The Good Samaritan

"But I don't know how to drive!"

"Please! You have to help me!"

"I've only ever been in a go-kart! There's too many pedals!"

"Please! I'm begging you! Please! He's bleeding out!"

*

Rosie sat in the car and tried to get her mind to compute. Seconds earlier, she had been on her way to meet friends and now, she found herself in a situation which was like something from a movie. She had been commandeered by a woman who was holding a man who was bleeding and been coerced into helping her take him, whoever he was, to the hospital, because she, the woman, was pressing her hand over the wound and trying to keep the red life force which was steadily leaking out from steadily leaking out.

Rosie had been swept up in a torrent of pleas and horror and fear. She couldn't just ignore it. There was no denying the truth of the situation: if fast action was not taken, this man would die. She could not live with herself if she didn't help. And ambulances were hours away.

And so, here she was, the Good Samaritan, having to not only work out how to drive but do it proficiently and urgently.

Fuck.

She could hear the woman's weeping in the back and a strange gurgling noise.

You can do this, Rosie, she told herself. She visualised in her head all of the times that she had been in the car with her mum or other people and looked at the gear stick. She changed gear into first and pressed the accelerator.

"Hurry," the woman said tearfully. "Hurry. Please."

And they were off. Jerking but moving. She had never been so scared. Five minutes to the hospital.

As she drove, Rosie felt moderately more comfortable. She eyed the couple in the mirror.

"How did it happen?"

Two minutes left.

No answer, just weeping.

Rosie tried again.

"Did you call the police?"

The woman stopped crying and delivered the singular most menacing look Rosie had ever had in her life.

"Drive the fucking car and shut up."

Rosie gulped.

She had this horrible feeling that her act of kindness had brought her into grave danger.

***

366 words

I often wonder what I would do if placed in certain situations. Like this one. Would I have helped? Would I have walked away? Rosie's kindness has placed her in a situation where she is breaking the law as she can't drive, doesn't have a license even. Ambulances in Britain are taking hours in some places to arrive which beggars belief but is true nonetheless. You can't take a bleeding man on the bus, can you? The man is clearly bleeding out. It is a matter of life and death. What would you do?

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please do leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

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I would also like to point you towards the following authors who are also continuing this mad microfiction challenge of writing a story every day in 2024 and check out what they're producing:

Gerard DiLeo

and the OG:

L.C. Schäfer