Adrenaline surged through my body, overriding the burning in my arms and my desperate gasps for breath. My paddle sliced through the choppy water on either side of me with the precision of a drunk surgeon. I glanced behind me and saw the patrol boat swallowing the space between us and the abandoned Long Island. They were the predator and I was the prey, and I was in their territory. I choked out a nervous laugh: this is only my second fucking time kayaking.