Run: 2026-07-25-01KYCWQ9DPAF66G4DNEPHMFWYA

The crisp autumn air of Alborn, Minnesota, carried the distant scent of cinnamon and baking apples from the upcoming annual festival, but inside the small, wood-paneled cafe, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Thirty-year-old Maria sat at a corner table, the morning sunlight catching the strap of her professional DSLR camera. She stared down at the LCD screen, her fingers trembling as she clicked through a fresh sequence of landscape photographs she’d taken at the edge of the woods near town. Her dark eyes were wide with fright, the images on the screen replaying a chilling moment she had accidentally captured. Footsteps crunched on the floorboards, and a tall, broad-shouldered man in a worn jacket stopped at her table. Detective Hunter rested a heavy hand on the back of the empty chair opposite her. His posture was rigid, a remnant of his years as a marine, and his expression was strictly no-nonsense. He needed answers about the recent disappearances plaguing the quiet town of 3,000, and the panicked college student on his study abroad program was rumored to have been wandering the perimeter woods at dusk. Hunter cleared his throat, pulling out a small notebook. "Excuse me, miss. I need to ask you a few questions about what you saw out by the timberline yesterday evening." Maria looked up, her heart pounding. She gripped her camera tighter to her chest, her mind racing in Spanish. "¡Ay, Dios mío! Había alguien... vi algo terrible en los árboles, ¡por favor, alguien tiene que hacer algo!" she stammered, her voice shaking as she gestured wildly toward the camera screen. Hunter stared down at her, his brow furrowing deeply. He didn't know a word of Spanish—not even a *hola* or *gracias*. He blinked, looking at her hands, then back to her face. "Right. Slow down. Look, I don't know what you're saying. Do you speak English?" Maria shook her head frantically, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "No, no hablo inglés. ¡Por favor! ¡Mira las fotos! ¡Alguien está en peligro!" She pushed the camera slightly across the laminate tabletop, pointing at a blurry, zoomed-in frame in the background of a landscape shot—a dark, indistinct figure half-concealed behind an oak tree, watching the road. Hunter frowned, leaning in to look at the screen. He recognized the woods, but the blur of the figure meant nothing to him. "Is this a joke? Look, kid, people are missing. I need real information. Did you see a vehicle? Did you see anyone acting suspicious?" "¡No entiendo! ¡Por favor, escúchame!" Maria pleaded, tapping the glass of the camera screen desperately, trying to bridge the gap of their entirely different languages through pure terror. Hunter sighed, running a hand over his stubbled jaw, realizing they were getting nowhere. Before he could try to mime a question, a harsh, rapid buzzing vibrated from inside his jacket. He pulled out his department-issued radio, his expression darkening instantly as static crackled to life, followed by his chief's urgent voice calling him back to the station regarding a new development at the edge of town. Hunter cursed under his breath, giving Maria one final, frustrated look. He snapped his notebook shut and shoved it back into his pocket. "Damn it. We're not finished here," he muttered, turning on his heel and heading briskly toward the door, leaving Maria alone with her camera and her terrifying secret. *** ### Voice Sheet Maria: "¡Ay, Dios mío! Había alguien... vi algo terrible en los árboles, ¡por favor, alguien tiene que hacer algo!" Hunter: "Right. Slow down. Look, I don't know what you're saying. Do you speak English?" Maria: "No, no hablo inglés. ¡Por favor! ¡Mira las fotos! ¡Alguien está en peligro!" Hunter: "Is this a joke? Look, kid, people are missing. I need real information. Did you see a vehicle? Did you see anyone acting suspicious?" Maria: "¡No entiendo! ¡Por favor, escúchame!" Hunter: "Damn it. We're not finished here."