“Water’s Path”56Please respect copyright.PENANAP4NivAcUvn
The grate groaned louder this time.56Please respect copyright.PENANA3YYihFrtSR
Musa had oiled the hinges the day before, but rust still fought them on principle. Jabari winced at the noise — not because it might give them away, but because it was inefficient. Unclean. Sloppy.56Please respect copyright.PENANADn9ffWLWKP
Otieno ducked in first, his frame slipping through the rectangular opening like he’d done it before.56Please respect copyright.PENANAcz7Ot31TYJ
Because he had.56Please respect copyright.PENANASsuXioavR3
Jabari followed, torchlight already painting the sloped concrete ahead of them in shaky yellow arcs. Musa took the rear, glancing back once to check that the lock clicked quietly into place.56Please respect copyright.PENANAoiJwaGApZF
Below them, the earth sloped downward — the tunnel running like an artery between buried decades.56Please respect copyright.PENANAt1rbTjrpOX
They said nothing. They had said enough upstairs — mapped it, measured it, debated its existence.56Please respect copyright.PENANA1WFvU8iexs
Now they moved. The walls narrowed where old pipes jutted from the ceiling, dripping condensation and rust. Footprints marked the sludge — faint, shallow, but undeniable.56Please respect copyright.PENANATHqTehUCTF
Otieno paused and pointed. Three footprints. One small, barefoot.56Please respect copyright.PENANAzNoF95brJW
Musa stared. “Girls’ side?”56Please respect copyright.PENANApMxPTkOFVb
“Maybe,” Otieno muttered.56Please respect copyright.PENANA8nIgBI2Zbx
“Maybe not,” Jabari said. “Shadow Walkers don’t move to be recognized.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAxTdaDPDsPF
They walked for seven more minutes.56Please respect copyright.PENANA4mWTm5QItT
The tunnel veered slightly to the left, then leveled. At the far end, beneath the old junction where Kisumu Girls’ science wing once connected to the shared pre-independence utility shaft, a faint patch of air carried a new scent: chalk dust and old detergent.56Please respect copyright.PENANAN5Cqi5QcwA
Jabari stopped.56Please respect copyright.PENANAFegsDwuLsp
The space widened slightly. A second hatch — rusted but intact — blocked the passage forward. Spray-painted once in faded white: “O3” — the old access tag for shared maintenance between both schools.56Please respect copyright.PENANAisEHtUZVA3
Jabari placed his hand against it.56Please respect copyright.PENANASwqUr8uMup
Warm. Not recent use — recent presence.56Please respect copyright.PENANA0kqprkdDIz
He knelt and examined the lock. Not padlocked. Not welded. Just… placed. Like someone expected it to stay closed out of memory, not resistance.56Please respect copyright.PENANAoSm1Cgaz3b
Otieno bent down beside him. “Should we open it?”56Please respect copyright.PENANA67NMEdGoUO
Jabari looked to Musa. Musa didn’t nod. He just stepped back.56Please respect copyright.PENANAGEX2KGYg5j
They opened it.56Please respect copyright.PENANA2J0RjlJZKy
The air that spilled out was drier than the tunnel — warmer. Faint traces of soap and boiled cabbage told them what they feared: They were on the other side now.56Please respect copyright.PENANA9jfzCr0gKZ
They emerged behind a collapsed water pump near the base of what used to be the girls’ science annex — now a disused tool shed beside a cracked concrete trough.56Please respect copyright.PENANAb8azq5TKIi
It was quiet. But not still.56Please respect copyright.PENANA8zaWZPJjUk
Musa crouched immediately and pointed to something beneath the trough:56Please respect copyright.PENANAIPGVlwG8yj
A red ribbon, frayed at the edge, tied to a pipe. Not school-issued. Shadow Walker.56Please respect copyright.PENANAmHErujOT0O
Jabari’s breath slowed.56Please respect copyright.PENANANqwbLxheIm
Otieno glanced up toward the tree line. “They know.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAd408RdZrLV
“They’ve known,” Musa muttered.56Please respect copyright.PENANA5TrfjyUJ3S
Jabari scanned the treetops, the broken greenhouse beyond the annex, the faint shadows leaning in the wind.56Please respect copyright.PENANAJtY9lU2RFF
No alarms. No voices. But they were not alone. He felt it in his bones.56Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6bdWZt05y
They didn’t linger. The breach had been proven. The path existed. The schools were not two. They were one body, stitched together by ignorance and fear — and now, that thread was unraveling.56Please respect copyright.PENANAM3A58EDqfD
As they retreated into the tunnel, Jabari whispered low:56Please respect copyright.PENANAtttmiCne5j
“No word of this. Not yet. Not until we understand what they’ve left behind.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAGMAimHmLTB
Musa didn’t respond. But Otieno, from behind, whispered the question they were all too afraid to ask:56Please respect copyright.PENANAIWQWaAQVZ6
“And what if they’ve never left?”
*****56Please respect copyright.PENANAyGXiYHCGTE
He wasn’t meant to be there.56Please respect copyright.PENANACvbdlMk0Dd
He hadn’t been invited.56Please respect copyright.PENANANn4UOZZmqT
Hadn’t even been told.56Please respect copyright.PENANAGbqCSA8YY4
But Juma knew how Jabari moved when he was hiding something. The way he tucked his sleeves. The way he avoided eye contact with people who asked too few questions.56Please respect copyright.PENANANGIMIC99Pq
So, when Jabari, Musa, and Otieno vanished after prep without explanation, Juma followed — a few paces back, hidden in the shadow of the unfinished perimeter wall.56Please respect copyright.PENANANuXhi7ICnI
At first, he thought they were going to stash records. Maybe revisit the archive gap Otieno had found. But when they pried open the borehole grate, his stomach turned.56Please respect copyright.PENANAPAqgwoq909
The tunnel.56Please respect copyright.PENANAlpGFrpzMum
They were testing the tunnel. Without him.56Please respect copyright.PENANAdceAB2lvQR
Juma waited until the last foot disappeared. Then crept forward and lowered himself in.56Please respect copyright.PENANANwwDIuI5q6
He didn’t follow directly. He walked slower, far enough back to let the echoes settle. He didn’t need to hear them. He just needed to watch. He could still smell the rust of the pipe joints. Still hear the old riddle in his mind— “follow water to truth”. It used to sound like legend.56Please respect copyright.PENANAi7I2kxdkF0
Now it felt like betrayal.56Please respect copyright.PENANAgrrfyNmP3k
Crossing into the girls’ side?56Please respect copyright.PENANAs8q5qSikgx
For what? Information? Or for someone?56Please respect copyright.PENANAhdFdnvj3ed
Kim’s name surfaced like a wound, unspoken but sharp. Did she know? Had she met Jabari? Was this part of their “alliance,” the one Juma never got the full story on?56Please respect copyright.PENANAuHOTDgBiaV
The wall was supposed to divide them. Now Jabari moved through it like it didn’t exist.56Please respect copyright.PENANAffcEuwBAGF
Juma clenched his fists. It wasn’t just about power anymore. It was about truth. And about who got to hold it first.56Please respect copyright.PENANApQP3gT4NxO
As Jabari and his crew reached the junction beneath the science annex and paused to survey the exit point, Juma watched from behind a bend, hidden in shadow.56Please respect copyright.PENANArlhmaXq8oz
He didn’t speak. Didn’t breathe. But in his chest, a slow decision began to form. If Jabari won’t say what he’s doing… Then Juma will find out for himself.56Please respect copyright.PENANAqtGBfmdWYG
Even if it means crossing alone.
*****56Please respect copyright.PENANA5csgYtwZ7D
They never heard them coming.56Please respect copyright.PENANAo34rHPYZvf
Not Otieno, who usually heard everything. Not Musa, whose instincts were tight as fencing wire. Not even Jabari, who trusted shadows too well.56Please respect copyright.PENANAhFTH3d3VLn
They were halfway back through the tunnel, the return path slick with dripping lime-water, when the air shifted.56Please respect copyright.PENANASSX6vLvkhT
It wasn’t light. It was heat. Then a hiss.56Please respect copyright.PENANA3jUWsdjVm5
Kerosene.56Please respect copyright.PENANA4gvOAlkQGd
The smell punched into the space like a slap—acrid, chemical, recent.56Please respect copyright.PENANAVCEcS0tXQp
Jabari stopped dead. He threw a hand out to halt the others.56Please respect copyright.PENANAxaZSpGFDWO
From up ahead — near the tunnel mouth — came a glint.56Please respect copyright.PENANAjDphEQohaM
Small. Orange.56Please respect copyright.PENANAttVgUVJM0Q
Then the flare lit.56Please respect copyright.PENANALkYoqUHu1f
A white-hot hiss exploded forward, rolling fire in a half-spiral across the wet stone. Jabari yanked back violently, his games kit catching on a pipe and nearly igniting.56Please respect copyright.PENANA6P840Ta2Tq
He hit the wall hard, smothering the sleeve in dirt. Musa cursed.56Please respect copyright.PENANAyIrbZI9AoM
Otieno dove back into the bend.56Please respect copyright.PENANAtmVNhKCTJx
And then they heard it— A voice.56Please respect copyright.PENANAOUDGFUjK0z
Calm. Cold. Crooked by the tunnel’s acoustics:56Please respect copyright.PENANA7v2Q6SYC7h
“You were warned.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAeGjZafhQQl
The light died as quickly as it came.56Please respect copyright.PENANAVGFQ2LoNJj
When they stumbled forward five minutes later — torchlight flickering nervously — they found only the reek of scorched cloth, a blackened floor, and a small smear of red chalk on the tunnel wall:56Please respect copyright.PENANAiGsnBkKSr2
A glyph: Shadow Walker fire mark.56Please respect copyright.PENANA3tBVH3I9y6
Jabari said nothing for a long time.56Please respect copyright.PENANAewX3OlRb0v
Musa stared at the chalk. “They knew we’d be here.”56Please respect copyright.PENANA32agmhno1u
Otieno clenched his jaw. “They let us in… just to mark the border.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAdLu7Y7gMId
Jabari’s voice was low when it finally came:56Please respect copyright.PENANAYxc9jpE3Lo
“No. They let us in… to remind us it’s not ours.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAvfO5bhifCM
From high above in the greenhouse shadows, Kwame uncapped the second flare and blew gently on the tip.56Please respect copyright.PENANAMfJnrgeuoi
Ayo looked down at the smoking tunnel vent.56Please respect copyright.PENANASS7yLSxh14
“Was that really necessary?”56Please respect copyright.PENANA2b4eS5rDIY
Kwame didn’t smile. He just whispered:56Please respect copyright.PENANABkSLOYB6Vf
“They drew maps of our bones. Now we burn their paper.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAujTuDyb8qC
The flare’s glow had barely died when Kwame stepped out of the smoke.56Please respect copyright.PENANARVq75NNwxJ
No hood. No bluff.56Please respect copyright.PENANAraiEkiHhvL
Just him — tall, furious, silent.56Please respect copyright.PENANA2Xr06eTsux
Jabari rose quickly, dirt smearing his sleeve, his eyes locked with Kwame’s like old enemies recognizing the war had finally begun.56Please respect copyright.PENANALu9wKFRoum
Kwame said nothing. He raised a second flare.56Please respect copyright.PENANAkSNcGarzTy
And that’s when Musa moved. He didn’t shout. Didn’t warn.56Please respect copyright.PENANASHZy8kmuYW
Just tackled Kwame sideways with a thud that cracked against the pipe wall. The flare dropped, bounced once — skidded harmlessly into a puddle. Extinguished.56Please respect copyright.PENANAf1eOczM2Ue
They crashed into the damp stone, grunting, Musa’s elbow driving into Kwame’s chest with years of silent discipline.56Please respect copyright.PENANAZBsi8JKIc6
Otieno was already helping Jabari to his feet.56Please respect copyright.PENANALc2CdjPFza
But Ayo — Ayo was gone.56Please respect copyright.PENANATGV8pvn8YF
The boys spun, torchlight slicing through the tunnel like frantic blades.56Please respect copyright.PENANAXgzpWdLkzV
No sound. No echo. A shadow where Ayo had been seconds before.56Please respect copyright.PENANAVZOwOPsZsV
And on the ground where he’d stood — half hidden under an old gear bag — was a folded square of thick paper.56Please respect copyright.PENANAL5FH73jXYu
Black. Crisp.56Please respect copyright.PENANAacbgk1OIN6
Stamped with a mark: M.O.56Please respect copyright.PENANA5A76mrazmw
Jabari picked it up carefully. The wax seal had melted slightly from the heat — enough to distort the shape.56Please respect copyright.PENANAs3tPbNNMkg
But he recognized the symbol beneath the black ink.56Please respect copyright.PENANAJKYbSqMw6l
Mercy’s initials.56Please respect copyright.PENANA5YnZ0i8gZx
Kwame lay pinned beneath Musa, coughing. He didn’t fight back. Didn’t speak.56Please respect copyright.PENANAGmLXCX3eAC
But his eyes were locked on Jabari.56Please respect copyright.PENANAlFdpWEnOMJ
Daring him to guess how deep this went.56Please respect copyright.PENANA9DOOX9bh0e
Jabari backed away slowly, holding the black card like it might catch flame.56Please respect copyright.PENANAyupWjNbQcK
Otieno whispered, “He was never here for us.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAXJjJ5bKc8e
“No,” Jabari said, his voice low. “He was here for the message.”
**********56Please respect copyright.PENANAuOkEY7GQ54
The chapel had long been closed for renovations — at least that’s what the staff told anyone who asked. But Mercy knew better.56Please respect copyright.PENANAihGbidOxer
The boarded doors didn’t stop her.56Please respect copyright.PENANAaFmQLf0q7X
She descended through the old sacristy vent — a crawlspace known only to three girls in the school’s long history. She entered barefoot, silent, and carrying only a candle stub, a bottle of ink, and the folded black card Ayo had delivered.56Please respect copyright.PENANAhLArYHMCUX
She sat on the edge of the cracked altar bench, unfurled the card under the flickering light, and stared.56Please respect copyright.PENANAsCLCZv2Bhr
Her initials. But not her handwriting.56Please respect copyright.PENANA7Enp0EwS2M
A test. Or a tribute. Either way, she recognized the pattern.56Please respect copyright.PENANAqiXzDNRxe2
It wasn’t just a seal. It was layered.56Please respect copyright.PENANAvWu1iaRVO7
The fold lines created seven geometric segments — each containing a barely visible ink dot. It wasn’t aesthetic. It was directional.56Please respect copyright.PENANAr4wFrNnh0F
Mercy rotated the card slowly, letting muscle memory guide her. It felt familiar. Like a map she hadn’t drawn but had once walked.56Please respect copyright.PENANAxVJy28bZa5
Then it clicked.56Please respect copyright.PENANAtwHgr47YvI
She opened her ink bottle, dipped a pin in lightly, and connected the dots in the order they appeared from fold to fold. A new shape formed:56Please respect copyright.PENANAco8ZTNzHCE
A spiral that looped west, then curved north — then stopped.56Please respect copyright.PENANAntXamp4yFK
It mirrored the forgotten layout beneath the science annex. The same route she'd once used to vanish during inspections, emerge behind the greenhouse, and drop messages across the wall without ever touching its surface.56Please respect copyright.PENANAFn7CRYN4Z3
It wasn’t just a cipher. It was a return route.56Please respect copyright.PENANAMLgy4Rk8z7
Ayo hadn’t just escaped the boys’ ambush — he’d reopened the thread Mercy had left behind. And sent it back.56Please respect copyright.PENANA8Ia8nVj9rH
June didn’t mean to watch her. But she'd grown used to Mercy disappearing at odd hours, always returning with a sharper look in her eyes — like she knew something no one had asked yet.56Please respect copyright.PENANAqEnpeuuNRg
This morning, June followed — only a few steps behind. She never entered the chapel basement. She only peeked once through the warped window slit.56Please respect copyright.PENANAPPfyEvW2xl
And what she saw?56Please respect copyright.PENANAvrV66HiNjM
Mercy — lit by a single flame, her fingers gliding across the black card like a priestess reading scripture.56Please respect copyright.PENANApaYVyaZJWF
She was smiling. Not cruelly. Not proudly.56Please respect copyright.PENANARwMXARoW3G
Knowingly.56Please respect copyright.PENANAtyeUMMFxmd
And that terrified June more than any punishment Mercy had ever given.56Please respect copyright.PENANAPndyLbnAzx
Mercy turned the card over. One last message, revealed only when ink-stained fingers warmed the wax:56Please respect copyright.PENANAbte0wTuz37
“Some truths only reveal themselves in reverse.”56Please respect copyright.PENANAq932kiLbMt
She smiled wider. So that was the game. They hadn’t just reopened the tunnel. They had given her the key to walk back through it.56Please respect copyright.PENANA3urXiF3IkS
Mercy stood, tucking the black card into the seam of her skirt. Her steps were slow, silent, almost ceremonial as she exited the chapel’s back door and disappeared toward the annex.56Please respect copyright.PENANATb0ZwgL9mf
By dusk, the greenhouse would hum with new footsteps.56Please respect copyright.PENANA4q2wFjsRdq
And the Shadow Walkers — on the girls’ side — would know that their serpent had returned not to bite, but to lead.
56Please respect copyright.PENANAYa4Z5PGI2I
56Please respect copyright.PENANAEhFeLYV7Lq