Carmine Red

Eric doubted anything could be done about a private student loan, but the letter in his hand said otherwise.

He waited impatiently in the bank lobby on a dead Saturday afternoon. The cubicles were empty; it was just he and the teller behind a counter now. She was finishing up a call regarding his letter.

‘Eric,’ she said as she put down the phone. ‘One of our loan consultants is ready to speak with you!’

She guided him down the hallway.

‘Do you prefer Eric or Mr. Weiss?’

‘Eric’s fine.’

In the back of his head, he was certain that he had not yet shown her any ID.

The hallway ended with two doors labeled 'Employees Only.' The one to the right was distinctly carmine red. ‘That’s the one,’ the teller clarified.

‘You’re not coming?’ he asked. She chuckled and opened the door for him. Inside was a comically small waiting room with a single chair. The whole space was roughly the size of an elevator.

‘Have a seat, Eric. Cara will be with you shortly,’ she said and closed the door.

The entire room started to descend. It was indeed an elevator.

‘What the hell?!’

There were no buttons or devices on the walls; no way to stop the descent. Eric started to sweat. He checked his phone, but it didn’t have any power. He checked his smartwatch, and it was drained too. As his heart beat faster, he began to hear muffled whispers.

The elevator reached its destination and the wall slid open.

‘Good afternoon, Eric. Please come in.’

A windowless room with ultraviolet bulbs awaited him. In the center was a young woman with neon white teeth. Her smiled seemed to float in the UV light. Eric slowly exited the elevator and the wall shut.

‘My name’s Cara. It is my pleasure to be your loan consultant. Please, have a seat.’

Cara was seated at a table with a chair facing Eric. He took a seat and studied his surroundings. The only clear way out was a tunnel, but it was too black to see what lie within.

‘Please don’t mind the décor. We’re under new management. Now, tell me, Eric, are you ready to be financially free?’

She flipped on a table lamp that revealed a stack of papers.

‘This is your loan today. Messy, complex, and stuffed with legal jargon that make it immune to receiving any federal forgiveness. Let’s face it. Until it’s paid in full, you won’t be able to set aside a single penny.’

‘Th-That’s why I don’t get what this is,’ he replied, waving the letter still in his hand. The UV lights were aggravating him, as was the chill in the air. He took a deep breath and continued.

‘I got eighteen more years of payments to make, but this says you can wipe them all out in 72 hours? How? I-I don’t want some new loan to cannibalize this one, you know?’

‘Oh, god no! That would be like extending slavery! That’s not what our new management is about!’

‘Heh, slavery’s a good word for it…I mean, the bank knew I wasn’t going to college to end up on Wall Street, but they still gave me the loan and swore the payments would be negotiable… …they lied…’

‘If you ask me, it’s highway robbery disguised as roadside assistance!’

Chuckling echoed from the black tunnel. Eric’s heart beat faster, and he heard the whispers again.

‘Eric, your current loan practically makes YOU the culprit for pursuing an education. An education that society says is mandatory! But like your letter says, our new program can end it now at no expense to you! We’ll even put $20,000 into your bank account as a ‘thank you’ for using our novel service!’

Eric almost swallowed his tongue.

‘Too good to be true, right? I would’ve thought the same thing if I were your age!’

‘But…but you are the same age as me-’

‘Stay focused, Eric. Everything I just said is true: private student loan forgiveness in 72 hours, and $20,000 in your bank account. Neither are reported to the IRS.’

‘That’s not possible.’

‘And yet, here’s everyone else who has already joined our program!’

She replaced the stack of paper under the table lamp with a black notebook. Eric flipped through the pages. Each one had someone’s name printed in blue ink and a signature below, which were all signed in carmine red. ‘These aren’t even signatures,’ he scoffed as he turned the pages. ‘That’s a squiggle… … that’s a dash… …and that’s just three ink splotches! What am I looking for… …’

He quieted as he saw his name in blue. There was no red signature yet.

‘Our new management is all about simplicity. What you see before you is the only signature we will ever need of you. Zero paperwork and zero tricks.’

‘This can’t be real! there’s gotta be a catch! $20k and I’m debt-free? What aren’t you telling me!?’

‘No catch; just a minor processing fee. Now normally, this program does cost an arm and a leg for everything promised. But today only, Eric, we can charge you just an arm.’

‘…I don’t get the joke…’

‘There isn’t one.’

Cara widened her grin, revealing two huge fangs.

‘OH GOD!’

She floated towards him; her legs crossed as if she were seated on the air. Eric fell out of his chair.

‘Please don’t kill me!’

‘We’re not going to kill you, Eric. We’re not monsters.’

Five men in suits stepped out of the tunnel. Hungry whispers revealed there were plenty more inside.

‘What the hell are all of you?!’

‘The bank’s new management. We do not believe in loans. We believe in transparency and freedom.’

‘Just let me go, just let me go, JUST LET ME GO!’

‘No one is forcing you to stay.’

The wall opened and Eric leapt into the elevator. He could see all their beaming smiles, with their neon white fangs. He stomped the ground in hopes it would make the room ascend.

‘Wait,’ Cara said as she stopped the wall with her hand. Eric curled up, having not even seen her float towards him. ‘Not to go on a tangent, but you have a delightful heartbeat, Eric.’

‘PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!’

‘One last question first, okay? Is that the latest generation smartwatch on your wrist?’

‘… …WHAT?!’

‘I bet your smartphone is also the latest generation too, isn’t it, Eric?’

‘AM I NOT ALLOWED TO BUY MYSELF THINGS!?’

‘No, you are not. Not if your current loan remains as it is. You leave this room, and you are beholden to it. You won’t be able to keep up with the interest rate alone, and you will suffer a lifestyle that everyone promised you could prevent by going to college. No nice things, no money for dates, and no way to raise a family. Everyone lied to you about what your future would hold. But not us. Eric. We don’t lie. One signature and a processing fee, and your loan is gone. Oh, and of course, your $20,000 dollars. So, would you please, PLEASE consider coming back to the table with me?’

Eric bawled in the corner. He saw his life flashing before his eyes. And the culprit of his demise was not the monsters floating in front of him. It was his current financial predicament.

‘I’ve tried so hard to pay more than the minimum…It’s just so much…’

‘It doesn’t have to be your life anymore, Eric.’

‘Cara,’ he whimpered. ‘Am I… …Am I going to turn into one of you-’

‘No. Population control is very important to us. You will still be yourself when this is all over.’

‘You... you literally want my arm? ...Why not just force me to do this...’

‘I told you. We’re not monsters, Eric. This a legitimate business transaction. Also, people who voluntarily pay their processing fee taste so much sweeter. That’s all.’

The UV bulbs transitioned to carmine red. Cara helped him stand and slowly walked him back into the room. The notebook was still on the table, and now with a quill pen beside it.

‘Actually, Eric, would You mind signing after your payment? Sorry, we’re just starving.’

‘Oh God…’

His tone was dread, but he did not say ‘no.’ Before Eric knew it, he was pinned to the ground with a dozen hands caressing his shivering flesh. White fangs everywhere, basked in red light.

‘Please, not my right arm!’

‘Of course not! That’s your throwing arm.’

They all bit into his flesh. Eric felt a sensation that transcended pain. He instinctively tried to flail out of their grip, but he felt as if he were under water, sinking down and unable to catch his breath.

But the sensation paled in comparison to the sounds. Each pair of fangs, puncturing his bones, crunched like a knife through a crisp vegetable. The room spun and his body went numb.

‘Thank you for your patience, Eric! Now, let’s get that signature!’

Eric was suddenly back at the table. The black notebook awaited his signature. The quill pen beside it was dipped in carmine red, the same red dripping from his body.

‘Go ahead, Eric,’ Cara said, wiping off her lips. Eric tried to pick up the pen, but his left arm was gone.

‘We do not need anything clear or legible,’ she assured him and put the pen in his right hand. He mustered the will to jot a dash across the page, just like half the others in the notebook. He then passed out to the applause of all around him, celebrating his newfound freedom.

Days later, his eyes opened to a familiar face.

‘Eric… Eric… …ERIC, SWEETIE! ARE YOU AWAKE!?’

It was his mother. He was in the hospital.

‘Thank God,’ she cried as she hugged his weak body.

‘What happened,’ he mumbled, still mostly incoherent. His mom kissed his forehead repeatedly.

‘Oh, sweetie. A car hit you last week when you were crossing the street!’

‘…What…’

‘But don’t worry! In fact, I have some incredible news for you! The driver is willing to settle to avoid going to jail! He’s going to be paying for everything! And I don’t just mean the medical expenses or the physical therapy, Eric!’

‘Physical therapy…?’

‘Yes, but not just the therapy! Here’s the best part! That loan that you won’t shut up about is going to be paid off too! Not only that, but you’ll be getting an additional $20,000 for you! Oh sweetie, I-’

‘Please go, Mom…’

‘Eric?’

‘PLEASE JUST GO! I…I need a minute… …’

His mother complied. Alone, Eric pulled off his blanket and found a bandaged stump on the left side of his body. He cried at the sight.

To his right, he saw an array of gifts and Get Well Soon cards at his bedside.

But there was one envelope that remained unopened. And it was carmine red.

Eric used his teeth to unseal it. Inside was a black letter.

‘Dear Mr. Eric Weiss,

‘It has come to our attention that you have an outstanding credit card balance with another bank in the amount of $3,5879.09.

As a current member of our Black Notebook Program, we are proud to offer you the chance to have your balance instantly paid and also receive a credit of $1,000 for participating once again. Please stop by your local branch at a time of your convenience to discuss a negotiable processing fee. No signatures required!

We are here to give you your freedom whenever are ready.’