The Contract

Gregory James Martin is a man of great wealth. He has it all; money, boats, fast cars, and fast women. But, like most things in life, it doesn't last forever.

"Well, Mister Martin, I've gotten your test results." The doctor slammed his large book of reports onto his desk. "It's no good. Not good at all."

"Just give it to me straight, Doc." Gregory coughed into his handkerchief, splattering a few dabs of blood into it. Gregory knew that he was dying. All of the drugs and alcohol had finally caught up to him, and he knew.

"You're dying, Mister Martin. And fast. I give you no more than a month to live. It'll be a miracle if you live past thirty days. A miracle!" The old doctor peered through his round, thick eyeglasses at Gregory. "If you have anything that you feel is unresolved, Mister Martin, I recommend that you tend to it at once."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Doc..." Gregory gave a half smile, but it wasn't real. He was frightened. Terrified. Dying at the age of 37? That doesn't happen often. He isn't ready to die. He wants to live forever.

     That evening, when Gregory returned home, he immediately made his way to his room.

     "Good evening, sire!" His butler, also his dear friend, cheerfully greeted.

     Gregory abnormally ignored his butler as he swiftly passed by. "Goodnight, Karl."

"Is everything alright, sire?" Karl, the butler, immediately noticed something very wrong in Gregory's tone of voice. He never went directly to his room when he returned home. Gregory would always strike up an interesting conversation with Karl, or even at least mix a couple drinks to talk and enjoy over.

"I said, 'goodnight, Karl." Gregory immediately closed the door after finishing his reply, abruptly ending the conversation that Karl was trying to bring up. Gregory didn't want to even think about the little time he had left on earth, let alone discuss it with his friend.

Gregory tossed an article of clothing into the floor with every other step he made towards his bed, leaving behind a trail of expensive garments. Just as he was about to slump into his bed, a small, black book lying on his nightstand caught his eye.

He gazed at the leather binding, and lost track of time for a moment. A strange feeling of calmness, yet subtle terror filled every pore of his body. He had never seen this book before.

On it’s cover, the seal of a rusted snake coiled itself into a neat fashion. Melded into the seal lied a cold buckle wrapped around it’s entirety. Whatever words covered the tattered, yellow papyrus, no one was going to read it without damaging the book.

After a moment, Gregory managed to compose himself from the presence of the strange, black book. He took it from the surface of his nightstand and gently lied it in his bedside drawer, strangely lifting the uneasy atmosphere the book was emitting.

He stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, making designs with the textured bumps or trying to count every bump he noticed. Anything helped to take his mind off of the fact that he was dying.

Some hours later, Gregory had finally dozed off into sleep. He dreamt of happy things like having a family, being surrounded by friends and loved ones. However, his dream slowly drifted into a nightmare.

His dream crept to the doctor’s office he had just visited the day prior. The hallway in which Gregory stood seemed to unnaturally stretch away before him, yet what stood at the end of the hall, drew closer with swift quietness. It was an old, metal table. The mysterious black book he found lying on his nightstand before bed, now lied before him. A feeling of calmness and terror took Gregory, just as it had with the first encounter.

The book’s serpent seal cracked in half on it’s own, and the book flew open, revealing three words that horrified Gregory. Three words; a name. Gregory James Martin.

In a cold sweat, Gregory abruptly woke and immediately turned on his bedside lamp. He opened the drawer, and to his surprise, the black book was missing. Just then, a shuffle tore Gregory’s attention from his nightstand, to the farthest corner of his room.

     "Gregory James Martin. I've an offer that you cannot refuse."

     Gregory squinted his eyes to try and get a better view of the man talking, but all that he could make out was the dark shape of a tall, slender figure. It took everything he had to muster up some words without stammering. "Hey, pal, I hope you know that you're trespassing. I should call security and have them throw you out of here."

     "I know what you want, Gregory." The figure moved slightly, and very eerily, closer to Gregory's bed. It seemed almost as if the person glided across the floor.

     "That's close enough!" Gregory slumped lower into his comforter, as if the sheets on his bed would protect him from anything harmful.

"I offer you a gift, my friend. A way out of your dreadful, death-impending life. A life without death. A life where you've no need to eat or drink. A life where you never age nor perish from injury. Gregory James Martin, I offer you immortality." The dark figure moved more near the end of Gregory's bed, into light from the moon-lit window. The figure was a very pale, bald man in a black suit. His eyes were as black as obsidian, all the way into where the white of his eyes should be.

     Gregory became terrified by the look of this strange man. He shut his eyes so that he no longer had to gaze upon the freakish individual. Gregory stammered until he could get a sentence out. "W-who are y-you?"

     "You can just call me... Lou." The man grinned, revealing a rows of countless sharp teeth. Lou is obviously not human. "So what will it be, Mister Martin? Immortality or death?"

     "Am I dreaming? Who the hell are you? How did you get into my home?" Gregory opened his eyes as he mustered up what little courage he had to face Lou. "You have to be joking about this whole immortal thing. Nothing like that exists."

     "Oh, I wouldn't factor out a miracle just yet, Mister Martin." Lou raised his hand slowly, making sure that Gregory was paying attention. Lou snapped his fingers and a small flame sparked from nothingness. "I can make all your dreams come true, Gregory. You just need to give me your hand..."

     Gregory was in awe at what Lou had done before him. He reached for the flame that seemed to hypnotize his vision. It was as if everything Gregory could ever want or need was in that tiny, seductive flicker of fire.

     As Gregory's fingertips grew closer to the flame, feeling the warm sting, Lou snapped the fire away. "It comes with a price, Gregory."

"What do I need to do?" Gregory questioned, ready to do anything for Lou's gift of life.

"You must take a life, so that I may give you an eternal one. That's my price."

Knowing that he could never harm anyone, the feeling of hope fell back into the feeling of hopeless. "No, I can't do that... there's no other way?"

Lou glistened a horrific sharp-toothed grin, and abruptly went blank in the face. "No."

Within a few seconds of the moment, the strange man that had only just appeared out of the darkness, disappeared just as quickly as he slowly floated back into the dark corner of the room.

"Good morning, America! Breaking news here for you today. Billionaire Gregory Martin was arrested this morning for the murder of his butler, Karl Simmons. Authorities say that Martin was caught on the interstate with Simmons' body in the trunk of his Lamborghini, along with a cash amount of $20,000, after having a blowout. Martin states that he caught his butler late at night stealing the cash from the safe in his home office. He also states that when he confronted Simmons, he was attacked with a knife, and Martin acted in self defense. Martin could be serving a life sentence if found guilty."