Run: 2026-05-10-01KR8X7T0NNBJSC6XDXTW0JPXB

The bell above the door of *The Apple Core Café* gave a cheerful chime, a sound that stood in stark contrast to the heavy knot in Isabella’s stomach. She sat in a corner booth, the steam from her untouched espresso curling into the air. Her fingers brushed the cold, metallic casing of her Nikon, her thumb tracing the lens. She had captured something in the woods yesterday—a shadow, a movement, a flash of something that didn't belong in the quiet serenity of Alborn. The chair across from her scraped against the wooden floor. Isabella looked up, her breath hitching. A man stood there, built like a fortress with eyes that seemed to be cataloging every exit in the room. He wore a dark jacket that looked too heavy for the afternoon sun, and his expression was as unyielding as the granite cliffs of the North Shore. "Excuse me," he said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "Are you the photographer staying at the inn?" Isabella blinked, her heart hammering against her ribs. She understood the cadence of his voice, but the words were a wall of impenetrable sounds. "Mi scusi?" she whispered, her eyes wide. "Non capisco. Parla inglese?" The man’s brow furrowed, a shadow of frustration crossing his rugged features. He leaned in slightly, his posture commanding. "I'm Detective Hunter. I'm looking into the incident near the old orchard last night. You were out there with your camera, weren't you? Did you see anyone near the clearing?" Isabella felt the color drain from her face. She gripped her camera tighter, her knuckles turning white. The image of the dark shape darting between the apple trees flashed in her mind, and a shudder ran through her. "Era terribile," she said, her voice trembling, the Italian words tumbling out in a frantic, melodic rush. "C'era qualcosa tra gli alberi... non era un animale. Ho avuto così tanta paura, mi tremano ancora le mani." Hunter stared at her, his head tilting slightly to the side. He looked less like a detective and more like a man trying to decipher a code written in smoke. "I... I don't know what you're saying," he admitted, his jaw tightening. "Is it yes or no? Did you see something?" Isabella shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears she refused to let fall. She gestured vaguely toward the window, toward the sprawling woods that bordered the town. "Non so come dirvelo... sembrava un incubo. Tutto è così silenzioso qui, ma quel silenzio... fa paura." Hunter sighed, a heavy, weary sound. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't speak a word of whatever that is. If you saw something suspicious, I need you to find a translator or just... point. Can you point?" Isabella looked down at her camera, then back at him, feeling the vast, lonely distance between their worlds. She tried to find the English words, searching her memory for the scraps she had learned in her first week, but her mind was a static haze of panic. "No... no English. Solo... paura." "Right. Fear. I get that," Hunter muttered, though he couldn't be sure. "Stay in town. Don't go wandering off into the trees alone. This isn't a vacation anymore." Before she could respond, the sharp, aggressive trill of a cell phone shattered the tension. Hunter pulled the device from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and his entire demeanor shifted from curious to combat-ready. "Duty calls," he said, his tone clipped and professional. He stood up, casting one last, searching look at the frightened girl in the corner. "Stay safe, Miss..." He trailed off, realizing he didn't even have her name. He turned and strode out of the café, the bell chiming again, leaving Isabella alone with her camera and a silence that suddenly felt far too loud. *** **Voice Sheet** Isabella: "Mi scusi? Non capisco. Parla inglese?" Hunter: "Excuse me. Are you the photographer staying at the inn? I'm Detective Hunter. I'm looking into the incident near the old orchard last night. You were out there with your camera, weren't you? Did you see anyone near the clearing?" Isabella: "Era terribile. C'era qualcosa tra gli alberi... non era un animale. Ho avuto così tanta paura, mi tremano ancora le mani." Hunter: "I... I don't know what you're saying. Is it yes or no? Did you see something?" Isabella: "Non so come dirvelo... sembrava un incubo. Tutto è così silenzioso qui, ma quel silenzio... fa paura." Hunter: "Look, I don't speak a word of whatever that is. If you saw something suspicious, I need you to find a translator or just... point. Can you point?" Isabella: "No... no English. Solo... paura." Hunter: "Right. Fear. I get that. Stay in town. Don't go wandering off into the trees alone. This isn't a vacation anymore. Duty calls. Stay safe, Miss..."