East Meets West

by Adam J. Whitlatch

I swore and slammed my fist against the stainless steel examination table, my eyes focused on the disfigured thing laying there lifeless in front of me; and only moments ago there had been life – if indeed you could call it that. As I despondently began the arduous chore of disposing of my latest failure in the fruit cellar, there came a very loud and persistent banging on my front door upstairs. I hastily covered the corpse in a drop cloth and hurried to answer the door, and there standing on my doorstep, was a bespectacled young man who immediately said, “Dr. Eastman, I believe I have something of interest to you that will aid you in your work.” I eyed this stranger skeptically, my eyes wandering to the black medical bag clutched tightly in his right hand, and asked, “And you are?” “West,” said the man with a very queer smile. “Herbert West.”

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Adam J. Whitlatch, whose full catalog is here, is a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator. He's the author of several horror and science fiction short stories, as well as the novels "The Blood Raven: Retribution" and the work-in-progress "E.R.A. – Earth Realm Army." He lives on a small farm in southern Iowa with his wife and two children. (You’re welcome to visit any time, but please refrain from drinking the glowing green liquid in his refrigerator and please, please stay out of the basement.)