Chapter 6 #2
Heath kept close to the containers, moving in the opposite direction to the sailors who were checking the lashings. The men were focused on the job, but Heath was still forced to go slowly so as to not attract attention. He lowered himself to the main deck and the dusty sea air hit him in the face.
Carefully he made his way along the side of the ship, back towards the lifeboat he’d spotted earlier. With the container identified, he wanted to plan their escape in more detail before he returned.
The closest lifeboat was almost a hundred metres from the row of containers the kids were in. Depending on their condition, some kids might need to be carried, but he hoped most would be able to walk.
The fewer trips they had to make, the better.
He couldn’t prepare the lifeboat for deployment yet, in case one of the sailors noticed and started monitoring the area more closely.
The GPS on his phone told him they were heading towards Iran and it would be touch and go which country they’d be closest to by the time they got the kids out of the container.
He ducked behind a beam as he heard voices approaching and checked his watch. The two sailors walked past talking about dinner.
Hopefully that meant they would pause their patrols until everyone had eaten, but they might eat in shifts.
Heath remained crouched and monitored the aisle he came out of until the sailors who had been checking the lashings emerged and then turned down the next corridor heading towards the bow.
He checked the area for anything that might be useful. It was empty. This ship obviously had high standards for keeping the deck clear.
At least he still had the lashing rod spanner and the lashing rod. Heath headed further away, keeping his eyes peeled for any sailors who might be doing rounds, and identifying nooks they could hide in if necessary.
There weren’t many hiding places despite the size of the ship because most of the deck was taken up by containers. He passed another lifeboat, checking it as he went by so he had an alternative if there were issues with the first one.
He doubted anybody on board the ship would care to go after them. They probably didn’t even know what cargo they carried.
So that just left him to decide which country to go to once they were free. Perhaps phone service would work the further away they got from Qatar, and he’d be able to call his teammates and they could organise a rendezvous for him somewhere.
Voices sent him back into the shadows underneath a set of stairs. Another pair of sailors talking about dinner.
Time to return.
He didn’t spot any sailors on the way. The men who were checking containers had at least another fifty metres to check before they’d head back in his direction.
Not a lot of time.
He climbed the short ladder to the row he needed and jogged along it until he came to the container.
Which had the lashing rods back in place.
Damn it.
Quickly he unbuckled them again and pried open the doors, using the buckles to hold the doors open. Enough light flooded the container for him to see Zoe still on top at the far end, but no one else.
Zoe glanced at him, eyes wide. “Heath.”
Her relief and the fear in her eyes hit him in the gut. “I’m here. Did you find the kids?”
“Yeah, but I can’t get the door open. I need that spanner.”
Heath glanced in both directions. Empty. He didn’t want to get into the container and risk them both being locked inside. “Come back here and keep watch.” He took his backpack off and leaned it against the side of the pallet.
“Heath will help you, Mohammad,” Zoe called and shuffled backwards on the pallets towards Heath.
He helped her down. “What’s the situation?”
“There’s a metal wall between us and the kids. Mohammad is the only one conscious. I think they drugged the rest of them, but a couple are stirring. I found a latch, but it doesn’t open far enough to get them out. We need to pry the metal down.”
Crap. They would have to carry the kids to the lifeboat. “How many?”
“Twelve.”
Double crap. Depending on their sizes, he might be able to carry two at a time, but it would require both of them to get the kids on top of the pallets and pull them out. He glanced in both directions again. “Keep watch. If anyone comes this way, tell me. We should have a bit of time.”
She nodded and took a couple of deep breaths as she took position next to the door.
Heath threw the spanner on top of the pallets and hauled himself up.
Damn, it was a tight fit. He sucked in his stomach and pulled himself over the pallets, shoving the spanner forward with him. Finally he reached the end and shone the torch along the metal wall. He spotted where it had moved and was resting next to the pallets.
He shuffled closer and shoved the tensioner through the small gap. It was just wide enough.
He yanked down and winced at the screech, but at least it opened.
“You’re doing it, Zoe!” The excitement in the boy’s voice killed Heath.
“Hey, Mohammad. I’m Heath,” he said in Arabic. “We’ll get you out shortly. Can you tell me about you and the other kids? How tall are you?”
“A metre twenty,” he said proudly.
“How many others are as tall as you?” He shoved the tensioner further along the wall and pulled down again.
“The boys are all smaller,” Mohammad said. “The girls are taller.”
“How many boys?” Again he moved the tensioner along and pulled down. The gap was widening.
“Six, and six girls.”
There’d be plenty of room in the lifeboat, but it would take time to get them there. The longer it took, the more chance they would be spotted.
A girl groaned and Mohammad said, “Wake up, Iman. We have to go.”
Heath continued along the top of the door, prying it open all the way. “Is anyone else conscious?”
“A couple of the girls were mumbling, but they didn’t make any sense.”
But they might be able to move when the time came. “Zoe, throw me a bottle of water from the bag.” He shoved the next section down and turned back as the water bottle landed next to him.
He shone the torch over the gap. “Mohammad, I’m going to drop a bottle of water. Can you reach up and catch it?”
Small hands reached up, and Heath dropped the bottle into them. “Give Iman a sip. Not too much. We don’t want her to choke. Then give the other girls who are awake a sip as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Heath dragged the final bit of metal down so there was a gap of about forty centimetres. Not a lot, but it should be enough for the kids to fit through. “Can any of the girls stand?”
“I can,” a female voice said.
Heath shuffled forward so his chest was over the empty space and peered into the secret room. A girl no more than about thirteen shifted to her feet, with Mohammad supporting her. “Well done. Now reach your arms up. I’m going to pull you over.”
The girl swayed, her eyes not really focusing.
“Reach up,” Heath encouraged.
Mohammad helped her lift one arm, and she lifted the other herself. Heath stretched out and clasped her wrists. This position sucked, but there was no other choice.
He pulled, using every muscle in his chest and arms to drag her over the bent metal edge. When her belly rested on it, he shifted further back and dragged her the remaining distance, so she lay on the pallet in front of him.
“You did it!” Mohammad cheered.
He had, but it would take a hell of a lot of muscle power to do that eleven more times. The girl blinked at him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Iman.”
“Great, Iman. I’m Heath. Zoe is waiting outside. Can you crawl forward for me?”
She nodded, though her gaze was still a little glassy, and inch by inch she crawled forward.
This was going to take too long.
He shifted to the back of the container. “Mohammad, I’m going to drop you down the torch. Can you see if anyone else is waking up?”
“Another two girls are staring at me.”
“Great. Give them some water too.”
What he needed was someone on that side who could help lift the kids to him. Mohammad wasn’t big enough.
Behind him, Imam hadn’t reached the end of the container yet, moving as slowly as a sloth. Damn it.
“New plan, Mohammad. I need you to come out next.”
“What about the others?”
“We’ll get them, but I need you to be my eyes outside. Keep watch for anyone coming.”
“Bad people?” The fear in his voice made Heath want to hit the people responsible.
“No, just the crew. We’re on one of those big container ships.”
“Why?”
“The bad people put you here, but we’ll get off as soon as we get everyone out.”
“How?”
“Lifeboat. It’ll be cool, but I need you to leave the water and torch inside and jump up and grab my hands.” Heath held out his hands, and after the second attempt, Mohammad grabbed them.
Heath hauled him back, and Mohammad kicked to help. The kid weighed only about thirty kilos. “Great work. Now crawl to the end. I need you to watch over Imam and keep watching both directions. If someone comes, you call me straight away, all right?”
Mohammad nodded and scrambled across the pallet like a lizard, reaching the end just after Imam lowered herself to the ground.
“Zoe, I need you in here,” Heath called.
She hesitated. “Why?”
He would have missed the fear in her voice if he hadn’t been expecting her to agree immediately. He twisted so he could see her better. She stared into the container as if it was the last place she wanted to go.
But she’d already been in there.
“I need your help to lift the kids from the other side.” He kept his tone gentle, removing the frustration. “Think you can do that for me?”
She nodded, bracing herself as if facing a firing squad. “You won’t close the doors again?” She climbed up on the pallets.
Oh hell. “Don’t you like the dark?”
She shook her head. “I’m claustrophobic.”
And he’d left her there by herself. “I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have left you if I’d known.”
She gave him a half-smile. “There wasn’t a lot of time to talk.” She dragged herself next to him and looked over at the other space.
If there was more room in the container, he’d get into the secret compartment, but Zoe wouldn’t have the upper body strength to pull those kids out. “Can you be brave for me again?”
She nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
“Lift the kids as high as you can so I can grab them. If they’re conscious, they might be able to help. You might be able to give them a leg up.”
“We’re going to have to carry them to the lifeboat,” Zoe said.
“Yeah, but we’ll deal with that next. Some of them might be awake enough to walk.” Or hold themselves up in a piggyback.
Zoe nodded and lowered herself into the compartment.