The helicopter answered with a lowering winch line, a rescuer strapped to it, descending fast. “Hold on!” Elias shouted to Callen as the man in the harness landed on the tilting deck. In seconds, the rescuer clipped Callen in, hoisting him skyward as the ship wailed like a wounded animal.
Elias clung to the railing, heart hammering as another wave rolled across the deck, nearly sweeping him overboard. The rescuer’s line swung back down, and Elias grabbed it with trembling hands. He was yanked skyward just as the freighter tilted further, steel shrieking, containers sliding into the sea with a thunderous crash.