The cry was a bit faint but I heard it loud and clear it as I waited on the train platform. Everyone on the platform heard the screams but they weren't moving. The screams were coming from the dark trees and bushes between the railroad and the university grounds. It was late and I wasn’t sure if it was a smart thing to leave the platform and find the source of the a screams. The screams were from a woman's voice saying, "Get away from me! Get away from me!" Blood-curdling screams echoed through the quiet outdoor platform, and many people were staring off into the darkness with some concern on their faces. I looked at my brother Dale, and said, "I'm going." He said, "Then I am too." He always had my back like that. I told my girlfriend Mika to wait and if we didn't come back quickly to call the campus police.

As we walked towards the stairs to the platform to head towards the screams, a woman pulled out a small can of pepper spray and handed it to Dale. He thanked her and we kept moving. I felt like the crowd on the platform were all now watching us. The train was meant to come soon and Dale and Mika needed to be on that train as it was the last one to leave from the station that night. So, everything was now a bit hurried but we wanted to do the right thing. We wanted to help the woman if we could.

I was expecting the worst. We kept following the screams. They were not continuous. Some came every ten seconds and others a full minute apart. It was a little difficult to see already and we just kept heading towards the screams as best we could. The light from the moon between the trees was actually pretty bright so we knew as we got closer, we'd still be able to see. Within 5 minutes we came upon a chinlink fence about five feet tall and we heard another scream and it was very close.

Dale and I walked along the fence line more slowly now. We wanted a barrier between us and the possible attackers that were potentially assaulting this poor woman. I pictured in my head three to five college-aged men holding her down and taking turns violating her. I imagined her screams were intermittent because they were covering her mouth between the screams.

As we neared enough to see what was happening, Dale and I only saw two half-shaded figures in the moonlight. One was standing, it looked male and thin, and when he finally spoke it was low. Then the other figure which was seated in front of the male figure sat up and screamed, "Just get away from me!" It was her! We found her. At this point it looked like they were the only two there, and no one else was around, but we had to be sure.

Dale and I got closer and scaled the fence one at a time. I felt like we jumped the fence easily because of the adrenaline running through our veins. I half-expected four guys to come out of the shadows as we got closer, but for the moment the woman didn't look like she was actually in danger. The conversation we overheard was mostly the male figure explaining why he'd cheated on the woman and her agonizing screams were just her emotional pain leaving her body. Dale and I were relieved.

After landing on the other side of the fence, I deepened my voice and said, "Hey, what's going on here." The man and woman were startled. Dale and I approached swiftly but cautiously. The man said, "Forget this!" and left quickly. The woman sat there quietly sobbing now. Dale said, "Are you hurt?"

The woman answered , "No."

Dale and I shared a quick glance and he attended to her for a moment while I looked around the corner of the structure she was seated on just to check for other people, but there was no one there. We asked her if she needed help, and she just cried some more and said, "I'll be alright." Then we heard the train coming.

We asked her one more time if she needed our help, and she sort of shooed us away. We had done what needed to be done. She was safe now.

We hurried back to the train platform, returned the lady's pepper spray, and I said my goodbyes to Mika and Dale. On the campus, we had heard of some bad things happening to some students. I was grateful that this wasn't one of those times.

I wondered then why I went into those woods, but I've learned over time that some people are just built to run towards the danger and others stand idly by or run away. I am deeply grateful that Dale and I are the kind that are compelled to take action. Even if something had happened to me that day, I wouldn't have just stood there on that platform. I couldn't. At least, I know that even if we didn't stop all her pain, at least that woman knew someone cared about her and would come to her aid. Even if it was just about helping out another human being. That was enough.


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