Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYAXSMTXC3P1G3S9TQWNPFD

**Scene: *The Café by the Clock Tower*** --- **Maria:** *(adjusts her camera strap, fingers trembling slightly as she stares at the lens—her focus sharp despite the weight of something unseen.)* *"¿Qué pasó ayer en el pueblo?"* **Hunter:** *(steps up beside her, arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning the café’s quiet bustle. He doesn’t move to speak Spanish.)* *"What happened last night in town?"* **Maria:** *(her voice drops, rough with something unspoken. She glances at him, then back at her camera—her hands still.)* *"Nadie sabe. Solo… escuché gritos. Alguien cayó. Y luego…"* *(she swallows hard)* *"…no hubo nadie."* **Hunter:** *(his jaw tightens. He pulls his phone from his pocket, fingers hovering over the screen.)* *"Who said that?"* **Maria:** *(she shakes her head, voice barely above a whisper.)* *"No lo sé. Pero alguien lo vio. Alguien que no debería."* *(A beat. The hum of the café fades into the background. Hunter’s phone rings. He answers, voice low.)* **Hunter:** *"Yeah…"* *(pauses, then nods sharply)* *"…I’ll be right there."* *(he hangs up, eyes on Maria.)* *"You’re sure this is important?"* **Maria:** *(she meets his gaze, her Spanish unsteady now, but her meaning clear.)* *"No es solo eso. Alguien está… desapareciendo."* *(Hunter exhales sharply, then turns to leave. Maria watches him go, her camera still trained on the empty café. Outside, the wind rustles the leaves of the old oak—Alborn’s town clock ticks, slow and steady, like a heartbeat.)* --- **End Scene.**