The Taxi of the Dead

I came from a unique background and carry a unique destiny. Now, I drove a taxi.

During the day, I earned my living by driving people around. At night, I earned merit by ferrying ghosts. I neglected neither side of the job.

One day, while driving through the suburbs, I came across three people standing in the middle of the road, blocking my way.

As soon as I stopped, a man dressed head-to-toe in luxury brands strode up and banged on my window.

I glanced at the passenger in the backseat, my expression troubled, before rolling down the window.

“I’m sorry, the car is already booked. Why don’t you wait for the next one?”

The man grinned, then tossed a stack of hundred-dollar bills right into my face.

“Do you think I’m blind? The car is clearly empty, yet you dare refuse me? Do you know who I am?”

The two men behind him burst out laughing.

“He’s Damien Thornfield, the prince of Edinburgh’s elite circle. Ninety percent of the real estate in Scotland belongs to his family. Just getting to see him is your lucky day.”

“You’re just a lowly taxi driver. One call from him and you won’t be able to make a living in Scotland. How dare you refuse him?”

I forced a smile. “No, no, it’s really inconvenient.”

“Don’t be ungrateful. I’ve already taken down your license plate number. Open the door before I lose my temper.”

His tone was clearly threatening and I had no desire to make things more complicated.

With a helpless sigh, I said, “Alright, but you’ll have to share the ride.”

The ghostly woman in the backseat met my gaze in the rearview mirror and gave a small nod.

——

“Share a ride? The words ‘share a ride’ don’t exist in my dictionary.”

Damien tossed another stack of money onto the floor at my feet.

“Name your price. Your car is ours anyway.”

It was already shared.

I glanced again at the rearview mirror, hesitating for a moment before mustering the courage to speak.

The three of them crammed into the car, but before they could settle in, the woman wrinkled her nose.

“What’s this junk in your car? Why are there incense and candles?”

My body stiffened. I turned around quickly to apologize.

“Sorry, I bought them to use at the temple. It’s almost the Ghost Festival.”

She tutted, muttered “bad luck,” and casually tossed the offerings for the ghosts out of the window.

Those offerings were for the female ghost sitting in the backseat!

I gasped in shock, but the three of them looked annoyed.

“What are you screaming about? It’s only a hundred or so dollars. It’s blocking our feet in the car. We’ll give you a little extra tip later and you can buy some more.”

Cold sweat broke out on my skin and my fingers trembled against the steering wheel.

It wasn’t about the tip at all.

I cast an uneasy glance at the female ghost in the mirror. Her expression was unreadable, but I could feel the temperature in the car drop several degrees.

Sure enough, not long after we started moving, the woman shivered.

“You, turn up the air conditioning. I’m freezing to death.”

I hadn’t even turned the air conditioning on, how could I make it warmer?

“It might be broken,” I explained carefully.

“What bad luck. If the car we were supposed to take hadn’t been in an accident, no one would have had to ride in this old clunker.”

Damien pulled her into his arms with a smirk. “Perfect, let me keep you warm.”

The two of them laughed and began to get handsy.

Nervously, I reminded them, “Keep it down, don’t disturb the others.”

After the offerings had been thrown out, the female ghost beside them was already in a foul mood. If we angered her any further… I didn’t want to imagine the consequences.

They clearly misunderstood my words, thinking I was just shy.

Damien deliberately pressed a hard kiss to the woman’s lips, his eyes daring me to react.

“You’re just a lousy driver. What are you? Do you think you have the right to tell us what to do?”

“Exactly. Even if you drove your whole life, you couldn’t afford one of my shoes. Just drive your car properly, that’s all you’re good for.”

He then barked an order. “Take us to the city center hotel. Now.”

I kept my tone polite. “Mr. Thornfield, the previous passenger agreed to share the ride, so I accepted your order. I have to take her first.”