Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7VM9KCMH656CZ4GASZ1HD

**Scene: *The Café by the Clock Tower*** --- **Marie** *(adjusts her camera lens, eyes distant as she studies a blurred photograph of the town’s old mill)* *"... Je ne sais pas. C’est étrange…"* *(Her voice trembles slightly, her hands clenched around her cup of café au lait.)* **Hunter** *(steps up beside her, arms crossed, his marine boots scuffing the wooden floor of the café. He squints at her, confused by the French.)* "Strange? What’s strange?" **Marie** *(hesitates, then lowers her voice, her accent thickening with urgency)* *"Les disparitions… Ils disparaissent comme ça. Sans explication. Et hier…"* *(She swallows hard.)* *"J’ai vu quelque chose. Dans les bois près de la ferme du vieux monsieur. Des traces… des pas. Trop grands. Comme si quelqu’un était…"* *(She cuts herself off, her fingers twitching toward her camera.)* **Hunter** *(stares at her, then at the café’s clock, which ticks loudly. His jaw tightens.)* "Disappearances? You’re talking about the cases I’ve been looking into." **Marie** *(nods, her voice barely above a whisper)* *"Oui. Et c’est pire. Parce que…"* *(She hesitates, then leans in slightly.)* *"Je pense que c’est lié à la fête des pommes. Tout le monde est là. Tout le monde…"* *(She trails off, her eyes flickering toward the window where the town’s apple festival crowd bustles outside.)* **Hunter** *(exhales sharply, rubbing his temple. His phone buzzes in his pocket—he pulls it out, reads the message, then stuffs it back.)* "Alright. I gotta move. But I’ll be back. You’ll tell me what you saw?" **Marie** *(nods, her expression unreadable. She reaches for her camera, fingers brushing the lens.)* *"Oui. Mais…"* *(She pauses, then adds, softer.)* *"Si vous avez besoin de plus de photos…"* *(She gestures toward the mill, the woods.)* *"Je peux vous montrer."* **Hunter** *(grunts, already turning to leave, but pauses at the door.)* "Just… don’t go wandering off alone. And if you see anything else—"* *(He stops, eyes narrowing.)* *"—call me. *Now.*" **Marie** *(smiles faintly, though her hands shake.)* *"D’accord. Mais…"* *(She holds up her camera, the lens reflecting the café’s dim light.)* *"Je suis toujours là."* *(Hunter nods, then steps outside, the café door clicking shut behind him. Marie watches him go, then turns back to her photograph—her mind racing.)* --- **End Scene.** *(Note: The tension builds as Marie’s French is clear but fragmented—Hunter’s confusion mirrors the mystery itself. The café’s quiet hum contrasts with the town’s chaotic festival, adding to the unease.)*