Free Taxi Ride

Lex called the police once the song had changed to clapping sounds put on a loop for ten hours.

Due to the commotion caused by the cops, Lex ended up sleeping at three am. This made him sleep until twelve before finally waking up.

'I wanna sleep…' Lex, who felt heavily sleep-deprived, sighed.

He had to drag himself out of bed to prepare for his interview. When he entered the shower, his mind started thinking of scenarios.

What if the employer asked for his criminal history? What if she turned out to be a trap? One couldn't be sure of anything in the new world.

Last but not least, Lex wondered whether someone managed to record the police showing over at his house.

Curse those souls who might have uploaded the video online and titled it as 'Cops bust eighteen-year-old's heroin collection!'

The creativity achieved by people in this day and age was next level.

'I don't know how that even makes sense. I don't do drugs…' Lex silently wondered, diving deeper into the fake scenario created by him.

He exited the shower and dried himself up. The next ten minutes were spent deciding what to wear.

'All right. This is the best outfit in my closet.' Lex thought after finalizing an outfit.

Ten minutes later…

Lex was admiring himself in the mirror. The best he could give himself was a solid 7.

Lex's confidence level soared through the heavens, dressed in plain black jeans, a blue shirt, and a slightly plain-looking black jacket.

'I will get this job for sure.' 

[ You sound pretty delusional there. ] Elfie suddenly spoke inside his mind.

'Where did you vanish?'

[ I was taking care of some stuff to ensure that you smoothly integrate with this world. I will disappear from time to time so don't worry too much. ]

'All right.'

With high spirits, Lex stepped out of his apartment. He locked the door behind him and decided to look for a cab.

He would've booked one online if not for the fact that multiple companies had blacklisted his IP. 

Well, that what you get for not paying the fare multiple times and running from the cab.

Lex had to walk for five minutes before he managed to spot a cab. The car looked similar to one from Earth, except the number plate was blue.

'I am surprised cars still look the same in this day and age. Also, that blue number plate looks weird.'

Walking over to the cab, Lex noticed that the driver was a man in his late forties or perhaps early fifties.

"Um, mister, are you ready to take me somewhere?" Lex questioned the driver.

"Oh? You want to use a cab? Hop on!" the driver replied with a smile. His face was slightly wrinkled and a few strands of gray hair were visible on his head.

[ That statement is quite weird. I think the people of this world use some different kind of transport. ]

'You read the books, not me.' I pointed out.

[ Elfie has decided to use her right to remain silent. ]

"What price will you take for dropping me at…" Lex paused and pulled out his phone. "6921, Electra Street." 

The driver's face darkened, making Lex nervous. He wondered whether he had unconsciously done a wrong thing.

"Are you sure that's the place you want to go, kid?" the driver asked. He looked as though he wanted to bolt down the street and never meet Lex again.

"Can you wait for a few minutes? I haven't stepped out for a long time…" Lex mumbled, his reply softening the middle-aged driver's expression a bit.

'Is the house haunted?' Lex wondered before scrolling through Yoogle maps. He settled on a nearby restaurant and showed it to the driver.

"My friend is waiting for me there. Since I haven't stepped out for a long time, he thought that it would be a fun thing to prank me." 

"Ahh…" the driver sighed. "I understand that lads like you have it tough in this age and day. You must be a low ability user like me. Don't worry, kid. People like us have to stick together." 

For some reason, Lex felt a warm feeling blooming inside his chest. Who could've guessed that old taxi drivers could be this nice? 

"So, what price will you take for going here?" Lex questioned.

"Hmm, standard prizes state fifty coins per kilometer. But for you, I will decrease the price to twenty five coins per kilometer." The taxi driver replied.

"Uh, what do you mean by coins? What happened to dollars?" Lex blurted out.

…

"How long have you been living in your house? What happened to your parents?"

"They died when I was five. I have been living alone since then. Except for the occasional visits from citizen welfare, I haven't really talked to other humans."

…

'What am I even talking about?!' 

Even Lex had a hard time believing the lies he had just sprouted. How could the taxi driver believe—

Was that a tear that fell down the taxi driver's face?

With his eyes pointed towards the sky, the taxi driver questioned the heavens. "I can't believe you fell to clutches of the welfare… How could they be cruel enough to teach you about the currency that was abolished two decades ago!" 

…

'Elfie, mind explaining what the hell is happening here?'

[ Elfie is currently sleeping to recover her strength. Sorry for the inconvenience. ]

'You couldn't come up with a better excuse?'

[ No, you are left on your own. ]

'Fk…'

"Get inside, kid. I will take you to this place for free!" the taxi driver pointed towards the back of the car and gestured for Lex to get inside.

Lex realized that he had two options. He could either get inside the car and get to interview for his new job, or he could bolt back to his house and continue searching for a sugar mommy.

'How much money do I have? It should be enough to make ends meet.' Lex scrolled through his phone and decided to check his bank balance.

He had been expecting at least a few hundred dollars, or coins as the old man had said. What awaited him was a bank account with four digit numbers.

'I am rich!' Lex was about to jump in happiness when he realized that something wasn't right. 'Why is there a minus sign there… don't tell me…'

…

Lex closed his phone and took a deep breath. He stared at driver and pulled off his most helpless expression.

"Will you really give me a free ride?" he asked with a shaking voice.

"Yes, I will! You have already suffered so much. Its important for you to reconnect with the society again."

Hearing the old man's words, Lex opened the door and sat in the back seat. The new world was definitely becoming too tough for him.

If only Elfie warned him about the currency change…

[ Elfie has invoked the fifth. ]

'We are not living in America!'

"Thank you, mister." Lex said sincerely, closing the door simultaneously.

No matter how miserable he was, he at least got a free ride.

***

Author's Note: I guess that's enough world introduction for the time being. The first major character is about to be introduced in the next chapter!