The Ride-Hailing app refreshed again, even though Daniel had checked it less than a minute ago.
4.99.
It had been 4.99 for three weeks.
He sat in his parked car outside a 24-hour coffee shop, engine off, watching the number as if waiting might improve it. Most drivers were fine with 4.8. Some joked about it online.
But 5.0 meant you did everything right.
4.99 meant you almost did.
On a late-night driver forum, someone had written:
“Some drivers say the app runs a different kind of ride at night.”
No one replied.
Daniel closed the thread.
Three years ago, a truck ran a red light. It crossed his path so close he saw the driver’s open mouth before the impact.
Everyone said he was lucky.
The truck should have crushed his door.
He walked away with a cracked rib and the sense that something had been left unfinished.
Since then, he drove carefully. Too carefully, some passengers hinted.
4.99.
He went online.
A ride request came in instantly.
The Ride-Hailing Pickup
Pickup location: Block 17, Maple Crescent.
Passenger name: No profile photo.
Rating: 5.0.
The blank circle where a face should be made him hesitate.
The passenger entered without a word.
Daniel checked the rearview mirror.
He could see a coat. Hands folded neatly. But the face would not settle into focus. His eyes slid away from it.
“Evening,” Daniel said.
The door shut.
He began the trip.
Destination: Westbridge Road.
Halfway there, the GPS recalculated.
New destination: Westbridge Road & Alder.
The intersection.
The passenger hadn’t spoken. Hadn’t moved. The ETA adjusted in tiny increments.
Less like directions.
More like timing.
Daniel eased his grip on the wheel.
Behind him, there was only stillness.
The Intersection
He slowed early at the traffic light.
Headlights from the left. Twisting metal. A flash of white.
This is it.
The GPS voice cut in.
“You have arrived.”
There was no building. No curb.
Just the intersection.
The back door opened.
He heard the latch shift.
The air inside the car changed.
The door closed again.
The seat behind him felt lighter.
The trip ended.
Fare: $0.00.
A notification appeared.
New rating received.
His overall rating refreshed.
5.1
Daniel stared at it.
He refreshed the app.
5.1
The number stayed.
The app vibrated once.
“Congratulations on maintaining exceptional service.”
His hands stayed on the wheel.
Then he drove home.
At each red light, he waited longer than necessary.
The Archived Thread
At home, Daniel searched the driver forum.
An archived thread appeared from two years ago.
Title: “5.1?”
The original poster wrote:
“Got a ride at 2:13 a.m. No fare. Rating went to 5.1.”
Replies followed.
“Same.”
“Don’t celebrate.”
Then:
“Drivers who hit 5.1 disappear within a week.”
No arguments. No theories.
Daniel clicked the usernames.
Profile unavailable.
User not found.
Account removed.
He checked his own profile.
Active.
Rating: 5.1
Tomorrow marked three years since the accident.
The distance had been too short. The truck too fast.
He should not have walked away.
He closed the laptop.
Outside, the porch light hummed.
Ride-Hailing Final Request
He told himself he wouldn’t drive the next night.
By 10:47 p.m., he was online.
New Ride Request.
Pickup location: 148 Westbridge Road.
His address.
He tapped decline.
The screen froze.
Trip auto-accepted.
Passenger name: Daniel M.
Passenger rating: 4.99
His old rating.
The map showed a short route.
From his driveway to the intersection.
ETA: 3 minutes.
A message appeared.
“You almost missed it.”
Daniel stood in the doorway. The house behind him was quiet. A half-finished glass of water sat on the counter.
The app voice spoke from his phone.
“Proceed to pickup.”
He slid into the driver’s seat.
The map updated.
Passenger onboard.
The back seat felt occupied. He did not turn around.
At the end of his street, the traffic light shifted from green to yellow.
His foot hovered over the brake.
He could stop.
No headlights approached.
Silence.
Then the GPS, softer than before:
“Continue straight.”
A flash of headlights. The inches that had once spared him.
The light turned red.
He pressed the accelerator.
And this time, nothing was late.
Related Stories
Some late-night ride requests lead to places that shouldn’t appear in the system at all.
Drivers say certain late-night drop-offs always end at the same building — the one where the elevator sometimes opens to a floor that officially does not exist.
The Hidden Thirteenth Floor That Never Empties
But some drivers believe the intersection at Westbridge Road & Alder is where it started.
Three years earlier, a cargo truck ignored a set of strange night route rules — and the road may still be correcting that mistake.
