Her phone's map revealed that the driver had strayed from the planned route and was now on a completely different path.

The driver responded casually, "No, miss. I'm taking a shortcut. It will actually cost less this way." His voice was clear and sharp, a stark contrast to the congested tone he had used earlier.

As Nicole looked at the barren landscape rolling by, her unease grew.

"No, sir. Please return to the original route on the navigation. I'll cover whatever the cost."

“Miss, it's quite a long way to go back now. It will take a lot longer. Don't worry. We'll get there quickly."

Ignoring Nicole's request, the driver pressed harder on the accelerator. The car sped up to nearly 120 kilometers per hour, well over the 80-kilometer-per-hour limit for city roads.

Nicole was about to hit the emergency call button when her phone beeped and shut off due to a dead battery.

Everything seemed to be going wrong.

With her phone dead, Nicole had to think fast. She knew something wasn't right and remembered checking the car's color and license plate before she got in. All had seemed correct then. So why did she feel so uneasy?

She peeked at the driver's License on the passenger seat and spotted the driver's work photo. The man in the picture had broad, trustworthy features.

But the driver's eyes, visible above the mask, were narrow and slanted, completely different from the photo.

Nicole's heart dropped as she realized her mistake. This man was certainly not the assigned driver. He was taking her somewhere unknown. She knew she had to feign ignorance to find a chance to escape. Facing him directly might not end well for her.

But before she could plan her next move, the driver noticed she had been looking at the driver's license.

The driver removed his mask confidently and said, "I just started my shift. The earlier driver was someone else."

“Okay. Nicole kept her tone even. She knew she needed to stay calm and play pretend to find a chance to escape."

The driver seemed thrown off by Nicole's composed response and didn't reveal his true intentions. He kept driving, clearly planning to take Nicole somewhere specific.

Nicole suspected accomplices were waiting for her at the destination.

There couldn't be any good news in store for her.

She glanced at the gearshift, considering the odds of surviving a jump from the car at 120 kilometers per hour.

The car was speeding along, but as rain began to pour, the driver had to slow down slightly to manage the slippery road.