The search begins

Before the rangers could begin their search, the group of twelve youngsters stepped out from the cabin. Several of them had backpacks full of supplies.

“What are you kids doing? I told you to stay here,” Jensen scolded them.

“Sir, Zack is our friend. If he’s out there, we are going to help find him, whether you want us to or not!” Brandon said defiantly.

Chief Jensen huffed in annoyance before turning to his subordinates. Each one gave a nod of approval. He sighed before speaking.

“Okay, here’s the deal. First, the sister stays here. If this doesn’t end well, she doesn’t need to see it up close. Second, you do what you’re told. If you can’t abide by that then stay the Hell out of our way. Third, if the search is called off for any reason, we stop and so do you. And last, be careful. One missing teen is all the problems I need for one day,” he informed them.

Taylor reluctantly went back inside the cabin. The others joined the search party. Each ranger had one of Zack’s friends with them. Eventually, the sound of a helicopter could be heard flying in from the north end of the park. The radio chatter picked up as one by one, officers from the Azure Rocks Police Department showed up and joined in. By noon, there were over seventy-five people looking for Zack.