Episode 3 – Voices from the Screen
Meanwhile, in another corner of the city up north, night slowly fell, covering the tall buildings with a dark blanket lit only by city lights. On the ninth floor of a simple apartment, the glow from a monitor lit up the face of a young girl sitting in front of it.
Her name was Rae Riveira.
Her brownish-black hair was tied up messily, and a worn-out hoodie clung to her small frame. In that tiny room, there was just one bed, one desk, and a bookshelf almost collapsing under its load. But behind that simplicity, Rae had something money couldn’t buy, the courage to speak out.
“Okay, let’s start... in three... two... one,” she murmured, pressing the stream button.
“Good evening, everyone! You’re back with me, Rae Riveira, on the RaeTheTruth channel.” Her voice was cheerful, but her eyes showed seriousness. “Tonight, I don’t want to talk about trends, celebrity drama, or makeup... You guys should see something more interesting. Tonight, we’re talking about justice!”
Notifications started popping up rapidly as viewers joined in.
“Has anyone heard about the fire in the west area? The neighborhood’s called ‘Wolf Den,’ right? It’s a poor area in the west of the city, and they say it burned down because of an electrical short circuit. But guys.... don’t you find that strange? How could the fire spread so fast and burn almost every house? That's nonsense... .Why do the official news sound too neat and too uniform?”
Comments flooded the chat box.
“I’m suspicious too, Rae!”
“Really weird, right? Right after a fight, then a fire?”
“Goshh.. Rae is smart and pretty... Perfect!”
“Expose it! Expose it!”
Rae nodded. “Exactly. I started digging for info and found something interesting. It turns out, a few days before the fire, some offers were made to buy land from the people there. Isn’t that strange, guys? The fire hadn’t even happened yet, and someone was already trying to buy? Who made the offer? Who benefits from the fire?”
Her monitor showed screenshots of local news and amateur videos she found on residents’ accounts.
“Look at this... a woman said she was promised a ‘new life’ if she sold her land at half price. Half price, guys! That’s cruel, right? Now, the land is empty, just ruins. But suddenly, there’s a building survey going on there. Who’s planning to build? For what?”
More donation notifications appeared.
Donation from @truthSeeker – $10: Keep going, Rae. You’re the only one brave enough to talk about this!
@freeTheLand: Don’t be afraid, we support you!
Rae smiled slightly. “Thanks, everyone. But I’m only human. Sometimes I’m scared too. But I’m more scared if I stay silent and let this become normal.”
For about two hours, Rae livestreamed, discussing the conspiracy behind the fire in the neighborhood called ‘Wolf Den.’ Finally, she ended with, “Okay guys, didn’t even realize I’ve been talking for two hours, hehe. Hope you’re not bored. That’s it for now, I’ll find more news later.
Thanks for joining the live, bye bye guys love you all!”
After the stream ended, Rae leaned back in her chair. Her gaze was blank as she stared at the ceiling.
“Am I being too brave?” she muttered. But inside, a strong push stirred. Injustice couldn’t be left alone.
The next day, the RaeTheTruth channel exploded. Her video about the fire in ‘Wolf Den’ was watched over 300 thousand times overnight. Social media was filled with hashtags like #ExposeWolfDen and #JusticeForWolfDen.
Rae received many messages. Some encouraged her, some said they used to live there, and some just wanted to know more. But quite a few sent threatening messages.
“Watch your business, it’s not your problem.”
“Shut your mouth before you get burned.”
Rae read the messages with trembling hands.
“They know...”
But instead of backing down, she hit the record button again.
“Hi everyone. Today, I just want to say one thing. I got some messages telling me to stop. But… if I stop, who else will speak up? I’m just Rae, an ordinary girl living alone in a small apartment. But even a small voice can make waves, right?”
**
Meanwhile, far away in the city center, in the same dark room as two weeks ago, Kenny Blackwood sat reading a report. This time, his face didn’t smile.
“Who is this?” he asked, pointing at the name ‘Rae Riveira’ on the tablet screen.
“A content creator, Sir. She started talking about the Wolf Den neighborhood. Her content went viral. But we’re sure she’s not a serious threat.”
Kenny raised his eyebrows. “Not a threat? She’s drawing public attention to a case we carefully buried. That’s a threat.”
His assistant looked nervous. “We could... block her account or run a counter-campaign to discredit her.”
Kenny chuckled softly. “Don’t be too reactive. A little girl like her can’t change anything. Let her shout. People get bored fast. It will quiet down soon enough.”
But deep inside, Kenny made a note: a new name to watch closely.
**
In the days that followed, Rae kept gathering information. She started contacting former Wolf Den residents through DMs and social media groups. Some agreed to anonymous interviews. One of them, a man named Gilbert, spoke through a voice call.
“I used to live in alley three, near the volleyball court. During the fight, my house wasn’t hit by the fire. But the next day, the fire was already at my walls. It felt like it was planned.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t an electrical short?” Rae asked.
“The electricity in my house was off two days before the fire. I turned it off myself because I didn't have money to pay. So, where did the short come from?”
Rae wrote down every detail. Her eyes focused on the screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
“Do you want your face shown?” she asked.
“No need. But if you can give a voice to us, keep going. Don’t be afraid,” Gilbert encouraged Rae.
**
That night, Rae posted her new video.
“You know, sometimes conspiracy isn’t just a theory. It’s a reality that hasn’t been proven and is even purposely hidden by a narrative. Today, I want to give you the voices of the people who lived in Wolf Den. They have real stories. They have wounds that big media won’t cover.”
The video was more than a report. It became a documentation. A testimony. A cry that couldn’t be ignored.
In a narrow alley on the east side of the city, five people sat in a circle in front of an old phone propped up on a pile of boxes. The small screen showed Rae Riveira’s face, speaking loudly in her livestream.
Though her voice sometimes broke from a bad connection, her message hit their hearts clearly. They looked at each other, as if they couldn’t believe someone outside really cared.
“She said the name of our place... She called the neighborhood ‘Wolf Den’ like it’s more than just mud and dust,” murmured a middle-aged man with tears in his eyes.
Next to him, a woman nodded while holding her silent child’s hand, her eyes full of admiration as she stared at the screen. “Not everyone runs away from our reality... some actually lift our voices,” she whispered, half to Rae, half to herself.
They chuckled softly as they saw comments flooding the screen. There were support, encouragement, even anger from people just learning the truth. Amid losing their homes, identity, and dignity, that night they felt like they had one thing back.... A dignity recognized.
Outside that phone, the world may have forgotten them. But in Rae’s voice, they still existed. Still real. Still worth fighting for.
Comments flooded Rae’s channel.
“Why is the government silent?”
“Kenny Blackwood? Isn’t he the name of that scary land mafia boss?”
“Let’s make this viral. So everyone knows!”
Rae knew she was playing with fire. But silence wasn’t an option.
Even if it made her sleep restless.
Rae didn’t know where this path would lead. But with each word she spoke, she was becoming something more than just a girl behind a screen.