Run: 2026-04-24-01KQ06723NEPZG22PDB6YWFEDG

**INT. CAFE ALBORNE - DAY** The small cafe is warm and smells of fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee. Sunlight streams through the window, catching dust motes in the air. MARIA sits at a small table by the window, her expensive camera resting on the tablecloth. She isn't looking at the bustling main street, but down at the camera's display screen, scrolling through photos with a troubled expression. HUNTER, wearing a plain jacket and an air of weary determination, enters the cafe. His eyes scan the room before landing on Maria. He approaches her table. **HUNTER** Excuse me. Are you Maria? The student staying at the Miller farm? Maria looks up, startled. Her eyes are wide. She nods slowly, pulling her camera closer. **MARIA** Sí. I am Maria. Yes. **HUNTER** Detective Hunter Hayes. I'm investigating the... disturbances in town. I heard you were out near the old Henderson orchard yesterday afternoon. Took some pictures, is that right? Maria’s face pales. She gestures with shaking hands towards her camera. **MARIA** ¡Sí, claro! Pero... había una luz. En los árboles. No estaba bien. Un ruido... como un susurro, pero frío. ¡Y luego alguien desapareció en la niebla! ¡Estaba aterrada! Hunter stares at her, his brow furrowed in profound confusion. He understands nothing but the tone, which is clearly distressed. **HUNTER** Ma’am, I… I don’t understand. Could you speak English, please? Maria lets out a frustrated sigh, seeing his blank look. She points emphatically at her camera, then makes a ghostly whooshing motion with her hands, then points towards the window, mimicking someone walking away and vanishing. **HUNTER** You… saw something? Through the camera? In the orchard? She nods vigorously, relieved. **¡Sí! Sí, exacto!** She turns the camera on, showing him a photo. It’s a beautiful, crisp landscape of apple trees. But in the far background, between two trunks, there’s a blurry, indistinct shape that could be a person, or just a trick of the light and shadow. **HUNTER** Is that…? Who is that? **MARIA** *(Shaking her head)* No sé. No vi a nadie. Pero… después de la foto… el aire se sintió… vacío. Hunter sighs, running a hand over his face. This is like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. **HUNTER** Look, I need a statement. Can you write it down, maybe? In… simple words? Maria pulls out a small notebook, her expression apologetic. She begins to write in careful, blocky English letters: *Orchard. Light. Cold whisper. Man… gone?* Before she can finish, Hunter’s phone buzzes loudly in his pocket. He pulls it out, his expression instantly sharpening. **HUNTER** Hayes… Yeah? …Another one? …Where? …I’m on my way. Secure the area. Do not go in alone. He hangs up, his jaw tight. The weary determination has been replaced by urgent tension. **HUNTER** I have to go. Now. Stay here. Or go back to the farm. Don’t go near that orchard again. Understand? Maria nods, her eyes wide with fear. **Sí. Entiendo.** Hunter gives her one last, frustrated look, then turns and strides quickly out of the cafe, the little bell above the door jangling in his wake. Maria sits alone, clutching her camera. She looks back down at the screen, at the blurry shape in the orchard, and a single tear tracks down her cheek.