The morning mist still clung to the brick storefronts of Alborn as Marie sat at a small bistro table outside the local bakery. She adjusted the lens on her Leica, her fingers trembling slightly. The screen displayed a blurred image of the woods near the old orchard—the last place the hiking trail remained open. Hunter approached, his boots heavy on the pavement. He looked tired, his eyes scanning the quiet street with the practiced intensity of a man who had seen too much and slept too little. He held up a grainy photograph of a missing teenager. **Voice Sheet** **Hunter:** "Morning. Mind if I have a moment? I saw you out by the north ridge yesterday with that camera of yours. Did you happen to see anything unusual near the old water tower?" **Marie:** "Oh! Monsieur... vous m'avez fait peur. Je... j'essayais de prendre les pommiers en photo, mais il y avait quelque chose dans les bois. Quelque chose qui n'était pas normal." **Hunter:** "Whoa, slow down there. I don't speak... whatever that is. Take a breath. Did you see the boy? Tall, red flannel shirt?" **Marie:** "Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites. Mais regardez... regardez cette photo. J'ai entendu un cri, et puis j'ai vu une ombre courir vers la vieille grange. J'ai tellement eu froid d'un coup. J'ai peur d'y retourner." **Hunter:** "Look, I need you to work with me. English. Do you speak any English? I’m looking for a lead, not a language lesson. Was anyone else out there?" **Marie:** "C'était horrible. L'air est devenu si lourd... et cet homme, il ne marchait pas, il glissait presque entre les arbres. Je n'ai jamais rien vu de tel à Paris. Qu’est-ce qui se passe dans cette ville?" **Hunter:** "Dammit. I’m getting nothing here. It’s like talking to a brick wall." **Marie:** "S'il vous plaît, monsieur le policier, regardez mes mains. Elles tremblent encore. Il y a quelque chose de maléfique dans cette forêt. Vous devez aider ces gens." **Hunter:** "Listen, lady, I can tell you’re upset, but I need facts, not—" *(Hunter’s radio crackles loudly, followed by his phone buzzing on his belt. He checks the screen, his expression hardening.)* **Hunter:** "Hunter here. What? Another one? At the festival grounds? Don't touch a thing, I'm two minutes out." **Marie:** "Attendez ! Vous ne pouvez pas partir comme ça ! Et la photo ?" **Hunter:** "I gotta go. Stay put, okay? Stay in the bright lights. I’ll find someone who can translate this mess later. Just... stay safe."