The stranger approached the open car window and leaned in.
“Can I get a ride to the city?” He asked in an impeccable British accent.
“Sure can!” The man exclaimed. He patted the empty seat.
The hitchhiker let himself into the vehicle and settled in for the ride.
“My name is Michael,” the hitchhiker said politely.
“Mine is Jared,” the driver answered, tickled at this little adventure he was partaking in. “What brings you to the city, Michael?”
“Business,” Michael said in his elegant voice. “Business has been exceptional these past few millennia. And you, Jared? What events do you have planned at your destination?”
A wicked, slightly bashful grin crossed Jared’s face. He dismissed the strange phrasing as a slip of terms.
“Well, you know… a man has needs. Mine just so happen to be of the, uh, carnal pleasure variety, if you catch my drift,” he laughed.
“You speak of sexual deviancy?” Michael asked.
Jared laughed again.
“I guess you could put it that way! Truth is, my wife ain’t how she used to be, and I don’t like waiting around. So, I’ve found a place downtown that fulfils my every fantasy. You should try it!”
“I see,” Michael sighed, patting his briefcase.
“Well, I ain’t going to do anything to you, if you’re worried about why I picked you up,” Jared joked to ease the tension.
“It’s quite alright. I’m not scared. It is just hard nowadays to find humans who aren’t full of sin,” that cool voice said.
Jared glanced at his passenger in confusion.
“What?”
“It seems as if your designation is Lust. Not the most reprehensible of sins, but a job is a job after all,” Michael said.
And with that he reached over and struck his hand right into Jared’s chest, pulling the beating heart from within as if it were a simple magic trick. Deftly Michael tucked the heart into his briefcase.
A second later the car crashed into a ditch, the driver dead from heart attack, as the coroners would decide.
Somewhere on a quiet highway road, Michael thumbed down his next ride, ready to deliver his judgment.