Rain taps gently against the windshield as Ethan Carter leans back in the driver's seat, watching the bright numbers on his dash blink away 1:47 A. M. Another dull night, he sighs, taking a sip of his cold coffee. Midnight shifts are rarely exciting, mostly consisting of hauling drunks, exhausted executives, and those who had stupidly decided to go clubbing despite their looming work schedules.
The radio hums softly in the background as the city of Ashridge drifts off to sleep around him.
Or at least, it appeared that way
A voice suddenly sounded behind him.
“You know what time it is, right?”
Ethan looks in the rearview mirror to see his friend Mike's familiar face. The other taxi driver had pulled up beside him for the break. He leaned in through the window, grinning.
“It's almost two.”
“So?”
Ethan shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee.
Mike's grin faltered as he looked around furtively. “You've only been driving night shifts for six months. They never told you about 2:13?”
Ethan chuckled. “Another ghost story?”
“I'm not joking,” his friend said darkly. “If you see someone waiting for a taxi at precisely 2:13 A. M… Don't take them.”
“You're kidding me,” Ethan laughed. “And why?”
“Because neither you nor the passenger ever returns.” There was a pause as Ethan digested this, then he burst out laughing. “You're kidding me! You really believe that crap?”
“I did,” said Mike grimly. “Until Daniel vanished.”
Daniel was another taxi driver who had vanished one rainy night. Ethan remembered the case well.
“What happened?” he asked, genuinely curious now.
Mike shrugged. “He picked up his last fare one rainy night. They said it was captured on camera, so there's no doubt about it.” Ethan raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“The taxi was found two days later.” Ethan's eyes narrowed. “With no passenger?”
“No Daniel, either.”
“Maybe he was kidnapped.” Ethan suggested.
“Maybe.”
Mike shrugged, starting the engine. “But no one has ever explained why the inside of the taxi was absolutely pristine, as if it had never been driven.”
“Look, man, you're going crazy.” Ethan shook his head.
“Maybe I am,” Mike admitted, almost wistfully. He pulled away, leaving Ethan alone. The rain grew heavier. He checked the time on his dashboard. It blinked 2:02. He stretched, opening the taxi app on his phone. He waited for a job to appear, but after a few minutes, he found himself staring at the same black screen. The streets were virtually empty apart from the occasional passing vehicle. The streetlamps cast long shadows that shimmered with a pale yellow hue. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. A black cat shot across the road, vanishing into the rain.
“Now all I need is some thunder.” Ethan muttered. It seemed almost like a prayer, because suddenly, there was a loud crack of thunder as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. For a moment, the empty street in front of him seemed anything but empty. There, in the distance, dozens of people stood, gawking silently. A chill ran down Ethan's spine. They vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared.
“Lack of sleep, probably.” He muttered, rubbing his eyes. It had to be that. When he opened them again, the street was empty. His phone suddenly chimed with an incoming call. He frowned, looking down at it.
Pick up location: Oak Street Bus Stop.
Distance: 1 minute.
Without hesitation, Ethan accepted the job. He drove slowly until he came upon the bus stop. True to the app, it was completely deserted save for a couple of flickering streetlamps. Ethan frowned.
“Seriously?”
He muttered as he stared at his phone. The passenger hadn't canceled, so he waited. After thirty seconds, a man stepped out from behind the bus stop's shelter. He wore a long black coat that didn't seem at all affected by the rain. His face was hidden under the hood, but Ethan got the distinct impression that he was being watched. The man walked up to the passenger seat without hurry or hesitation and opened the door. He slid in silently, the door clicking shut behind him.
“Good evening,” Ethan greeted politely.
There was no answer. He glanced at the rearview mirror. The man simply stared out the window.
“Where to?” Ethan asked.
His phone gave a little ping as a location appeared on the screen. Raven Hill Road. Ethan blinked. “I don't recall entering that.”
“I know.” Again, no answer. Ethan shrugged. Maybe the man had selected the place himself when he entered. He tapped on “Start Ride” on his phone. The clock on his dash changed to 2:13 A. M.. For some reason, that made Ethan feel uneasy. Mike's words about the ghost fare seemed to echo in his ears. He took a deep breath, pulling out onto the road. Neither of them spoke as the rain continued to fall. After a few minutes, Ethan began to notice something was wrong. The streets seemed unfamiliar. They were nothing like Ashridge, which he had lived in for most of his life. He knew every shortcut, every back alley. He knew every road. As far as he knew, there was no Raven Hill Road. He frowned, checking the GPS. Sure enough, it directed him to Raven Hill Road. The app's image of it looked normal, but the road outside his windshield didn't seem right. The buildings looked older than he expected, and the streetlamps became less frequent. Even the rain seemed to fall more quietly, as if it were distant. Ethan cleared his throat.
“Is this your first time in Ashridge?”
The passenger remained silent. Ethan tried again. “You don't have to talk, I guess.” He paused, watching the man's eyes in the mirror. “Actually, is something wrong?”
The man turned his head slightly, and for the first time, Ethan could see his face. He had an androgynous beauty about him, with pale skin, high cheekbones, and large dark eyes. He looked almost like a model.
“You should keep your eyes on the road,” the passenger said calmly.
Ethan glanced at his mirror again. “Right.” Suddenly, he saw a turn ahead that he didn't recall being there. He turned sharply, barely avoiding veering off the road. He exhaled sharply, his heart hammering in his chest.
“That wasn't there…” he muttered. As he looked in the rearview mirror again, he found the man‘s lips twitching into a faint smile. It wasn’t a happy smile, more like he was amused at something Ethan didn't know. As if he already knew something Ethan was about to find out. Outside, the rain had stopped. The road ahead was shrouded in deep fog, and without thinking, Ethan drove right into it.