In the quiet corner of the Alborn Café, the smell of cinnamon apples and old floor wax hung heavy in the air. Marie sat by the window, her knuckles white as she gripped her professional camera. She kept scrolling through the digital display, her breath hitching every time she glimpsed the edge of the woods in her shots. Hunter approached with a heavy tread, his badge clipped to his belt and a grim expression on his face. He pulled out the chair across from her without asking, his broad shoulders casting a shadow over her small table. **Voice Sheet** **Hunter:** "Afternoon. You're the student staying at the Miller farm, right? I’m Detective Hunter. I’m looking into what happened at the orchard last night. Folks say you were out there taking pictures near the old trailhead before the fog rolled in." **Marie:** "Monsieur... Je suis désolée, je ne comprends pas. Mais j'ai vu quelque chose... Quelque chose de terrible près des arbres. Ce n'était pas un animal, c'était comme si l'ombre elle-même bougeait." **Hunter:** "Whoa, slow down. I don't speak... whatever that is. Did you see anyone? A tall man in a tan work jacket? I need you to focus. This is a serious investigation." **Marie:** "S'il vous plaît, regardez mes photos! J'ai essayé de l'aider, mais il a disparu si vite. Il criait, et puis plus rien, juste le silence. J'ai tellement peur d'y retourner." **Hunter:** "Look, I get that you’re upset, but I need facts, not a frantic shrug. Did you see a suspect? An intruder? Just point on the map or show me your ID." **Marie:** "Pourquoi me regardez-vous comme ça? Je vous dis qu'il y a un danger! Quelque chose ne va pas dans cette ville. Personne n'est en sécurité ici, pas tant que cette chose est dans les bois." **Hunter:** "This is getting us nowhere. It’s like talking to a brick wall. Stay in town, okay? Don't go back to the woods until I find someone who can translate this mess." *(Hunter’s phone buzzes aggressively on the table. He glances at the screen, his jaw tightening.)* **Hunter:** "Hunter here. What? Another one? At the festival grounds? Don't touch anything, I'm two minutes out." **Marie:** "Attendez! Ne me laissez pas seule! Vous devez voir la forêt!" **Hunter:** "I have to go. Duty calls. Just... stay put and keep that camera safe. We’ll finish this later."