Run: 2026-09-01-01M1EMXJ7B5N7DE5A3A1JZH7RQ

At a weathered cafe table in Alborn, MN—the kind of place that smells of wet wool and apple cider from the nearby annual apple festival—Melanie sits clutching her camera, its lens cap still on. She stares at a photo on her screen, her hands trembling. Hunter, a broad-shouldered former marine in a worn coat, approaches with a direct, no-nonsense stride and pulls out a chair. **Hunter:** I’m Detective Hunter. I’m investigating the recent disappearances. Have you seen anything strange near town? Melanie looks up, her face pale. She doesn’t understand the words, but she recognizes the urgency. She answers in rapid, trembling German, her voice shaking. **Melanie:** Ich kann nicht mehr atmen... es ist alles so schrecklich. Die Menschen sind einfach weg, und ich verstehe nicht, warum. Hunter frowns, clearly confused. He tries again, speaking slowly, pointing to the window and the orchard beyond. **Hunter:** The orchard. The disappearances. Did you take any pictures there? Melanie grips her camera tighter, tears welling. **Melanie:** Der Apfel... ja, das Festival. Aber ich fotografiere nur Landschaften. Jetzt ist alles nur noch Finsternis. Ich habe solche Angst. Hunter looks perplexed. He gestures to her camera and then points at the orchard direction. **Hunter:** Photos? You have pictures? Just show me—point to the orchard. Melanie speaks again, frantic and troubled, explaining she is a student from Germany who knows no English, that she came to study and photograph landscapes, but now she is shaken. **Melanie:** Ich bin nur eine Studentin aus Deutschland. Ich kenne kein Englisch. Ich wollte nur die Landschaft fotografieren... aber jetzt sehe ich nur noch Gefahr in jedem Bild. Ich bin so aufgewühlt. Hunter sighs, his expression hardening into professional concern, though he is clearly lost. **Hunter:** I don’t speak German—I don’t know a word of it. But I can tell you’re scared. Just show me the photos on that camera. Did you see anyone missing? Melanie nods frantically and tries to explain in German that she has photographed the roads, the trees, the empty streets, but she cannot explain the fear. **Melanie:** Ich habe alles hier... die Bäume, die Straßen, die Menschen, die fehlen. Ich weiß nicht, was ich tun soll. Bitte, können Sie mir sagen, was mit Alborn passiert? Hunter’s phone rings—sharp, urgent. He glances at her, apologetic but firm, then answers. **Hunter:** Sorry—this is about the case. I have to go. **Melanie:** Bitte... bleiben Sie! But Hunter is already standing, tucking his phone away. **Hunter:** Stay safe out here, okay? Don’t go near the orchard alone. Thanks for talking—somehow I think you told me something. He turns and walks away, leaving Melanie alone at the table, her camera still in her hands and the silence of Alborn closing in.