Run: 2026-02-19-01KHVPC8BBS58QRXQF0PG2HTG3

**Selvi:** (Sighing to herself, zooming in on a digital photo on her camera screen) "Chehra kyun itna dhundhla hai... thoda aur focus karna chahiye tha." *(Why is the face so blurry... I should have focused a bit more.)* **Hunter:** (Approaching the cafe table, flashing his police badge with a heavy, no-nonsense posture) "Excuse me, miss? Detective Hunter, local PD. Mind if I ask you a few questions? We’re asking around about the disappearances out by the apple festival grounds." **Selvi:** (Startled, blinking up at him and clutching her camera tightly into her chest) "K-kya? Maaf kijiye, main angrezi bilkul nahi samajhti. Kya baat hai?" *(Wh-what? I'm sorry, I don't understand English at all. What is the matter?)* **Hunter:** (Frowning, head tilting in confusion) "Uh, I didn't quite catch that. Do you speak English? It's about the people who went missing over at the orchards." **Selvi:** (Recognizing the silver star of the badge, her eyes widening with sudden anxiety. She sets the camera on the table and points at the screen with a trembling finger) "Aap police hain? Dekhiye, kal shaam jab main baagon mein tasveerein le rahi thi, maine wahan kisi ko dekha tha. Koi pedon ke peeche chup raha tha... mujhe bohot darr lag raha tha!" *(Are you police? Look, yesterday evening when I was taking pictures in the orchards, I saw someone there. Someone was hiding behind the trees... I was very scared!)* **Hunter:** (Squinting intently at her, completely lost) "Lady, I haven't got a clue what you're saying. Are you talking about your camera? Did you take a picture of something?" *(He points to the camera, then mimes snapping a photo.)* **Selvi:** (Nodding eagerly, her voice shaken and urgent) "Haan, haan! Tasveer! Ek ajeeb sa saya tha. Jab unhone mujhe dekha, toh woh achanak gaayab ho gaye. Mujhe laga woh mujhe chot pahunchayenge!" *(Yes, yes! Picture! It was a strange shadow. When they saw me, they suddenly disappeared. I thought they were going to hurt me!)* **Hunter:** (Scratching the back of his neck, his frustration leaking through his stoic marine demeanor) "Right. Utter gibberish to me. Listen... let's try this piece by piece." *(He points to a picture of an apple tree on her display).* "The orchard. Did you see someone there? A man? A woman?" *(He gestures vaguely to indicate height, trying to cross the language barrier).* **Selvi:** (Shaking her head, her breathing quickening as the memory floods back) "Nahi, main bata rahi hoon na, main chehra nahi dekh payi! Bas ek aadmi ka aakar tha... uske paas kisi ka bag bhi tha. Yeh dekhiye na!" *(No, I'm telling you, I couldn't see the face! Just the shape of a man... he had someone's bag too. Just look at this!)* **Hunter:** (Leaning over to squint at the small LCD screen, trying to make out the dark, blurry shape in the background of her landscape shot) "I'll be damned. Is that... wait, is that a torn jacket on the ground behind that tree? Can I take this to the station?" *(He reaches for the camera).* **Selvi:** (Snatching the camera away protectively, her voice raising in alarm) "Nahi! Mere saare kaam isme hain! Aap isko aise nahi le jaa sakte!" *(No! All my work is in this! You can't just take it away like this!)* **Hunter:** (Raising his hands defensively, realizing he spooked her) "Whoa, easy. Okay. Keep your camera. I just need to get our tech guys onto that memory card to see what—" *(A sharp, aggressive mechanical ringtone erupts from Hunter's coat pocket. He sighs, pulling out his phone and checking the caller ID. His eyes narrow.)* **Hunter:** (Pressing the phone to his ear, his voice dropping into a clipped, tactical tone) "Hunter here. ...Yeah. Where? You're kidding. Behind the cider tent? Don't let anyone near it. I'm on my way." **Selvi:** (Watching his face harden, sensing the grim shift in the atmosphere) "Kya hua? Koi buri khabar hai kya?" *(What happened? Is it bad news?)* **Hunter:** (Hanging up, he pulls a business card from his pocket and slides it across the cafe table to her) "I gotta roll out. Duty calls. But we aren't done here." *(He taps the card, points to his eyes, and then firmly points a finger at her.)* "Stay here. Stay safe. And for the love of God, don't go back out to the orchards snapping pictures." **Selvi:** (Staring at the business card as Hunter turns on his heel and jogs out of the cafe, her hands trembling over her camera lens) "Hey bhagwan... sach mein Alborn mein kuch bohot bura ho raha hai..." *(Oh God... something really bad is actually happening in Alborn...)*