Driving the Living by Day, the Dead by Night

Alvin's POV

I was born with an unusual fate, and my life had been anything but ordinary. By day, I drive a taxi for cash. By night, I drive spirits for merit. Two jobs, two worlds, but neither one interfering with the other.

One evening, I was on the outskirts of the city when three people suddenly stepped into the middle of the road, forcing me to stop.

The moment I braked, a woman decked out head-to-toe in luxury brands banged on my window.

Glancing at my backseat, I hesitated, then rolled the window down. “Sorry, this ride’s already taken. You might want to wait for the next cab.”

The woman smirked and slapped a thick stack of bills against my face. “Are you blind, or am I? This car is clearly empty. And you dare refuse me? Do you even know who I am?”

The two people behind her started laughing.

“She’s Winona Mills of the richest family from Washington, D.C.. Her family practically owns ninety percent of this city's real estate. Just laying eyes on her is like hitting the jackpot.”

“You’re just a cabbie. One phone call from her and you’ll never drive in this city again. And yet you dare snub her?”

I forced a polite smile and replied, “I wouldn’t dare. It’s just… really inconvenient right now.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Winona snapped. “I’ve already taken a picture of your license plate. If you don’t open the door before I lose my patience, you’ll regret it.”

The warning in her tone made me sigh. The last thing I wanted was trouble.

“Fine. But you’ll have to share the ride.”

In the rearview mirror, the male ghost in the backseat caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod.

——

“Share the ride?” Winona sneered. “That word doesn’t exist in my dictionary.”

She then tossed another wad of cash at my feet and added, “Name your price. This cab is ours now.”

The ride was already shared, but I swallowed my words, stealing another glance at the ghost’s reflection before keeping quiet.

The three of them piled into the car. But they hadn’t even settled in when the other woman wrinkled her nose.

“What the hell is that smell? Why do you have candles in here?”

My body went stiff. I quickly turned and apologized. “Sorry, those are for the cemetery. All Souls' Day’s coming up, so I bought them earlier.”

She clicked her tongue in disgust. “Gross.”

Without a second thought, she grabbed the candles and tossed them right out the window.

“Hey!” I shouted before I could stop myself.

All three glared at me.

“What are you yelling for? It’s just a couple of tens of bucks’ worth of junk. It was taking up space anyway. We’ll just tip you extra so you can buy more later.”

Cold sweat trickled down my back, and my hands shook on the steering wheel. It wasn’t about the money.

I glanced at the ghost’s reflection in the rearview mirror. His expression had darkened, and the air inside the car dropped several degrees.

Sure enough, not long after, Winona started complaining.

“Hey, turn down the A/C. It’s freezing in here.”

My stomach dropped. I hadn’t even turned it on. But all I could do was mutter something about it probably being broken.

She huffed. “Figures. If the car we originally booked hadn’t gotten into an accident, I’d never be stuck in this piece of junk.”

The man beside her pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll keep you warm.”

They started giggling, then quickly moved on to getting handsy.

I cleared my throat nervously. “Please keep it down. Don’t disturb the other passenger.”

Especially not the ghost. He was already in a bad mood after she tossed out the candles. If they pushed him any further, I didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.

But of course, they completely misread my words, mistaking my tension for shyness.

As such, Winona deliberately kissed the man loudly, giving me a mocking look.

“You’re just a cab driver. Who do you think you are to tell us what to do?”

The man chimed in, laughing. “Exactly. You couldn’t afford a single shoe of hers even if you drove your whole life. Know your place. Dogs that behave get their bones.”

Then they demanded I take them straight to a downtown hotel.

Calmly, I said, “Miss, I only picked you up because the first passenger agreed to share the ride. So I have to drop him off first.”