"What's he doing? He is flying too low! It seems like he is going to crash the plane!" yelled Anna.
Nikolas turned the boat toward shore, grabbed the oars, and started rowing frantically.
"Niko, the plane is coming in again!" she cried.
Then the plane dove and dropped a bomb onto the yacht. Fire engulfed the vessel and hellish flames shot upward. Nikolas and Anna suddenly found themselves in the water. The skiff had been flipped over violently and their belongings were scattered across the rocking sea.
The sea quickly filled with debris from the boat along with dead fish, their bellies blown apart by the shockwaves of the bomb. As soon as the two lovers reached the beach, they started running for cover. At that time Nikolas realized Anna was in pain, so he picked her up and carried her. As the plane made another run overhead, they found cover at the nearby cedar grove. Another bomb fell, slamming into their skiff. The small boat was blown into fragments of twisted metal and scorched wood, showering them with burning debris.
Anna tried to move but could not. A shard had pierced the lower part of her leg. She clenched her teeth to hold back the thunderous scream she wanted to let out. The soft muscles on her face tightened and tensed like rope as she tried to overcome the pain. She cried out in panic, "Niko, my left leg! Oh, my God, I can't move my left leg!" Tears started to stream down her face.
"Let me see, Agape," Nikolas said, watching her face for signs of more pain as he carefully moved her left leg. "It does not seem to be broken," he added. "Now be brave, Agape." He took his handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead. He saw that a piece of metal had lodged into her upper calf, just below the knee.
"It hurts, Niko! It hurts!" she cried out. Nikolas tried to stop the bleeding by tying his belt above her knee. "It looks like part of the steering wheel. We must remove it immediately, Anna."
The aircraft had circled around and was coming back for a third time. Nikolas picked up Anna quickly and ran inland. Much like an angry hornet, the plane buzzed above and dove again, showering them with a hail of bullets. Nikolas quickly fell on top of Anna, shielding her with his body. His eyes darted wildly around, scanning for a safe place. The small plane had disappeared, heading back out to sea.
Nikolas carefully lifted Anna and carried her toward the interior of the island, thinking they might find shelter. The rocky ground and hot desert sand made it difficult for him to run fast. Almost stumbling several times, he finally found cover under a large cedar tree. He caught his breath and realized it was not a safe place. He rushed off again, Anna's arms wrapped tightly around his sweating neck.