Run: 2026-07-07-01KWZ3F7RCBK6DMH3SRSFSR478

**CHARACTERS:** - **MARIA SANTOS** (30, Spanish speaker only) - **DETECTIVE HUNTER** (35, English speaker only) **SCENE:** A small, window-lit café in Alborn, MN. The aroma of coffee and cinnamon fills the air. MARIA sits hunched over at a corner table, staring intently at the screen of her camera, her face pale and troubled. HUNTER enters, spots her, and approaches her table. --- HUNTER: (Pulls out his badge and holds it up) Excuse me, miss? Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. I'm investigating a series of disappearances. I was told you were out near the old mill road taking photos last Tuesday. MARIA: (Looks up, startled. Her hands tremble. She speaks rapidly, her voice shaky) ¿Desapariciones? Sí, yo estaba allí. Tomando fotos del atardecer. Pero vi algo... algo que no debí ver. No era normal. HUNTER: (Frowns, tilting his head) I'm sorry, I don't follow. Do you speak English? Miss, this is important. A man named Lars Holmgren vanished near that road. MARIA: (She clutches the camera to her chest, tears welling in her eyes) ¡Lars! Sí, Lars. Él me habló. Me pidió ayuda, dijo que estaba perdido. Y entonces... (She mimes a car approaching, then makes a sudden, sharp motion with her hand, as if something vanished) ...no más. No había nadie. Solo el bosque. HUNTER: (Sighs in frustration, running a hand over his face. He speaks slowly, loudly) I don't... understand. (Points at the camera) Did you take a picture of him? Of the man? Lars? MARIA: (Nods vigorously, then hesitates. She looks down at the camera, then back at Hunter, her gaze haunted) No solo una foto. Vi el lugar. El lugar al que se fue. No se fue en un coche. Fue... como si la tierra se lo tragara. HUNTER: (He tries to look at the camera screen, but Maria pulls it back. He takes out his notepad and writes, "PICTURE OF LARS? SHOW ME." He holds it up.) MARIA: (Reads the note. She looks at Hunter, then slowly, reluctantly, holds the camera out to him. Her hands are shaking so badly Hunter has to steady it to see the screen. He sees a photo of a man standing by a car, looking down a dirt path. It looks normal, but something in Maria's expression tells him otherwise. She whispers) No se lo lleve a la policía normal. Es peligroso. No es un hombre. (HUNTER'S PHONE RINGS. A harsh, insistent buzz.) HUNTER: (Holds up a finger to Maria. He answers the phone, his voice clipped) Hunter. ... What? ... The old grain mill? ... I'm on my way. (He hangs up and looks at Maria, then at the camera still in his hand.) I need to take this. Evidence. MARIA: (Panic flashes across her face. She reaches for the camera) ¡No! No puede. Es todo lo que tengo. Si se lo lleva, él sabrá que lo vi. ¡Sabrá que lo tengo! HUNTER: (He doesn't understand, but he sees the raw fear in her eyes. He hesitates for a moment. Then, he speaks firmly) I have go. Stay here. Don't leave town. (He points at her chair, then back at the door, enunciating) Stay. Here. MARIA: (She sinks back into her chair, looking defeated and terrified. She watches as Hunter pockets her camera. As he turns to leave, she calls out in a trembling voice) ¡Tenga cuidado, detective! ¡El bosque no es lo que parece! HUNTER: (Pauses at the door, a shiver running down his spine despite not understanding a single word. He glances back at her, then pushes through the door, disappearing into the afternoon light.) MARIA: (Alone, she stares at the empty doorway, then down at her hands. She whispers to herself) Ya no estoy segura en ningún lado. --- END SCENE ---