"I Dare You To Call For Help"

"It was just another 'normal' day for me. I woke up in the morning wishing this day wouldn't be like most other days; filled with the fear and anxiety of being a target of these terrorism attacks that have been so frequent recently. After I got ready I said goodbye to my mother, and as usual the tears she was trying so hard to fight back were noticeable by not only me, but all my siblings. But that was just the 'normal' beginning of just another 'normal' day.

I remember these days to be the most awful, dreadful and disgusting days of my entire life; I just wanted the day to end so we could all go back into the safety of our home, lock the doors and enjoy a little relative serenity before the next horrible day was to begin. This is not how any child should feel about going to school. But this is what we felt about going to school.

When the teacher dismissed us a little bit earlier than usual, I had already packed all my things and ran to the school exit as fast as I could just to get back to the security of my family and my home. I had arrived to the school gate before anyone else had, waiting to be picked up by driver, and that's when I saw him. 

He was my friend's driver so his face was quite familiar, we smiled at each other our usual greeting smiling. Then it happened.

A car pulled over and four men with guns got out of the car. I could not see their faces because they had them covered with a black mask. Next thing I know, I hear a gun shot.

My eyes were sealed shut, and when I finally gathered the courage to open them, I saw a gun pointed towards my face and through the suffocation of fear, I heard laughter in the background.

The man said to me 'he is not dead, but I dare you to call for help. It would be your last day little girl!' Two of the men then stole my friend's driver's car and left him on the floor bleeding to die a miserable, painful death. I froze in my place; my hands in my pocket ready to take my phone out but I just could not muster up the courage. The man's voice was still ringing in my ears; it was as though I was paralyzed with fear, unable to move a muscle without the man's permission. I was stuck there as though time had stopped.

When the rest of the school got to the gate, the man had already passed away. I carry this guilt everyday of my life; always thinking 'what if...maybe they were just messing around with me...maybe I should have taken the chance...maybe they wouldn't of known I had called for help.' For the rest of my life I would hold myself responsible for this murder; was it selfish of me to choose my own life instead of his? After all I was merely a 13 year old girl; what did I know about sacrifice and bravery? I don't think I will ever find the answers to all these questions, and I will have to face the fact that this incident will haunt me for the rest of my life." - Iraq, 22