"You know what I want. I'm here to take it."
"You can't have him," she said, her voice full of hate. "I won't let you have him." Behind her, there stood five boys, all wearing balaclavas so I couldn't see which was which. The waves lapped at their feet.
I jerked my head toward the woman. "Take her."
The soldiers behind me surged forward, dragging her away, screaming.
I walked toward the boys. They tried to back away, until they were chest-deep in the water. One of them broke away, running towards the land, but was felled by a shot from one of the soldiers. The woman continued to scream.
I pushed another of the boys out of the way so I could get a firm grip around the waist of the other. I put my hand on top of the head of the fourth boy and pushed him underwater, holding him there until he stopped struggling.
The last one swam out deeper, and I pursued him. I wouldn't let him rest, and finally, his head slipped beneath the surface of the churning waves.
The only boy left was the one I had been after. My arm was still tightly wrapped around his waist, but he was still struggling. I used my other hand to pull off his balaclava, revealing his pale blond hair plastered to his head. He was gasping for air, but every time he opened his mouth, the seawater came in and filled it. I finally got his head above the surface and he breathed in the air and clung to me as I swam towards shore.
The woman was still screaming, but was abruptly cut off by a gunshot.