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Leo’s boat bumps up against mine. He leaps across, scooping me into his arms. “We need to move,” he says as the helicopter shifts position. Bullets spray the sea, sending up plumes of white foam into the air.
“Are they shooting at us?” I ask, my head starting to throb with pain.
“At me.”
He tosses me into his boat. I look back in time to see him grabbing the winch, unhooking the body and letting it fall into the sea.
He swiftly ties the hooked end around the wheel of the fishing boat before jumping across after me, grabbing the wheel and hitting the gas, racing across the water with the helicopter close behind.
As the helicopter chases, it spins to the left, the fishing boat lifting out of the water, sending the chopper off balance.
“Got him,” Leo says as another spray of bullets comes our way, a few of them hitting the deck and bouncing off. He stands me in front of him, shielding me with his body, reaching around me with both hands to keep us moving.
There’s a clanging sound and Leo curses. “We can’t slow down,” he says, cursing again. “Must have hit us bad. Fuck, I can’t turn for shit.”
The helicopter roars louder as it tries to right itself. The bullets stop firing and there’s a twanging sound. The fishing boat drops down to the water with a plume of spray rising high around it.
We pick up speed. The island comes into view in the distance. “We’ve only got one shot at this,” Leo yells. “Brace yourself.”
“What are you going to do?”
He’s yanking the wheel as we continue to accelerate. “Aim for the beach as best I can. We jump just before it hits. Got it?”
On the island, I can see flashes of light above the bay. “What’s that?” I ask, pointing that way.
Something flies overhead, answering my question. It’s some kind of missile and it’s aimed at the helicopter. It hits dead on and the chopper’s no longer in the sky. There’s an explosion above me, a wall of heat flying down, debris scattering, splashing into the waves. Chunks of metal whiz past my face, several slamming into the deck like arrows. “Hold on,” Leo shouts. “We’re about to hit.”
I get ready to jump, muttering a silent prayer as I hover, legs bent, arms out.
“Now,” Leo shouts as the boat scrapes the sand under the water.
I leap out of the side of the boat, hitting the sand and losing the air from my lungs. I get to my feet, expecting to find Leo next to me but he’s not there. I look up and he’s still in the boat, fighting to get his leg free from something.
I push my legs through the water as the boat slams into the sand. It flies into the air and lands with a crunch. Immediately, the engine catches fire, flames and smoke rising into the air.
I’m still fighting my way through the surf. Once I’m onto dry land, I sprint toward the boat. Leo’s still on it, his leg stuck in a piece of shrapnel from the helicopter. He’s blacked out, his eyes closed. The flames are licking their way along the deck. Another few seconds and they’ll reach him.
I could leave him to die. It would solve all my problems in an instant. Just walk away without looking back.
I run over to the boat. “Wake up,” I shout at him, slapping his face.
His eyes blink and then he sees the fire, fear flashing across his expression. “I’m stuck,” he says, yanking his leg again.
I reach down to the jagged hunk of metal sticking out of the deck. “It’s only through the fabric, not your leg.”
He pulls but nothing happens.
“Take your pants off,” I tell him. “Quickly.”
He gets my point, whipping off his belt and then pulling his pants down his legs. The fire reaches them an instant later and flame licks toward him.
I pull him away from it. “Come on,” I say as he stares at the flames, unable to look away. “Work with me here. You’re too heavy. Leo!” I slap him again and he looks at me like he’s coming out of a deep sleep. “Move!” I scream in his face.
I drag him backward as we scramble over the side of the boat. We land on the sand. He smacks into my head and my headache grows. The smoke is too thick to see anymore. I can’t see anything. I pull myself backward from the heat as best I can, knowing it’s going to explode at any moment.
I reach the water. I feel the cold on my skin and it feels good. That’s when I sink down onto my back. I can tell Leo is with me, I can feel his hand in mine.
It feels good.
