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Sometime last year around 2 a.m. I was woken up by a scream so loud it made my heart race. You could tell the scream came from outside, but it was loud enough to sound like it was in the house. I woke up shaking like a nervous kid talking on stage for the first time in front of a big crowd of people.
It was a woman’s scream. She was yelling for help.
Each scream sounding like it was getting closer and closer. After hearing the scream I quickly rushed to the living room window to see where it came from. While approaching the living room, I saw someone already standing there peeking out the window. It was my dad. I continued to walk toward the window to peek out with him.
There was a girl running down the street looking for someone to come out and help her. You could hear the fear and panic in her voice when she cried for help. Then I heard the engine of a car speeding down the street like it was racing. The black car hit the brakes and pulled up next to her.
I looked at my dad and asked in a small voice, “We can’t help her?” knowing she was in trouble.
My dad told me no, to stop looking and stand away from the window.
I moved away but I could still hear the car doors opening and a man telling the girl to get in the car. She refused to get in the car and yelled for help again. You could hear the girl trying to get the man off of her and trying to fight him off. The car doors slammed closed and the car sped off.
My dad told me there was nothing we could do because they could have been armed with weapons. He said we don’t know what we could have gotten ourselves into.
To this day, I feel like a coward for not helping her. I know my house wasn’t the only one to hear this chaotic moment and other people witnessed it. And we all didn’t do anything. At the same time, I know there really was nothing I could do. If it weren’t for my dad I probably would have gone out there trying to be a hero and gotten hurt.
I still think about that moment and what happened to the girl and if she’s okay.
I believe speaking up is a powerful thing, but when people come together to speak up for what’s wrong or what needs to change it’s louder and even more powerful thing.