Run: 2026-05-10-01KR90Q39M22P0DWNHG63KYS6Z

The bell above the door of Alborn’s only coffee shop chimed, but Melanie didn’t look up. She sat in the corner booth, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the wooden tabletop. Her fingers traced the playback button on her camera. She had been trying to capture the golden light hitting the orchards, but she had captured something else instead—something that made her hands tremble. Hunter walked in, his heavy boots echoing on the floorboards. He looked like an intruder in the quaint, apple-scented cafe. He had seen the German girl sitting here for the last hour, staring at her lens with a look of pure distress. He pulled out the chair opposite her, not waiting for an invitation. *** **Hunter:** "Excuse me, miss? I’m Detective Hunter. I caught you taking photos near the North Orchard yesterday afternoon. You were there right around the time the last person went missing. I need to know exactly what you saw." **Melanie:** *(Her eyes widen, darting to his face before snapping back to her camera screen. She speaks rapidly, her voice thin and breathy)* "Oh Gott... ich habe es gesehen. Es war kein Schatten, es war eine Person! Er hat ihn mitgenommen, einfach so... wie ein Geist im Nebel. Bitte, Sie müssen mir glauben, ich habe es auf dem Chip, aber ich verstehe nicht, wie so etwas hier passieren kann!" **Hunter:** *(He frowns, leaning forward, his brow furrowing as he stares at her blankly)* "Whoa, slow down. I’m not following any of that. Is there anyone around here who speaks English? Look, I just need you to point to what you saw on the viewfinder. Can you do that?" **Melanie:** *(She pushes the camera toward him, her hands still shaking, her eyes pleading)* "Sehen Sie doch! Hier, das dritte Bild! Er trug einen schwarzen Mantel, er war so schnell... warum stehen Sie nur da? Die Polizei muss den Wald durchsuchen, er ist noch da draußen!" **Hunter:** *(He sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, feeling the familiar prickle of frustration)* "Look, I’m sorry, I don’t know a word of what you’re saying. Is it 'yes'? Are you saying 'yes' you saw him? Just... point." **Melanie:** *(She lets out a shaky, frustrated sob, her finger hovering over the screen, pointing at a blurred, dark figure in the background of her shot)* "Da! Da ist er! Verstehen Sie mich denn nicht? Er hat ihn in den Lieferwagen gezerrt!" **Hunter:** *(He leans in close to the camera, squinting at the display, his expression hardening into a grim mask)* "That’s it. That’s the van. Finally." *(Hunter’s radio crackles sharply on his belt, cutting through the tense silence. He fumbles for it, his eyes never leaving the camera screen. He answers the call, listening intently for a moment, his jaw tightening.)* **Hunter:** "Copy that, dispatch. I’m on my way." *(He stands up abruptly, looking down at Melanie with a stern, urgent expression)* "I have to move. Stay here. Do not leave this town, do not touch that camera, and do not—I repeat, do *not*—go back out to those orchards. Do you understand?" **Melanie:** *(She clutches her camera to her chest, her knuckles turning white, staring up at him with wide, frightened eyes)* "Was machen Sie? Gehen Sie jetzt alleine dorthin? Warten Sie!" **Hunter:** *(He doesn't look back, already walking toward the door)* "Don't move."