Stupid Cowards

          I stepped out of the grocery store as the crisp, autumn wind blew across my face. Carefully walking down the asphalt, which was in an utter state of disrepair, I searched the expansive, vacant parking lot for my Lincoln SUV. My heel bumped against a crumb of the road, which skittered a few feet in front of me. Suddenly, I stopped.  I swore I had heard something. I shrugged it off and walked to the car again, albeit a bit more fearfully than before.
             There. Again, the noise faintly hit my ears, but I knew I wasn’t imagining it. I quickly put my bags in the car and walked towards the source of the sound. The closer I crept towards the alley across the street, the clearer the noise became. The hair on my neck rose when I realized it was eerily similar to a scream.

          When I arrived at the alley’s edge, I saw only a Dumpster. Exhaling a sigh of relief, I chalked the “noises” up to my overactive imagination. At least, I tried to. Another shriek escaped the depths within the alley, accompanied by loud yelling.

          My heart pounded and I crept to the corner where the edge of the Dumpster met the corner of the wall, and peered through the small space.

          “What do you think you’re doing, you nasty chi-”

          I gasped before I could hear the rest of what he said, because I saw a hard, steel-tipped boot dig into the stomach of the defenseless woman.

          “Please don’t,” she pleaded. “I beg you, I didn’t do anything!”

          She screamed again as her head was shoved against the wall.

          “I said shut up, you stupid Asian b**ch!”

          My vision blurred, and my legs started twitching. I was scared. All I wanted to do was run, far away from this trouble. But I was frozen with fear into this place. I felt numb all over, and I could hear my heart beating every second.

          I whimpered softly, afraid for the fear of myself and the poor woman. She looked over, a jagged cut over her right eye and purple bruise on her shoulder. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she whispered one word that only I could hear:

          “Help.”

          Like a greyhound at a gunshot, I ran. My legs pumped hard, and I concentrated on getting away. Get to my car faster than the thugs could realize that I had even been there.

          My car was closer, so close, and I was almost there. I unlocked it and jumped in. Miscalculating the height, I slipped and fell on the road. I scrambled in, slamming the door and clicking the locks shut.

          My blood began to boil, and I hit the steering wheel with my hand. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” I hissed at myself, pounding the dashboard. “You stupid coward!”

          I was so furious at myself, I could throw up. The poor woman in the alley, being beaten senseless for being Chinese-- and I was the one who was afraid.

          She asked me for help! She looked me in the eye, blood coming down her face, and asked me to help her.

          And what did I do?  I thought, kicking my ankles. Nothing. Not. A freaking. Thing.

          Fuming, I punched my mirror. A piece of glass splintered in my knuckle and I left it there. I remember why I deserved it when I barely covered up one of my own screams as I heard what sounded like a metal bat bounce off of some stone from the alley's direction.
          That was it. I turned the ignition and sped through the intersection-- which I wasn't entirely sure was at a green light. Driven by my anger, I got the car right up next to the alley, and leaned on the horn with both hands. The loud noise echoed through the town. Rolling the windows down, I began to yell.
           "You stupid thugs!" I screeched, watching their startled faces as I glared over the Dumpster. "Get the h*ll out of here before you start to regret it."
           "Let's beat it," one of them muttered, before running off.
           In a gentler voice, I called to the woman. "Are you okay?"
           She didn't respond.
           Gulping down my fear, I tried again. "Y...y-you alright?"
           Nothing.
           I climbed out, adrenaline rushing through me worse than before.
           "Hey!" I shouted, trying to push through the wedge in the alley. "HEY!"
           She said nothing, and I finally noticed her stomach lying still. 
           "Wake up!" I screamed desperately. "WAKE UP!!"
           Tears ran over my cheeks and I swiped them away furiously, shouting again. "GET OVER HERE! TALK TO ME!"
           Finally, I knew I had to give it up. This woman was gone, killed over nothing. I sobbed, my head between my knees. Teardrops splattered on the tarmac. I nearly watched this woman die. But I wasn't even brave enough to do that.