Read The Battle for Free Online

I’ll meet you outside.”
    Tim rushed to the back. He looked for the door to the storage room.
    He found it and ducked inside, grabbing the only bag he could find. As he made his way back to the front, he heard shouting. It was coming from outside the ship.
    He peered out the window and saw at least ten men surrounding Rusty.
    They were police.
    Rusty was trapped!

Chapter 9
Run for Your Life
    Tim stayed very still. He thought about his options, but he realized that there was nothing he could do to help Rusty. There were just too many men. If he went out there, they would simply capture him, too. He knew he had to hide, but he was sure that the police would search the ship for other people. Where could he go? Was there a back door off this thing?
    Outside, the men had already put handcuffs on Rusty. Peering out a window, he could see several of them approaching the ship. Rusty looked scared. Tim ducked down slowly. He looked around for the best place to hide. He didn’t see any back doors, but there were a lot of bins throughout the cabin used for storage. However, they were way too small for him to fit in.
    He ran to the back area where the storage room was. He quickly slipped inside the door and looked around for a place to hide. He decided on a large box with several coats inside. Tim lifted out the heavy coats, climbed in the box, and then pulled the coats back on top of him.
    He could barely breathe under the weight of it all.
    Loud noise filled the ship—voices and the sound of heavy feet coming down the aisle. The men were onboard. They would most certainly find him!
    Tim was beginning to really regret his decision to come along.
    Then, he heard the door to the storage area squeak open. The men were inside the room. He heard boxes being moved and kicked aside.
    Tim could also hear his heart pounding in his chest, and he was sure the men would hear it, too.
    â€œNo one else is here,” one of the men shouted out.
    It sounded like they were leaving.
    Had they left the room? Tim wondered. Nope, it still sounded like someone was there.
    I think someone is in this box.
    Wait, Tim thought to himself. Did I just hear someone’s thoughts? Here on Briny Deep?
    The coats were lying right on his face. His nose began to itch.
    Oh no, he thought.
    And then it happened—he sneezed—loudly.
    He heard footsteps approach the box where he was hiding. Then, someone lifted the coats off of him. Tim realized he was going to get caught. And there was no escape.
    Suddenly, Tim was staring right into the eyes of a police officer.
    The man staring back at him looked surprised.
    â€œListen to me carefully,” he whispered. “I’m Steve, I’m Rusty’s friend. I couldn’t warn him about this arrest because I didn’t know it was coming until it was too late.”
    Tim wasn’t sure he was hearing him right.
    â€œYou aren’t going to arrest me?” he asked, his voice cracking.
    â€œNo, of course not, but if those guys out there find you, they definitely will take you into custody. You have to stay here. I will come back later when it’s clear and get you out.”
    â€œCan you help Rusty?”
    â€œNo, he’s being held in a cell at the Reef Institute. I don’t think I can reach him there. I can’t really even help you much more than getting you out of here. I have a family I need to protect. Now duck back down and I’ll cover you up again. Remember—stay put until I get back.”
    And then he was gone.
    The noise outside began to fade away. He was alone, in a box, on a ship.
    The seconds became minutes. The minutes became hours and soon he felt his legs begin to go numb. He had to get out of this box. But what if someone was out there?
    Tim slowly pushed the coats off his face and to the side. Then he listened.
    Silence.
    Tim slowly lifted himself out of the box and felt his legs begin to tingle from being asleep. They were stiff, so he shook