Run: 2026-02-25-01KJ95FTWM9ZTVPMAEAHXMFB6E

## Scene Start ## **INT. ALLEY CAT CAFE - DAY** The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon hangs heavy in the air. Sunlight streams through the window of the Alley Cat Cafe, illuminating dust motes dancing above worn wooden tables. MARIE (30, French, bright eyes, always with her camera) sits at a small table by the window. Her camera lies open on the table, and she's intently examining a photograph on its screen, a slight frown creasing her brow. Her French is fluid and musical, a stark contrast to the quiet hum of the cafe. DETECTIVE HUNTER (35, ex-Marine, no-nonsense, his gaze sharp and weary) enters the cafe, scanning the room. His eyes land on Marie. He approaches her table, his spurs faintly jingling on the tiled floor. <output> **Hunter:** Excuse me, miss. Detective Hunter. We're asking around about… well, about the incident down by the creek last night. Did you happen to see anything unusual? **Marie:** (Looks up, startled, then her eyes widen. Her hand flies to her chest, her expression immediately shifting to troubled and shaken.) Oh, mon Dieu! C'était... C'était terrible! J'ai vu... j'ai vu une ombre! Grande, trop grande... Et puis, il y avait ce bruit... comme un cri étouffé. (Her voice trembles.) Je ne comprends pas. Il a juste... disparu. Comme ça. **Hunter:** (Brow furrowed, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice. He doesn't understand a single word.) Shadow? A scream? I… I don't understand French, miss. Can you speak English? Anything at all? **Marie:** (Shakes her head, tears welling up in her eyes.) Non, je suis désolée. Pas d'anglais. Mais j'essayais de prendre une photo... juste le paysage, et puis... (She fumbles with her camera, her hands shaking visibly. She turns the screen towards Hunter, scrolling past clear landscapes until she stops on a hazy, distorted image.) Regardez! Ceci! Ce n'est pas normal. La lumière... et cette… forme. C'était… **Hunter:** (Stares at the screen, then at Marie's genuinely terrified face. He can't decipher the words, but he sees the raw emotion. He points at the blurry, unsettling anomaly on the camera screen.) This? You saw… this? **Marie:** (Nods vigorously, tears streaming down her now pale cheeks.) Oui! Oui! C'est ça! Mon Dieu, qu'est-ce que c'était?! (Suddenly, Hunter's phone buzzes loudly in his pocket, cutting through the tense moment. He sighs, pulling it out, his focus shifting instantly to the urgent call.) **Hunter:** Damn it. Look, miss… I… (He glances at the phone's screen, then back at Marie, his expression hardening with the urgency of his job.) I'm sorry. I have to go. This is important. **Marie:** (Reaches out tentatively, still holding out the camera, her voice a desperate plea.) Mais… **Hunter:** (Shakes his head, pocketing his phone as he turns away.) I'll… I'll find someone to translate. Stay… stay here. (He gives her one last, thoughtful look, then strides out of the cafe, leaving Marie alone with her camera and her terrifying, unspoken experience.) </output> ## Scene End ##