Run: 2026-05-10-01KR8Y6255BCHN5XXRKDVFPYEZ

The late afternoon light filtered through the dusty windows of the Alborn coffee shop, casting long, amber shadows across the table where Isabella sat. She was scrolling through the digital preview screen of her camera, her brow furrowed as she zoomed in on a blurry image of the wooded ravine edge. Hunter, his heavy boots sounding a rhythmic, tactical thud against the hardwood floor, pulled out the chair opposite her. He looked tired, his gaze sharp and searching. He set his notepad down, the movement decisive. **Hunter:** "Ma’am, I’m Detective Hunter. I’m looking into the folks who’ve gone missing around the festival grounds. You were spotted near the orchard boundary yesterday evening. Can you tell me what you saw?" **Isabella:** *(She looks up, her eyes wide and rimmed with red. She catches the authority in his posture and instinctively clutches her camera to her chest.)* "Oh, Dio mio... non posso crederci. C’era qualcosa nel bosco, una forma scura... ho scattato la foto ma non si vede quasi nulla. Ero così spaventata, sono scappata subito!" **Hunter:** *(He frowns, leaning forward, his brow crinkling in genuine bewilderment.)* "Whoa, slow down. I’m not following you. I just need to know if you saw a vehicle or anyone lingering near the trees. Did you see a person, Isabella?" **Isabella:** *(She shakes her head, her hands trembling as she gestures vaguely toward the window, her voice rising with anxiety.)* "Non capisci? Non era una persona! Era... era quasi etereo. Mi ha guardata, Hunter, mi ha guardata dritto negli occhi! Il mio cuore batteva così forte che pensavo di svenire. Perché queste cose accadono in un posto così tranquillo?" **Hunter:** *(He rubs a hand over his face, letting out a frustrated sigh, his marine-trained patience beginning to fray.)* "Look, I’m guessing you’re saying something important, but I don’t speak a word of Italian. Is there anyone in town who can translate? Or maybe you can just point at the map?" **Isabella:** *(She reaches into her bag and pulls out a small notebook, frantically trying to sketch the shape she saw, her breaths coming in short, uneven hitches.)* "Mi dispiace... non parlo inglese. Mi dispiace tanto. Ecco... ecco qui. Era così." **Hunter:** *(He stares at the frantic, abstract charcoal lines on the paper, his jaw tightening. Just as he opens his mouth to ask her to clarify, his radio crackles aggressively on his hip. He stands up abruptly, clipping the radio back to his belt.)* "Blast it all. I’ve got to go—there’s been another report over at the old mill." **Hunter:** "Stay here. Don’t leave Alborn. I’m going to find someone who can talk to you, even if I have to drag the school’s professor out of bed. Do you hear me?" **Isabella:** *(She watches him scramble toward the door, her fingers white-knuckled around her camera strap, whispering to the empty air.)* "Aspetta... torna subito. Per favore, non lasciarmi da sola."