Run: 2026-05-10-01KR8VRKW7BRJS46D3HAD5P1ZX

The afternoon sun filtered through the windows of *The Apple Core Café*, casting long, golden shadows across the wooden tables. Maria sat tucked into a corner booth, her fingers tracing the edges of her digital camera. She stared at the small screen, her eyes clouded with a lingering dread from what she had captured through her lens earlier that morning near the edge of the woods. The bell above the door chimed, and a man with a heavy tread and a weathered face approached. He wore a jacket that looked as stiff as his expression. He stopped at her table, looming like a storm cloud. Maria looked up, her heart fluttering. She saw a man who looked like he was searching for something lost. *** **Voice Sheet: The Café Encounter** Maria: (A soft, trembling sigh as she stares at her camera screen) Hunter: "Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but I saw you out by the old orchard earlier with that camera. Did you see anything unusual near the creek? A person, maybe? Or a vehicle that didn't belong?" Maria: (Looking up, her eyes wide and glassy with fear) "No entiendo... lo siento, no hablo inglés. Pero... lo que vi... fue horrible. No debería haber estado allí. La luz era tan hermosa, y de repente, todo se sintió tan... frío. Como si algo nos estuviera observando desde las sombras." Hunter: (Frowning, his brow furrowing in deep confusion) "I... I don't follow. Look, I’m just trying to get some information. Did you see anyone? Anyone at all?" Maria: (Shaking her head, her voice rising in a panicked whisper) "Por favor, no me mire así. No puedo explicarlo en sus palabras, pero lo que capturé en esta foto... me hace sentir que no estoy segura aquí. Alborn no es lo que parece." Hunter: (Sighing heavily, rubbing the back of his neck) "Great. Just great. I’m losing time and I’m losing the trail. Listen, if you remember anything—anything at all—just... I don't know, write it down? Or find someone who can help me translate?" Maria: (Looking down at her camera, her voice barely audible) "Solo quiero irme a casa. Este lugar tiene secretos que no quiero fotografiar." Hunter: (Reaching for his belt as his phone begins to vibrate aggressively) "Look, I’d love to stay and figure this out, but duty calls." (Hunter answers the phone, his tone shifting instantly to a sharp, professional command.) Hunter: "Detective Hunter speaking. Yeah... where? Right. I’m on my way. Keep the perimeter secure." (Hunter looks back at Maria for a split second, a flicker of frustration and curiosity in his eyes, before turning on his heel and heading for the door.) Maria: (Watching him leave, whispering to herself) "Que Dios nos ayude a todos."