Run: 2026-02-25-01KJ94JJ0JKWSJ6M9SW63JP90D

The morning fog still clung to the windows of the Apple Core Café, blurring the quaint streets of Alborn into a charcoal smudge. Maria sat at a corner table, her thumbs trembling as she scrolled through the digital playback on her camera. The landscape shots of the frost-covered orchard from the night before were beautiful, but the last three frames—blurred, dark, and frantic—made her breath hitch. Detective Hunter pushed through the door, the bell chiming sharply. He looked like he hadn't slept in forty-eight hours; his flannel shirt was wrinkled, and his jaw was set in a hard line. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on the woman with the professional-grade Nikon. He marched over, pulling a photograph of a missing teenager from his breast pocket. He tapped the table, and the conversation—or the attempt at one—began. *** **Hunter:** "Excuse me, ma’am. I’m Detective Hunter. I’m canvasisng the area regarding the disappearance of a local boy near the orchard last night. Did you happen to be out taking photos near the North Trail around dusk?" **Maria:** "¿Qué? Oh, hola... Lo siento, no entiendo. ¿Es usted de la policía? Mire, mire mi cámara... pasó algo muy extraño anoche." **Hunter:** "Whoa, slow down. I don't speak Spanish, miss. Spanish, right? I just need to know if you saw this kid. Timmy Miller. Skinny, wearing a blue hoodie." **Maria:** "No comprendo lo que dice, pero tiene que ayudarme. Estaba en el bosque, cerca de los manzanos, y vi una sombra... una sombra que no era humana. Algo se llevó a alguien. ¡Fue espantoso!" **Hunter:** "I’m not following a word of that. Look, just look at the picture. Did you see him? *Boy?* *Niño?* Is that the word?" **Maria:** "¡No, no es un niño! Era... era como un humo negro. Intenté sacarle una foto, pero se movía demasiado rápido. ¡Mire mis manos, todavía estoy temblando! Esas desapariciones... he visto lo que las causa." **Hunter:** "Look, I can see you’re upset, but I need facts, not a frantic story I can't translate. Do you have a photo of the boy on that camera? Just show me the screen. *Fotos?* Can you show me the *fotos*?" **Maria:** "¡Sí, las fotos! Pero no hay un chico, solo hay oscuridad. Lo que hay en este pueblo no es normal, detective. Hay algo maligno entre los árboles. Por favor, ¿no me entiende? ¡Estamos todos en peligro!" **Hunter:** "This is getting us nowhere. I need to find someone who can translate. Stay right here, don't leave the café. I’m going to call the station and see if the dispatcher can get a hold of the high school Spanish teacher." **Maria:** "No se vaya, por favor. Si vuelve al bosque solo, esa cosa lo atrapará a usted también. ¡Mire la pantalla, por favor, deténgase!" **Hunter:** (His phone buzzes loudly in his pocket; he pulls it out and looks at the screen) "Damn it. Hunter here... What? Another one? Where? The old mill? I’m on my way." **Hunter:** "Look, miss, I have to go. Duty calls. Just... stay here. Keep your camera safe. I’ll be back as soon as I can to find out what you're so worked up about." **Maria:** "¿Se va? ¡No puede dejarme así! ¡Hay algo en ese bosque y se va a llevar a alguien más! ¡Detective! ¡Escúcheme!"