Cargo Ship Encounters Pirates – But What the Ship's Cook Does Next Stuns Them All!

Every minute they spent eating was another minute Manny bought to figure a way out of this nightmare. Bashir and the fourth pirate came clattering back up the stairs just as Dahir took his first bite. Bashir wasn't looking at the food, though. He was out of breath, his face tight with suspicion as he gripped his long blade.

"Dahir!" Bashir shouted in Somali, pointing frantically toward the stern. He switched to broken English so Manny could hear. "The big orange boat! At the back of the ship. It's still there!" Dahir stopped chewing mid-bite. He set his metal spoon down with deliberate care. "Everybody ran to the lifeboat," Dahir said, fixing a cold, deadly gaze on Manny. "You told me. So why is the lifeboat still there?"

Manny's stomach dropped. If the orange lifeboat is still at the stern, where the hell is the crew? Panic flared in his chest, but he forced his face to stay completely blank. "That one is slow," Manny lied quickly. "They took the small fast one. The rescue boat on the side." He had no idea if Dahir had checked, but he prayed the secondary boat was hanging out of sight.