In an urban studio, a record player’s needle traced the lines of a black vinyl album and formed the shape of a melancholy 60’s tune. Moonlight peered through a balcony window, casting a pale phantom glow on everything in sight. Amidst the lavish loft’s bedroom, the warm scent of spices and clove hung in the air like a wispy smoke, leaving hints of autumn flitting about.

Emily woke with a start in a foreign bed, feeling the light touch of silk caressing her bare legs. She looked around expecting to see the warm pastels of her modest apartment bedroom, but instead saw dark, cool décor and melancholy landscape photography hung on the walls. Nothing here was familiar, but somehow Emily felt at ease as she stretched and slid out of the cozy Queen sized bed.

Emily walked towards the balcony, sliding open the window and stepping out onto the terrace floor. The cool night whipped her long, strawberry blonde hair around her shoulders and face as she leaned against the iron railing. A beige satin nightgown hung from her shoulders down to her thighs, tickling her skin whenever the breeze pulled on it.

The whole city could be seen from the vantage point of the balcony where Emily stood. A rainbow of different colored lights speckled the darkness showing a map of urban sprawl. Although the city was typically restless, it seemed unusually quiet and void of traffic this evening. A few black clouds hung low in the air, daring to block the view of the vibrant, full moon.

Just as Emily’s eyes traced the movement of the night sky’s clouds, a strong arm wrapped itself delicately around her waist, pulling her closer to the body standing closely behind her. Another arm reached up to Emily’s neck, tracing the expanse of her throat and then her jaw with a thin, cold hand.

Emily stood still, transfixed on the image of the full moon as her heart rate steadily increased and her breath escaped as a low gasp into the wind. Her abdomen tensed in anticipation as the stranger behind her bent down closer to the back of her neck. A warm breath trickled into her ear like a velvet liquid, causing a surge of static to flow through Emily’s skin, making her hair stand on end.

“Emily,” a silky voiced crooned into her ear, “call me.”

Emily could feel her heart pumping from her chest and up through her head like a jackhammer now. The stranger nipped delicately at her neck, and then pecked her back lightly. Even if she wanted to move, she couldn’t. Emily was frozen in place like a statue illuminated in the night.

Emily’s eyes narrowed, but she could still make out the shape of the full moon, as it turned from a pale yellow to a thick, blood red. The passing clouds began to rain; only the rain was made of black feathers that slowly fell to the earth like ashen confetti, celebrating a coming death.

In the distance, a sound like a bell was chiming softly, then loudly…

“Uuuh…what the…OH FUCK!” Emily shot up and looked around her bedroom as the morning sun stretched across her bedspread. An ear-shattering alarm was sounding from her cellphone on the nightstand. Emily reached over and stabbed her index finger into the touchscreen of her cellphone, shutting off the alarm aggressively.

Slightly exasperated, Emily slapped the flush out of her cheeks and groaned in horror. The weekend was approaching fast and she was far too hung-over to think about any imminent responsibilities.

“Ugh what is wrong with my brain, that was such a weird dream,” Emily grumbled under her breath.

Next to her cellphone sat the business card that Emily had found in her jacket’s pocket, which she had nearly forgotten about. She picked it up, turning it over in her fingers and examined it closely. The cleanness of its minimalistic design would have made Patrick Bateman sweat with envy. Had someone slipped it into her jacket at the pub?

The most alarming part of the card was the image of a bird in flight. Emily stared at the shape of the beak and wings, deciding that it was most likely a raven or a crow. This was particularly worrying because one of the popular rumors concerning the so-called Assistance Agency was that they used animals as aliases.

In the city where Emily lived, there had been reports of strangers in masks sometimes leaving the scene of horrific incidents and suicides. In most cases, the strangers donned the masks of a rabbit, an ape, a jackal, and occasionally, a crow.

Given that information, this card was most likely from the elusive Agent Crow, or perhaps someone who was just posing as the agent. However, that didn’t answer the question of why Emily had ended up with the card to begin with. It’s not like she needed help committing suicide. Did she look like she wanted to off herself?

Emily walked to her bathroom mirror, looking at the face on the other side. Her hair was still long and strawberry blonde, her cheeks were just as freckled and pink as ever, and her eyes were still the same earthy hazel as they had always been. She knew she wasn’t in a constant state of bliss, but she certainly wasn’t depressed enough to consider taking her own life.

Emily’s curiosity began to win out as she looked back towards the card resting on her nightstand beside her bed. Coop was a bit of a loudmouth, so asking him about it might not be the best idea. She would just have to call the number and see what happened.

Just as Emily was deciding to call the strange number, the screen of her cellphone lit up as a ringtone played.

[Incoming Call – Mom]

Emily’s stomach started to drop as she saw her mother’s number displayed on her cellphone’s screen. Her mother typically didn’t make any phone calls so early in the morning, unless something was wrong.

“Hello, mom you there?” Emily asked as she picked up the call.

“Hey honey,” a hoarse voice trickled from the other end of the phone line, “How have you been?”

“I’m good…same as usual,” Emily responded, noting the hint of woe in her mother’s voice.

“Listen, I know you were planning on coming down this weekend,” her mother started, “but I haven’t been feeling too well. Would you mind coming over next weekend instead?”

Emily paused, listening to the low static on the phone as she chewed her thumbnail nervously. Their plans for this weekend had been pretty solid, and her mother didn’t sound ill the last time they had talked. In fact, her mother almost never got sick, nor would she let that interfere with plans unless it was serious.

“Mom…is there another reason why you don’t want me there this weekend?”

“No! Not at all, dear. I just really don’t feel too hot.”

Emily sighed as she connected the dots in her head, “Okay that’s fine mom, but if something happens and you need me, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Sure thing sweetie. I’ll keep you posted. Take care.”

The phone line clicked as the call ended. Emily fell back onto her bed, staring at the whirring blades of the ceiling fan. Her brow furrowed in frustration as the blood in her veins began to boil.

“That asshole,” she growled, “he left something visible again.”

On the nightstand beside her, the business card sat in the gathering morning light. Beams of sunlight danced across its glossy black copy, beckoning the eyes of any nearby audience. Emily glanced over at it, half expecting to see the wings of the crow dance right off of the matte white cardstock.

“Okay,” she whispered, “I’ll call.”