the forehead. >> reporter: did you know immediately -- >> yeah. he wasn't -- he wasn't there. he was gone. you know, yelling for help and looking for anybody who would help me, but knowing in was not going to be anybody. >> reporter: but somebody was still there. she claims standing over her, a gunman in one of the boats. >> reporter: did you think, this was it? >> uh-huh. i told him, please, don't shoot. please, don't. >> reporter: in a moment of apparent confusion, hartley says she saw her chance to flee. >> the gun would be on me, and then he'd take it off and then he'd put it back on me. it's like he didn't know what to do with me. do i shoot her? did i not? that's when they left to go meet the other boats. >> reporter: racing towards the u.s., she passed the boat slip