Ethan Found a Frozen Backpack Hidden in the Garage — Then His Mother Saw the Name on the Travel Card
Chapter 1 — The Freezer
Ethan Cole had gone into the garage looking for a screwdriver.
Nothing more.
The loose handle on his bedroom desk had been bothering him for days.
His father usually kept tools on the shelf beside the old chest freezer.
Ethan walked past the bicycles.
Past the lawn mower.
Then stopped.
The freezer lid wasn’t completely closed.
That was strange.
The freezer hadn’t been used for food in months.
His mother said it barely worked anymore.
Ethan stepped closer.
A thin line of cold air escaped through the opening.
He lifted the lid.
Inside were several bags of ice.
Two empty plastic containers.
And something black wedged beneath them.
Ethan frowned.
He pulled the ice aside.
A backpack appeared.
Black canvas.
Wet along the edges.
Partially covered in frost.
“What the…”
Ethan lifted it out.
It was heavier than he expected.
He placed it on the workbench.
The zipper was stiff from the cold.
Before opening the main compartment, he noticed a phone tucked into the outside pocket.
Older model.
Black case.
Powered off.
Then something slipped from beside it.
A plastic travel card.
Ethan picked it up.
There was a photograph on the front.
And a name.
JULIA MERCER.
Ethan stared at it.
He had never heard the name before.
He turned the card over.
Train routes.
Transit number.
Expiration date.
Everything looked real.
Ethan slowly looked back toward the freezer.
“Why would this be hidden in our freezer?”
Footsteps rushed into the garage.
His mother, Claire, appeared in the doorway.
The moment she saw the backpack, her face changed.
“Ethan.”
He looked at her.
Claire crossed the garage quickly.
“Give that to me.”
Ethan stepped backward.
“Mom… whose bag is this?”
Claire reached for it.
Ethan pulled it away.
“Why was it hidden in the freezer?”
Claire said nothing.
And the fear on her face told Ethan something immediately.
She knew exactly where it had come from.
