The Taxi of the Dead

He grinned, spreading his hands in a dismissive gesture.

The woman beside him giggled.

“This car isn’t worth much anyway. If you behave yourself today and make Damien happy, maybe he’ll give you a BMW tomorrow.”

If driving a BMW could solve everything, my name would be spelled backward.

Unable to explain myself, I let out a weary sigh. “Mr. Thornfield, I don’t need your money. Some things simply can’t be solved with money.”

Damien arched a brow and signaled for the thugs to keep smashing the car.

But the expected sound of metal being battered never came.

One of the thugs frowned in confusion. “Mr. Thornfield, this car doesn’t even have a battery. How is it moving?”

No sooner had he spoken than a cold wind swept through the scene.

The thugs, arrogant only moments ago, now looked uneasy.

“It’s almost the Ghost Festival. Isn’t this a little… creepy?”

“Did we provoke something we shouldn’t have?”

Damien refused to believe it. He barked at them to check my car and phone again.

Sure enough, there was no battery in the car and my phone showed no order information.

“She’s just a fraud,” he scoffed. “Is all this really worth the fuss?”

He snorted derisively, pulled my driver’s license from his pocket and handed it to one of the men. “Run a check. See if you can dig up any dirt.”

It didn’t take long before they came back with results.

“She used to live in a mental hospital and once went crazy, setting a fire.”

That fire had been part of an exorcism ritual. Without it, the evil spirits haunting that courtyard could never have been purged.

“She also broke into a crime scene where an entire family was murdered and was arrested. There was even a physical altercation during the arrest.”

That time, I had gone to collect the murdered family. The youngest child had refused to leave until I helped him find his glass marbles.

As the story unfolded, the woman’s disdain grew sharper.

“No wonder I felt unlucky the moment I stepped into this car. She’s just some lunatic pretending to be important.”

I had nothing to say. If they hadn’t forced themselves into my car, I would have already completed my task by now.

The glow of the phone screen twisted Damien’s face into something grotesque.

“I told you, she’s nothing but a lunatic pretending to be something she’s not. And she dares refuse me a ride?”

I shook my head firmly. “Mr. Thornfield, I truly don’t want to get involved with you, but it’s already too late. I have to get my passenger to her destination on time, or the consequences will be unimaginable.”

“What consequences?” he sneered. “In Scotland, I always get my way. Tell me one thing I can’t handle.”

He played the thug with ease, draping an arm around the woman’s waist. “And as for you, Rachel, using a fake certificate to get a job. I’m curious, is this so-called passenger of yours also a lunatic spouting nonsense like you?”

He lifted his chin and two henchmen moved in. They grabbed me, ignoring my struggles and hauled me to my feet.

“If you take us to see this ‘distinguished guest,’ I’ll be generous. I’ll even give you a new car. How about that?”

Damien was still treating it like a game. But by the time he saw the truth, it would already be far too late.

In the spirit world, there is one well-known fact: under normal circumstances, only vengeful spirits manifest themselves.

And who in their right mind would want to see a vengeful ghost without reason?

I clenched my teeth. “No. That guest holds noble status, she is not someone who can be easily seen.”

At first, everyone froze. Then they all burst into exaggerated laughter.

“The Kingsley Family is the very sky above Scotland. Everyone knows Claire Kingsley is the most noble of all. A single project from her family could buy your entire family’s lives.”

“Is she insane? She doesn’t even know Claire Kingsley and dares to put on airs with us?”

“How pitiful. She doesn’t even realize who she’s messing with.”

I was desperate. I didn’t know exactly who I had offended, but I knew they were about to get into serious trouble.

Did none of them notice how the temperature had been steadily dropping all this time?