Run: 2026-04-24-01KQ021RCYKQX5DTKS6VRPED6V

# At the Alborn Café Melanie sat alone at a small corner table, cradling her camera like a lifeline. She scrolled through her photos — rolling fields of gold, an old red barn silhouetted against a bruised sky, the quiet stretch of road that wound through Alborn. She paused on one photo, her brow furrowing. She zoomed in. Something in the treeline. A figure? She shook her head and set the camera down, wrapping both hands around her half-finished coffee. Hunter pushed through the café door, his sharp eyes scanning the room. He spotted Melanie immediately — the outsider, the one everyone in town had been whispering about. He adjusted his jacket and made his way over. **Hunter:** "Excuse me — ma'am? I'm Detective Hunter. Mind if I sit down for a moment? I just have a few questions." Melanie looked up, startled. She studied his face — the hard jaw, the badge clipped to his belt — and her grip tightened around her mug. **Melanie:** "Äh... Entschuldigung, ich spreche kein Englisch. Können Sie mich verstehen? Ich... ich verstehe Sie nicht." **Hunter:** "I'm sorry — you don't... speak English?" **Melanie:** "Nein, nein Englisch. Nur Deutsch. Deutsch." **Hunter:** "German. You speak German." **Melanie:** "Ja! Deutsch. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" **Hunter:** "No, ma'am. I do not speak German." A long pause. They stared at each other. **Hunter:** "Okay. Let me try this slowly. I'm looking into some... disappearances. People missing. Gone." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand — gone. Melanie's eyes widened. Her face drained of color. **Melanie:** "Verschwunden? Menschen... verschwunden? Wann? Wo... wo sind sie hin?" **Hunter:** "I'm sorry, I didn't catch any of that. Were you — have you seen anything? Strange? Something that seemed... wrong?" He leaned forward, pressing his palms flat against the table. Melanie glanced down at her camera. She picked it up with trembling hands and turned the screen toward him, pointing at the photo she had been staring at — the treeline, the shape half-hidden among the pines. **Melanie:** "Hier! Ich habe etwas gesehen. Dort, in den Bäumen. Jemand... oder etwas. Ich weiß nicht, was es war. Ich habe Angst. Verstehen Sie? Ich habe Angst." **Hunter:** "What is that? Is that a person? Where was this taken?" **Melanie:** "Die Straße am Ortsrand. Gestern Abend, kurz vor Sonnenuntergang. Ich habe... ich habe ein Geräusch gehört. Ein Schrei." She mimed a scream, one hand flying to her mouth. **Hunter:** "A scream? You heard a scream? On the road at the edge of town? Last night?" **Melanie:** "Gestern. Ja. Gestern. Abend. Straße." She pointed emphatically at the photo again. **Hunter:** "Okay. Okay, this is... this is something. I need to get this to the station. Can I — can I get a copy of this photo?" He gestured toward the camera and then toward himself, pointing at her, then the camera, then tapping his own chest. Melanie nodded eagerly, understanding the gesture. **Melanie:** "Ja, ja. Ich kann... ich kann es Ihnen geben. Warte — bitte, kommen Sie zurück. Bitte. Ich will nicht allein sein." **Hunter:** "I'll be right back, I just need to —" His phone buzzed. He held up one finger — *wait* — and fished it from his pocket. **Hunter:** "Hunter here." His expression shifted instantly. Whatever the voice on the other end was saying, it wasn't good. **Hunter:** "Where? ...How long? ...I'm on my way." He shoved the phone back into his jacket and looked at Melanie, who was watching him with wide, frightened eyes. **Hunter:** "Ma'am, I have to go. I'm sorry. Stay here. Don't go anywhere alone. I'll be back — I'll find someone who can translate." **Melanie:** "Was — was ist passiert? Bitte, gehen Sie nicht! Nicht schon wieder allein!" **Hunter:** "I'm sorry. Stay put." He dropped a few bills on the table, flashed her an apologetic look, and was already pushing through the door before the bell above it finished chiming. Melanie sat alone again, the café suddenly too quiet. She pulled her camera close to her chest and stared at the empty chair across from her. **Melanie:** "...Was passiert hier in dieser Stadt?"