Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYADWQEDZ6REQ09K23QMX4R

**Scene: *The Café on Maple Street*** *(The sun filters through the stained-glass windows of *Le Petit Café*, casting golden streaks across the wooden tables. Marie sits alone at a corner booth, her camera resting on the table, the lens cap off. She’s studying the composition of a nearby apple orchard, her fingers tracing the edges of the frame. A warm breeze stirs the leaves outside, and the scent of fresh bread and coffee fills the air. Then—footsteps. Hunter approaches, his boots thudding against the cobblestones outside.)* --- **Marie:** *(without looking up, her voice soft, almost to herself)* *"Je crois que j’ai vu quelque chose… hier soir."* **Hunter:** *(sliding into the booth opposite, arms crossed, his expression unreadable)* *"What?"* **Marie:** *(finally meeting his gaze, her eyes wide, her voice trembling slightly)* *"Les gens… ils ont disparu. Comme si… comme si ils n’étaient plus là. Juste… comme ça."* *(She gestures vaguely toward the window, where the last light of dusk paints the town in muted hues.)* **Hunter:** *(leaning forward, his voice low, intense)* *"Disappeared? You saw this?"* **Marie:** *(nodding, her hands clenched around her cup of tea)* *"Oui. Trois personnes. Le vieux Mr. Dubois, la femme qui vendait les pommes… et ce garçon, il avait une cicatrice sur la joue. Je l’ai photographié. Il était triste. Très triste."* *(She hesitates, then adds, voice breaking slightly)* *"Et puis… il y a eu des rumeurs. Des bruits. Comme si quelqu’un savait. Mais personne ne parle."* **Hunter:** *(staring at her, his jaw tight)* *"You’re sure it wasn’t just… a bad dream?"* **Marie:** *(shaking her head, her French sharp with frustration)* *"Non. J’ai vu. Et j’ai pris des photos. Pour prouver."* *(A beat. The weight of the moment hangs between them. Hunter’s phone buzzes—a text, no doubt. He pulls it out, eyes flickering over the screen.)* **Hunter:** *(finally, standing abruptly, voice clipped)* *"I gotta take this. Later."* *(He grabs his jacket, his expression unreadable. Marie watches him go, her camera still in hand, the weight of what she’s seen settling over her like a shadow.)* --- **End Scene.**