Run: 2026-04-25-01KQ2H7BHFBX4RGF9RNB9BXYK2

**Voice Sheet – Scene 4: The Café Encounter** **Location:** Main Street Café, Alborn, MN. Late afternoon. The smell of brewed coffee and cinnamon hangs in the air. **Melanie** is seated at a corner table, a half-empty cup of black coffee untouched beside her. She stares intently at the small LCD screen of her camera, her brow furrowed. Her fingers tremble slightly as she scrolls through recent photos. **Hunter** enters the café. He spots her—the only person in the room not on a phone. He walks over, stops at the edge of her table, and clears his throat. --- **Hunter:** "Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry to interrupt. You're the study abroad student, right? I'm Detective Hunter. I need to ask you a few questions about the disappearance near the apple orchard last night." **Melanie** *(looks up, eyes wide. She blinks rapidly, then switches to German, her voice shaky and rushed):* "Oh, ja… ich habe es gesehen. Aber ich kann nicht darüber sprechen. Es war… schrecklich. Der Nebel war so dicht, und dann… die Lichter." **Hunter** *(tilts his head, confused):** "...I'm sorry?" **Melanie:** "Der Mann ist einfach… verschwunden. Wie in einem Albtraum. Meine Kamera hat es festgehalten, aber jetzt bin ich mir nicht sicher, ob ich die Bilder überhaupt behalten will. Die Stille danach… sie war nicht natürlich." **Hunter** *(rubs the back of his neck, letting out a frustrated sigh):** "I don't… I'm sorry, I don't speak—do you know any English? Just a little? The man who went missing—did you see anything strange? A vehicle? A figure?" **Melanie** *(leans forward, her voice urgent but still in German):** "Nein, kein Auto. Nichts Menschliches. Der Nebel hat sich bewegt, als ob er… lebendig wäre. Und dann war er weg. Einfach weg. Ich habe nachgeschaut—dort war nichts. Nur die leere Wiese." **Hunter:** *(He pulls out his notepad, looks at it helplessly, then back at her. He speaks slowly, enunciating every word):** "You. Saw. Something. In the fog. Was it… a person? An animal? Point. Point to it on your camera." **Melanie** *(glances at her camera, then back at Hunter, her eyes glistening. She switches to broken, accented English, forcing the words out):** "Is… no… body. The fog… eat him. I have… picture. But is nothing. Only… light. Wrong light." **Hunter** *(nods slowly, his instincts pricking):** "Wrong light. Like a flashlight? Or headlights?" **Melanie** *(shakes her head violently, slipping back into German):** "Nein. Wie kaltes Feuer. Es hat geleuchtet, aber keine Wärme gegeben. Es war wie… wie ein Auge." **Hunter** *(opens his mouth to respond—then his phone buzzes. He pulls it out and glances at the screen. His expression hardens.):** **Hunter:** "I've gotta take this. Stay in town, please. Don't delete those photos. I'll find someone who speaks German. We'll talk again." **Melanie** *(nods, hugging her camera to her chest):** "Ja. Seien Sie vorsichtig, Detective. Der Nebel… er wartet noch." **Hunter** *(pauses, frowning at her tone, then pockets the phone):** "Right. Nebel. Fog. Got it." He turns and strides out of the café, already answering the call. The door swings shut behind him. **Melanie** remains seated, staring at the empty street through the fog-streaked window. Her fingers trace the edge of her camera lens. ---