Run: 2026-03-25-01KMJ8JW5CEB2FDS6KYQ0MYMRT

VOICE SHEET – "CAFE CONVERSATION" **[Setting: A quiet morning at the Alborn Diner, a cozy roadside café with checkered floors and the smell of cinnamon rolls in the air. Maria sits by the window, gently wiping the lens of her camera, lost in thought. Hunter enters, badge subtly visible, scanning the room before approaching her.]** **Hunter:** Ma’am? Sorry to bother you. I’m Detective Hunter. We’ve had some… unusual things happening in town lately. You’ve been around here a few days, taking photos? You see anything strange? Anyone acting out of place? **Maria:** *(looking up, startled, voice shaky)* Ay, Dios mío… anoche… anoche vi algo. En el bosque, cerca del viejo silo. Había luces… no como faros, no… flotando. Y un sonido… como un gemido en el viento. No era normal. No era humano. **Hunter:** *(frowning, straining to understand)* I… uh… you okay? You see someone? A person? Missing person? We’re looking for a couple that vanished near the apple orchards. **Maria:** *(gesturing anxiously)* ¡Sí, personas! Pero no solo eso! La cámara… la cámara lo grabó, pero… cuando miré las fotos esta mañana… nada. Solo niebla. Como si… como si no quisiera ser visto. **Hunter:** *(confused, leaning in)* You took pictures? Of what? The missing folks? **Maria:** *(shaking her head fast)* No, no, no… algo más. Algo que no entiendo. La niebla se movía… como una mano. Y oí una voz… susurrando en español. Mi nombre… dijo “María…” **Hunter:** *(blinking, now concerned but frustrated)* I don’t… I can’t understand Spanish. I’m sorry. Do you know the missing couple? Tom and Elise? Stayed at the Pine Ridge Motel? **Maria:** *(frustrated, switching gestures, pointing vaguely toward the woods)* Bosque… allí. Tienes que ir antes del anochecer. ¡Es peligroso! **Hunter:** *(trying to decipher, holding up hands)* Forest? You’re saying go to the forest? Why? **[Hunter’s phone rings sharply. He answers, turning slightly away.]** **Hunter:** Hunter here. … What? The motel’s security camera just picked up movement? Same room? … Yeah, I’m on it. Stay outside, don’t go in. I’m coming. **[He pockets the phone, turns back to Maria, torn.]** **Hunter:** Sorry, I gotta go. Emergency. But… thanks. I don’t know what you said, but… you look scared. Stay safe, okay? **Maria:** *(pleading, in Spanish)* ¡No vayas solo! ¡No estás preparado! ¡Algo en el bosque… sabe que vienes! **Hunter:** *(pausing, glancing back with a hardened gaze)* I’ve been through worse. Stay here. Stay inside. **[He exits quickly. Maria watches him go, clutching her camera tightly, whispering to herself.]** **Maria:** *(softly, in Spanish)* Dios mío, por favor… que no sea demasiado tarde. **[FADE OUT.]**