Run: 2026-05-10-01KR8YDGK78M41NV0ZHA5R9KAD

The morning mist still clung to the cobblestone streets of Alborn, MN, as Melanie sat at a corner table of *The Apple Core Café*. The scent of cinnamon and roasted coffee beans filled the air, but she barely noticed. Her eyes were fixed on the digital display of her Nikon, scrolling through shots of the dense Minnesota woods. The images were beautiful, but something in the shadows of the trees—something she had captured just an hour ago near the edge of town—made her fingers tremble. A heavy shadow fell over her table. She looked up to see a man who looked like he had been carved out of granite. He wore a dark tactical jacket, and his eyes held the weary, sharpened gaze of someone who hadn't slept in forty-eight hours. Detective Hunter didn't wait for an invitation. He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, his movements efficient and brusque. "Excuse me," Hunter said, his voice a low rumble. "I don't mean to interrupt your morning, but I saw you out by the old orchard earlier with that camera. Did you see anything unusual near the north trailhead? A person, perhaps? Or a vehicle that didn't belong?" Melanie stared at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. She understood the tone—he was a man in authority, a man looking for something lost—but the words were a frantic, rushing stream of sounds she couldn't decipher. Panic, fueled by the unsettling image still burned into her mind, rose in her throat. "Ich... ich weiß nicht, ob ich das sagen darf," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Es war schrecklich. Da war etwas im Gebüsch, etwas, das nicht menschlich aussah... oder zumindest nicht ganz. Ich habe das Gefühl, es beobachtet mich." Hunter blinked, his brow furrowing into a deep V. He leaned in slightly, his expression shifting from professional curiosity to sheer bewilderment. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that. Do you speak English?" Melanie shook her head quickly, her eyes wide. "Nein. Kein Englisch. Bitte, ich möchte nur gehen." Hunter sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hated hitting a wall this early in the day. "Look, I'm sorry, miss. I don't know a lick of German. I’m just trying to find out if you saw anything regarding the disappearances. Anything at all. A stranger? A noise?" He tried to use gestures, pointing toward the woods, then miming a walking motion. Melanie watched his hands, her breath coming in shallow hitches. She pointed to her camera, then toward the dark line of trees in the distance, her expression one of profound distress. "Was ist los?" she asked, her voice small. "Warum schauen alle so seltsam?" Hunter stared at her, the silence between them stretching awkwardly. He could see she was terrified, but without a bridge of language, he was flying blind. He opened his mouth to try one more time—perhaps a slower, more universal pantomime—when the sharp, insistent ring of his work phone shattered the moment. He pulled the device from his belt, seeing the caller ID. His jaw tightened. "Duty calls," he muttered, more to himself than her. He stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I'm sorry. I have to take this. Stay safe, okay?" He turned and strode out of the café without waiting for a response, leaving Melanie alone with her camera and a terror that no amount of distance could soothe. *** **Voice Sheet** Melanie: "Ich... ich weiß nicht, ob ich das sagen darf. Es war schrecklich. Da war etwas im Gebüsch, etwas, das nicht menschlich aussah... oder zumindest nicht ganz. Ich habe das Gefühl, es beobachtet mich." Hunter: "Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt your morning, but I saw you out by the old orchard earlier with that camera. Did you see anything unusual near the north trailhead? A person, perhaps? Or a vehicle that didn't belong?" Hunter: "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that. Do you speak English?" Melanie: "Nein. Kein Englisch. Bitte, ich möchte nur gehen." Hunter: "Look, I'm sorry, miss. I don't know a lick of German. I’m just trying to find out if you saw anything regarding the disappearances. Anything at all. A stranger? A noise?" Melanie: "Was ist los? Warum schauen alle so seltsam?" Hunter: "Duty calls. I'm sorry. I have to take this. Stay safe, okay?"