Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY824QTFSSFWQTX1JH3M5MR

**VOICE SHEET: SCENE – THE CAFÉ CONFRONTATION** **Setting:** A quaint, sunlit café in Alborn, Minnesota. The scent of coffee and cinnamon lingers in the air. Melanie sits at a small wooden table, her camera open beside her, her fingers tracing the lens thoughtfully. Hunter, in his rumpled detective’s jacket, leans against the table across from her, arms crossed. --- ### **DIALOGUE** *(Hunter clears his throat, drawing Melanie’s attention. She looks up, startled, then immediately looks away, her expression guarded.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, blunt and direct)* "Ma’am?" *(Melanie flinches. She looks at him, then back at her camera, as if searching for the right words. She exhales sharply, her voice trembling slightly in German.)* **Melanie:** *(whispering, distressed)* "Was… was ist hier passiert?" *(Hunter blinks, confused. He doesn’t understand a word. He leans in slightly, frowning.)* **Hunter:** *(repeating, still in English)* "What? What happened here?" *(Melanie’s hands shake. She looks around the café, then back at Hunter, her eyes wide with fear.)* **Melanie:** *(urgent, frantic)* "Die Leute… sie sind einfach verschwunden! Gestern Abend, beim Fest! Die Leute sind nur weg—*weg!*—und niemand weiß, wo sie sind!" *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t understand the words, but the panic in her voice is unmistakable. He gestures vaguely toward the town.)* **Hunter:** *(firm, trying to keep her calm)* "Slow down. Who’s missing? How many?" *(Melanie swallows hard, her voice breaking.)* **Melanie:** *(whispering)* "Vier. Vier Menschen. Und… und ich habe es gesehen. Ich war dort. Ich habe die Lichter gesehen—die Leute sind einfach *hineingegangen* in den Wald. Und dann… dann war da nur noch Stille." *(Hunter’s eyes darken. He doesn’t know German, but the terror in her voice is clear. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small notebook, flipping it open.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, low and serious)* "Tell me what you saw. Names. Faces. Anything." *(Melanie shakes her head, her breath coming fast. She clutches her camera to her chest.)* **Melanie:** *(panicked, stumbling over words)* "Ich… ich kann nicht. Ich bin nicht sicher. Aber es war *schrecklich*. Die Leute… sie haben gelacht. Und dann—*nichts*. Wie… wie wenn sie einfach *aufgehört* haben zu existieren." *(Hunter’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out, glances at the screen, and his expression hardens.)* **Hunter:** *(to Melanie, apologetic but firm)* "I’m sorry. I have to go. But you—you stay here. You don’t leave. Understood?" *(Melanie nods numbly, her eyes still wide with fear. Hunter stands abruptly, his voice cutting through the tension.)* **Hunter:** *(to the barista, in English)* "Coffee. Black. And a sandwich. Now." *(He turns back to Melanie, his voice low and urgent.)* **Hunter:** *(in German, halting but determined)* "Sie bleiben hier. Ich komme zurück." *(Melanie stares at him, her face pale. She doesn’t understand the words, but the tone is clear—she’s not to move. Hunter strides out of the café, leaving her alone with her camera and her growing dread.)* --- **END SCENE.** *(Note: Hunter’s German is limited to a few phrases he’s memorized—"Sie bleiben hier" ("You stay here") and "Ich komme zurück" ("I’m coming back"). His frustration is palpable, but his instincts tell him this woman knows more than she’s letting on.)*