Pleasure Ride

Lloyd adjusted himself in his seat. The air was heavy and still, like the traffic. He licked his lips and tasted sweat. A car horn blared as he wiped his face. He lifted his foot off the break and the cab crawled forward. Lloyd’s eyes wandered up to the rearview mirror. His two passengers were still in each other’s arms, kissing passionately.

He had picked them up outside a nightclub and Lloyd thought they might be the most attractive people he had ever seen. He hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off the girl’s lithe and toned body. And the man could have been a model with his sharp features and tanned skin. They had grinned at him, revelling in the attention.

Lloyd chuckled as they pounced on each other. They were hardly the first couple to make out in his cab. But as traffic had slowed to a crawl, Lloyd had become less comfortable. The couple writhed together in hedonistic ecstasy. Their moans filled the still air as the cab sat in traffic. Lloyd couldn’t help watching them in the mirror.

They grinned at each other as the girl pulled a small glass vial from her purse. Lloyd coughed awkwardly. Kissing was one thing, but he wasn’t about to let them do drugs in his cab. “Hey, we should be there soon,” he said to the mirror. “Then you can do whatever you want.” The girl ignored him and giggled as she opened the vial, releasing a faint blue vapour. Lloyd started to cough.

The girl brought the bottle up to her nose and inhaled deeply. She threw her body back into the seat, arching her back and moaning loudly. The man took the bottle and took a deep breath. He bent forward and groaned. Lloyd realised he was panting as the vapour filled his nostrils. Worse, he was aroused. He gripped the steering wheel in panic as pain suddenly erupted in his chest.

The girl giggled into Lloyd’s ear and caressed his face. Terror replaced panic as he looked at her. Her grin had turned sinister and showed far too many teeth. But it was her eyes. The intense blue had escaped the iris, filling her sclera. Worst, a third eye, filled with malice, had erupted from her cheek. She leaned forward, as if to kiss him, and inhaled. Lloyd felt his breath being drained and gripped his chest as the pain doubled. The girl pulled away and moaned, a smile of pure ecstasy on her face.

Lloyd felt his hair being pulled, bringing him face-to-face with the man. His sharp cheekbones and strong chin had been replaced by what could only be described as a beak. But like his partner, it was the eyes that horrified him. Two midnight-black orbs stared at Lloyd before the beak bore down on him. Lloyd’s screams escaped the open windows of the cab but were drowned out by the blaring horns as traffic started to move forward.