(Originally Posted Wednesday 6-25-25)
I liked these pics because they gave me a different vibe than the typical drone pics I see/use. That vibe is also the direction I would take for a story idea using them.
Said vibe is, creepy.
Not necessarily the drone but the background behind it, the trees and wooded area. The evening time with the sun almost setting is what made the idea pop into my head.
That initial spark if you will.
My working idea is a couple or a small group of people, most likely friends but it could be a random punch of strangers, and no more than five, are trying to avoid the drone(s). I’d have several drones all the same type but with a marking or painting on them with 1,2,3, or A, B, C. Something that could make the couple (and readers) able to keep track of the drones and know the difference.
The person behind the drones would be tracking these people as they’ve unknowingly trespassed onto his property, even though it’s out in the middle of nowhere, with no buildings, no markings etc.
I’d try to establish right off the bat that the drone operator is crazy, no yeah buts, or both sides have a point.
I like the idea of maybe the couple was in a minor car accident with another group of people or both groups had car problems and are now trying to work together to get help.
I wouldn’t go the route of ‘Wrong Turn’ movies though. No one booby trapped the roads to cause the accident. It just happened.
To keep the creepy vibe and tension up I wouldn’t have the people get picked off one by one either. Maybe injuries keep happening and they’re moving slower and slower while it gets darker out with the sun starting to set. I think it would be an interesting challenge to try and write a story that way.
The other thing I need to figure out is how this would tie into The Merc Series Universe. Most likely it would be through the drone operator or maybe the company that makes the drones he uses. It could be a big company that’s featured in other stories. But I wouldn’t limit myself to only those options.
Overall, I could see this story idea getting written sooner rather than later.
