Frantically searching around, Nikolas finally found a cove created by the sand on windy days, located right around a fallen tree. He made a pillow of soft sand and laid Anna's head on it.
"I'm thirsty, love," murmured Anna, her lips dry and whitish, her facial muscles still tight with pain. "I need some water."
"I'll go look, Anna."
"Please don't be long," she begged.
"I won't."
Nikolas ran back down to the beach and looked through the remains of their belongings. Everything had been shattered into pieces, some littering the beach and others floating on top of the sea. He gathered some torn clothing and draped it over the rocks to look like bodies, in the event the plane came back.
All the bottles of their drinking water had been smashed. Nikolas looked toward the sea, and he spotted a bottle floating. He ran out to retrieve it, but discovered that there was only a little water left in it. He snatched the bottle and darted toward Anna. Along the way, he picked up all the torn clothes and towels he could find. He stumbled across another bottle, half-full of brandy. Nikolas took it gratefully and, scanning the sky, furtively ran back to Anna.
Anna welcomed him back with a weary smile that tried to hide the throbbing pain in her leg. Biting her lips, she lifted her hand and pointed upward. The airplane was returning. Nikolas quickly fell on top of Anna to protect her. Bullets danced all around them, creating a lot of dust. One found its way through Nikolas's upper arm, barely missing Anna's head, scorching her loose hair. His warm blood trickled on her face, and she began to shriek.
"Niko, Niko! Are you all right? Oh my
God! You've been shot!"
"I'm okay, Anna," said Nikolas, his face revealing otherwise. "How about you, Agape, are you all right?"
Anna nodded her head up and down rapidly. In the presence of Nikolas's wounds, her condition suddenly became secondary. She ripped some of the sheets he had salvaged and wrapped them around Nikolas's arm. The white cloth quickly turned red. Nikolas slowly lifted his arm, to see if it was broken. Anna examined Nikolas's face for signs of pain. Nikolas confirmed that he was all right.
"I must get you out of here, Agape," he told her.
"But love, your arm … "
"I must take you to a safer place." Nikolas gingerly picked her up and started to move again.
Anna surrendered to Nikolas's will and trusted him to take care of her. Nikolas could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body, giving him additional strength to carry Anna to safety.