Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7VKN5VXEPVYHV1QQ9XTH3

**Scene: *The Alborn Café – Late Afternoon*** *The bell above the door of *The Rusty Spoon Café* jingles as **Hunter** steps inside, his sharp eyes scanning the dimly lit room. He spots **Marie** sitting alone in a corner booth, her fingers tracing the edge of her camera case. She’s staring at a photo on her screen—her expression distant, troubled. Hunter approaches, pulling out the chair across from her without asking.* --- ### **VOICE SHEET: DIALOGUE** *(Hunter leans forward, arms crossed, his voice low but firm.)* **HUNTER** *(in English, with a slight Minnesota drawl)* "Ma’am, I’m Detective Hunter. I’m looking into some recent disappearances in Alborn. You were at the festival yesterday, weren’t you?" *(Marie flinches slightly at the sound of English, her grip tightening on her camera. She looks up, her dark eyes wide with unease. She speaks in rapid, accented French, her voice trembling.)* **MARIE** *(French, hurried and breathless)* "Oui… je… j’étais là. J’ai vu… des choses. Des choses *très étranges*." *(Hunter blinks, frowning. He doesn’t understand a word. He leans back slightly, studying her reaction.)* **HUNTER** *(slowly, enunciating each word)* "Ma’am, I don’t speak French. Can you—?" *(Marie realizes he doesn’t understand. She exhales sharply, her hands shaking as she sets the camera down. She tries again, slower, mixing in broken English.)* **MARIE** *(French, then switching to halting English)* "Je… I saw a man. Near the old mill. He was *running*. And then—*disparu*. Like smoke. Like—" *(she gestures vaguely, her voice cracking)* "—like he was never there." *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He pulls out a notepad, scribbling notes.)* **HUNTER** "When was this?" **MARIE** *(French, then switching back)* "Hier soir. *Last night*. After the festival. I took pictures—" *(she taps her camera)* "—but they’re… strange. The photos don’t match what I saw." *(Hunter studies her for a long moment, then pulls out his phone. He holds up a photo—a grainy security still of a man in a dark jacket, half-hidden in shadows near the mill. Marie gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.)* **MARIE** *(French, urgent)* "C’est *lui*! The man I saw! But in the photo—he’s *not moving*." *(Hunter’s eyes narrow. He pockets his phone, standing up abruptly.)* **HUNTER** "Stay here. Don’t leave town." *(Marie nods quickly, her voice small.)* **MARIE** *(French, desperate)* "Detective… *merci*. But—what if he comes back?" *(Hunter doesn’t answer. His phone buzzes—an incoming call. He glances at the screen, his expression darkening.)* **HUNTER** *(to Marie, already walking away)* "I’ll be back. Stay put." *(He answers the call as he steps outside, his voice low and tense.)* **HUNTER** *(into phone, muffled)* "Yeah. Yeah, I’ve got a lead." *(The café door swings shut behind him. Marie is left alone, staring at her camera, her breath coming in short, uneven bursts.)* --- **END SCENE** *(Note: The tension here is built on Hunter’s frustration with the language barrier and Marie’s obvious distress—both clues that something far more sinister is at play in Alborn.)*