Episode 33: The Land That Left Nothing Behind

Episode 33: The Land That Left Nothing Behind
"I want to go there, Kenny. Today!"

The words came out without pause. No introduction, no apology. Just Rae’s straight gaze, like someone who had held something back for too long, something that should have exploded yesterday.

Kenny was standing in front of the coffee machine in the kitchen. His hand froze in mid-air, reaching for a cup. He slowly turned around, facing Rae who stood in the doorway, already wearing her thin jacket.

"Go where, Rae?"
"To my mom’s house. Or… whatever is left of it after the fire. I miss it so much, Kenny. I've been dreaming about it these past few nights."

Kenny took a deep breath. A very deep one, like the air itself was heavy to pull in.
"Rae..."

"Please don’t give me your light version of an answer. I’m not asking for your opinion. I just want to know.... will you let me go, or will you stand in the doorway and stop me?" Rae replied.

Something shifted in Kenny’s eyes. Not an anger. Not surprise. More like... a quiet disappointment, the kind that comes when things reach a point they weren’t supposed to.

"Alright, Rae... I get it. I’ll take you there. But only for a short while, okay?"
Rae didn’t smile. She just gave a small nod. Her lips didn’t move, but her eyes said it clearly: 

'This isn’t a request. This is something I need.'



The drive toward the southern coastal zone of the city felt like moving through emptiness. 
The morning streets were quiet. A thin mist floated low across the road, making everything look like a bad dream that hadn’t ended yet.

Inside the car, only soft classical music played. The piano echoed like leftover tears on a cold marble floor. The music felt strange, too calm for the tension between them....

Rae sat still, her face turned toward the window. But her eyes weren’t really looking at anything. Inside her head, memories crashed like waves against a rock.
Is there anything left? Or will I only find empty land and a bit of air that doesn’t remember me anymore?

Kenny glanced at Rae from time to time, but said nothing. Maybe he knew that whatever he said would be either useless..... or like a bullet.



The car slowed down and stopped at the side of an empty road. No gates. No guards. Just a faded red ribbon hanging loosely, caught on a wild bush.
Beyond it, the land was still. No shape. No remains.

Rae stared for a long moment. Her hand was on the car door handle, but she didn’t move.

“This doesn’t look like anything anymore,” Kenny murmured from behind the wheel.
Rae opened the door. “That’s exactly why I have to go.”

Her steps were quick. Almost like she was running away from something. Or toward something that no longer existed.
“Rae....” Kenny called softly, but he didn’t try to stop her.

Rae crossed the ribbon without hesitation. Dust stuck to her shoes. She kept walking until she stood in the middle of what used to be called ‘home.’
Then she stopped. Her breath short. Her eyes scanned the empty space.

“Nothing... There’s nothing left...” she whispered.

She turned around, searching for a door. A window. A kitchen corner. Anything. But there was only dust and rubble. Even her own shadow felt like a stranger.
Then, from deep in her throat, a sound broke out, like something inside had cracked open:

“This isn’t just a house…” Her voice shook, rising. “This is me! This… is me!”
And Rae began to cry.....

She dropped to her knees. Her hands clawed at the dry ground, like maybe she could find a piece of the past buried inside it.

“You all took everything from me…” Her cries exploded, filled with anger, and something deeper than sadness. “Everything… Everything that made me feel alive…!”

She threw a small rock into the rubble. But it wasn’t the anger that hurt the most. It was the helplessness that followed.

“Why did it have to be me who lost everything?? Why couldn’t it be someone else...?” she asked the air, the rubble, the sky that looked too calm to care.

Kenny was still standing in the distance. Holding his breath. His eyes fixed on Rae, unmoving.

Her voice dropped now, softer, like a memory slipping away.
“I just wanted… the smell of the kitchen. The sound of one door. One small corner where Mama used to sit…”

And suddenly, in the middle of the dust, Rae could smell hot soup in her memory. A soft laugh. The sound of plates clinking. An old song playing from a broken radio. All of it came back at once… then disappeared again, leaving the emptiness even harder to bear.

Rae lowered her head. Her hand reached for a piece of cement, maybe part of her bedroom wall. She looked at it for a long time, then quietly slipped it into her pocket.

Kenny began walking toward her. He took off his coat and gently placed it over Rae’s shoulders. He said nothing. Only the sound of their breathing, and a heartbeat that felt too loud in the silence.

He knelt beside her. Slowly....
Rae turned to look at him, her eyes red, cheeks stained with dirt and dust.

“You knew it would be like this… didn’t you?”
Kenny didn’t answer right away. He only stared into her eyes.

“I knew,” he said finally. “But I also knew… you would rise stronger after this.”

Rae shook her head, barely. “Not this time, Kenny. I… I don’t know where to go anymore… This was my home. This was me, Kenny...” she said, her voice breaking, tears choking each word.

Kenny leaned closer, his voice almost a whisper, “You haven’t lost everything, Rae. As long as you can still feel, you’re not gone.”

“If the government already destroyed this and all the other homes… there must be compensation, Rae. You can still own a new place, somewhere better.” Kenny continued.

“This isn’t about property. It’s not about money, Kenny! This is about my family. About who I am!”
“I know, I understand Rae… Just breathe. Be patient. I’ll help you however I can,” Kenny replied.

But deep inside, Rae knew. The government had agreement about this with Blackwood Holdings. The demolition wasn’t just policy, it was a deal. A quiet betrayal.
But there was nothing she could do.....

Silence...
Rae took a deep breath. Her eyes filled again. But this time, it wasn’t just about the loss. It was something else. Something she didn’t want to admit.

And in that heavy silence between them, one thing became clear. There was no going back. What remained was only dust… and someone standing too close to hate, but too far to fully trust.



That night, Rae’s body trembled under the blanket. Fever burned her skin, cold sweat dampened her forehead.
Kenny sat beside the bed, pressing a wet cloth to her head. He didn’t speak. He just watched her, eyes focused, memorizing the rhythm of her breath.

Half-awake, Rae reached out and gripped Kenny’s hand. Tightly. Like it was the only thing left that hadn’t fallen apart...
Kenny leaned down, whispering softly into her ear.

“You can lose everything, Rae... but I won’t let you lose yourself.”

Rae’s hand moved slowly, resting against his chest. Then she fell asleep. The tears still fresh on her cheeks, like a painting left unfinished in the rain.



Midnight....
The light in Kenny’s room was off. He sat in his chair, the only glow coming from the large monitor on his desk.

He replayed the CCTV footage from the demolition zone, part of the Blackwood Dreamland project.
Rae’s hand throwing the stone.

Her screams.
Her body falling into tears on top of the rubble.

He paused the video at that moment.
Then smiled. Faintly. Barely there.

“I’m sorry, Rae… But now you know what it feels like to lose. Now you’ll start needing someone....”

He turned to the other screen.
A folder was open. The title in bold letters:

“Phase 2: Fill After Clearing.”
Inside were blueprints, maps, and luxury complex designs.