in on them, the bedlam came to a head at the town's hospital, and, in the melee, he and his assistant disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.
Twenty years would come to pass…..
The young woman walked the halls to her first class like she owned all of Miskatonic. Whipping her long, dark ringlets from her stoic face, she rounded the corner and slipped into the first classroom she came to. The class, already in progress, had a handful of pre-med students in attendance, all wide-eyed and eager to learn. She pulled her schedule from her book and clutched it her small hand.
"The human heart is capable of pumping enough blood…" The professor stopped short, and he smiled when she came in. "Ah. Yes. Class, this is our newest student. She and her parents just came back from Austria."
"Germany, actually. Yes." She smiled.
He motioned for an empty desk off to his left. "Why don't you have a seat, Miss….."
"West. Eva West."
Taking her seat, Eva West, who looked so much like her mother and had her father's intense, dark eyes, opened her book and began to read.
"So much has been done….. more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation."
~ "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley
FIN
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Final MUSIC section:
"New World In My View" by King Britt. The lyrics in the beginning, as well as the music, match perfectly Imogen's blind fear of what her new family could potentially go through.
"An Ascent (Ending)" by Brian Eno. This song was originally composed for a documentary about space exploration, and then was used in Danny Boyle's AMAZING film "28 Days Later," and I use it here now as their ending, their ascent into Arkham legend…..
And finally, one song for little Eva, who returns to Miskatonic years later….. "Bravado," by Lourde. A song about someone who wants to stand on her own and prove herself on her own.
Speaking of Lourde, if I had to cast Imogen for the film, well - I've always envisioned Emma Stone as Imogen. And Eva? Who would play a returning Eva at twenty? Well look at pictures of Emma when she was in "The Help," and of course we all know Jeffrey Combs' Herbert West….. I feel like Eva could easily be played by Lourde herself. :) Just a funny little side-note.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEAR READERS. It has been an absolute pleasure writing this story - again, I do hope I've done Herbert - and you - proud. :) Love, BlueMilagro x