Run: 2026-03-03-01KJTYY1KE8AMMXKMTG6H48SQB

The small, sun-drenched cafe in Alborn smelled perpetually of cinnamon and over-baked pastry. Isabella hunched over her digital camera, her brow furrowed as she scrolled through the candid street shots she’d taken during the Apple Festival. Hunter stood over the table, his shadow stretching across her screen. He wore a faded field jacket that looked a decade old, his posture rigid—a leftover habit from a life spent in the Corps. He tapped a notebook against his palm, his eyes scanning the cafe before settling on the girl with the Italian embroidery on her bag. The dialogue between them played out like a fractured melody, the weight of their lack of understanding pressing down on the laminate tabletop. *** **Hunter:** "Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt. My name is Detective Hunter. I’m looking into the disappearances that happened during the festival. I noticed you were out in the square with your camera all afternoon. Did you happen to see anything… out of the ordinary? Maybe someone who didn't look like they belonged?" **Isabella:** *(She looks up, startled, her knuckles white as she grips the camera strap. Her eyes are wide, glassy with lingering adrenaline.)* "Mio Dio... non posso crederci. È stato terribile! Ho visto... ho visto un’ombra vicino al capannone dei sidro. Un uomo, correva verso il bosco, ma il suo volto... era come se non avesse volto! Tremavo così tanto che la fotocamera mi è quasi caduta di mano. È sparito nel nulla, proprio mentre le luci si spegnevano!" **Hunter:** *(He frowns, leaning in, his brow furrowed in deep frustration. He holds his hands up, palms facing her, trying to signal for her to slow down.)* "Whoa, slow down. You’re… you’re Italian, right? Look, I’m sorry, I don’t follow. I’m just trying to get a description. A person? A direction? Can you point toward where you saw them? Are you okay?" **Isabella:** *(She gestures frantically to the memory card in her camera, her voice rising in urgency.)* "Qui! Nelle foto! Ho scattato un'immagine proprio in quel momento! Devi aiutarmi, per favore, non capisco cosa stia succedendo in questa città. È tutto così cupo, così strano. Aiutatemi!" **Hunter:** *(He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling the clock ticking.)* "I don't know what that means. You're upset, I get it. Just… hold onto that camera, alright? I’m serious. Don’t delete anything. Keep it safe." **Isabella:** *(She looks at him, sensing the lack of comprehension, her expression softening into one of desperate helplessness.)* "Non capisci niente... va bene. Vada via. Mi lasci sola." **Hunter:** *(His cell phone vibrates sharply in his pocket. He glances at the screen, his face hardening as he reads the caller ID. He checks his watch and shifts his weight toward the door.)* "Damn it. Look, that’s my dispatch. I have to go—there’s been another report near the orchard. Stay put. Don’t wander off. Just… stay where there’s light, you hear me?" **Isabella:** *(She watches him go, her hands trembling as she clicks the shutter button, staring at the blurred, dark shape on her small LCD screen.)* "Va bene. Vada."