Page 59 of Invincible
“I think it’s been tack-welded closed.I don’t have anything to cut it open,” he said, scowling.
“What, no cutting torch in there somewhere?Some Boy Scout you are.”Tyler studied the welds, looking for weak spots.If she could just get enough of a handhold, she was sure she could pull it open.
Picking back up the bolt cutters, she began to work on getting them wedged into the top edge of the door.Knox took over as they began to pull the metal back, just enough for her to slip her hands inside.She just prayed she didn’t get her fingers chopped off in the process.
“On three, ready?”she asked, wrapping her hands around the door when they had worked a finger hold loose.“One, two, three.”Having placed her knee to the side of the door, she pulled with everything she had while Knox pushed hard on the bolt cutters, using them for leverage.
Suddenly, the welds gave, and the door flew open, sending them both to the ground.
If the situation hadn’t been so dire, she would have laughed.Knox sat on the floor with his long legs in front of him, holding the bolt cutters over his head while she was sprawled between them, with her back landing against his chest.
When they sat up, assessing any injuries, they noticed several sets of eyes staring back out of the tiny room.Tyler pushed herself off the floor before helping Knox back to his feet.Turning back to the faces, she placed a finger to her lips as she stepped into the room.Taking a second to look around, she felt her anger rising as she appraised the room.
“Holy fuck,” Knox mumbled, sticking his head through the door.
She totally agreed with his assessment.The smell in the room was already becoming stifling and there was barely enough room inside for the women lined up along the wall.They seemed to have several jugs of water and a box of protein bars, but nothing much else.
The smell of body fluids was so pungent already that Tyler wondered how anyone could survive the trip to their final destination.She assumed the bucket in the corner served as their bathroom.There were no mattresses or blankets or any creature comforts at all.
As she worked to swallow the bile rising in her throat, one of the women hopped from the middle of the group, throwing her arms around Tyler with a sob.
“We’re here, we’ve got you,” she mumbled at Greer, hugging her tight.Knox had chosen to stand just outside the door, she assumed, knowing she would be less frightening to the women.
“Listen, we’re here to get you out.It’s important that you stay as quiet as possible and do everything we tell you.Knox,” she said, motioning to the door, “will lead you out and I’ll follow.Do exactly what he says.Okay?”She looked around as the women nodded.
“Greer twisted her ankle,” a pretty girl said, stepping up.Tyler recognized Mia instantly from the picture they had been given at the beginning of the search.“I don’t know if she can walk on it very quickly.But I can help her.Everyone else can get between us and that big guy,” she said to the rest of the women.
Gently prying Greer from Tyler’s arms, Mia looped her arm around Greer, preparing to be her crutch.Tyler couldn’t help but be more than impressed with the sixteen-year-old runaway who put her own needs aside to help someone else.
“I’ve got her,” Knox growled as they stepped through the small door.Tyler had to swallow back the tears as she watched them stare at each other in relief before he spun around to kneel on the ground.
“Give me your hands, sugar,” he said, pulling them both around his neck when she obeyed.“When I stand up, I’ll get your bad leg.You wrap the other one around my waist.Watch your head.”Standing up, he caught her leg as she worked to do what he asked.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said, beginning the fight back through the boxes.
Tyler motioned for Mia to lead the rest of the women out, becoming even more impressed with the young woman’s courage when she immediately took the lead.The rest followed single file out of the room, with Tyler bringing up the rear.She knew this had been the easy part, now they had to get to the front of the ship without anyone seeing them.
When she got to the front of the container, she carefully replaced the boxes Knox had shoved aside before slipping through the door.
The women were bunched together against the container, careful to keep the stacks between them and the bridge where most of the men were.Knox hefted Greer up a little higher on his back after reminding Tyler with a hand signal to remain silent.She lifted her finger to her lips again to the women and motioned them to follow Knox.Now to get them to the bow of the ship.
Easing Greer off of his back, Knox balanced her against the wall until she was steady.Climbing up the shortest part of the stack, he reached back down, pulling Greer up when Tyler lifted her.After moving her to a spot behind the row next to him, he returned to pull the next girl up.Repeating the process, they managed to get everyone on top of the shortest row.
“Let me see your ankle,” Knox whispered quietly.The other women were resting for a few minutes before continuing their painstaking journey toward the front.
“I’m fine,” Greer answered.“It’s really not that bad.”With a grunt, Knox pulled a roll of white tape from one of his pockets.Picking up Greer’s foot, he slid toward her so it rested on his thigh.Tyler saw her flinch, biting down on her bottom lip to prevent crying out when Knox moved it around, trying to assess how bad it was.
“I’m fine,” she groaned, trying to push him away.
“Stubborn woman,” he growled.Taking the tape, he quickly wrapped her ankle.“It’s still going to feel like shit, but this should keep it stable.You’ll need to let me help you.”He looked at Greer with a question in his eyes, but she finally nodded her head.
Tyler knew her friend was one of the toughest people she knew, so she must be in a lot of pain to agree to the help.Wrapping his arm around her waist, Knox helped Greer to the next row of containers.Tyler returned to the back of the line of women to encourage them to follow.
Every couple of rows, they would have to drop back down to the deck before starting their climb again.Greer was in obvious agony as Knox manhandled her back up to the top, across, and back down every row.
After another excruciatingly slow half hour, they finally reached the most dangerous part of the ship.The bridge, where the majority of the sailors would be.
Easing around the corner of the structure, they had to cross in front of the door leading upstairs.Taking a quick look inside the window in the door, Knox scanned the stairs for any crew members.With a few signals to Tyler, he motioned them forward.Tyler quickly helped the women past the door until she had them huddled behind one of the container rows, out of view.
