Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8MKBQ84SRX0QQK4WSBD10

**Scene: *The Brewed Bean Café, Alborn, MN – Late Afternoon*** *The golden light of late afternoon filters through the café’s large windows, casting long shadows over the wooden tables. Selvi sits hunched over her camera, her fingers tracing the edges of the lens as she stares at the screen. The images on display are sharp—rolling hills, a quiet lake, the misty outlines of Alborn’s apple orchards—but her expression is distant, haunted. The hum of quiet conversation fills the café, punctuated by the occasional clink of china.* *Then, the door chimes. Hunter steps inside, his broad frame filling the doorway before he scans the room. His sharp eyes land on Selvi, and he strides toward her, his boots thudding against the polished floor. He slides into the chair across from her without waiting for an invitation, his expression unreadable but his posture alert—like a man who’s used to being ignored but won’t be today.* --- ### **VOICE SHEET: DIALOGUE** *(Hunter leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. His voice is low, deliberate.)* **HUNTER:** "Ma’am. You’re the one with the camera. You’ve been here a few days, right? Study abroad program?" *(Selvi startles. She blinks rapidly, her fingers tightening around the camera. Her dark eyes flick to him, then dart away, as if searching for an escape. She exhales sharply in Hindi, her voice trembling.)* **SELVI:** *(rapid, fragmented)* "Maine… maine kya dekha hai? *Log… gayab ho rahe hain.*" *(I saw… people are disappearing.)* *(Hunter frowns. He doesn’t understand a word. His gaze sharpens, assessing her reaction—her wide eyes, the way her hands shake slightly as she clutches the camera like a lifeline.)* **HUNTER:** "Disappearing? You saw something?" *(Selvi swallows hard, her throat bobbing. She presses her lips together, then speaks again in Hindi, her voice barely above a whisper.)* **SELVI:** "*Dus raat ko.*" *(Two nights ago.)* "*Main… main ne unhein dekha.*" *(I saw them.)* "*Aur… aur phir…"* *(And then…)* "*Chup ho gaye.*" *(They were gone.)* *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t speak Hindi, but he understands *panic*. He leans in slightly, his voice dropping to a growl.)* **HUNTER:** "Where? When? Who did you see?" *(Selvi shakes her head, her breath hitching. She gestures vaguely toward the window, her fingers trembling as she points at the orchards beyond the café.)* **SELVI:** *(urgent, desperate)* "*Aam ke bagan.*" *(The apple orchards.)* "*Raat ko.*" *(At night.)* "*Ek aadmi… ek aurat…"* *(A man… a woman…)* "*Unke paas…"* *(With them…)* "*Chhaya…"* *(Shadows.)* *(Hunter’s eyes narrow. He pulls out his notepad, scribbling down the words she’s said—*"apple orchards," "night," "shadows"*—even if he doesn’t know what she’s saying, the urgency in her tone isn’t lost on him. He flips to a clean page and slides it toward her.)* **HUNTER:** "Write it down. Every detail. Where exactly. What time. What they looked like." *(Selvi hesitates, then nods. She grabs the pen, her hand unsteady as she scrawls in Hindi. Hunter watches her, his expression unreadable, but his mind is already racing—another disappearance, another witness who doesn’t speak English, another piece of a puzzle he can’t quite see yet.)* *(Just as Selvi finishes writing, Hunter’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out, glances at the screen, and his posture stiffens. He stands abruptly, tossing a few bills onto the table.)* **HUNTER:** "I gotta go. But this isn’t over. You stay here. Don’t leave town." *(Selvi looks up at him, her eyes wide with fear. She nods quickly, clutching the paper with her testimony.)* **SELVI:** *(whispering)* "*Dhanyavaad.*" *(Thank you.)* *(Hunter doesn’t respond. He’s already walking away, his phone pressed to his ear as he barks into it.)* **HUNTER:** *(into phone, gruff)* "Yeah, I’ve got a witness. Apple orchards. Nighttime. Two people. Possible abduction. Get a team out there. *Now.*" *(The café door swings shut behind him. Selvi is left alone, the weight of what she’s seen pressing down on her like a physical force. She looks at the camera in her hands, then at the paper with Hunter’s scribbled notes. For the first time, she wonders if she’s done more than just take pictures.)* --- **END SCENE.**