Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8X8RYWYMHT01CYDXBAZ3RH

Melanie: *(staring at her camera screen, hands trembling slightly)* Hunter: "Excuse me, miss? I'm Detective Hunter. I hate to bother you, but I need to ask — were you near the old mill road last night? Folks say they saw someone with a camera out that way." Melanie: *(looks up startled, clutching her camera tightly)* "Ich... ja, ich war dort. Es war schrecklich. Ich habe etwas gesehen — ich weiß nicht was, aber es hat mich sehr erschreckt." Hunter: *(squints, shifts his weight)* "I'm sorry, I don't... do you speak English?" Melanie: *(shakes her head, then holds up her camera with shaking hands, pointing at the screen urgently)* "Sehen Sie? Ich habe Fotos gemacht. Da war jemand im Wald. Ich glaube, es war ein Mann, aber... er ist einfach verschwunden." Hunter: *(leans in to look at the camera screen, eyes narrowing at the photos)* "Hey now. What is that in the tree line... is that a person?" *(taps the screen)* "Did YOU take this? You took this photo?" Melanie: *(nods vigorously, pointing at herself, then at the photo)* "Ja! Ja, ich! Heute Nacht — nein, gestern Nacht. Gott, ich hatte solche Angst. Meine Hände haben so gezittert." Hunter: "Last night? This was last night?" *(holds up one finger, then points down at the ground)* Melanie: *(uncertain, then understanding his gesture)* "Ja. Gestern." *(holds up one finger, mimicking him)* Hunter: *(exhales slowly, rubbing the back of his neck)* "Alright. Okay. I don't suppose you speak any... French? Spanish? Anything?" *(says it mostly to himself)* Melanie: *(tilts her head, catching his helpless tone, lets out a small, shaky laugh despite herself)* Hunter: *(cracks the faintest smile)* "Yeah. That's what I thought." *(pulls out a notepad and slides it across the table with a pen, miming writing)* Melanie: *(looks at the notepad, then back at him, and slowly begins to write and sketch — a rough map, a figure in the trees, an arrow pointing toward the mill road)* Hunter: *(studying the sketch intently, pointing at the figure she drew)* "This person — man? Woman?" Melanie: *(thinks hard, then in broken, barely-there English she seems to have dredged up from somewhere)* "Mann... I think... mann." Hunter: "A man. Good. That's good, thank you." *(taps the map she drew)* "And here — this is near the mill?" Melanie: *(nods, then her expression darkens again and she grips her camera strap)* "Er hat mich angesehen. Direkt in meine Kamera. Und dann... nichts. Er war weg." *(snaps her fingers)* Hunter: *(watching her face carefully, reading her fear even without the words)* "Gone. Just like that." *(snaps his own fingers slowly)* Melanie: *(points at him, surprised)* "Ja. Genau." Hunter: "I'm going to need these photos, miss. Is there a way I can—" *(his phone buzzes loudly in his jacket pocket. He holds up a finger — one moment — and answers)* "Hunter." *(pause)* "When?" *(pause, his jaw tightens)* "I'm on my way." *(hangs up and looks back at Melanie, sliding a business card across the table)* "I have to go. But I'll be back. Don't go anywhere near that mill road, you understand?" Melanie: *(looks at the card, then up at him. She may not understand the words, but his expression is plain enough. She nods slowly.)* Hunter: *(holds her gaze for a moment, then gives a single, firm nod)* "Good." *(turns up his collar and walks out the door)* Melanie: *(alone again, looks back down at the photo on her camera screen, whispering)* "Was bist du nur...?"