CAB 13

"When the sun goes down, and the moon is full, strange things begin to happen.

You feel that in the dead of night, something's not right.

And there is nowhere safe to roam.

You start to wonder, are your doors and windows locked?

Are your blinds shut?

Because you never really know what is out there.

You never truly know when you're going to be paid a visit by those that go bump in the night!"

Cab 13

I

Our tale begins on a dusty old road. Not very many people go down this dusty old road anymore. It has been abandoned for many years you see. For this road use to lead to the main road through a small town. Until a fatal accident closed the road down. A accident that claimed the life of one Cab Driver named Ed. Ed had worked for the Cab Service his entire life. He started the business on his own from the ground up from the time that he was sixteen years of age.

Helping people was Ed's favorite thing to do. He always would pick up people whenever, and wherever he could. But one night he picked up what he didn't know would be the wrong passenger. Ed was driving along, he saw a man on the side of the road with his hand out signaling for Ed to stop. Ed stopped his car and let the passenger inside. The passenger didn't say a word. He only wrote down where he wanted to go. Ed said that it was okay, and that it was on Ed's way anyways from where the building was where Ed kept his business.

Ed was trying to make conversation as best as he could. But he could not get a rise out of the guy no matter what he tried. Ed figured that the guy was probably the silent type, and that he didn't like to talk much. Ed continued to drive. Ed started to feel funny, like he was getting dizzy, he could not hardly see where he was going, and soon the car swerved off the road and drove down off the mountain of which Ed's car was traveling. The car exploded into a fireball killing Ed instantly. Ed's dispatcher tried to reach Ed as best as she could. But she could not reach Ed at all. She feared the worst that something might have happened to Ed.

Ed's dispatcher called the police and asked them to check out Ed's last known location. It was about 8:00 at night when Ed was last heard from and he should have been back by now. Ed's dispatcher started to panic. She didn't know what to do. She felt as though something had happened to Ed. The officers once they were there told her that they would check out the area. Ed's last location should have been the old road where he usually went. The police said that they would check it out.

Once the police were there at the scene, they saw where the car had went off. It was not hard to miss. The car was still smoldering in flames and the guard rail was cracked in two. The police called the fire department and radioed back to Ed's dispatcher to tell her the bad news that they had just found Ed's car off the mountain. And that Ed didn't survive the crash.

Ed's now ex-co worker was crying in tears and could not believe that after so long that Ed was gone. He was like a brother to his ex-dispatcher. Heather, his dispatcher asked if she could come to the scene to see what was happening. The police said that they advised against it because it might traumatize her more. And they didn't want to take a chance of making her more upset than what she already was.

The fire fighters tried to put out the fire as best as they could. By the time that they got to Ed's car it was already gone. Burned beyond recognition. They wondered why Ed was late. Why would he even stop that way or even go off the cliff? The year was 1982. Ed always carried a CB radio with him and always radioed in when he had a pickup. Why didn't he radio in that he either had a pickup or was coming back to the station? Something wasn't right.

Inside of Ed's burned out car was his CB radio. The forensic personnel were able to get the data from the CB radio and find out that he did radio in that he had a passenger, and that after that passenger was dropped off, Ed was coming back to the station. But Ed never made it to the station. And the so called passenger that he picked up, the police could not find a trace of him or her. Who did he pick up? The police were puzzled.

Heather, Ed's former dispatcher even cried at Ed's funeral. With nothing to burry for Ed they just had a closed casket funeral. He was able to be buried, but a lot of questions still remained. In the background was the former passenger of Ed's looking intensely at the casket of Ed's. It was almost as if the passenger had a thing out for Ed. Then within a flash, the passenger was gone.

Ed also carried a video camera. On the video tape police could see Ed talking to someone. Was the person he was talking to maybe the passenger that he claimed that he had picked up? And if so, who was this passenger? No one could see who he was. Then they saw the video footage go off around the time that the car of Ed's hit the spot where it went off the mountain and burst into flames at the bottom in the woods.

There seemed to be more questions then there were answers. The police wanted to find the guy that Ed had picked up. Seeing as how there were not traces of evidence that he was even in the car at the time, it was clear to the police that Ed had to have picked someone up. They went back over the scene the next day and looked again harder than they had before. They still could not find any sign of anyone else being in the car. No foot prints that lead away from the crash site. Nothing! Who was this guy? Where did he come from? And why was he the last person to see Ed alive? Much less talk to him. Or at least listen to what Ed was saying to him that night. Something didn't feel right to either of the investigative officers. They felt like the more they were chasing down a lead here and there, the more they were chasing a long lost ghost of Cab 13. Or was it a ghost at all? Only questions remained. And silence as well.

Back at the evidence garage in the police department the car was being looked at again. The inspection team was just getting done locking everything up for the night. They had locked the door behind them so that no one could get in and disturb the evidence. Later that night however something happened with the car. It was coming back to life! It's metal was transforming back into the car that it use to be. The car was like it was possessed! After the car had formed itself back to the way that it was before the wreck. A familiar pair of boots was walking down the impound yard's isle. They were the boots of the long dead Ed!

The engine started and the car sprang back to life. Ed's laugh could be heard throughout the yard. Then in a flash the car rolled right out of the impound lot and disappeared leaving behind tire tracks of it's own! Now the cops had a paranormal situation on their hands. And a big one at that. What were they going to tell the public? Or tell them anything at all?

The next morning the police went down to the impound lot to check on the car. Their cameras and alarms didn't go off the night that the car made it's getaway so no one had any idea that the car had vanished until they got down to the impound lot. With shock on their faces they wondered how a mangled up vehicle could get out of the impound lot. And if it got out, who drove it out? No one had any answers. Just tire tracks that lead out of the impound lot.

They thought about forming a search party. But not to alert the public due to causing a mass panic. They needed to find the car. They thought that they would check with Heather, Ed's former dispatcher seeing if she might have had anything to do with the disappearance of the vehicle. Once the police questioned her about the missing vehicle, she admitted that she didn't know anything about it. And that she was puzzled as to why the car was gone. She saw Ed's car burn herself that night.

II

It was burned all to a wreck, and there was no way that it could have even made it out of the impound lot. And the tire tracks that lead out of the building from what she was told were the same ones that came from the vehicle itself. She told the officers that meant that it wasn't towed away, and no one took it out. The cops looked at Heather. Heather said that they might have been looking for a ghost. A ghost driver and his car. She laughed. But then thought to herself that what if that was true. What if it was true? What if there was something that Ed had not done in life and he came back from the dead to finish a job? Could it be possible?

Heather got her keys and headed to the impound lot to see what was going on. She wanted to see for herself. Maybe Ed wasn't dead after all. Maybe he was still alive? As she got to the impound lot the police were still trying to see what they could do. Heather was even puzzled as to what had happened. It was crazy, even to her!

Heather saw the tire tracks leading out of the garage. She recognized the tire tracks as being from Ed's car. How was it possible that Ed's car was able to drive out of the impound lot? She felt like she had more questions than answers when it came to seeing the evidence for herself.

"How was it possible that the car could just get out of the impound lot without anyone here? Someone had to drive it out of here". Heather said curiously.

"Ma'am, your going to have to wait outside. This is a private area. Police only. Please ma'am". Said one officer.

Heather waited outside as she was asked to do by the officer. She went to Ed's grave site. It was undisturbed.

No one had been to Ed's grave site in a while except for her. So how, or who, or was it even possible for Ed's car to just drive out of the police impound lot the other night?

Heather heard a strange noise out in the distance. She could not believe her eyes. It was Ed's car alright. But it looked like it had a Other Worldly style to it. Like it no longer belonged among the living. She could not see inside the cab. It was dark, and the driver to her was unknown, but deep down she knew that it must have been old Ed himself driving his cab around town. But what was odd was that his cab was doing down the same road that he crashed on. The Old Road. The very mountain road where he met his doom. Why would he be going back there?

The car made a spooky haunting honk noise, the engine revved up, and the car slowly drove off into the foggy night. Heather was speechless. As the car drove off Heather could see the celestial flames coming from out of the car's hood and tail pipe. She was in shock as she could see right through it. She knew that it definitely had to be Ed. She was sure of it!

Why was Ed wondering the earth? What did he have left to do on this earth that he wasn't able to do in life, that he now had to do in death? Heather thought that she might get more answers back at the old station where she use to work. She turned on her flash light now that it was working again, and headed back to her car. She headed towards the old transport station where her and Ed use to work.

The transport station was dark. There were no more cars parked in the Spare Car garage. Ed's car was not there so she felt as though she could at least walk around a bit before the car might have had plans to return. Heather turned on a few lights to the dispatch station. She saw that a green light from the dispatch radio was on. She was right. Ed did receive a passenger that night that he died. If he didn't then the green light would not have been on, and the data from the data sheets would not have recorded him calling in if he didn't. But who was the passenger? That was even a mystery to Heather herself.

She looked over the dispatch papers that printed out from the machine. It said that Ed had called in around 8:00 at night. Around the time of the end of his shift. Around the time that he also picked up the unknown passenger. Heather was still needing some more information of who the unknown passenger was.

Around 8:00 that night around the time of Ed's death, Ed was traveling the old main road looking for another passenger. A person could be seen walking the road. It was a young boy looking for a way home. Ed's car took a non-celestial form in order to gain the passenger's trust. The young passenger said that he wanted to go home. He asked the driver if he could do that. He told Ed where he lived. The cab started to drive off into the night.

As the cab drove off the young boy noticed that the windows were all dark. He could not make out who the driver was because of the black window in front of him covering up the driver's face. He was starting to get scared when the driver reached the speed of 80 Miles Per Hour and faster down the old dirt road that was attached to the main road.

The passenger asked the driver to slow down, but the driver would not listen. He kept going faster and faster. Suddenly just like before, Ed's taxi hit the same guard rail that it did before. Down the car went. Bursting into flames with the young passenger inside. Now outside the car the young passenger said that he was amazed that he survived the crash. Ed didn't say anything to him. Ed just stood aside. A figure in dark clothing approached the young boy and asked him to come with him. The young boy asked him who he was. The dark figured man didn't say a word. He just motioned for the young boy to come with him. The young boy was wondering if the dark figure knew how to get home. The dark figure took the boy by the hand and before Ed could turn around they were gone in the dead of night. Ed too faded away and so did the cab.

III

Meanwhile at the former station, Heather was still checking out the machinery that she use to work at. She knew that Ed had died. But how was it possible that she was still receiving dispatches? It was like Ed never went out of business. She then heard a motor rev up. It was Ed's car coming back for the night. He had not closed up shop, even in death!

The car's engine cut off. Ed got out of the car. Heather was hiding in the storage closet and wondered if Ed could sense where she was. She didn't want to take a chance of being seen. She didn't want Ed to know where she was. She was trying to not breathe as hard as she was. But the panic of seeing the ghost of Ed and his car made her a believer now that Ed was back. Well, back as he could be. But what was keeping him on earth and not crossing over? Something had to be up. She had to find out what.

Heather slowly got out of the storage closet and snuck over to where Ed laid down. Ed was gone! No where to be seen. And the car that was a smoldering smoking wreck was gone too. From what Heather could see the car looked as though it had been fine. Like it had never gotten into a crash at all. Or did it? She was scared and didn't know what to think. Ed was back, but now something about him was dark. Very dark. Someone, or something was controlling him like a puppet. And someone she thought must have been the puppeteer.

Heather thought of getting out of there as quickly as she could. She couldn't tell the police. She wished she could. But what could the police do? It was up to her. She was the only one that would be able to reach the Undead Ed. And reach him she had to. But how? Ed was being controlled it seemed by the very person that he gave a ride to. In the dispatch notes Ed said that he gave a ride to a man wearing dark clothing. Well, this guy seemed to fit the description pretty well. She was sure that the same guy that was controlling Ed was the same guy that Ed had picked up on this last night. The last night that he was alive!

"How does one combat the dead?" Heather thought to herself.

Heather went back to her home. She looked up all the paranormal things that she could on the internet. She didn't know where to start. She thought that maybe somehow if she could talk to Ed that maybe she could help him. But how? Not without maybe alerting the very person that was controlling him. If she contacted Ed then that meant that she was taking the chance of contacting the very person. The Puppeteer she called him. Or worse yet, Ed's cab. Cab 13. She thought to herself "Let's not forget Ed's trusty car. That thing looked as though it now had a mind of it's own and didn't need Ed at all to drive around. From the look of things that car was possessed by something far greater than Ed himself. Like something was wanting that car to do it's bidding. But Heather didn't know who. All she knew was that the Ed that she knew needed help. He was trapped by the very person or thing that he helped that night that he died.

Heather thought that if she could find a way to contact Ed that she might have a chance. But how? Ouija boards were kind of her thing in the past, but they were also dangerous. One wrong move and she could contact something other than Ed, or the Puppeteer. She needed a sure fire way to make contact with Ed. She had a idea that a Spirit Box might be the best way. With it she could call out for Ed and focus all of her energy on him calling him to her. But would it be safe? She had to try.

Heather got out a old radio and managed to change it from a radio to a spirit box in no time flat from the years of soldering and wiring work that she use to do with her father on the side. She knew some things about radios. With the help of the internet she was able to achieve this perfectly. She wasted no time in trying to make contact with Ed. She had to know the truth.

"Ed, this is Heather. Can you hear me?" Heather said softly.

Heather had spoken up as best she could each time that she tried to make contact thinking that Ed could not hear her.

"Ed, please come in. This is Heather. I need to talk to you".

Suddenly without warning to Heather's surprise a familiar face was staring her down right into her eyes. It was Ed! Ed looked pissed. He looked as though he was out for one thing. Blood! Heather didn't want to take a chance. She asked him again why he was back.

Ed told her to run. To hide. He didn't want her to get hurt like he was. Ed said that he must do his master's bidding.

He didn't have a choice. And he didn't want her to end up like he was. A prisoner of The Dark One. The very passenger that Ed had picked up the very night that he died. For Ed served him now. Ed told Heather that it was now his job to take souls to The Dark One. He had to for all of eternity. Or else he was doomed to walk the fires of Hell as punishment for disobeying his new master's rules. His master needed souls. That was all that he said to Heather.

Ed looked up as if he was being called back. Ed said that he was too late and he was out of time. If Heather had any chance of saving herself that she would leave him be, leave The Dark One alone and never return, and to never call upon him again.

Heather was in shock. She knew that despite Ed's warning that she had to do something. She could not leave Ed the way that he was. She had to help her friend. He was in pain as much as she was. She knew that it wasn't right to leave him that way. She had to think of something that would help him. And try to think of something fast. But who could she turn to? Who would be willing and able to help. Heather blew out the candles that she had lit to contact Ed, and turned off the Spirit Box. Heather thought to herself that maybe it might have been safer after all to use a Ouija Board.

"Ed! What did I tell you about talking to old friends'?" Said his new master.

"I'm sorry master, it won't happen again, I swear it!" Said Ed eagerly.

"Good, I didn't want to think that you were going soft on me. After all, I need you to bring me more souls!" Said his master.

His master could feel his power waning thin again. He needed more souls to stay alive. He sent Ed out to do another run the next night. Ed did as his master instructed. And this time he was not going to fail his master. Ed had managed to pick up two kids that were looking for a way out of the dark woods. Ed was more than happy to give them a ride!

IV

"Hey mister! Stop! Hey Mister!" Said one of the two boys.

"I'm glad you picked us up. We have been lost in these woods for hours. I could barely see your cab due to the darkness. The headlights were a nice touch though. The other brother didn't say a word. For he knew who's cab they were in. He had heard tales of Cab 13. The younger brother didn't know what he was talking about. The other brother looked at him and whispered to him that they were in Cab 13. The very cab that disappeared some time ago. The one that fatally killed the very cab driver that was sitting in the driver's seat! The older brother knew that they were in for the ride of their lives. Or at least to their afterlives!

The older brother tried to get out. But he couldn't! The door was locked! He screamed but no one could hear from outside the glass of the cab door. The two boys were trapped inside. And just as the other passengers went. The boys both went the same way. The Master of Ed got two new souls that night. The boys never made it out of the woods to their homes.

The next day the newspapers said that two more boys have gone missing. They were last seen going on a hiking trip up The Old Road. They have not been seen or heard from since. Later that week it was confirmed that both of the boys were found dead in the very same spot that the cab had crashed. Both the bodies looked like they had been burned beyond recognition. The only way the two boys could be identified was by dental records! The newspaper released information of the findings of the two boys later that week. The entire nearby town was now wondering why so many people were disappearing. Fearing that they had a serial killer out there now, everyone did not hesitate in locking their doors and vehicles. They didn't want to take a chance on being next in line for Death's list.

Time went by it seemed with no leads in sight. The police had questioned everyone in town, even the convicts that they had locked up. No one was talking. No one. It seemed as though this killer would not be stopped. And it had been a while since he captured anyone. All that anyone could ever expect now was for the killer to strike again. But how? And when?

So many have disappeared from the town that the police were wondering how many more would be taken. How many more would have to suffer the killer's hands before he was captured and brought to justice? No one could honestly tell. Time was going to be either a alley, or a foe. But one thing was clear. The crazed killer was not done. Not by a long shot.

Heather had returned to life as normal as she could. Knowing that Ed was still out there somewhere. She wondered who the next victim of him would be. Who would suffer the same fate as he did. She sat and wondered this for a long time. Then after a long wait. Ed has struck again!

This time it was around Christmas time. A lost family that was traveling the old road by mistake after their car broke down from trying to find their way back home had wondered the road for hours. The wife asked her husband if she could sit and rest. She then wished that a cab would come and pick them up. She was tired, and didn't want to be on her feat any more than she had to be already.

The wife and family saw two headlights in the distance. They thought that for sure it was a cab coming by to pick them up. The husband signaled first for the cab to stop. He was hoping that they finally had transportation out of the woods and away from the old dirt road. The cab had stopped to pick up the family. They managed to all get into the back seat of the car. Before they could buckle up the cab took off like a shot.

Ed now had more souls for his Master. The father asked the cab driver if he knew where 32 Raven Way was. The cab driver didn't lower his window, or even make eye contact. He just kept driving with a smile on his face. The father was starting to get suspicious of what was going on. The father tried again to signal the cab driver to get his attention to see if he knew where the address was. The cab driver again didn't say a word. Ed just kept driving and looking back at the family in a creepy fashion. The family was now getting worried that their saving grace of a cab was now becoming their worst nightmare.

The father tried to use his cell phone to call for help but it was no use. The calls he was making could not be sent out. So his cries for help could not be sent out either. The father too was starting to get worried if they were going the right way or not. The father tried signaling to the cab driver again that they just missed the turn off road to go to his address. The cab driver just kept driving in the same familiar direction. The direction he took the night of his accident.

The father now furious. He is begging and screaming to be let out of the cab. The cab driver lowers his window finally letting the father see who he is. The father is in shock at what he sees. The father sees the cab driver's head fully turn around that would be impossible for any mortal man to do. The cab driver Ed says to the old man that he will reach his destination soon.

The father wonders what Ed is talking about by saying finally reach their destination soon seeing as how they just went past the road that they were suppose to turn on already. The father looks out his window and notices the road they are traveling down. It was the same road that Ed crashed on many years ago. The road was now closed and signs were posted that the guard rail had not been fixed. The father knew then where they were heading. For a cliff.

The car quickly went off the very spot that it crashed at many times before. This time killing the family of four. Ed was outside the cab waiting for his master to show up and take the new family members away. His master had shown up again and the right time telling Ed that he had done good. The Master told the family to follow him. That he would make sure that they were treated well.

Ed never really knew what happened to the people he took to his master after The Master took them with him. He never really asked any questions. He just did as his master instructed him to do. Ed was proud to serve his master. Having no memory of his previous life, The Master was free to control Ed the best and worst that he could. Ed served his master well. And that's how his master wanted it. He wanted the souls for himself. For that was how his master stayed in power. The Master told Ed that he would call for him again when needed.

This time having seen what had happened Heather was there. And without the Master's knowledge of her being there she was able to see what was going on. Everything was beginning to make sense. Ed was not at peace. He was a prisoner.

V

She knew that if she followed the trail for some time that she would get the answers that she needed.

Heather had been watching that night after working at her new job all day. She knew that if she was to catch Ed in the time that he would make his rounds that she would most likely catch him that night. And by luck, she did!

Ed turned around and disappeared, and so did his car. She was now alone in the woods. She wanted to take a look at the crash site to see if anything could be salvaged. There was left over burn marks from where the car was the first time it crashed on that one fateful night. It was surprising to Heather that the car's remains and burn marks would still be there. Maybe that's why Ed was still on earth doing his master's bidding. Maybe Ed had something that was unfinished. But what could it have been? What could The Master if Ed be holding over Ed's head? And who was this Master? At what point in time did he appear?

Heather thought about it for a long time and she could only make on conclusion. That this Master of Ed must have been Death himself! Death must have been needing help to maintain his energies. So he called upon Ed to do his bidding. But why? Heather knew that there was much more to the story. But she would have to talk to Death himself in order to find anything out.

Heather went to the one place where she could get information that she could quickly gather without question. The Internet. There she found out that Death himself was a old being. Being Death didn't stop him. He was known by many names. He was even the one to cause the Black Plague and kill thousands of people. If this was the same Death maybe something was wrong after all. Maybe something was out of balance that she didn't see. But why was Death using Ed? She had to find a way to get a hold of Death. The best way that she knew how to do this was a spirit box. But this time she wanted to go even deeper. She knew that she would have to tap into Magic much powerful than she ever could be.

Her mother being a gypsy always kept a Spirit Board around. Heather would use it to contact Death himself. That night, Heather did the unthinkable. She contacted Death himself. How she did it wasn't going to be simple. She would have to enter the form of what Death was herself. She would have to be between this world. And the world of the dead.

Heather started out by lighting some candles. Then placing a Spirit Board in the middle, she had to then light the candles that centered the Spirit Board. After doing that, she had to enter the realm of the dead. To do this she would have to slowly drain her body of her life force. To do this she drank a chemical liquid which would allow her to enter the land of the dead easily without fully killing her. As she drank the liquid she could feel funny. Like something was pulling her into the land of the dead.

Once there, Heather could finally see the spirits that were forming around her. She could see everyone that had passed away. Even Ed. Ed looked right at her. He walked over to her and asked her what she was doing there in the land of the dead. Heather said that she wanted to talk to his new boss. Ed said that would be unwise and for her to go back. She didn't want to be a part of what was going on. He didn't want her to sacrifice herself just to save him.

Heather wasn't going to back down now. She had come that far to save Ed. She was more determined to save Ed now more than she never was. She told Ed that the news was saying that people were disappearing all over the place. Ed said he knew about that and there was a good reason for that. Ed talked as though he was innocent of all the actions that were going on in the mortal realm.

Ed said to Heather that he didn't have a choice. He had to take the lives of the people that The Master wanted him to take. Because his Master didn't have the power that he once had. He was being drained himself! He needed Ed's help to do what he had to do.

Heather thought for a moment. "Death needs help?", Said Heather curiously.

"Yes. He's been weak for a long time Heather. He is part of the balance. If there is no balance then life cannot continue. He's been getting weaker because it's almost his time to depart from his job. Someone else is going to take his place. He just hasn't found a new replacement yet. You have to understand Heather. Please. For me. Please understand.

I don't want to see you get hurt like I was. I've missed you for so long. And I have wondered how you are doing. I have so much wanted to tell you what was going on. But I couldn't. I didn't have the power."

Ed looked at Heather and cried. He didn't want her to get hurt. He knew that if he let her stay there that she would be hurt.

He had to find a way to send her back. He managed to call for his cab. He shoved her inside and told his cab to take her to a drop off point and send her back to the land of the living. The cab understood, closed it's doors, and sent her back to the land of the living. Heather could not believe that the cab was actually driving itself now and listening to what Ed was telling it to do. Could Ed really be a victim?

The cab saw a spot to drop Heather off. It ejected Heather out and drove off back to Ed. A very creepy engine roar could be heard as it drove off. Heather seen the door to the land of the living carved out on the side of a brick wall that was calling her to it. She knew that she could not stay. But she would be back. She walked through the door and was back in her own body in the land of the living.

Heather laid on the floor more puzzled now than she had been before she left the land of the living to enter the land of the dead. She had more questions than answers. Maybe things were out of balance after all with Death. Or that's the way things seemed.

Back in the land of the dead, Ed was in his car. He seemed like he was talking to himself about something serious. But really, he was having a full conversation with the cab. He was really troubled that Heather would even come to the land of the dead in order to try to help Ed. How could she know what was really going on? What gave her the right to interfere in the matters of Death?

The car was agreeing with Ed in low engine growling noises like it understood Ed. Ed listened to what the car was doing and even agreed with the car. Ed wondered if by chance he might be able to bring her back to the land of the dead and let her see for herself what he does and why. But that would require The Master not knowing about it. Somehow.

Ed thought of a new plan. He was going to bring her along on the next cab ride. And he was going to visit her. In her dreams. The next night was the night that Ed had to make another run. He figured he could catch her there.

VI

What better way to have her travel with him than in her dreams. All that it would be would feel like a dream to her. But she would at least finally understand why he does what he does.

The next night while Heather was asleep. Ed started on his route. He managed to contact Heather and bring her to the cab. Heather wondered how she could be in the cab. She looked at Ed, and Ed looked at her. Telling her that there was nothing to fear. That he wanted her to see what he does. And why.

The cab was going down the old road. Heather knew the road like the back of her hand. She said that it looked like there was a person standing there waiting for someone. Ed looked at her and said that he was waiting for someone. He was waiting for Ed. Ed stopped the cab and let the passenger in.

To Heather's surprise the passenger was none other than her new boss. Heather's boss was shocked to see her sitting in the front passenger seat of the cab. Ed said to her that she could not speak to him. For that was the way things had to be. It would make the trip more easier for the both of them. Heather asked Ed if her new boss could see them. Ed said that the man could see Ed, but he could not see Heather.

Heather was more along for the ride. Heather's new boss tried to get a hold of Ed to tell Ed where he wanted to go. Heather could not believe that her new boss was about to be Ed's next victim. Ed was all smiles. He could not believe how fun it was about to be with this trip.

Heather could see what was going on. She saw the road that they were suppose to go down. Ed had missed it and he was heading for the same spot. Heather knew what was coming, and she knew that it was not going to be a pretty sight. She was bracing for a impact that she knew was certainly going to take her life. And that of her new boss.

The car started it's decent down the mountain as it did when it first crashed. Heather screamed out loud and so did her boss.

As the car hit the ground, Heather looked at herself and wondered if she was still alive. Ed said that now that the incident happened, Heather needed to run and hide before his boss came and saw her.

Heather did as Ed told her to do. Heather was able to see everything that was going on. Heather's boss stood next to Ed. He looked like he was in a trance. Ed made Heather's boss snap out of it and Heather's boss wondered where he was. He looked at the smoldering flames and saw his body burned laying on the ground.

"I’m dead?" Said Heather's boss.

"Yep, your dead alright. Sorry about that though. Someone else is calling you home." Said Ed.

Ed's boss appeared before the two calling for Heather's boss to come with him. Heather saw a bright light open, and both Heather's boss, and the mysterious stranger was gone. Heather was in shock. Maybe Ed was working with Death after all. Maybe Ed was right after all. She was amazed at what she had seen.

"Now do you understand, Heather?" Said Ed.

"You need to go now. I have more work to do". Said Ed with determination in his voice.

"Your boss was embezzling money from the company, and hurting people as well. He was also suffering from cancer. There was nothing you could have done, Heather". Said Ed.

Heather was surprised at how much Ed knew. Maybe things were happening for a reason. Things now didn't seem so bad with Ed and the situation. But she was still kind of suspicious of what was really going on. How was death losing his power? How and why were things going on that were already set in motion? There had to be more to it. And what about the white light that she seen? Was that really Heaven? Or Hell? Heather felt like she needed to know what was really happening. And if there was some way she could help.

The next morning after Heather woke up, she wondered about the dream that she had the night previous. Was it all just a dream? Or was it really the real thing that Ed showed her? She thought to herself that it had to be real. It just had to be. Because she saw Ed.

On her way into work the phones were buzzing off the hook. And her boss was not at his desk as usual. Heather had gotten a job with the town's newspaper. It was odd that her boss was not in like he usually was. She felt something was off. Maybe that dream that she had the other night was real, and something had happened to her boss. Maybe Ed was the cause of his death?

Heather suddenly was taken by surprise when hands pulled her back to the janitor's closet. It was one of her old friend's Elizabeth. She wondered what had been going on with Heather. Heather had been acting strange at work, and Elizabeth wanted in on whatever was going on. Heather said that she could not talk about it. But thanks for giving her a fright. Heather said she nearly had a heart attack from all that was going on. Elizabeth had a strange look on her face like Heather know more than she was letting on.

Elizabeth went back to work acting like nothing had happened between her and Heather. Heather went back to her desk. There at her desk were a bunch of flowers. She figured it was probably from the guy down stairs in the mail room. He had a crush on her for a long time. But it wasn't addressed to her. They were addressed to the girl that sat next to Heather. And they were from Heather's boss! Was Heather's boss and the girl next to Heather having a affair? If so, she thought that was why The Stranger as she called the man in black took her boss's life that night. She thought that the affair must have been the reason why. Why else would it be?

"Hey! Did you hear?" One of the co-workers said.

"I just got word that the boss isn't going to make it into work ever again. He's dead!" Said the co-worker.

Everyone looked in amazement and shock. The co-worker went on to say that they also were missing several stocks in the company. Someone had been taking money out of the company and pocketing it for themselves. That's why their paychecks were so low. Heather was surprised by this. Maybe there was more to the story then what met the eye. But who could have been taking money out of the company? The dead boss? It had to be. Right?

VII

Heather thought that she would do some more investigating of her own. Maybe she could find out the reason why things were going on the way they were. She thought that she would wait until everyone had gone to lunch, then find a way to sneak into the boss's office and find out what she could.

It was about lunch time. Everyone was getting up to go to lunch. One of the co-workers went up to Heather and asked her if she was coming. They said that they were all going down to the restraint to eat that was just down the road. Heather declined the invitation. She wanted to do some digging of her own.

Heather waited until the last person was out. It was dead quiet in the work area. Heather had to know what was going on. She slipped a bobby pin out of her hair and started over to the boss's office as if she wasn't doing anything wrong.

She slipped the bobby pin into the lock and twisted it. It opened. Heather's boss Bob didn't spend much money on good locks. She knew she could probably get in easily if she wanted to. She was right. As the door opened she noticed her boss's old computer sitting on the desk. She thought that it might be password protected. Although he didn't know how to operate a computer much.

She turned on the computer. There from what she saw on the desktop of the computer was a small folder. Only one. It read "Plans". She opened it. It was amazing that her boss didn't have the computer password protected, and that it was just sitting there for all the world to see. Her boss must not have been that clever at all. But he sure was clever enough to take money out of the company! She saw everything there. It all was there. It turned out that her boss was taking money out of the company without anyone knowing about it! But he had to have help. It could not have just been a one person job. Something more was going on here. Heather started in on some more digging. She found out that her old boss was actually working with the person that sat next to her. And in a memo on the boss's desk read that flowers would be sent. Inside the notes would be secret coded messages stating where the money was hidden. No one was to know. It was only signed in her boss's name. And that was it.

Heather knew then that she would have to go to the police. Maybe this is why Ed took the life of her boss because of the people that he was hurting financially. Maybe this was the answer?

Ed showed up and slammed his ghostly hands on the desk. Heather could see him now. He laughed delightedly at what had happened the other night. He asked Heather if now she saw what he was trying to do. To make the world a better place. Take the bad out of the world and put it somewhere where no one would ever be hurt again.

Heather finally knew why Ed was doing what he was doing. But what she could not understand fully was why. It was all so puzzling to her still. Why was Ed having to do all this? Why couldn't his boss be doing all of this? Ed said again that his boss's power was going thin. Running out. He soon would be replaced. There was nothing to fear about him. He was trying to help those. He wanted to use his powers of death for something right for a change. And the next person that was coming along he would train to use the powers the same way. Ed was just along for the ride. But loving every moment of it.

Cab 13 was Ed's way of helping out. He loved taking the bad souls out of the world. Heather wondered about the family that died. He said that it was a little more complicated with those bunch. More than she wanted to know. Heather shook her head and said that she would rather not know then. All that she wanted to know was that everything was honestly okay, and that Ed wasn't some crazy stalker ghost taking people to their graves unwillingly for no reason.

Ed came close to Heather and said that everything was okay. That there was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine. He disappeared. Heather said to herself that she should be getting out of the boss's office before the co-workers return and find her snooping around. She quickly turned off the computer, went out the door and shut it softly. She headed back to her desk and acted as though nothing had happened. The co-workers were just coming back from lunch. Heather was relieved that she made it back in time at all.

Heather went to work as quickly as she could to not arouse any suspicion that she was up to something. Something big.

Heather was very upset that her boss was taking money from the company. The very company that he built from the ground up just like Ed did. There had to be a reason. Why was all of this going on and everyone was getting effected. Heather thought that maybe Ed knew the truth. Somehow something had to be done about the boss's little problem with the money. But what?

Heather thought to herself that in time things might solve themselves. She just had to be patient was all. She then thought that maybe that night she would go talk to Ed if he was around the old work place and maybe see what she might be able to find out. There had to be a logical reason of why things were happening the way that they were. It just could not be that his boss was losing power and he had to have Ed do his bidding for him until he could find someone new. Something more was going on. Heather could feel it in her bones.

She waited until she got off work. She had to find out something about what was going on. Nothing had made any sense to her. She thought that maybe she would do some background digging on the old building which Ed bought and see where that lead.

As it turned out the building that Ed had purchased so many years ago was actually a old church building. The church itself didn't exist anymore. But the old storage garage which Ed used for his business did. The former owner of the building passed away years before Ed bought the building. Heather looked up the name. Was that Ed's boss? Was he a grim reaper or something?

Heather found the name Shamus O'Neil. O'Neil owned the property for many years until suffering a heart attack in 1930. Heather felt like she was on the right track. Shamus was said to be a man of God. He believed that the righteous should be saved. And the evil ones punished for the crimes that they did on earth.

Heather's alarms were raising in her head the minute that she read that sentence. It had to be O'Neil who was his boss! It just had to be! Maybe O'Neil was somehow coming back from the grave for something. But what? Heather continued to read and found out some more useful information.

As she read down she read that O'Neil didn't just suffer a heart attack. No! He suffered a heart attack because someone had set fire to his church! He was a long time pastor at Christ's Love Church. The very church that he owned and operated for many years. It was said that the church was built some time in the 1800's.

VIII

It was family owned and operated. O'Neil must have got it when it was passed down to him. So this church meant everything to O'Neil. No wonder he had a heart attack. He probably wanted revenge on those who set fire to his beloved church. Heather felt that she almost had all of her answers. But not all of them.

She continued to read on. As the church was set ablaze back in 1930, just three days later O'Neil, learning that the church could never be rebuilt, due to lack of funds, died on August 13th, 1930 at the age of 80.

In shock, Heather went back to her apartment thinking of what had happened to O'Neil. She felt sad that he died in such a way that no words could express. He too was a lost soul. He was punishing the guilty and saving the innocent. But he was using Ed to do his bidding. O'Neil must have sensed something good in Ed to trust him that much.

Heather went to bed with tears in her eyes. Thinking of what the old man O'Neil must have went through. She closed her eyes and went to sleep that night. While she was sleeping Heather had a strange dream. It was a dream about what had happened to O'Neil that night that he died. Maybe O'Neil wanted her to know something. Maybe it was her way of communicating with Heather?

Heather could smell smoke, feel the flames. She was inside the church. She saw O'Neil try to get out. He went through a back way of the church. A secret door. She followed him. O'Neil was crying and in a lot of pain from seeing his beloved church burn. He said that the evil ones would pay for their sin of what they did to his church. They would all pay. Then suddenly Heather saw O'Neil's face as he scared her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who are you! Are you one of those damned evil children of The Devil, girl?" Said O'Neil curiously?

O'Neil shouted for her to be gone. And with that Heather woke up immediately from her sleep.

She was in shock that someone who was in love with the church and God could suffer so much. Maybe that was why O'Neil was doing what he was doing. She had to find a way to talk to O'Neil. But it didn't seem like he was in a talking mood from the dream that she had. She had to think of another way to talk to him. She needed help.

Heather thought that she would do some calling around. See if she could find anyone that might be able to help her. She managed to find someone from the Catholic Church that might be able to reach O'Neil. Heather thought that it was worth a try. She had to help him, and Ed. They both were lost souls looking for closure.

The Catholic Church gave Heather a call back. They said that they might be able to help. They would come by that following week to talk with her and see if they could help out in any way. The following week came. Heather was excited to see the Catholic Church come out and willing to help. She let the priest inside her home and told him the rest of the tale of what had been going on. The priest thought that it was strange that Heather would have such a close connection with the deceased.

Heather said that she use to work for the deceased, and that she felt that he too was trapped. Not by his own will. But the will of a long lost pastor calling forth on Ed to do his bidding in the after life. So many people have gone missing and she felt that she was getting close to something. Something that was too important to let go.

The Catholic Priest, James Wood said that he would be happy to help. He began by cleansing Heather's home of any evil spirits that wanted to harm those in the home. Heather could feel a negative force coming from all around her. And so could the priest. As the priest kept praying the feeling of dread just kept getting stronger and stronger. Suddenly to Heather's surprise the priest was lifted up into the air, spun around, and slammed down so hard on the kitchen floor. The priest had just about died from the blow to the ground. The spirit that grabbed the priest opened Heather's front door and ejected the priest from out the home. The priest managed to get up and drive away from Heather's home.

The spirit that grabbed the priest appeared to Heather. It was O'Neil. O'Neil said to Heather that she should stop medaling in the affairs of the afterlife and let O'Neil be. To leave him alone and let him do his work. The work of The Lord. The spirit was gone soon after he told Heather off. Heather however was not going to give up. She was far from done giving up on Ed, or the old pastor.

The same night that the priest was ejected from Heather's home, Heather went to a Ouija Board and wanted to gain some answers. Seeing as how the spirit wanted it to just be the two of them Heather was going to find out why. Maybe the pastor just wanted her help. Or maybe there was something more to it. Something she didn't see yet.

Heather sat the candles all around her on the kitchen floor. She lit them all one by one. She then took out the Ouija Board and started to ask questions. And started to ask that Pastor O'Neil come forward. She didn't care weather or not he was busy. She wanted answers. She was tired of being bullied by O'Neil, and having Ed suffer the same fate. O'Neil was summoned. He managed to get a note out to her saying that he would appear before her. But to make sure that the Ouija Board was put up. He didn't trust those things.

Heather did as O'Neil had instructed. But keeping the candles lit. O'Neil had been happy that Heather had done as he had asked her to do. He appeared to her. He was wearing all black. His eyes were just white. They looked as though he was in a trance. He looked very deceased. He said that he didn't like Ouija Boards because he thought that they were the work of The Devil, and that he didn't want anything evil coming through to disturb them in any way that night.

Ed sat down across from Heather. Heather said that she had a strange dream the other night, and that he was in it. O'Neil said that he knew, because he wanted to talk to her. He was trying to get her attention. Heather asked why his power was being drained. O'Neil had a answer for that. O'Neil said that because of his age when he died he wasn't able to be strong enough to be a reaper.

The Lord he said called him up to be a reaper.

Heather said curiously "A Reaper?".

"Yes, a grim reaper".

"Reapers are creatures that go around taking souls. Some souls are worth taking from this world if they are doing harm. Then, and only then is it just by God's Law to take the evil from this world and therefore the innocent are able to be protected".

Ed, he is my right hand. My go to guy as you would call him. Since my power is small and waning, I have Ed doing my bidding for me.

IX

I came to him that night in the cab. He didn't know who he was picking up, and I wanted it to be that way. If he knew who I was he would not have stopped, and I would not be able to do what I am doing now. Helping humanity. But I fear that Ed has somehow gone astray from The Lord.

Heather thought for a moment:

"What do you mean, gone astray?" Said Heather curiously.

O'Neil said that he felt several times that Ed has betrayed him, and those of humanity, and The Lord by going behind the backs of him, and The Lord and taking innocent souls to their final resting place when there is no need to be doing so. O'Neil felt that Ed was going out of control with what he had been given.

"When I took a ride that night on Cab 13, I knew I would be finding what I was seeking. Or so I thought." O'Neil went on to say.

"I thought that Ed was going to be a true friend to me. Someone able to help me. But I fear that I was wrong. A couple of nights ago without knowing it there were two boys being picked up. I didn't ask for Ed to pick them up. He did so on his own will. He disobeyed me! I knew what to do with those two. I sent them to The Lord to be judged. Knowing that The Lord would just them more fairly than I would have".

"Then there was the matter of your boss. Ed did as I instructed him to on that one. That I didn't punish him for!" O'Neil said sternly.

Heather thought to herself. "Sternly? Punish Ed? What did you do to punish Ed?". Said Heather curiously.

O'Neil went on to say that it was not him that punished Ed, but the Angels of Heaven. "They whipped him good until he gave in to his sins, hoping that he would not disobey me again." Said O'Neil.

"I didn't want to punish Ed. I didn't. But it had to be done. I fear that he will do it again too. He has a out of control tendency to disobey The Law of The Lord. That is what truly frightens me. Soon I will be powerless to stop him. Soon he will have all the power he could ever want. The power that I gave him will grow with every person he takes with him. And soon he will be the one to take the souls to Heaven giving him free reign to do what he wants. This would make him a unstoppable force for evil. I have been trying to find a replacement. Someone that can keep the balance in line so that Ed doesn't get out of control. It has only been several nights that nothing has happened because I have not been giving Ed any orders to do anything. I have been wanting to see what he would do. But he has remained silent. That worries me greatly!

I am not only scared for you, or me. But I am scared for everyone on the face of The Lord's creation! If Ed goes out of control at any time, that means that the laws of balance will be off, and Ed will have free reign to do what he wants, as he pleases. We cannot let him use the powers of The Reapers' for his own personal gain. There is a law set in place for this. Just like everything is living. So everything shall die. But it has to have it's own time."

"A time to live, and a time to die." Said Heather.

"Yes, exactly!" Said O'Neil.

"Heather, I didn't mean to frighten you. Honestly I didn't. I just wanted your help. I hope that you are not upset with me in any way for giving you such a scare earlier." Asked O'Neil.

Heather said to O'Neil that she was fine with him. And that she was happy to make a new friend. Everything had made sense now of what was going on. From what Heather thought now, it was up to her and O'Neil to set things right. The balance had to be restored or all was lost.

Heather asked about her boss. O'Neil said that he was the most crooked man that had ever walked The Lord's earth. "He was taking money from people as much as he could, Said O'Neil.

"He would take a little here, and a little there to start, but soon he was taking as much as he wanted, even from his own employees. And soon they were all suffering. The only reason why his business was able to stay in business was because he had a friend who would make sure it would stay that way so that your boss would be making more money. He would then split the money with the person that was helping him invest his own pockets in the company. Thankfully we took care of your boss, and your boss's partner. And from what I am told by The Lord, you are due to get a new boss any day now. You can thank me later." Said O'Neil.

Heather was all smiles. She could not believe the good news. It was like someone was watching over her. Well, she could not be more wrong. There was. Her new friend O'Neil. And The Lord himself. Heather was overjoyed with the news. But she had to remain focused. She had to focus on what to do about Ed.

But Heather had another question on her mind. In her dream she saw fire. Smelled smoke. She wondered how back in 1930 that O'Neil's church was set on fire. She began to ask O'Neil the question. O'Neil looked at her with sad eyes, and said that he knew what she was going to ask. He was afraid that the question might come out sooner or later.

O'Neil told her that back in 1930 there was a family that lived close by the church. Each Sunday they would come to church and the ma and pa would sit and listen to the pastor talk about God. However, the child was not as impressed with The Lord as the pastor would have liked. The child always worshiped another deity. One that brought chaos and destruction. The Devil. He would always wear black, and have a upside down cross. And always make a weird gesture at him. He didn't like that boy one bit. One day, O'Neil made him stay after church to help out with the coming dinner that the church was hosting. He thought that it would make the boy mind, and that maybe the thoughts of The Dark One would maybe exit the boy's mind. But he was wrong.

O'Neil could remember going to grab some plates for the dinner that they were going to have that night. It was then that he smelled smoke, then he seen what he thought that his eyes were lying to him. But sadly it wasn't a dream. O'Neil's church was on fire!

Desperate to put the flames out. O'Neil grabbed some water from the nearby well. But by the time the fire department got there and he gathered all the water, it was too late to save his beloved church. Sadly there was more than just the church that got destroyed that night. O'Neil's wife was also helping with the dinner. She was trapped within the burning building unable to make it out alive.

X

That was why O'Neil could not go on living any longer. He didn't just miss his church. He missed his wife as well. His lovely Edith.

"Edith died because of that monster! That monster took the love of my life away from me. I wanted him to suffer so much. But I knew that his fate was out of my hands. His fate was now in the hands of The Lord. The Almighty, God!" Said O'Neil with much pain and anger in his heart.

"The Devil took my wife from me that day. And he used the boy to do the awful deed!" Said O'Neil.

Angry, O'Neil tossed a book off the shelf. He apologized to Heather for what he had just done. Heather said that it was okay. And that she would have been angry too had a loved one died. She completely understood what O'Neil was feeling. It was hard to lose a loved one. Even when someone has taken a loved one from this world. Heather could not believe how much in pain the pastor was.

O'Neil said that he just wanted to be with his Edith. The love of his life. But he could not cross over until all the souls that he had to capture were all on the list and accounted for. Heather asked how many more did he have to go.

O'Neil looked at his list. There as a long list of people from the time O'Neil had started, up until now. And only a few more people remained on the list.

Heather said that with Ed's help he might be able to cross over. And maybe why he was getting so weak was that it was almost time to cross over.

O'Neil said that he feared the reason why he was getting weak was not because it was almost time to cross over, but because of what Ed was doing. Draining his power so that he could take over. Take control and screw up O'Neil's plans for the rest of his afterlife. O'Neil thought that Ed was unhappy with the way he was done in that night when he died. O'Neil tried to explain it to Ed before. But Ed acted as though he didn't care.

Heather thought that if O'Neil and her confront Ed and tell him together, that maybe Ed would finally listen to what O'Neil had to say. It was worth a chance. After all, with every soul that Ed brought in to the afterlife, O'Neil was getting weaker and weaker. They had to try something. O'Neil said that he would wait for her outside the cemetery at his gravesite. Heather didn't know where that was. O'Neil showed her the location just by touching her, giving her the knowledge of his location. It was on the outskirts of the old town where he use to live.

Old and abandoned now, the cemetery was still there. But she told O'Neil that she would be there. And O'Neil said that he would make sure that Ed was going to show up. He would find a way. He said for Heather to meet him that night around 9:00pm. They would try to speak to Ed as best as they could. It might not have been a easy task. But they had to try. If anyone was going to talk some sense into Ed, it was Heather.

Later that night, Heather and O'Neil met up at the old grave yard. They wanted to make sure that Ed could be summoned on time. O'Neil knew how to do this. But it would take all that he had to summon Ed. Once O'Neil was down on the ground doing the summoning, a fog started to drift into the road. It was so haunting to Heather that she started feeling chills in the air. Crows were sounding off as though they were being disturbed, or sensing someone coming.

A engine noise could be heard slowly coming up the grave yard. Lights could be seen moving about as though someone was getting closer to Heather's spot. Heather knew that it must have been Cab 13. It must have been Ed!

The cab pulled up to their spot. The eerie mist that was coming from the cab gave the cab a ghostly sense to it. All of it. The headlights remained on. Heather could see a figure getting out of the cab and walking slowly around the car. The figure was Ed. He looked very deceased like the day that the accident happened. His face was peeled off to one side showing his skull on the left side. While his left eye was detached and placed in his pocket. He looked as dead as he could get. His clothes were tattered and torn. His left hand was nothing but a skeletal form now due to the disfigurement of the crash. The eye that he had still intact on the right was the only one that could move. He moved it towards Heather as if he knew her. He blinked right at Heather. She slowly rose up her hand to say hi. She had missed her old friend. But now she worried that her old friend was out for more than just blood. She feared that he would be out for revenge on whoever came across his path. She didn't know how right she would be.

Ed approached his Master. O'Neil said to him if he was ready for one last ride. Heather thought that was odd that O'Neil would be asking for one last ride. Maybe he was getting closer to his time, she thought.

Heather looked down. It was almost 9:00pm. Around the time that Ed took his final destination. O'Neil knew that something would have to be done. And there was only one way to handle the ongoing ghoulish situation. Ed would need to be replaced! He didn't tell Heather any of this. But Heather figured something had to be going on. Why would Ed have to show up. And what was this about a 'Last Ride'?

Heather started to panic just a bit. She figured something was going to happen very soon. O'Neil asked her if she was ready. Then she asked him to get in the car with them. They all got into Ed's car with Ed taking to the driver's seat.

O'Neil didn't say a word hardly. The car, cab 13 pulled out into the streets away from the grave yard. Headed to where, Heather didn't know. She was afraid that she was going to maybe see another death or something from the cab driver, Ed.

The cab started to go faster and faster. O'Neil pulled out a piece of paper and started to chant out loud. Heather didn't know fully what to expect from this.

She thought that maybe by some chance O'Neil was trying to fix the problem. He was. He began chanting even louder as the cab drove faster and faster towards the old dirt road where Ed crashed so many years ago.

At this time O'Neil had just finished chanting. And asked Ed if he was ready. Heather was curious as to what O'Neil meant by this. Ready? Ready for what? What was going to happen? Did O'Neil and Ed know something that Heather didn't know?

Heather was getting ready to brace herself for whatever was going to happen next. She thought her mind was going crazy when she saw the road that they were suppose to turn down didn't turn at all. But the spot where Ed had crashed, they drove right past.

This time they had something a little different in mind for Heather. Oh yes! They drove heather to the very spot where she use to work! At the old work place where Ed kept his business! They had plans for Heather.

XI

Heather was wondering what was going on but didn't want to say anything. She thought that maybe that this was all part of the plan to get rid of Ed. She was hoping that she was right.

She looked over and asked Ed where they were going. Ed didn't say a word to Heather. He just kept driving. After getting spooked out over the drive, they finally made it to the old work site. There were all sorts of spirits there. They had not crossed over yet. And Heather saw her old boss even standing there looking like his was waiting for something. Or someone.

Heather was dragged out of the car by one of the spirits. She couldn't believe what was happening. She was being dragged out by spirits! O'Neil said that it was almost time. Heather asked, "Time for what?"

O'Neil replied back to her, "Time for you to join us, Heather!"

Heather was in tears. She didn't want to become part of them! She didn't want to lose her life! How was she going to get out of this one? Most importantly, the old pastor had tricked her! She was going to be sacrificed! And she was afraid of for whom.

The pastor said that he had lost everything in life. But soon all that was about to change. For the night that he died he gave himself not to God, but to The Devil. And he kept all the souls locked away here at this place where Ed use to work so that he could build up the souls to become stronger. But there was a problem with that. He only needed one more soul. He figured that if he could get close enough to Heather that she might be willing to undergo a sacrifice for him. He wanted her to be the last person that he sucked a soul from. For he wanted the unlimited power. He wanted it all. O'Neil wanted all the power for himself. Even from Ed. He asked Ed to sacrifice himself for him so that he could one day claim the power, all the power for himself. He wanted to take over not just as Death, but as the all powerful Devil himself. He wanted to rule earth, and Hell.

Heather looked over at him and wondered how he could denounce God. How he could sacrifice all that he had and betray those who he swore to protect. And what about his wife?

O'Neil looked at her with eyes that could kill. He thought of how foolish she was to believe that story. That he was married, and that he had a wife. For what Heather didn't know was that O'Neil wasn't from earth. He was actually the long lost brother of Satan himself! He wanted to over throw his brother. He wanted to rule all that there was. And not even God himself would stand in the way. He found Ed by accident. And O'Neil started to piece together for Heather what had really happened that night.

O'Neil said that he wasn't killed in 1930. No, he was risen in 1930. The fire was due to a sacrifice that one of the town's children had made that summoned him from the ground commanding him to come to earth. The spell worked, and he was able to take the form of the pastor that day. The child knew who I was. When I set fire to the church, Heather, it was grand. I knew that I had done my brother's bidding, and that there was nothing more that was going to stop me. Except for one person. A woman who was stuck inside. Edith was her name. I sacrificed her so that I could gain power. And gain power I did. I played the town like a harp making them think that I had died due to my wife's passing. It all played out… perfectly.

The young boy, I thanked him and sent him on his way. Then… I waited… I waited for years for someone to come along and help me with my plan. I needed someone like Ed here to make sure that everything all went well.

Heather was shocked that the entire time this man, or thing, or whatever he was, was able to play people like crazy. Make them think that he was a good man, when all along he was really The Devi's brother in disguise!

"Now Heather, that you know the truth, I can't let you go. I can't let you tell anyone about us. Ever!".

With that, O'Neil was getting the hanging tree ready for Heather to be sacrificed to his brother so that O'Neil could gain the power that he so long as been craving. Heather wondered to herself what was so special about her. What could he need that she had?

O'Neil looked at her and asked her if she ever felt different. As though she really belonged here. Or if there was ever anything that was ever special about her. She said that she did feel like there was something different about her. But she could never place what it was.

O'Neil told her that it was because she was a descendant of Jesus Christ. And because of that it gave Ed and O'Neil the perfect opportunity to take the soul of Heather. But however, there was a catch. Only one could get the soul. Not both. This gave Heather a idea!

Heather started to ask O'Neil a simple question that immediately had Ed thinking as well. Heather asked O'Neil…

"What if you do take my soul. There are two of you, and one of me. What will you do? Only one of you can take my soul, right?"

Ed looked at O'Neil with a puzzled look, then a look of anger. O'Neil told Ed to hold her where she was. He didn't want her to get away. Ed was now wondering what Heather meant. But it all became clear to Ed when Heather said to Ed, "Ed, O'Neil only wants the power for himself. All this time you have been his lackey! And that's all you will ever be! Please Ed, listen to me! Listen! Do you want to end up in the grave? Powerless because of him?"

This caused the two to drop Heather before the cord could be tied around Heather's neck. It also gave Heather time to untie herself and slip away unseen all the while the two were arguing it out. Heather had come up with the perfect getaway!

The two, Ed and O'Neil began to go at each other. Hitting each other fiercely! During the fighting Heather managed to slip away unseen, but all the while staying around to watch the fight. She was worried that it might get out of control, and she wanted to be around to see what was going to happen. It was too much to take in. All the spirits were around watching the fight as well like something from a boxing ring cheering each of them on. Which one was going to be able to take Heather's soul? Heather was hoping that none of them were at this point. She was just hoping for each of them to destroy each other at this point. She didn't want to be a part of the chaos any longer. To her, both of these ghouls needed to be put down.

Ed went flying in one direction, and O'Neil in the other. O'Neil came out with scythes a blazing. Coming at Ed with all that he had. O'Neil was now looking more like the angel of death with every beating he took. Maybe Ed was finally having enough and forcing his Master to show his true form. It was a paranormal battle for the ages to Heather.

XII

O'Neil rose his scythes again to Ed. Ed ducked out of the way forcing O'Neil to hit the wood of the building. While stuck in the wood and trying to get his weapon out, Ed slammed O'Neil into the building hitting him again and again to the point where Ed could not hit him anymore. He had enough of what his Master had done to him. He had enough of being his lackey. He wanted out!

O'Neil begged Ed to give him more of his anger. O'Neil was feeding off of it! O'Neil laughed and laughed louder enjoying every time that he was hit. He wanted it to go on forever. He was drawing strength from getting hit so much by Ed's angry blows to the face.

Ed was about out of breathe. He could barely stand up anymore. Heather wanted to say something but she was afraid that she would be seen by the ghouls, and worse, by O'Neil! She didn't want to take the chance of being seen. If she was, then all would be lost. She didn't want O'Neil to take her soul as well.

Just as Heather was about to find another place to hide. A hand came out and grabbed her! It was O'Neil! He had found where she was hiding. He wanted to take her soul, and he was going to by any means necessary!

"All I need now is your soul to complete what I have been trying to do for so many years. All I need is you! Give me what I want!" Said the evil O'Neil.

Heather kicked O'Neil forcing him to drop her. She ran as fast as she could to try to get away from O'Neil. Ed was right behind her following her in the cab. The cab managed to ram right into O'Neil. Heather looked back in amazement as she seen that Ed was trying to protect her!

The cab then again rammed straight for O'Neil! Hitting him again knocking him down to the ground. Ed backed the cab up running over O'Neil again with the back tires. Forcing his tires on O'Neil to keep him down gave Heather time to run. Ed screamed out for her to run as quickly as she should. O'Neil could feel the flames from the cabs tires burning him intensely! The cab was so mad that it was feeding off of Ed's anger as well. Ed was happy that he was finally able to get the revenge that he was wanting to get for so long. He felt like he was doing the right thing now that his former master was about to be destroyed.

The car jolted, and within a flash, O'Neil was gone. No longer under the car. Ed looked around to see O'Neil still going after Heather! Ed was thinking of how O'Neil would never quit until he got her soul. Ed sped up his cab with a very fierce strong engine roar thrusting his car right into O'Neil again who this time was forced up against the tree. O'Neil could not move! Ed screamed for Heather to quickly find some salt. It would keep O'Neil down long enough to send him back where he came from.

Running past the ghouls she managed to go inside the old kitchen of the old business. There she found salt. She ran outside and placed it around the tree where O'Neil was. Still pinned to the tree, O'Neil tried to get to Heather again. But failed to do so because the cab had him pinned. And pinned very well to the base of the tree.

"I will get you, Heather!" Said O'Neil.

"I will get your soul! I want your soul!", Continued O'Neil.

Heather looked at him and said to him that the only thing he deserved was to be punished just like he punished the people that didn't deserve punishment.

"All those souls walking around out here are souls that you abused! Souls that didn't need to be punished. It all makes sense now. You were the one that did all of it. Picked up the passengers when Ed was resting. You were the one to take his cab, weren’t you?" Said Heather. Trying to prove something.

"Yes, I was the one. I wanted more souls. When Ed would not do it for me I took it all upon myself to make sure that I got more souls. Maybe I went out of control. But you have to believe me, I did it for the right reasons. I needed to survive. I'm not a bad guy, Heather."

Heather looked at O'Neil. She told him, "No. Your not a bad guy. Your just a bad monster!"

With the car still pinning O'Neil up to the tree. Heather looked around her at all the souls walking around. She felt sorry for every one of them. They were all lost and needed help to be free once more.

Heather and Ed didn't know quite what to do. It seemed like all the fault lay on O'Neil. O'Neil wasn't just going to give up how to set the souls free. No! He was going to take them all with him. He knew something was coming too.

O'Neil still pinned to the tree said that something was coming. Something that was going to take all the souls with him back to the underworld. And there was nothing that they could do to stop him. It was almost too late. He said that once the clock struck midnight his way out would be showing soon to help him.

Heather wondered by what he meant by that. She felt the ground shake beneath her feet. The ground suddenly cracked open with a green eerie glow and from the ground came the remains of a undead horse and behind it the horse was struggling to bring something else up with it. Once the horse was freed and able to pull it's own weight, it brought up with it a old 19th Century hearse! Heather was in shock. The hearse had no windows. But she feared what may be inside.

The horse heard O'Neil's call and cracked the ground towards O'Neil making the tree let him lose. O'Neil said that he had a date with destiny and that he had to be off. But not before collecting the souls that he wanted to harvest for himself.

O'Neil took off the remaining clothes that he had on and underneath that he had long black robes, and a long dark hood. O'Neil was now taking on the full form of Death. He opened the back of the hearse sucking in all the souls that came from out of the ground that he wanted to harvest.

Heather stood in terror. There was nothing more that she could do except watch all the lost poor souls be sucked into the back of the hearse and be tossed down to the land below where their souls would be harvested.

O'Neil wasn't done either. He hooked himself up to tubes that seemed to go into the back of the hearse. There must have been a machine back there of some sort that must have been harvesting the souls for O'Neil who now took on the full form of the Grim Reaper.

Long needles went into O'Neil and with a twitch, he was sucking in more souls than he ever could before. He was getting younger too. He wanted more. But he wasn't done yet. He wanted Heather's soul still. But before taking Heather's soul, he wanted to take Ed's. Payment or revenge, he didn't care. The more souls he had, the better off he was. Ed could feel his soul coming lose from his body.

XIII

Ed's body now remaining as a corpse inside the cab. And the cab being drained of all life, O'Neil was now free to do as he pleased. The ghoulish hearse was now a weapon of undead power!

"I have never felt so alive in all of my days!"

"I can feel the power! The power of all the souls!" Said O'Neil.

There was nothing that could stop him now. O'Neil now had the power of Death at his command. The full power! Heather still was horrified.

"What are you going to do little girl? Are you terrified at what you see? Good!"

O'Neil started to drive off with the innocent souls that he just sucked up. He was going to use the souls to make himself stronger one way or another. But first he had to get them back to the underworld in order to suck the souls dry of pure energy.

As O'Neil was driving off Heather saw the hearse pass her by. She managed to grab a hold of the handle on the end of the hearse. She wasn't going to let this crazy guy get away with these poor innocent souls. Not anymore!

Heather held on for dear life. She knew that she now was the only one that could bring justice to the lost souls, and take down O'Neil. As she climbed across the hearse's roof she could see down below into the machine. She saw her old boss, her friends', and Ed.

Ed was telling her to go for the lever, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Heather didn't even know how to turn off the machine. All that she knew was that the hearse driver, O'Neil was the key to stopping the hearse from going to where it needed to go. She figured where it was headed was the old grave yard in the old town where O'Neil said that Ed was laid to rest. She figured that it had something to do with the underworld.

Maybe that was it? Maybe that's how O'Neil was able to travel between our world, to the underworld, Heather thought to herself. It had to be it!

Heather still holding on to the hearse made sure not to let go. She wanted to get to the front of the hearse as fast as she could. It kind of reminded her of the night that she road with Ed and O'Neil on the cab ride. And if that was the same way then something she knew that was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon. She had to hurry!

She kept grabbing for whatever she could. Heather reached out again for something to grab so she would not fall off the hearse. She accidently reached for a bony hand! The skeleton attached screamed for her to let him go. She screamed in terror! O'Neil was hearing everything that was going on. He sent the rest of his armies to try to get her off the hearse as best he could. He didn't want any of his souls to get free. He wanted them all!

Grabbing a hold of the reigns as tightly as he could O'Neil yelled for his undead horse to go faster, as fast as it could to the very spot where O'Neil could go into the underworld. The horse's hooves galloped faster and faster. The hearse's buckles could be heard making a rattling chain-like noise as the hearse moved through the ground at almost a breaking speed. The spectral beings inside were in a panic begging to be let out.

The spirits said that if they got out they could be able to help Heather. But she had to get to the front of the hearse and pull out the needles that were attached to O'Neil. That was the only way they could get free!

Heather knew that she had to. She continued to climb as hard as she could. She managed to get up to the front of the hearse grabbing a hold of O'Neil's jacket. O'Neil felt the jacket tug. He punched her and managed to get her off of him only for a time.

"GET OFF ME!" O'Neil screamed.

Heather held on making her way up to the hearse's driver chair again. She managed to this time get her footing and punch O'Neil several times in the face causing him to get knocked back. Heather took the reins.

As Heather drove the hearse through the streets, O'Neil managed to pull himself up and jump right back into the driver seat next to Heather!

"HOW DARE YOU HIT ME!', O'Neil said knocking her down and taking control of the hearse again.

Heather could not believe how strong this guy was. How could she stop him? Then she remembered that one of the spirits told her to pull the plugs on him. She knew then what she had to do to stop him. She thought that if she pulled the plugs the spirits might be freed finally.

With great force she leaped back up, and instead of hitting O'Neil again, she grabbed a hold of O'Neil's plugs and pulled as hard as she could. Ectoplasm blood was oozing out of O'Neil!

Heather had done it. O'Neil was looking like he had just lost a fight with someone as equally as powerful as he was. And he was right! O'Neil could feel all his power fading away. He was now so puny that he was able to be punched off of the hearse. Heather took one good swing and made O'Neil fly off the front of the hearse causing him to evaporate as he hit the ground!

"That's how you do it!" Heather thought to herself.

Heather quickly turned the hearse around. She thought that it might be safer to go back to the old business since that's where it all seemed to start anyways. Maybe all the spirits could find their ways back home.

Heather parked the hearse right in front of the building. But how was she to open it? She was afraid that it might have been locked. Heather could hear Ed speaking from inside the hearse. He said for Heather to grab the key that was under the seat at the front of the hearse. Heather went to the front of the hearse and found a box under the hearse which had a key inside of it. Heather thought that it might have been the key to the back of the hearse.

Ed said for her to place the key inside, but she had to will it to be open. It would not just open by itself. Heather knew that it might be easy. She stuck the key inside the keyhole. Nothing happened. She tried three times, then tried again. And still nothing had happened. Heather began to get upset and tears started forming down her face. She felt like she had failed.

"I can't do it! I can't do it! It won't open, Ed!"

"I feel like I failed you. I have failed you. Your stuck inside this awful thing, and I can't even get you out! I don't know how to get you out!" Said Heather.

XIV

Heather threw the key as hard as she could while crying hard in tears. She felt as though there was nothing she could do for her friend. Even though Ed said for her to wish for it to be open, she did so, and nothing happened. She didn't know what more to do. She just knew that she was out there. And Ed and all the rest of the other souls were in there, stuck. Imprisoned for all eternity.

Heather heard tapping on the glass of the hearse. She looked up and saw Ed. Ed motioned for her to come to him. She got up, and walked slowly over to the hearse. She sat down next to Ed.

She placed her hand on the glass with Ed's and cried a little more. She said that she was sorry, that she never meant for any of this to happen to Ed, or anyone. She just wanted to set things right. Make things right. But how could she now? Ed and the rest of the former townsfolk were stuck inside the hearse in that awful machine.

"Heather, it's not your fault. You did everything that you could for us. And we thank you for that. You are a great friend Heather". Said Ed.

Heather looked at Ed. She was happy to hear him say that.

"You know, Ed. When you died I didn't want to believe it. I just didn't. Since you've been gone I have been feeling so heart broken that I could barely contain my emotions. Every day feels like it's just one more day further away from you. And I don't want to be away from you. I want to be with you." Heather said with tears coming down her face.

"Heather, you don't want to be with me. No like this. I'm dead. Your still alive. There is no way that it would ever work between us. I want you to live your life. You still have a lot to live for. Me, I need to rest. I'm dead. I need to be with my own kind." Ed tried to explain as best he could to Heather.

"If I was to know, Heather that you lost your life because of me I could never handle that. I want to know that you lived your life to the best of your ability. I want to know that you're happy. I don't want to find out one day that you come up to Heaven because you missed me. I want to know that you lived a full happy life." Ed told her.

"But I can't be happy, Ed. Not without you. I need you in my life." Heather said.

"But Heather, if you ever need me. All you have to do is look inside. I'm always right inside your heart. For I've always had a special place there anyways from what I could tell". Ed said.

As the two huddled closely together, the key started to glow and make a humming noise from off the ground. It headed right for Heather's hand. Heather took the key and Ed told her to use it. Maybe it was a sign that the key would now work?

Heather tried the key. It worked! It actually worked! Ed could not believe that it had finally worked! He could feel his soul escape the machine and head back to his dead corpse. He was relieved to be back among the living, even if it was only for a little while longer. Soon he knew that he would have to go back to the land of the dead.

"Hey Heather. Don't forget me okay. I will never forget you. I promise. And remember darling, every Dia De Los Muertos I'll be with you. So you will never really be alone. I promise." Ed said with a sad expression on his face.

Heather saw the rest of the ghosts escape the awful device of The Reaper. They were all heading back home now to be at peace. They all thanked Heather in a massive bow all together as if to say thank you. And just like that, off they went to be at peace in the land of the dead.

The Reaper, O'Neil on the other hand was having a hard time getting use to being small. Ed was kind of happy to see his former Master be a small person for once instead of Ed. It was kind of poetic in a way for Ed.

Ed found a jar to place O'Neil in and said a Holy Prayer to seal it shut. Ed said that The Lord himself will want to speak to Ed and have a little chat with O'Neil and see why and how he escaped Hell's prison. Ed found out about O'Neil's escape right after his death. But he had no help to prove it, until now thanks to Heather.

"What are you going to do now that I won't be around much longer, Heather?" Asked Ed.

"I don't know. Maybe start a family. I've been thinking of what you were telling me. Your right. I shouldn't be so stuck on one thing, or one person. I have a life to live. And I need to live it." Heather said with a smile.

The two looked on at the moon. It was a beautiful night. They suddenly heard a sound of something breaking. The hearse that O'Neil was driving was actually decaying! Everything inside was destroyed. Heather asked Ed where the hearse was going. Ed said that it was going back to the land of the dead. Where it needed to be. O'Neil had been stopped, and his master plan failed. All the other reapers are going to want O'Neil to answer for what he did.

"Well, I should get back. I have work to do, and a prisoner to take back. I'll be seeing you around little lady." Said Ed with a smile.

Heather looked at him and for a moment didn't care what he looked like. She rushed up to him and gave him the last kiss that she knew she was ever going to be able to give to him. She was going to miss him.

"Life without you is going to bite. But I'll get use to it I think. After all, it's not really goodbye. Only goodbye for now. You've always been my hero, Ed. And you always will be." Said Heather.

Ed looked at her and smiled. He waved his skeleton hand in the air for a ride. The ground started to quake, and from out of the ground came another hearse. This one was Ed's new ride home. With his car now in shambles he was going to have to retire from the cab driving business and find a new profession.

Heather watched as the ghoulish hearse pulled away into the night back down into the underworld. Once in the underworld Ed went to see the Council of Reapers who were waiting for O'Neil. O'Neil knew that he was in for the scare of his life once The Council got a hold of him. It wasn't going to be pretty.

"All Rise for The Council of Reapers!" A voice called from afar.

Everyone stood up. The Council of Reapers came out. Each one of them wearing dark hoods, and skeletal bony hands were seen folded on the table before them. They waited for Ed and the lawyer to speak.

XV

"Your honors. I ask you to take pity upon this pour soul. Mr. O'Neil. For what he did I know was a very grim act…"

"SILENCE! WE THE COUNCIL HAVE SEEN AND HEARD ENOUGH! WE SENTENCE THE GUILTY PARTY, MR. O'NEIL TO LIFE IN THE FIRY PITS OF HELL TO SERVE AS A TOILET SCRUBBER FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERLIFE!" Said all The Council members. None of them were going to hear what O'Neil had to say on the matter. They had heard and seen enough to know what they had to do with him. And seeing as how The Afterlife was a eternity, O'Neil didn't see his punishment ending anytime soon. From now on, O'Neil thought they are going to think of him as The Toilet Scrubber. The dead guy that cleans up other dead people's droppings for a living! It was not going to be a fun afterlife for O'Neil.

As for you, Mr. Ed, O'Connor. That is your last name isn't it? Asked one of The Council members.

"Yes it is, your honor." Said Ed.

"We see here that we have a problem." Said one of The Council members.

"A problem, your honor?" Asked Ed.

"Yes! A big problem!" Another Council Member said.

Ed started to worry what the problem was. Maybe he had done something wrong that he was not aware of?

"Excuse me, your honor, but what problem may you be referring to?" Asked Ed.

"The problem, Mr. O'Connor, is that there is a vacancy here on The Council Member's seats. And we The Council would like to ask you if it is okay with you. If you would like to be made a honorary member of The Council of Reapers". Asked one of the council members.

Ed could not even begin to think of what to say. A Council Member? No one has ever gotten that position! Not in a million years since the first Council of Reapers! Ed was thankful for The Council's call.

Ed asked The Council if he could maybe think about their offer. But then he stopped himself. He thought of what he told Heather. And what would she say if she was in his position. She would want him to take it. So, without further thought, Ed raised his hand. The Council asked him what his decision was. Ed replied to them that he had made a decision. And that he wanted to be made a full Council Member effective immediately!

The Reapers all huddled together in sequence talking about what they were going to do. The Reapers all turned back to Ed and said that they were happy with his decision, and that effective immediately he was to be made a full Council of the Reapers Member.

A coffin came from out of the ground with smog and skeletal hands were holding it up. Everyone stood in amazement. For it was something that no one would hardly ever get to see. A townsfolk man becoming a full member of The Council of Reapers. It was a sight to behold, and a time to remember!

Ed stepped up to the coffin, it opened up. Skeletal hands were giving him all that he needed within the coffin as he stepped in. When Ed stepped out he was wearing the garb of The Reapers. He was so happy that both his eyes popped out. He quickly grabbed them and placed them back in his head. Ed was then given his scythe and a gavel. He was now ready to take his seat among The Reapers. It was a time that he would never forget.

As he sat among them he felt like he was home. Ed looked down and saw that a name plate was placed right at his seat confirming his place among them.

The Reapers then said "SILENCE! IT IS NOW TIME FOR THE REAPERS OATH!".

The room was silent! So silent you could hear a pin drop. Ed was worried that he was not ready for it. But one of The Council members said not to worry. All that Ed would have to do is repeat what the other one was saying. Ed was now at peace. And he was ready to take The Oath of The Reapers.

"ED, DO YOU SOLUMLY SWEAR TO UPHOLD THE POWER, RESPONSIBILITY, AND DETICATION OF THE REALM AND OATH OF THE COUNCIL OF REAPERS AS LONG AS YOU HOLD THE POWER OF OFFICE?"

"I do" Said Ed.

"AND DO YOU SWEAR TO ALSO UPHOLD THE POWER OF THE GAVEL, SCYTHE, AND WILL OF THE REAPERS?"

"I do" Said Ed again.

"Then we now commend you a full Grim Reaper! Congratulations, Ed!" Said all the council members.

"Hey I thought you said I would have to repeat what he was saying?" Asked Ed. One of the council members that told him he would stated that he might have been fibbing for fun. Ed was nothing but all smiles. He was happy to now be upholding the laws of the Grim Reapers.

"Your honors, if I may be so bold to ask, there is something I need to do first before I take my seat fully by your sides." Said Ed.

Ed had gone back to earth just for one last time. The Council members could watch what they're new member was doing. They too were curious how things were going to play out with him and his former lover.

Heather had just made it home after having to take a cab all the way back to her home. She was tired and exhausted. But she could not help but to think of Ed. How he sacrificed himself to save her. And she was suppose to save him. She thought that she would never see him again. His sweet face. Loveable smile. There was no way in the world that she would ever be able to hold him again. She began to cry. Holding her pillow tight she could only think of his sweet smile and how kind he was to her.

That night before going to bed she prayed that she could at least tell Ed that she loved him. That she didn't want him to go. And she would give anything to let him know that she loved him with all of her heart. And that one day she hopes to se him again.

XVI

He was the best man that she had ever known. And she would give anything to see him again, to hold him again. If only she could.

Heather then turned out the light and went to bed. A low sobbing sound could be heard from the foot of her bed. She knew that sobbing sound anywhere. She turned on her light but what she saw was not Ed, but a man in a cloak carrying a scythe. Thinking the worst she got a shoe from the floor and told the intruder that she was armed and dangerous and that she knew how to use the shoe that was in her hand.

She listened for a moment to the sobbing.

"That was the most loveable thing that anyone had ever said to me." Said the man behind the hood.

Heather lifted up the hood with her shoe to see who it was. It was Ed! It was Ed!

"Oh God Ed! You gave me a heart attack! God it's good to see you! I have missed you so much!" Heather said with delight!

She could not believe that it was Ed. She wondered how he could be making it here one final night. She thought that he had left to be in the afterlife. Ed said that he had left. But then he was made a full Grim Reaper. But not to worry. He wasn't there to see her in that way. Not yet.

Heather looked at him and said "Well, at least I'll know that when it is time for me to go I'll have my lover to take me home". Said Heather with tears going down her face.

She was so happy to see him she just could not let him go.

"I wish I could hold you all night." Said Heather.

"You can". Said Ed.

Ed and Heather didn't let each other go all night long. Instead they fell asleep together knowing that no matter what was going to happen to them, no matter where they were they would always have each other. For it was a match made in Heaven for the two lovers.

The night went on. By the next morning the dawn was coming. Ed knew that the window was closing for him to return. He gave Heather one final kiss.

"See you on the other side my love, when it is time. I love you". Said Ed with a sad look on his face.

"Ed, please don't go". Heather replied.

But by the time Heather woke up, it was too late. Ed was gone. Heather looked over to where Ed was. There was a note.

It read:

"My dearest Heather,

I am sad this morning that I will have to leave soon. I was hoping that me and you could spend the rest of our lives together. But due to events beyond our control it doesn't look like that's going to be happening as much as we want it to. I am going to miss you my love. I love you with all of my heart and my soul. I always will. I don't want to forget you, and I never want you to forget me. I will be waiting for you in Heaven my love. For you will always have a spot up there with me just as you have down here on earth. And don't do anything funny. Enjoy your life. Live! You have one life for a reason. It's meant to be enjoyed and not sacrificed. It is called a gift for a reason. So please, My Love, for me, enjoy your life. For when it is time for you to go, I will be the one to bring you home. I promise.

I love you, my dear sweet Heather.

- Ed O'Connor.

Heather got out of bed crying her eyes out because of the note that Ed had left behind for her. She knew that her and Ed would be back together. But for now, she wanted to enjoy life. Do what Ed wanted her to do. She wanted to make sure that she was happy. Because Ed would not want to see her unhappy at all.

Heather still had all the old pictures of her and Ed together when they worked together as partners in the cab company. She placed them in picture frames and hung them on the wall. She knew that she was going to be okay.

Years went by and Heather seemed to be doing great. She started to heal from the loss of her lover, Ed O'Connor. She met a new guy and started a family. She also started a family business and made it prosper by making musical interments. She didn't want to miss the sounds of all that music had to offer her and her family.

As for Ed. He was having a fun time doing his new job. He was even able to start a new thing at the job called Pin the Tale on the Toilet Scrubber. It became a huge hit in the underworld. And in Heaven, Ed would always watch over Heather and see how she was doing each day just like he promised her. He didn't mind using the Pools of Sight to see her. He could not talk to her. But he could see her. And that's all that he needed. But he could not help but to shed a tear each time that he saw her. He could not wait to hold her again. For each time he saw her each day, a tear from Ed's face would drop into the pool as a blessing for Heather and her new family.

Speaking of family. Ed was able to settle down as well. Heaven had it's privileges. Even getting married. He met his new wife a few weeks after he started his new position as a grim reaper. She worked up in Management as a Arch Angel. And was very stunning. They had two children together of whom they named Nathanial, and Gabriel. Ed was very happy. But he somehow still missed Heather. But that was to be expected. Even Ed's wife Emisheal was sad for Ed. But they knew that life would go on.

And what happened to O'Neil? Well, after being subject to the Toilet Scrubber for the entire underworld. He was promoted to Waste Manager. Which was a much worse job than Toilet Cleaner. Now, he had to go waste deep in his job, literally. I guess you could say that his job really did stink.

All was again right with the world. And the balance was back in motion. As for the cab company, the building was demolished and the old road was closed in 1994 after no one took the old road anymore.

And the crash site where Ed lost his life was boarded up and forgotten about over time. No one remembered what had happened to Ed, or the people that lost their lives. Life just went on for the little town where Ed grew up. Things were better finally. And the way that things needed to be.

XVII

Years later….

"We don't know what's going on this morning. There is a accident on the roads this morning!" Said the newscaster.

"If you are traveling the roads we suggest that you stay off the roads. The conditions are icy and we do have a 5 car pileup on the interstate! Rescue crews are seeing how many cars are involved but right now we only have the count of five cars being involved."

"Now it looks as though a semi truck has just collided with a blue Toyota! It is on fire people! I would stay away from this accident at all costs until fire crews can put out the blaze if they can even reach the blaze in time!" One newscaster said.

"Fire crews are trying hard to put this fire out! They cannot get close enough to the flames of the vehicles because of all the mass explosions going on this morning on these icy roads! It all seems hopeless. I feel sorry for the drivers that are stuck in those cars, Rick."

"Right you are, Sam." Said Rick.

"Those flames look like they are just getting higher and higher and there is no stopping them!

"Fire crews have one car already put out. But the others are still smoldering fiercely!" Said the newscaster.

"…And there goes that tanker! It is a ball of fire, Rick! Just look at that!" Oh those poor people! This is a unbelievable morning on the expressway for sure people!"

Just as Heather's son was sitting down to watch tv he noticed that the news was on. His father wanted to know where his mother went. Alex, Heather's son was already 13 years old and said that his mother had gone to work. Alex's father went to see if the car was still in the garage. It was gone.

"Alex, the car is gone." I'll call her on the cell.

Alex's father tried to reach Heather on the cell phone. There was no answer.

"Dad! Dad! I found mom!" Alex screamed out loud as best as he could in a panic!

Heather's husband looked at the television. It was the car that Heather was driving that her husband recognized upside down in a massive ball of fire. Her husband fell to his knees praying that she was going to be okay.

"Paramedics are already on the scene trying to get to the rest of the vehicles. But they are having a hard time getting to some of the cars." One reporter said.

Another car just two cars down exploded that was next to Heather's car. Heather was knocked out unconscious. She could not move!

"It doesn't seem like this accident is going to stop anytime soon people! We have more vehicles now getting stopped on the express way and police are pulling them to the side to try to get them to safety so they don't collide with the vehicles that are on fire."

As the firemen were trying to clear the way Heather could feel she was going in and out consciousness. She could see the fireman helping the road crews. She could also see herself within the car sleeping. She said to the fireman that she was in the car. And that no one would help her. She then realized that she was outside her body.

Once Heather woke up again she realized that she was back inside the car still trapped. She got enough strength up to smash the glass and signal for help. A fireman noticed that she was stuck in the car and needed help. The fireman that saw her called for paramedics to come help her out of the car. The fireman was worried that he would not have enough time to help her get out of the car because the car was on fire!

The paramedics were able to come over to the car and pull Heather to safety. Once safe, Heather was rushed to the nearest hospital for medical attention. Once they had Heather in the hospital and she was stable enough, the doctors called her family to let them know that they had her and that she was doing okay for now. But they should come to the hospital right away. The doctors didn't say over the phone to the family what was going on. The family feared the worst!

Once at the hospital, the family was stopped in the hallway. The father looked at the doctor and asked how his wife was doing. The doctor said that it wasn't good. His wife's condition was getting worse, and the doctors feared that his wife had internal bleeding somewhere within her body due to the crash. There was a car that hit her that caused her car to turn over. And it caused her car to catch fire. But the impact is what the doctor was mostly worried about. He said to her husband and family that if she was lucky she would be living. But she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life if she is to live.

Her husband asked if he could wait out in the waiting room for her to get better. He wanted to be with her when she got up. The doctor said that it was fine, and that he could wait out there for as long as he wanted.

That night, Heather got a visit from a old friend. Her old lover, Ed. Ed had showed up to keep a eye on her. But sadly, he was fearing that he was there for more than just a visit.

Heather saw Ed was sitting by her side. She was all smiles. She could not believe that she was actually seeing Ed again. She also wondered why. Ed looked at her and said hello. And that he was there for her. He was afraid that it might be for the reasons that she might not like.

Heather knew why Ed was there. And Ed said that he was going to keep his promise to her. He was going to be there in her final hours of need. Which Ed was afraid was about to come very soon. Ed looked over at Heather's monitor and vital signs. They were not good. Her life was fading really quick. Heather and Ed both looked at each other one final time.

Within a few seconds, Heather's doctors and husband was rushing to her side. Heather had passed away. Heather's vitals had flat lined, and Heather was gone. Her husband was in tears. He said that he would notify the rest of the family of Heather's passing as soon as he could.

Ed stayed in the room as things were going on. Heather put her hand on Ed's shoulder and said that it was okay. That she was ready. It was her time after all. She said to Ed that she was 46 years old and that she was ready for the afterlife.

XVIII

She wasn't afraid because she had Ed with her. And her family would understand because she was not afraid of one thing. She was not afraid to die.

Drying his tears, her husband called the rest of the family later that night to let them know that their mother had passed away. It was the most heart breaking thing that her husband felt that he had to do in his entire life. He didn't know how the family was going to take her passing.

Heather said that she was ready for the last ride with Ed. Ed smiled and said that he was ready too. Ed called for a horse drawn hearse to come and pick them up outside of the hospital. Heather could see her family all coming to see her. They were all in tears. They could not believe that her mother died. Heather figured they would probably do a autopsy to find out how she died.

As Heather and Ed called for the ride back to the Land of the Dead, the horse drawn hearse was ready for them. They were mounted and ready to go. The hearse pulled away and the last view Heather had of her family was of them crying hard enough to make her cry as both her and Ed both pulled away. Heather didn't know what to say. Or if there was anything to say.

Once in The Land of the Dead, Heather was greeted by everyone that was waiting for her. But she still felt like something was missing. Time had gone by and Heather still didn't feel right. Something was off. Her kids were even feeling it.

Days later….

"Ed, I need to make sure my family is okay. Is there any chance that I could see them one final time?" Asked Heather.

Ed asked around to make sure it was okay to take Heather to 'The Spot'. Heather wondered why she was being lead down a road and taken somewhere. Ed told her that there was something that he wanted to show her. Some place special in all the afterlife that she would love.

Ed took her to the Pool of Tears where she could see her family. Ed also talked to a couple of his co-workers and asked them if she could go down and see her family one more time to let them know that she was doing okay.

Everyone had agreed. And allowed her for one night to go down and see her family. Ed told Heather about it once he had her to the Pool of Tears. Heather was overjoyed! She wanted to go down there and see her family as soon as she could.

Once Heather was down on earth and able to visit her family, she was overjoyed for sure. Ed went with her to make sure everything was going smoothly. Heather wanted to leave a note for her family to let her know that she was doing okay. Ed said that it would not be a bad idea.

Heather's family was watching television. When they saw a piece of paper rise up, and stick to the television, along with a pen coming towards it they all looked in shock! They could not believe what they were seeing! What was causing this to happen?

The pen started to scribble on the piece of paper leaving a message that read:

"Dearest Family:

This is your mother. I have wanted to see you for a long time. I have been missing you all so much. You have no idea how much I have wanted to see you, tell you guys that I love all of you. It has been hard being away from you all. I love you all. I will be watching over you every day. - Love, Mom."

After visiting for a little while longer with her family after leaving the message. Her family knew that their mother would be watching over them. Heather felt like it was time to go. She was ready to enjoy the rest of her afterlife with Ed.

Years later….

The kids' father died of a massive lung infection that caused him to stop breathing during the night. He passed away in his sleep. But not before telling his family that he loved them all from the night before. Seeing the note left behind from his wife years ago changed him to be a better person, and it kept the family together.

After their father's untimely death, the kids' all went to college. The oldest boy went to law school, the daughter went to a cooking class to learn to become a Master Chef, and the youngest went into automobile repair.

While in automobile repair class one day the youngest boy had a idea. What if he could rebuild a car? Not just any car. But a car that he could use to start a small business on the side. Say a cab driving business? That would be his way of making money to help pay for college.

The young boy found a old car at the junk yard. It needed some parts though. They should have been easy to find. Headlights, bumper, and side doors. Simple for him to find. It just so happened that the same parts that he needed were the same parts that came off the old cab that Ed had drove many years before! Once the youngest boy put the parts on the car, and had his car rebuilt from the ground up, it was ready for his new job.

Sadly, the young boy would find out later he would get more than what he bargained for….

The car that the young boy was rebuilding was going to be his pride and joy. Every morning he would get up, tune it, and get it's ready for it's opening day. Little did he know that the car was taking on a little life of it's own. Residual energy left over from what happened with Ed so many years ago. Now on his new route, the young driver would go through the same experiences that Ed himself once did. He would become another Servant of Darkness of Cab 13.

The young boy was on his route after school picking up a woman who said that she was heading to the hospital. She said that she had been experiencing some pain in her head and wanted to go get checked out. She said to the young boy that she lived up the road and didn't want to be a bother, but she just had to get to the hospital. The young boy said that she would take him. The girl got into the car. She was wearing clothes that looked like they didn't belong in this time line.

The young boy asked the young girl where she was from, originally. She didn't say a word. She just kept saying that she wanted to go home. She missed her home. The young boy kept driving trying to make a conversation with her to get her to talk. But the young boy, with all of his effort could not get her to talk or anything. She just sat in the back of the car looking out the window at the full moon.

The girl then spoke to him. She said "It's a lovely night isn't it?"

The young boy didn't know what to think. All that he was happy about was that he had a passenger, and that she was finally speaking to him. He then asked again where she was from. She replied that she was from around here. And that she just wanted to go home for the night. The young boy said okay again and asked her where she lived. The girl said to him that she lived just up the hill.

Once they made it up the hill the young boy didn't see any houses around. Just trees, and what appeared to be a old grave yard in the back ground. He asked her if she lived nearby here. He said to her that he could take her the rest of the way, but she said that it was okay and that she was okay with walking the rest of the way home.

The young boy saw the girl get out of his cab and stand there waving goodbye to him. He thought that it was odd that she didn't want to take the ride all the way up the hill to her home. As the boy got up the hill he saw a house which he thought must have been hers. He looked at a "For Sale" sign near the house and the date on it was back in 1953. The sign looked old and decayed. He thought that she could not live there. She just couldn't. But there was no other houses around. He thought that he would go back and check on her to make sure that she was okay.

XIX

By the time he had gotten back to the spot where she was dropped off the young girl was gone. He had no idea where she went. And there were no footprints anywhere in the snow that night.

"Where could she have gone to? And what was her name?" The young boy thought to himself as he drove away.

It was all too odd for him that night. It seemed like something was just hanging in the air and didn't feel right to him. Like she was some sort of ghost. As the young boy drove away he looked in his rear view mirror and found that the young woman that he had just dropped off at the grave yard was sitting right behind him. She leaned over and gave him a kiss and said that she was grateful for the ride home. The young boy wondered immediately how a young woman who was just dropped off could get back into his cab while it was moving at 30 Miles Per Hour. He knew that he must have then seen a ghost.

The young boy pulled over to the side of the road to turn on his laptop and look up the street where he was on. In one of the articles he found it said that the road had been abandoned for many years, no one had lived in the area since the late 1950's and all occupants were deceased. The road unfortunately was abandoned but never blocked off.

The boy didn't know what to think, but one thing was hanging in his mind that night, that he had seen a ghost and he was beginning to wonder if being a cab driver was right for him. As he drove home that night after reading that information. Another passenger came up to him. He looked real enough though. He wasn't able to be seen right through. He seemed peaceful. He wore a black jacket, a black hat, and spoke kindly like he was a pastor, or preacher. The young boy asked him where he was headed. The man said that he was headed to the old church just up the road. He said that he hadn't been there in years and that he was needing a ride because of his bad knee.

The young boy gave him a ride up to the church. The church itself looked abandoned as they got up to it. The boy could see it off in the distance. But what the boy didn't know was what they had to cross before they to the church. The very same spot that Ed had crashed on many years ago. For the road was re-opened and there were no warning signs at all of the guard rails being faulty. The old man knew this. But this time instead of crashing, they made it to the church.

The old man got out of the car, and walked down to a grave stone. There he kneeled and prayed. He was praying at the grave of his former wife. Mrs. Higgens.

The young boy sat there and the old man came back to the cab. The old man handed him a card and said that if he ever needed anything to call him. He told the boy that the cab was special. And that he would be calling for it's services again.

The young boy wondered how the old man would be calling for his services again. The old man simply said that the young boy would know. For the cab had served him well before…

The old man had walked off into the woods. He disappeared! The cab itself suddenly went from being in Park, to Drive, all it's own! The car's accelerator went to a very high speed shifting it to the top gear in less than 60 seconds! The car was now headed out onto the road at a very dangerous speed and there was no way in the world that the boy knew how to stop it. He hit the breaks' and the breaks would not work!

He started to scream and panic thinking that there was nothing that he could do, and that this may just be the end for him. As soon as he could he tried shifting the gears again, turning the steering wheel, and nothing happened. He even tried to force the key out of ignition. The key wasn't even in the ignition slot! He forgot to place it back in when he let the old man out of the car! He was in such a panic that the next thing he saw would be the last thing he saw. A tree headed right for him. The car hit the tree, bounced off the tree, and went off the cliff just as Ed had done so many years ago.

The car was now a burning wreck. In flames, the car was blowing up again, and again, fire crews could not get down there in time to stop the blaze. Both the young boy, and the car were gone. Outside the car the young boy sat wondering how he escaped the flames of the burning vehicle. Sad thing is, he didn't. He looked down at his own body and realized that he had not made it.

The passenger that he had dropped off just before the crash asked him if he was okay. The young boy didn't know what to say. He didn't know that he was dead after the crash had happened until just now. And that it was odd that the old man could see him. The old man told him that he was a reaper. And that he was getting older. He needed someone to help him. He needed fresh blood so to speak. He needed something, or someone new. The old man asked the young boy if he would like to continue doing what he did in life. But do it for him. He would then see about granting the young boy his life back.

The young boy thought for a moment, and knowing what had happened to a former cab driver from years ago named Ed, he was wondering if this was the same guy that had tricked Ed before into helping him. The old man said no. That was his brother. He was more of a nicer person than his brother was.

The young boy looked at the back of the card. The back of the card said

"Reaper: Samual Higgens, Born 1808, Died 1900."

The young boy looked at Samual and said that he would do it. Only if he was to get his life back in the end. Samual smiled and said "It's a deal". The young boy shook Samual's hand and the deal was struck. Samual was also getting tired of calling the young cab driver "The Boy". He said from now on he shall call him Ivin.

The cab driver didn't mind. At least this man had made a deal with him that he seemed like he could not refuse. Ivin felt like he had to go along with the old man and his deal. For he felt as though he didn't have a choice.

Samual made the smoldering car spring back to life in a eerily, ghostly fashion. The car was now ready for it's undead journey to help The Reaper, Samual and his servant, Ivin pick up new souls for the afterlife.

If your ever walking alone down the road and you need assistance. You may be getting more than what you bargained for….