Run: 2026-03-03-01KJTZMDNEVQJBMX7C1JZPKCG7

The air in the Alborn café smelled of cinnamon and damp autumn leaves. Marie sat by the window, the soft *click-clack* of her camera’s playback button rhythmic against the murmur of the morning coffee rush. She was reviewing photos of the orchard, her brow furrowed, when a shadow fell across her screen. Hunter stood there, his heavy wool coat still dusted with the morning’s light frost. He had the silhouette of a man who measured his life in tactical movements, not leisure. *** **Voice Sheet** **Hunter:** "Excuse me. Do you have a second? I’m Detective Hunter. I’ve been canvassing the area regarding the missing persons cases. I noticed you were out near the North Orchard yesterday—I saw you taking photos. Did you see anyone out there besides the apple pickers?" **Marie:** *(Her eyes widen, darting toward the window. She clutches her camera tightly to her chest, her voice trembling.)* "Monsieur, je... je ne comprends pas. C'était horrible. Il y avait des ombres, des silhouettes dans le brouillard, et puis... plus rien. Ils ont disparu sous mes yeux, comme de la fumée ! Vous devez m'aider, je ne suis pas en sécurité ici !" **Hunter:** *(Frowns deeply, his brow knitting together. He tilts his head, eyes squinting as if trying to decode a cipher.)* "Look, I’m going to need you to slow down. I don't catch a word of that. Are you saying you saw something? Just give me a name or point to a location on this map. Did you see someone take them?" **Marie:** *(Her hands shake as she turns the camera display toward him, pointing frantically at a blurry, dark shape captured in the background of a landscape shot.)* "Regardez ! Là, dans le coin de l'image ! Ce n'était pas un humain, ce n'était pas normal. Pourquoi personne ne m'écoute ? C’est un cauchemar, tout cela n'est qu'un cauchemar !" **Hunter:** *(Staring at the grainy digital screen, his expression hardening into a frustrated mask.)* "Lady, I’m stuck here. I’m trying to help, but I honestly have no idea what you’re telling me. I need someone who speaks English… or at least someone who can point to a face." *(Hunter’s jacket pocket suddenly erupts with the sharp, jarring ring of a radio. He pulls it out, his face sharpening into a mask of professional urgency as he listens to the garbled dispatch.)* **Hunter:** "Dammit. Fine. Stay here. Don't go anywhere—if you saw something, you’re a witness, and I need to get a translator down here. I have to go, there’s been another report toward the festival grounds. Stay put." **Marie:** *(Watching him turn and storm toward the door, her voice dropping to a panicked whisper.)* "Attendez ! Monsieur, s'il vous plaît ! Ne me laissez pas seule..."