Run: 2026-03-11-01KKFEZV2BNQXFS3V8NVKQ3G5A

Marie was sitting at a small corner table at *The Apple Core Café*, the lens of her camera catching the afternoon light as she scrolled through recent shots. A half-eaten croissant sat on a plate beside her — the one item on the menu that felt remotely like home. Hunter pushed open the café door, the bell above jingling. He scanned the room, spotted Marie, and made his way over, pulling out the chair across from her without invitation. Hunter: "Excuse me — you're the exchange student staying over on Elm Street, right? Marie, was it?" Marie: *(looking up from her camera, eyes wide, hand instinctively clutching it to her chest)* "Oui… c'est moi. Mais… je suis désolée, je ne parle pas anglais. Je ne comprends pas." Hunter: *(sitting down, leaning forward with his elbows on the table)* "Look, I'm Detective Hunter. I need to ask you a few questions. There was an incident near the old orchard two nights ago. A woman disappeared. You weren't by any chance out taking photographs around that area, were you?" Marie: *(her expression shifting to troubled, shaking her head rapidly)* "L'ancien verger… Oui, j'étais là-bas. J'ai photographié les pommiers au coucher du soleil. Mais… j'ai entendu quelque chose. Un cri. Très loin. J'ai eu si peur… j'ai couru. J'ai couru très vite." *(She presses a hand to her chest, visibly shaken.)* Hunter: *(staring blankly, eyebrows furrowed)* "I… I don't… I have no idea what you just said. Are you saying you were there? Or… not there?" Marie: *(gesturing frantically toward the window, mimicking holding a camera, then pointing outside)* "Camera. Moi. Verger. Dehors. Et puis… *aaaah*!" *(She mimes a scream, then hugs herself, shivering.)* Hunter: *(rubbing the back of his neck, exhaling slowly)* "Okay. So you *were* at the orchard. And something happened that scared you. Is that right? Something bad?" Marie: *(nodding emphatically, her eyes glistening)* "Oui, oui! Quelque chose de terrible. Je ne savais pas quoi faire. J'étais seule. La nuit tombait." Hunter: *(pulling out a small notepad and pen, sliding it across the table)* "Here — can you write it down? Maybe draw a picture? I really need to understand what you saw." Marie: *(taking the pen, sketching a quick map of the orchard, then drawing a small stick figure near the trees and an arrow pointing away. She circles a spot near the far edge of the orchard and draws a question mark.)* "Ici. Quelque chose se passe ici." Hunter: *(studying the sketch, nodding slowly)* "That's… actually helpful. So something happened at the far end of the orchard. Were there any other people? Cars? Anything unusual?" Marie: *(tapping the question mark, then holding up her camera)* "Photos. J'ai mes photos. Vous voulez voir?" Hunter: *(perking up)* "Photos? Yes — yes, I want to see them. Pull them up." Marie: *(fumbling with the camera buttons, cycling through images — golden rows of apple trees, the fading sunset, and then — a blurry shape between the trees at the edge of the frame. She stops, her breath catching.)* "Regardez… là." *(She turns the screen toward Hunter, her hand trembling.)* Hunter: *(squinting at the screen, leaning in)* "What is that? Is that a person? Someone standing out there?" Marie: *(whispering, eyes wide)* "Je… je ne sais pas. Je ne l'ai pas vu quand j'ai pris la photo. C'est seulement maintenant…" Hunter: "Wait — you didn't see anyone when you took this? You only noticed it just now?" Marie: *(nodding slowly, hugging the camera to her chest again)* Hunter: *(running a hand through his hair, muttering to himself)* "This changes things. This changes a lot of things." *(His phone buzzes loudly in his jacket pocket. He holds up a finger to Marie.)* "Hold that thought — I need to take this." Hunter: *(answering the phone, turning slightly away)* "Hunter here. …What? When? …I'm on my way." *(He hangs up, already standing, grabbing his jacket.)* "Marie — I have to go. Something's come up. Don't delete those photos. I'll find someone who can translate and I'll be back. You understand? Don't go anywhere near that orchard." Marie: *(clutching her camera tightly, nodding)* "Je comprends. Je reste ici. Dépêchez-vous, détective." Hunter: *(pausing at the door, giving her a curt nod despite not understanding a word)* "…Yeah. Stay safe." *The bell above the door jingled as he disappeared into the growing dusk of Alborn.*