Riding Fourth
is a short story (only about 15 pages) set in the not-too-distant future of Detroit. A Detroit where you need four passengers to ride on the freeways and professional hitchhikers are the newest employment opportunity.
Detroit has been revitalized with a shrunken city border and the creation of the Minimum Passenger Requirement Act. It requires that every car on the highway system must have four passengers. This leads to opportunities for hitchhikers to make money by charging commuters that have less than the required passengers to ride along as their "fourth".
"Riding Fourth" introduced a very interesting story premise and left me wanting more. Luckily, M.H. Mead has a story set in the same universe as "Riding Fourth" entitled "Taking the Highway"
. So, if you're like me and want more, you can read on.
"Riding Fourth" is currently available for free -