As soon as Katherine finished speaking, Ahmed dropped to his knees, murmuring a prayer under his breath. His hands trembled. “I can’t believe it. I mean—I hoped it would be found, but I was losing faith,” he said, his voice cracking. He reached for Katherine’s hand and shook it gratefully, tears welling in his eyes. “This is our chance,” he turned to the others inside the container. “This is our chance to finally get off this horrible ship.”
Katherine knelt beside him and asked about the container they had found. That was when the dam broke. “We are refugees,” Ahmed began, “fleeing from a warzone. We needed passage to a safe country.” He explained how he had heard whispered rumors of the EverCargo Voyager, a ship that supposedly took in refugees—no questions asked—in exchange for one year of work at sea.