The drone’s camera zoomed in, adjusting its focus. Jonathan leaned forward, squinting at the monitor. He manipulated the controls, and the camera view panned down, revealing a small, bright orange object nestled in a tangle of branches. “What the…” Jonathan muttered.
This made no sense. He’d been flying his new drone over the coastline, hoping to capture footage of the storm surge and thrashing waves. The winds must have carried it inland. But what was this doing here in the middle of these remote woods.
Jonathan zoomed in further. It was a child’s backpack. The backpack looked new, with a cheerful orange pattern. One of the side pockets was unzipped. He thought he spotted the corner of a notebook or maybe drawings peeking out. His heartbeat quickened as an uneasy feeling settled in his gut. What was going on here?