The Black Card

Open the music link in a new tab if you cannot hear it. This is my first use of AI-generated music.

The Black Card

The envelope came through his letterbox silently and settled on the hall carpet. It was black.

He hadn't heard the letterbox go, so he was surprised to see it on the floor.

He walked and picked it up. The envelope seemed to have writing on it but it was written in black ink on black paper so he could not make out what it said, but assumed that whatever was inside would clarify things.

He opened the envelope and inside was a black card, and the words on the black card were written in black ink and like the envelope he couldn't make out what they said.

He took it and shone a torch on it bit that just shone back at him, reflecting off the card. As he turned it and tried to work out what it said he thought he saw arcane patterns that seemed to move, but he thought it must just be a trick of the light, but the writing he couldn't make out and the patterns were strange and meaningless.

Then he thought he saw something else, two figures that looked like black angels wreathed in smoke.

Angels: "We have come for you"

Him: "What?"

Angels: "We returned the contract you signed with your blood"

Him: "What are you one about?"

Angels: "In return for a successful life, you signed away yourself to us, to be paid in full today"

Him: "I never"

Angels: "We left our mark on your left arm"

He's always wondered where that weird tattoo had come from and remembered that when he tried to have it removed, it just came back.

Him: "What does it mean?"

Angels: "It means you are ours"

Him: "I am yours?"

Angels: "You are, and now we will take our time extracting your feelings, hopes and pleasures until you are nothing but a shrivelled husk"

Him: "But you can't do that, I have family and people who rely on me"

Angels: "Not our problem, you belong to us"

Him: "Well can I say goodbye?"

Angels: "You have had years to that, you are ours now"

He screamed as icy black fingers of smoke took his eyes and heart and sucked the life from his body leaving a desiccated husk of skin and bone for others to find in his hallway, along with the strange black card.