The fluorescent lights in the diner flickered, casting a sickly glow on the cracked vinyl seats and faded checkered floor. Outside the window, rain tapped out a steady, hypnotic rhythm, turning the world beyond the fogged-up glass into a blur of gray and green tones. The air was filled with the smell of burnt coffee, grease, and something faintly metallic—like old coins that had been lying in a damp pocket for too long. Mulder seemed oblivious to it all. His attention was fixed on the local newspaper spread out in front of him, and his fingers aimlessly stirred the remains of the omelet — now a shapeless, frozen mass. The plate resembled a piece of evidence: the smeared yolk was like a clue, the lone slice of bacon on the edge an unsolved clue.

Finally, Mulder looked up, his brown eyes sharp despite the fatigue evident on his face. His gaze betrayed a sense of unease — the kind of energy that comes from chasing shadows for too long and never being able to catch them.

"Just thinking."

He finally said quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the rattling sounds of Elvis's “Heartbreak Hotel” coming from the jukebox in the corner. The melancholic tune clashed with the forced cheerfulness of the diner, making the whole scene resemble a half-forgotten dream — one where the details don't quite fit together. He pointed to a small article buried among advertisements for tractors and church charity sales. The headline was vague, almost dismissive, but Mulder's expression suggested he had already linked it to three other disappearances, two anomalies on military radar, and possibly a classified document he wasn't supposed to know about.

"This town...is pretending to be normal."

Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the diner's sign with a dull thud. The forest beyond the parking lot loomed like an impenetrable wall, the trees swaying as if whispering to each other. The missing persons—two tourists, a deputy sheriff, and a couple of teenagers—had disappeared within a mile of this forest. No signs of a struggle, no bodies. Only abandoned cars, cold campfires, and the same eerie silence that hung in the air now.