Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYAV01H589G9X5H9T9FZSYS

**Voice Sheet: Scene – Café in Alborn, MN** *(The café is quiet, with the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of cups. Marie sits at a small table near the window, her camera open beside her, her fingers tracing the lens thoughtfully. She looks up as Hunter approaches, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. He pulls out a chair across from her and sits down, his expression stern and unreadable.)* --- **Hunter:** *(in English, with a clipped tone)* "You’re the new girl from France, right? Marie?" *(Marie blinks, startled. She looks at him with wide, confused eyes, then back at her camera. She doesn’t respond immediately.)* **Marie:** *(in French, voice trembling slightly)* "Oui… mais… pourquoi?" *(Yes… but… why?)* *(Hunter frowns, his brow furrowing. He doesn’t understand a word.)* **Hunter:** *(gesturing vaguely)* "I need to ask you about something that happened here. A disappearance. Did you see anything?" *(Marie’s hands tighten around her camera. She exhales sharply, her voice dropping to a whisper.)* **Marie:** *(in French, urgent and shaken)* "Non… non, je n’ai rien vu. Mais… c’est… c’est comme si tout le monde avait peur." *(No… no, I didn’t see anything. But… it’s like everyone is afraid.)* *(Hunter leans forward, his voice low and serious.)* **Hunter:** "What do you mean? Who’s afraid?" *(Marie hesitates, then looks around nervously before speaking softly.)* **Marie:** *(in French, her voice barely audible)* "Les gens parlent… ils disent que des personnes disparaissent près de la forêt. La nuit. Et personne n’ose en parler." *(People talk… they say people disappear near the forest. At night. And no one dares to speak about it.)* *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He glances toward the window, where the late afternoon light filters through the trees outside.)* **Hunter:** "You’re saying someone’s been taking people into the woods?" *(Marie nods slowly, her eyes filled with unease.)* **Marie:** *(in French, her voice breaking slightly)* "Oui. Et… et je pense que c’est lié à l’anniversaire de la fête des pommes. Les disparitions ont commencé après." *(Yes. And… and I think it’s connected to the apple festival anniversary. The disappearances started after.)* *(Hunter’s eyes narrow. He pulls out his phone, checking something quickly before standing up abruptly.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, gruff)* "I need to check something. Stay here. If you think of anything else—anything at all—call me." *(Marie looks up at him, her expression a mix of fear and gratitude. She doesn’t understand why he’s leaving so suddenly, but she nods.)* **Marie:** *(in French, quietly)* "D’accord. Merci." *(Okay. Thank you.)* *(Hunter strides toward the door, his phone pressed to his ear. He doesn’t look back.)* **Hunter:** *(into phone, voice low and urgent)* "I’ve got something. Send backup. Now." *(He hangs up and steps outside, the door swinging shut behind him.)* *(Marie sits back in her chair, her hands still trembling. She glances at her camera, then back out the window, where the shadows of the forest seem to stretch longer in the fading light.)* --- **End Scene.** *(Note: Hunter’s confusion about the language and Marie’s distress are key to the tension. The scene sets up the mystery while highlighting the cultural and linguistic barriers between them.)*