" Keep your head down and jump into the water. "
Xander's voice was low and calm, like a blanket of comfort as he helped the little woman who was still in shock, into the water.
Another bullet whisked by Aria's ears.
To say that she was shocked would be an understatement.
The hell was going on?!
She had jumped from one horror to the other in a span of less than 10 minutes.
Wails and sounds of raging gunfire competed with the sound of the crashing waves.
Aria wasn't a good swimmer.
Trying as much as possible to keep her head on the surface of the water, her whole body was cold and numb.
It was terrifying to be in the black and cold water.
Her lungs had started to burn and they suddenly needed to breath more than ever.
" Don't look back keep going. "
Aria was startled and she nervously looked back when the man suddenly grunted.
" You... are you okay, what's wrong? "
" Nothing. "
***
Xander managed to carry the weak woman to the shore of a nearby island that he had vaguely seen when they were being shot at while in the rubber boat.
They were now three in number since another guy had joined them.
Although the land was some miles away, they had managed to swim across the rough currents till they landed on the land.
Getting upon to the shore was so incredible in terms of just the mental relief of having dry land under their feet.
It was certainly a combination of luck and somebody up there looking out for them.
Although safe at the moment, the three were soaked to the core.
Being in the freezing water for hours, they were in advanced stages of hypoglycemia which explained why they were shivering like crazy.
" Damn it! "
Xander cursed under his breath stripping his outer clothes off like the rest.
" Oh my God blood! "
Aria suddenly yelled, her face loosing color when she noticed Xander's bloodied shoulder.
" W... What happened? "
Seeming to realize something, she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widened in horror.
" Did... did you get shot? "
While protecting her with his body, Xander was shot on the edge of his shoulder.
Luckily it wasn't fatal thus they were able to stop the bleeding but he still needed medical attention soon before the wound contaminated becoming an infection that would threaten his life.
They needed to find their way out but that would be the next day after the night. They finally got into foetal positions to try to conserve some warmth while resting their exhausted and shaken minds.
It had been such a long night.
***
25 years old Qin Cheng was among those who managed to escape from the cruise attack. He had managed to jump into the sea and swam all the way to the shore together with Xander & Aria.
According to him, it was safer to be stranded on an island than being adrift on the sea that was infested with all kind dangers.
Early the next morning before the sun fully rose, Qin Cheng was suddenly jolted from his sleep when he felt some light movements.
Quickly sitting up, his eyes scanned the entire area only to notice something jumping up and down on the ground, few meters from where they were sleeping.
Were his eyes playing some kind of jokes on him?
" Hey w... wake up! Look, there's something over there... "
With his heart beginning to race, he whispered to the sleepy Aria Smith with a not so gentle shake.
" I'm not opening my eyes! "
Aria grumbled with annoyance slapping off the dude's hands.
" Hey I'm being serious. "
Qin Cheng was nervous as he assumed that it was some kind of predator or animal that was slowly encircling them.
" Let me be. I'm not opening my eyes because if I do I'd find myself stranded on an empty island and not my comfy bed in my cozy NYC apartment! "
Aria snapped at him her eyes still tightly shut.
" But... "
Smack!
" Is it that hard to differentiate an animal from a rock? "
Qin Cheng's head was suddenly smacked from behind and a cold voice rang in the air.
" Go back to sleep. "
Xander added with finality.
Still unsettled, Qin Cheng sneered, "dude, you honestly think that's a rock?! "