The Taxi of the Dead

Amidst the barrage of ridicule, I struggled to my feet and ran toward the car.

I didn’t get far before they caught up to me. A heavy slap struck my face, swelling it instantly and sending tears to my eyes from the sharp pain.

“Tell me, who are you going to pick up? If I find out you’re just showing off, I’ll break your legs.”

He didn’t sound like he was joking and I shivered.

The next moment, an iron rod was pressed against my knee, while the crowd around me buzzed with excitement, eager to watch the show.

My scalp prickled, fear mingling with anger. “Don’t… don’t hit me. Her name is Claire.”

“Who?”

A wave of discouragement washed over me.

“If you want to know, look at today’s Scotland News.”

The first one to find the report stammered, “Mr. Thornfield, Claire is just an ordinary college graduate who only just finished school.”

At this, everyone looked unsurprised, as if that was what they had expected all along.

Damien grew even more arrogant. “Rachel, you were so bold earlier. Is she the ‘important person’ you mentioned?”

Several henchmen burst into mocking laughter. “Damien’s cloth is worth more than both your lives combined. What are you trying to pull in front of him?”

“Now apologize to him properly. Kneel down, lick his shoes clean and maybe you’ll be able to crawl home today.”

But the next words from that same man silenced the entire crowd.

“But she… she just died today in a fire. She didn’t make it out because she was saving her colleagues. The incident made the front page of the Scotland News.”

First came gasps of disbelief, then forced attempts at lighthearted banter.

Damien didn’t react as expected. Instead, he yanked my hair viciously. “Rachel, you made up this supernatural nonsense just to trick me, didn’t you?”

Pain seared my scalp as I clawed at his fingers, trying to pry them off.

“I didn’t. She truly was a benefactor, someone far nobler than you.”

When the upper floors of her company building caught fire, she calmly directed the evacuation on-site. After she reached safety, she ran back inside to save her colleagues. They escaped but she didn’t, trapped by the thick smoke.

Saving over a hundred people is an immeasurable merit. Even in reincarnation, such a soul wouldn’t have to wait in line.

My task tonight was to take her home.

In Scotland, there is a tradition of keeping the body for seven days. She couldn’t let go of her grandmother, who had raised her and wanted to see her one last time.

Damien strolled toward me slowly, sneering.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to pick up and drop off a dead person?”

He suddenly burst out laughing and the others joined in.

“Why are we even arguing with a lunatic?”

But then, someone produced the driver’s license and documents I had used earlier that day and handed them to Damien.

He flipped through them, his lips curling. “See? You can be perfectly normal too. So why are you so different at night?”

Someone chimed in, “Mr. Thornfield, don’t believe her nonsense. Some women are proper during the day but completely different at night.”

Others joined with suggestive tones. “She drives an unlicensed taxi, uses fake documents and deliberately refuses passengers. Maybe she’s just a high-priced prostitute.”

As they spoke, their stares grew sticky and invasive.

I regretted more than ever not stepping on the gas earlier and leaving them behind in the dust.

But there was no time to dwell on regret. If I didn’t deliver her to her destination, her reincarnation would be delayed and that responsibility would fall on me.

In a panic, I banged my forehead against the ground. “Mr. Thornfield, I’m willing to apologize. Please, be merciful and let me finish my delivery.”

He crouched down in front of me, amusement glinting in his eyes.

“It’s too late to apologize now. But I am curious about what you claim. Show her to me and I’ll let you go.”

I shook my head firmly. According to the rules, the living should never meddle in the affairs of the underworld.

Damien clicked his tongue in annoyance and ordered his men to aim a crowbar at my knees.

But in the next instant, a chilling wind swept through the air.

A faint woman’s voice echoed, “You said you wanted to see me?”