Work Text:
The new surgeon is odd, to say the least. Meg doesn’t like him, practically running into the house whenever he comes by to work on the animals. He speaks sharp and clipped. There’s something alluring about him to Dan, the way he holds himself, the way he looks at people. The cow is dying, and Dr. West seems almost delighted under his bare words of concern.
“Yes, it doesn’t look like she’ll make it,” Dr. West hums, gloved arm deep inside her. “Help me move her to the barn.” He removes his hand and the glove in a smooth motion. Dan tugs on the lead rope and the cow follows easily. Herbert gathers his things to trail after them. They all trudge through the pasture to the barn, the cow entering her stall and laying down with a big thump. Dan closes the stall door on her with a foreboding clunk.
“Call for me when she starts to get worse. Is that all?” Dr. West tilts his head up at Dan. His gut lurches and he nods stiffly, then gestures for West to walk ahead of him; back to where their horses are tied. West mounts his horse like he’s still taking lessons and Dan undoes the rope for him to let the animal free. Dan watches Dr. West ride down the dusty road out of the property. The cow seemed fine to Dan’s informal education but he’s not a doctor - not officially anyway. Just a third generation farmhand with almost more experience than years he’s had on this earth. He didn’t like the finality in which West spoke. There was always a chance the animal pulls through no matter how bad they look, and it seems like West was giving no wiggle room at all.
Dan was finishing up his evening rounds, ducking into the barn to check up on the ‘dying’ cow. She’s flat out on her side, breathing laboured, looking a lot more like she’s dying now than she did earlier. He pokes his head outside just in time to see one of the hired hands hopping on his horse and flags him down.
“Let the doctor know we need him back here, now,” Dan calls. The hired hand tips two fingers at him and rides off. Dan rushes back to the cow’s side, cradling her head in his lap. Her shallow, wheezing breaths are hot over Dan’s skin, her eyes whaled and terrified, her belly jumping as she gasps. He sits with her until West throws open the barn door and bustles into the stall.
“Step outside,” Dr. West gestures dismissively at Dan, who doesn’t move. West turns his judgmental gaze to Dan and stares him down until he stands and exits the stall. Keeps staring until Dan closes the barn door behind him. What could he possibly be doing in there that Dan can’t be present for? He’s seen almost every disease a cow could die from, unless this is something new, a discovery the doctor wants all to himself. Dan takes a few moments, and as he makes the decision to push the door open, Dr. West slips out. Dan looks down at him. There’s a speck of blood on his cheek.
“Yes, she’s gone. I had better check the others near her while I’m here,” the doctor nods to himself, then turns to re-enter the barn. Dan grabs his wrist.
“What is it?” Dan stares deep into Dr. West’s eyes, searching his face for tells of any kind. The doctor shakes his head.
“I’m going to have to do some more tests. I will bring my supplies up tomorrow,” the barn door slams behind West, leaving Dan in the cooling dark of the desert night. Dan watches the doctor ride down the trail from his cottage window.
The next morning Dan takes a quick look at the deceased animal. She lay peacefully on her side, eyes shut, mouth hanging open. Dan opens her eyes and peers at them. They look strange but he can’t place it. He sees nothing else wrong with her. Leaving her for the doctor to inspect when he gets here, Dan carries on with his chores, the image of the dead cow’s eyes regularly flashing in his vision. When he’s finished with his work, Dan leaves on his horse to fetch Dr. West. He wants to see where the doctor works, maybe try to get a look at some of his notes.
He rides down the trail onto the main road to town, dust kicking up in his face. It doesn’t take long to get to town - especially at the speed Dan moves - and he’s pulling up in front of the surgeon’s building soon enough. Dan dismounts, ties up his horse and stomps inside. The front room is sparse, one shelf of remedies, a few chairs. There’s a door behind the front counter, open about an inch wide. Dan quietly steps toward the door and begins to pull it open, peering inside. He can see a complicated set-up of tubes and wires and bottles, a strange, glowing green substance flowing through the machine. Before Dan can get any further inside the room, he’s shoved roughly back, the doctor pressed right up against his chest.
“What are you doing here?” West spits, glasses seeming to glint with his anger. Dan puts his hands up in surrender.
“I came to see if you needed help with any of your equipment,” Dan gives the doctor an uneasy smile. That glowing liquid is burned into the back of his vision. West’s brows furrow the slightest bit but he places his briefcase in Dan’s hands.
“Thank you. Please take this out to my horse. I will follow you shortly,” Dr. West waits, guarding that back door until Dan strides out the front. He loads the doctor’s case on his horse, straps it in place and spins in time to see West turning the key in the lock to the apothecary. He’s holding a second, smaller case which he slides into a saddle bag, giving Dan an unreadable glance. Dan pauses, stalks around to untie and mount his horse; then watches the doctor clamber up on his own animal, in awe of how strange he looks perched up there. They set off together, riding side by side out of town. Dr. West looks just as awkward riding as he did getting on the thing, even at the slow pace they’re going at.
“Doctor-” Dan starts. West shakes his head.
“Herbert, please,” Herbert grimaces, though Dan thinks it might be an attempt at a smile.
“Herbert,” the name feels odd on Dan’s tongue. “May I ask what you think happened to her- the cow?” Dan glances sideways at Herbert, trying to gauge his reaction. There is none, at least that Dan can see.
“It’s something I’ve been researching, I-” Herbert cuts himself off and looks over at Dan. That odd expression again, like Herbert has been let in on some divine secret and he’s trying to decide if Dan is worthy or not of sharing.
“A disease?” Dan questions. Herbert smirks over at him.
“Something like that,” the doctor’s quiet for the rest of the ride and Dan doesn’t press him. He would have no idea what to say anyway.
They come to a stop at the posts, Herbert sliding off his horse and handing the reins off to Dan.
“Do you mind?” the doctor isn’t really asking, and he steps around to gather his gear before heading to the barn. Dan is left to soothe and tie the horses, petting the nose of his girl absentmindedly. The monogrammed bridle needs some leather conditioning and he makes note to do that as soon as he can. The horses nose at each other as Dan heads to the barn after Dr. West.
The massive doors close heavily behind him and Dan hears a horrible gurgling noise before his eyes adjust and through the stall door he sees the previously deceased cow struggling to stand on shattered legs, a massive open wound on the side she was laying on. Dan yelps, unsure whether he should approach and soothe her or run far in the opposite direction. She looks so full of a rage that cattle just do not possess.
“Daniel-” Herbert calls. He’s holding a syringe. A drop of glowing green falls from the tip.
“West, what-” Dan’s cut off by the cow screaming in pain one last time before succumbing again to her injuries, her legs crumpling beneath her. The doctor rushes forward to examine her, turns to Dan, his expression wild.
“And this after over twelve hours, imagine-” Herbert cuts himself off to dive to the next stall, throwing open the door and disappearing inside. Dan chases after him, grabbing his shoulders, pulling him tight against Dan’s chest.
“West- Herbert, what are you doing?” Dan grits out, straining with the surprising effort of holding the smaller man captive.
“I’ve figured it out! I can bring them back-” Herbert breaks free from Dan’s grasp. He’s pulled a thin blade from somewhere on his person and before Dan can stop him, he’s plunging it into the main artery in the animal’s neck. She makes a dreadful gasping sound and collapses. West is already drawing up more of that strange green liquid into the syringe.
“What is this?” Dan stills, carefully studies what the doctor does next.
“Watch,” Herbert takes the needle and inserts it into the base of the cow’s skull, plunging the fluid deep inside. He steps away, looks over at Dan excitedly. Nothing happens for several seconds. Just as Dan shifts his gaze back to Herbert the cow starts to rumble, begins to stand. She charges toward Dan, rumble morphing into a high pitched screech, eyes wide and crazed. Dan leaps out of the stall. The creature follows; rushing at Dan, cornering him, bearing down. He’s crouched against the wall, cowering before this abomination of the doctor’s creation.
There’s a heavy metal clang against bone and the animal topples. Herbert stands over the body with a shovel raised above his head. Dan stares up at the doctor and can’t decide if he’s horrified or in awe. Maybe it’s both. The shovel clatters to the floor and Herbert reaches out a hand to help Dan to his feet.
“You- it-” Dan stutters. He doesn’t let go of Herbert’s hand. Herbert doesn’t let go of Dan’s either.
“Yes, Daniel, exactly,” the doctor leads Dan around the cow’s body and over to where his gear sits. He pulls out another vial of the green fluid. Dan takes it, turns it over in his fingers. It seems to glow in the dim of the barn, the same way it did in the dark back room of the surgeon’s office.
“How did you do it?” Dan near-whispers it. Herbert’s grinning over at him.
They’re crowded together in the windowless back room of the apothecary, huddled over Herbert’s many journals and notebooks by lamplight. He’s detailing his many experiments on smaller animals; rats, cats and dogs, the occasional chicken, a goat, and finally the cows. Dan knows what Herbert’s leading up to, and he doesn’t want to admit that the idea is oddly exciting. Herbert already has a plan, of course. There’s a prisoner to be executed in a few days time, and they’ll be waiting by the gallows to haul the body away to the Halsey stead. Dan knows it won’t be that simple. Nothing ever is, but he trails after Herbert like a sheep anyway.
The body is wrapped and tied to the back of Dan’s horse and they’re riding as fast as they can. Herbert is falling behind but Dan keeps up his speed, barrelling toward the barn. He jumps off his horse and pulls the body free of its ties, laying it on the floor beside Herbert’s little tray of syringes and other surgical tools. He unwraps it carefully and the doctor finally enters on his horse, sliding down to his feet, rushing over to kneel next to Dan. Herbert draws the serum, injects it into the base of the skull and shuffles back, pressing a hand to Dan’s chest to encourage him to do the same.
It takes long enough that Herbert’s shoulders start to drop, and just as they do, the body sits up with a guttural growl. It climbs to its feet, rage in its eyes. There’s a knocking at the stall door, Mr. Halsey’s voice chiming from the other side. The body turns to the sound and crashes through the door, crushing Mr. Halsey in the process. The thing rushes out the main barn door and out into the desert, while Herbert pulls the door off of Mr. Halsey, syringe already drawn.