Being a nice guy

His skull was cracked open and he was begging me to take him to the hospital. I just had to stop.

Sohail Kamran September 10, 2013
I was speeding away on my bike when I heard an agonised moan coming from a man, sprawled on the roadside. He was begging for help. I just couldn't bring myself to drive away without stopping to see what had happened, because, let's face it - I am Pakistani, and like all Pakistanis, I love a spectacle.

I parked my bike close to the man and examined him. He was writhing in a pool of his own blood, twisting in agony. He had been hit badly and at this time of the night, I knew no one would come to his aid. However, if I helped him I could get myself into trouble. I knew all too well about the way our police system functioned.
"Tough luck buddy, I'm off," I said to the poor man after carefully examining his tragic state.

"Please help me, don’t let me die here. I have kids," the man begged me in a soft whisper.

Damn! He was getting all emotional and my mind was playing games with me again. I got off my bike and took a good look around. There was no one there. I examined the man carefully. He was semi-conscious and could hardly speak. With his forehead smashed open and face so scratched up, he hardly looked human. 


I took one quick glance around before proceeding to search the man.
"Please take me to a doctor, what are you doing?," the man whispered, almost breathless at this point.

However, by then I was taking an ultimate risk. I found a wallet filled with some cash. The man knew what I was up to even in his condition.
"Take the money, take everything but please take me to a doctor," he pleaded with me.

I looked at him with a genuinely sympathetic expression, knowing that he was now on the brink of death.
"Sorry buddy, I just can’t risk it, if I help you now it would seem like I was the one who hit you in the first place!"

I smiled helplessly and went on my way.

I was on my bike when the man's cries thundered in my ears.

Against my better judgement, I reconsidered helping the poor man for a second. His condition was pitiful. The man would die eventually, but it would be a slow painful death.

I shifted my bike a 180 degrees and drove towards the man at full speed. With nerves of steel, I clutched onto the handlebars as my bike cruised over his body, crushing his neck underneath it.

As my headlight shone on his face, I caught a glimpse of him one last time - a look of pure terror reflected in his eyes and he let out a blood-curdling scream.

I was not happy at all. I had wasted my time, and was late to meet my girlfriend at Sea View. By killing the man and putting an end to his misery, I had his reeking blood all over my bike. I looked at the sprawled corpse I had just run over in disgust before going on my way, cursing myself for being a nice guy.
WRITTEN BY:
Sohail Kamran A Banker who tweets @sohailkamrn (https://twitter.com/sohailkamrn)
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (31)

Samir Tariq | 10 years ago | Reply @Sohail Kamran: King is master of this craft. No wonder he is one of the most influential writers in this genre. His "Misery", "Desperation", "Rose Madder" , The shining" and even short stories like Nightmares and Dreamscapes are classics... Thanks...will check out Whispers...People who like this genre should also check out "American Psycho) written by Brett Easton Ellis (the movie is great but book is far more vividly violent yet a peice of art)
Sohail Kamran | 10 years ago | Reply @Samir Tariq I second that. People usually tend to delineate the author with the literature. In dark fiction it is palpable. Whether it is short stories, paintings, poems; readers jump on the author for being a ‘Psycho’, and 'heartless' to pen down dark and atrocious crafts. Authors of ‘Macabre’ and ‘Chaos’: Anne Rice, Clive Barker or the King himself Stephen, are not so vicious in real life. I happen to be a banker....so well.... you never know ;p On a side note : 'Whispers' by Dean Koontz is an awesome read!
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ