Passenger From Beyond

Chris was waiting patiently in the parking lot of a nearby fast food restaurant. Since it wasn't the weekend, it had been a relatively quiet night. He was lazily browsing through his favorite social media app when a ride request finally popped up. It was only his third one of the evening, but he knew it would be his last before calling it a night.

The pickup location was in a quiet neighborhood nearby, and when Chris arrived, he saw a young woman standing on the sidewalk. She had multiple tattoos and piercings, and her punk-rock attire suggested a non-conformist lifestyle. Chris could send that life had not been easy for her. As he stopped the car, he confirmed that he was her ride, and she got into the back seat.

At the beginning of the ride, Chris tried to make small talk with the young woman, but she seemed disinterested and distant. He didn't mind, though, as he preferred a quiet ride. However, as they drove through the city, Samantha gradually opened up to Chris, sharing stories about her past struggles with addiction and her love for punk rock music. Chris was fascinated by her stories and the knowledge she had about old bands, which made him open up to her as well.

Chris could sense the pain in Samantha's eyes through the quick glances he caught in the rearview mirror. Her voice may have concealed her true feelings, but her face couldn't. He felt a sense of empathy for her and tried to offer words of encouragement, telling her that things would get better with time and that she could overcome her past. However, his encouragements seemed to fall on deaf ears. The topic always returned to Samantha's doubts about finding forgiveness, especially from her younger sister, who was the catalyst for her depression. Samantha carried a heavy weight of guilt when it came to her sister, but Chris didn't want to pry into something so personal. As the destination approached, the window of opportunity for more conversation quickly narrowed, and Chris resigned himself to waiting for another chance to ask about her past.

When they reached Samantha's destination, she got out of the car without saying a word. Chris confirmed the fare was paid through the app and watched her walk away into the night through the passenger side mirror. He muttered to himself, "Hope you find your peace," but the swift exit made it unlikely she heard him. As he drove away, he noticed in the side mirror that she briefly paused before continuing on without looking back. Chris hoped that somehow Samantha got the message and that his words would provide some comfort to her.

As Chris drove for a few blocks, he spotted an envelope on the back seat of his car with the names "Jenni Crenshaw" and "Samantha Crenshaw" written on it. He resisted the urge to open it but couldn't shake off the overwhelming desire to deliver or return it to its owner. He remembered how Samantha had mentioned earlier about struggling to face her sister and didn't want her to end the night feeling disappointed due to a small mistake.

He drove through the quiet streets, scanning the address on the envelope. After several minutes, he found the house and parked his car in front. Walking up to the mailbox, he saw the matching last name and felt relieved. He then proceeded to the front door and knocked, hoping to deliver the envelope to Samantha or her sister Jenni.

Chris knocked on the door of the house and was greeted by a teenage girl who introduced herself as Jenni. He explained that he was an Uber driver and had found an envelope in his car that belonged to someone who had just been dropped off. Chris handed Jenni the envelope, but he couldn't help but notice how dirty and worn it had become. The return address was illegible, but the name "Jenni Crenshaw" was still visible. When Chris described the woman who had left the envelope in his car, Jenni's eyes widened in shock.

Jenni's initial reaction was disbelief, accusing Chris of playing a cruel joke. However, as she held the worn envelope in her hands and traced the faded handwriting on the front, she realized that it was indeed her sister Samantha's writing. Jenni's eyes welled up with tears as she explained that Samantha had passed away a few months ago after a long battle with addiction. Chris was stunned by the news and felt a pang of sadness for the young woman he had driven earlier that night. He couldn't believe that he had unknowingly played a part in this strange and heartbreaking coincidence.

Throughout Samantha's periods of withdrawal, she had done some hurtful things to the family. Her parents had also widened the divide between her and her sister, Jenni. Although Jenni knew that Samantha loved her, she had never received any closure or apology from her, which still pained her to this day. As the evening wore on, Chris and Jenni were both silent, lost in their own thoughts. But when Chris excused himself, Jenni eagerly accepted the envelope, her hands shaking slightly. As the door closed behind him, Chris couldn't help but focus on the envelope itself. When he had discovered it in the backseat, it was new and the ink was fresh. But now, as he walked back to his car, he realized that the envelope looked old and worn, the ink faded and smudged. He couldn't explain the change, but a creeping feeling of unease settled in his stomach. When did the change happen?”

Chris slumped back in his car, his mind reeling with confusion and unease. He had just spoken to a young girl who had confirmed that the woman he had picked up had passed away months before. But how could he have picked up a passenger who was already dead? The more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.

Chris's hands shook as he scrolled through his ride history on the ride-sharing app. He couldn't believe what he was seeing - there was no record of the ride he had just completed. It was as if the whole thing had never happened. No pickup location, no destination, no fare, nothing. He double-checked his phone, thinking there must be some mistake, but still, nothing. His heart began to race as he realized the implications of what this meant - had he really just given a ride to a ghost?

Feeling unnerved, Chris put his phone down and tried to calm himself down. He knew that he needed to figure out what was going on, but he didn't even know where to start. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him like a thick fog. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he realized that he might be in over his head.

A sudden idea dawned on Chris, and he quickly checked the footage from the dashboard camera. He was hoping to see some evidence of Samantha being in his car, but to his horror, the footage revealed nothing. There was no one in the car with him, no sign of the woman he had just dropped off. In fact, it only showed him driving, and during the moments of their exchange, it showed him still looking forward without showing his lips moving, which sent shivers down his spine.

As Chris sat there, trying to make sense of the bizarre events that had just transpired, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Had he really just picked up a ghost? The thought seemed ludicrous, but he couldn't deny the strange sensation that still lingered in the air.

But then he remembered the envelope, the tangible evidence that he had held in his hands. And more importantly, he thought of Jenni and the closure that she had finally received. It was a small comfort, but it was something.

As he drove home, Chris couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He had played a part in helping someone find closure, even if it was in a way that he couldn't fully understand. And for now, that was enough.

Chris was filled with a sense of awe as he drove through the city. Although he didn't have all the answers, he felt that he had been a part of something truly extraordinary. The events of the evening had left him with a renewed sense of wonder and possibility, knowing that he had experienced something that few people ever would. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this world than what meets the eye, and that there were mysteries waiting to be uncovered. As he drove on, Chris felt a newfound appreciation for the unknown and a desire to explore the hidden corners of the world.