The quad glittered in moonlight and kerosene halos. Stalls shimmered under makeshift LEDs. Tinny speakers blared distorted jazz as projectors looped grainy experiments on white bedsheets.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfwwlHXCNp
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmGHwT2aVq
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWGmzHU0FG
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hb5VVehYH
Jabari didn’t smile.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8VFAh5d1H
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgIVzz7LmC
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4TwjBToMT
A white wing over a fractured flame.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5yopVMIHl
They walked slowly, calmly — like any two team leads reviewing tech projects. But every ten steps, they pinned a new poster to the underside of a demo tent. To a light pole. To the back of a wooden bench.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ255zKz8Te1
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyliC04P1Ck
They weren’t messages for students.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7myCbEyJnr
They were warnings for the Shadow Walkers. The fractured flame was Mercy’s old signal — twisted now. The white wing was the Order’s ghost — not yet dead.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVqpAoNWIT
Juma stuck the last one behind the water distillation tent, where he knew Ayo used to scout during Fire Theory projects. Jabari paused beside the herb garden exhibit and looked around at the swirling bodies of boys and girls in scattered uniforms.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOybfTrVxjD
He whispered:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxCPeH5qeB
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96q9It6hb8
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIbcGppaSO
But the notification she sent was clear:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUHdWI2KUj
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN4WCgwoA8
The crypt door had always been heavy — metal, groaning, older than the last three headteachers combined. But now it swung easily on oiled hinges — prepped, ready, hungry.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz4jGO9yRJ
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqUdg22GEm
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMe5wggUni
Jabari knelt, ran his fingers across the grooves in the floor. “It connects to the borehole line. It was always part of the filtration system — just repurposed.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDId7se54n8
Repurposed by whom?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40gHoS2xUc
By Mercy.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FddJ2po4G
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdAR5bfQ3t
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALGjWqUXBj
The other held the key.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAIOtm0mAK
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHiAD05awr
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHLmsOFBbs
Click.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvDcoG5gY0
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMXvp41TYY
They simply walked away.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKGjorEdn3
Jabari’s light flickered.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyLquQSwon
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRQbXPHGb9
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU0nNBlc8i
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuPNKncFzM
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQpSUE1mh9
A slow gurgle. A hiss.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTxz2IbtBE
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUqaqBvSVn
Juma turned to Jabari.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxTQi4nin9
“She's opened the borehole line.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhM2PSkew6
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdq4u2VH2ht
Then the water began to rise.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBgybNr8NV
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPbmleqdry
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulFeOzcnwF
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgDTcqFosi
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbp1BOOgtv
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2txBxg2wt
The water rose like a slow betrayal.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwhy2SPFnh
Jabari tried to brace the base of the ladder, but the surface slicked too fast. Juma had begun stacking the crates beneath the wall vents, but none led out.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzCHrIblPg
Then — a sound.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLzvjzd523
Bang. Bang. Clank.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN5pd6hPAP
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOpfMtN8EC
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aBsiEyTxe
Clank. Slam.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdELSoU6vD
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2ZhFjgXeZ
“Get back!”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7agbynSwt
Suddenly, the side grate at floor level buckled inward — then burst open with a thundercrack of rust and rock. Water whooshed sideways, funneling out violently, pulling ankle-deep current toward the now-gaping vent.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRusXXUoeEq
And through the water— Musa crawled through.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJoDYB7YFo
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLrLE9Tih5
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnq3NK6Lt7
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu702L3LbvF
“We were seconds from blacking out.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeAn6bwEim
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03j22o2q9n
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5OvhCWP9o
They stepped forward slowly. Beneath the now-drained floor, the shape of something metallic gleamed behind a decorative grate. Jabari crouched, pulled at the frame — it came loose with a groan.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHgmaIIYqH
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8aDKwj1PA
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMez6dAt9h
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghV7he0zgg
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxH6yeHTpA
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezGuAqRFlQ
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTmjIaNfMM
Ayo appeared at the crypt entrance as Jabari flipped through the first ledger. No fanfare. No announcement. Just his shadow crossing the old candlelight, face unreadable.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsY20ziSvP
Jabari looked up sharply.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Q0QEtY9zL
“You followed us.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3dwNXD7vH
Ayo didn’t nod. Didn’t deny it. Instead, he stepped forward, knelt beside the third box — and picked it up carefully, like it might bite.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzzpgRRPU6
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNpZI21GFt
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKILtwkXJRb
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KfqeCSeTE
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmQchZeRDU
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YdBwXngYD
Otieno, lean and quiet, stepped through the broken wall entrance where Musa had forced the grate. He didn’t look surprised to find them. He didn’t speak. He simply walked forward, reached into the cage, and took the second box.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcDppWEDEX
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BO8GABcnG
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWM8swYTfX
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssfkl8Rzwg
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzs5C5nSDy1
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSbk5jav6G
Musa broke the silence.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcIyjaiOgX
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGMmfquTis
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQ8TE8D9dn
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34X5uwThMG
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyJZ0pFQQX
The video was less than ninety seconds long.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhuIAi3HzW
It had no watermark. No source. But it found its way into every inbox in the Kisumu Central Education Circuit — sent from a dead address once used for prefect newsletters.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMzRy69Ed9
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdis3Jae012
The voice was unmistakable.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI16icbanr
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHFT9YhGxP
The footage cut quickly — glimpses of the crypt, soaked boys in Kisumu boys uniform, flooded ankles, two figures dragging themselves out, torchlight flickering like panic.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLkjWjnpcl
Then:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulndiaRjOw
Freeze frame.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt8lTkPQID
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD8M5GZIwe
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMu8ZJK2cb
"The Order is underwater."48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonW6yMKbuH
Then black.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTH1QLEAkPL
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXFm5bvFia
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSRweQheVm
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSKl4hkXVx
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P4jTUAsAN
Behind the AV club at Maseno school, two junior Shadow Walkers shut down their old relay laptop — wired into the school’s forgotten printer line, a hidden broadcast node Mercy herself once rigged in her second year.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS27nEdx5Bs
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWzuV3M91H
He didn’t need a phone.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMMhlty5so
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi3EnZ2hRB
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYDapv2Hqb
“The boys have seen it?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE79IqpMCa
“Everyone has.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYAZxtkPpa
Kim entered last, silent.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36hcdWnXNi
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQistTFxBs
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGXTQmY81t
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPyYEGzXAq
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFb6eLlyDYl
“It was her signal.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxewL2lzuTA
Naomi turned to them — prefects.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2D251fSXEC
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI9JemoA7Z
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6e9EiZ2kl5
Naomi tapped the board.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIQ4mh2j2Q
“We don’t chase her legacy. We protect ours. Lock down the Hall. Triple-lock the Prefects’ Archive. And find the girl carrying the ledger.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncfYFuyvjG
June’s voice was cold.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzaerlYaFQ
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieWkJk8fW2
Naomi didn’t blink.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4uknDh3YP
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7Fd4JjQxd
The girls split into teams. June and Mary to the Greenhouse Tunnel, checking Mercy’s known exits. Seline, assigned to patrol around the west dorms, but already planning her own detour. Shiko, pretending to go to class, slips Kim a folded message:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GjnVQkpuE
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAX3HIZ9FGb
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DQOUf8oR1
Outside the campus fence line, under a tree heavy with wet blossoms, a junior form walks fast — a duffel bag over her shoulder. Her name is not known. But inside the bag is a ledger box, sealed with black tape.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9QFeCzedm
She has only one instruction:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KY9vWpiPI
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9CCE7cG53
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFxsPhO1uh
