TOM (as if bitten by a snake)
What? How did that happen?
VILLAGE HEAD
No one knows. In the morning, we discovered the safety net had been cut, and on Mary Ann's table, we found a letter where she confessed her inability to endure her loneliness.
BARBARA, THE ANDROID
We're deeply sorry, Tom. We know you cared for her.
Her cold eyes fixate on him sharply, causing him to quickly avert his gaze, embarrassed.
TOM (muttering)
She wasn't depressed. There was no reason for her to take her own life.
VILLAGE HEAD (letting out a sigh of reconciliation)
Perhaps, Tom, there are depths within a person's heart that remain unknown to you.
Suddenly, Tom jumps up and without waiting for the village head or Barbara, he swiftly departs from the scene. He descends the ladders rapidly toward Mary Ann's trolley, enters, and heads to the roof, where he sits. Barbara and the village head watch him from above. The older man is somewhat surprised by Tom's emotional involvement but remains silent.
BARBARA (to the village head)
Tom is a sensitive young man.
VILLAGE HEAD
Yes, indeed. He's a good lad. If only we could find a suitable match for him.
END FLASHBACK
Leroy and Tom, drenched in sweat, bring the trolley to a stop on the tracks. Up a barren hill, about 100 meters away, an abandoned and partially burned farmhouse comes into view. Charred tree trunks bear witness to a past fire that led to the place's abandonment. They disembark from the trolley, carrying a water container and a basket of food. Leaving the trolley under the scorching sun, they slowly make their way toward the farmhouse up the hill. Tom's feet quicken their pace as they approach, with Lara and Leroy trailing behind. Not far from the house, a dried-up well stands.
INT. DAY. REMAINS OF THE FARMHOUSE
Charred rooms and an eerie, deathly, silence pervade the burnt-out farmhouse. Some objects lie completely burned or looted. The entire structure is burnt, except for one room, where the walls are half-burnt and one wall surprisingly remains intact. Tom, Leroy, and Lara roam among the ruins and seek shelter from the desert sun in the partially burnt room.