“Water’s Path”55Please respect copyright.PENANAmDbLuhCYfv
The grate groaned louder this time.55Please respect copyright.PENANALHTo1lSYkS
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAi0YCzRZ5Ha
Otieno ducked in first, his frame slipping through the rectangular opening like he’d done it before.55Please respect copyright.PENANAbt3fc3vIIk
Because he had.55Please respect copyright.PENANAY9E43K9GCv
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANASAGq3rqjsz
Below them, the earth sloped downward — the tunnel running like an artery between buried decades.55Please respect copyright.PENANAsTo8h1wkAQ
They said nothing. They had said enough upstairs — mapped it, measured it, debated its existence.55Please respect copyright.PENANACfzgiLrfTB
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAzsspxo9Kk2
Otieno paused and pointed. Three footprints. One small, barefoot.55Please respect copyright.PENANAMDWKiLKXBK
Musa stared. “Girls’ side?”55Please respect copyright.PENANAW4pMBYmoyo
“Maybe,” Otieno muttered.55Please respect copyright.PENANAecpoQsEpOC
“Maybe not,” Jabari said. “Shadow Walkers don’t move to be recognized.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAoHRMYHwe4k
They walked for seven more minutes.55Please respect copyright.PENANA0KQEcAou4m
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAVgWhYR32QH
Jabari stopped.55Please respect copyright.PENANA3DWl7UJaUK
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAKpeasIZDak
Jabari placed his hand against it.55Please respect copyright.PENANAQkgrUT4vkJ
Warm. Not recent use — recent presence.55Please respect copyright.PENANAYn9Kqnwlqy
He knelt and examined the lock. Not padlocked. Not welded. Just… placed. Like someone expected it to stay closed out of memory, not resistance.55Please respect copyright.PENANAGJ7dczDAFR
Otieno bent down beside him. “Should we open it?”55Please respect copyright.PENANAH9XG2ChdhO
Jabari looked to Musa. Musa didn’t nod. He just stepped back.55Please respect copyright.PENANAZTn8nmP3Ul
They opened it.55Please respect copyright.PENANAnqXvUxGFxs
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANA1QR10BIpkh
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAlS2E2Qdc2i
It was quiet. But not still.55Please respect copyright.PENANAgFuDxIMLB3
Musa crouched immediately and pointed to something beneath the trough:55Please respect copyright.PENANA7tagi9z8XT
A red ribbon, frayed at the edge, tied to a pipe. Not school-issued. Shadow Walker.55Please respect copyright.PENANAfbhw7XcBC3
Jabari’s breath slowed.55Please respect copyright.PENANAxlcL5OYFBg
Otieno glanced up toward the tree line. “They know.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAiv0qX8mJaY
“They’ve known,” Musa muttered.55Please respect copyright.PENANAcJyWeWcle6
Jabari scanned the treetops, the broken greenhouse beyond the annex, the faint shadows leaning in the wind.55Please respect copyright.PENANAkP70zgtJcL
No alarms. No voices. But they were not alone. He felt it in his bones.55Please respect copyright.PENANAZPZ34viA89
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANA5h2radfVRw
As they retreated into the tunnel, Jabari whispered low:55Please respect copyright.PENANAnFJWfEau8Z
“No word of this. Not yet. Not until we understand what they’ve left behind.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAIRW9fYJ9MV
Musa didn’t respond. But Otieno, from behind, whispered the question they were all too afraid to ask:55Please respect copyright.PENANAhOU8MvLgh9
“And what if they’ve never left?”
*****55Please respect copyright.PENANACo74RTqLIf
He wasn’t meant to be there.55Please respect copyright.PENANAA6Xw0PFmZT
He hadn’t been invited.55Please respect copyright.PENANA0FLeqkIIYD
Hadn’t even been told.55Please respect copyright.PENANAXsoPUvTKND
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAltJJ8LxBEK
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAeuI7cLR4tP
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAkwG8TwDSPc
The tunnel.55Please respect copyright.PENANA8jGHDQsgOU
They were testing the tunnel. Without him.55Please respect copyright.PENANAZOxDRfRL2w
Juma waited until the last foot disappeared. Then crept forward and lowered himself in.55Please respect copyright.PENANATWhBVIun3x
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANADqGl6poFjq
Now it felt like betrayal.55Please respect copyright.PENANAksGmmDxegU
Crossing into the girls’ side?55Please respect copyright.PENANAenXxvHsCuf
For what? Information? Or for someone?55Please respect copyright.PENANAacpRiZ4IrL
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?55Please respect copyright.PENANAwpyfEPFTPM
The wall was supposed to divide them. Now Jabari moved through it like it didn’t exist.55Please respect copyright.PENANALJl29N7VtP
Juma clenched his fists. It wasn’t just about power anymore. It was about truth. And about who got to hold it first.55Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5VDvw1uzZ
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZYfxFQ1Ld
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANABOLQBXZrR0
Even if it means crossing alone.
*****55Please respect copyright.PENANA0hopYvEG5O
They never heard them coming.55Please respect copyright.PENANAb7HL2O2hpu
Not Otieno, who usually heard everything. Not Musa, whose instincts were tight as fencing wire. Not even Jabari, who trusted shadows too well.55Please respect copyright.PENANAOPLusQvvIL
They were halfway back through the tunnel, the return path slick with dripping lime-water, when the air shifted.55Please respect copyright.PENANA1EqzdV2j3p
It wasn’t light. It was heat. Then a hiss.55Please respect copyright.PENANA3kuUdz5EAs
Kerosene.55Please respect copyright.PENANAGPlpTzwBSo
The smell punched into the space like a slap—acrid, chemical, recent.55Please respect copyright.PENANAnWVAtZDU4x
Jabari stopped dead. He threw a hand out to halt the others.55Please respect copyright.PENANAmRgQV9cOCQ
From up ahead — near the tunnel mouth — came a glint.55Please respect copyright.PENANAFKhBqMdLE8
Small. Orange.55Please respect copyright.PENANAn6HCqKNKuz
Then the flare lit.55Please respect copyright.PENANAkcQETb91lz
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAPvZrxsDfXm
He hit the wall hard, smothering the sleeve in dirt. Musa cursed.55Please respect copyright.PENANAapFb7j2itj
Otieno dove back into the bend.55Please respect copyright.PENANAV0qqhcQPjR
And then they heard it— A voice.55Please respect copyright.PENANAwpeQC5wmKR
Calm. Cold. Crooked by the tunnel’s acoustics:55Please respect copyright.PENANA44S9Nw3kek
“You were warned.”55Please respect copyright.PENANA8YpMF5v40Y
The light died as quickly as it came.55Please respect copyright.PENANAgcDztVR4B2
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:55Please respect copyright.PENANA5t1bYXHnoR
A glyph: Shadow Walker fire mark.55Please respect copyright.PENANAylMCNx7DtM
Jabari said nothing for a long time.55Please respect copyright.PENANAsIIGwcM2j2
Musa stared at the chalk. “They knew we’d be here.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAsTW2hhjzVs
Otieno clenched his jaw. “They let us in… just to mark the border.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAhTJfz0IjAS
Jabari’s voice was low when it finally came:55Please respect copyright.PENANAfIWwAHpgqe
“No. They let us in… to remind us it’s not ours.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAyk842DHAZw
From high above in the greenhouse shadows, Kwame uncapped the second flare and blew gently on the tip.55Please respect copyright.PENANA9RuzX92FT3
Ayo looked down at the smoking tunnel vent.55Please respect copyright.PENANAGPL83ERoP5
“Was that really necessary?”55Please respect copyright.PENANAgYye3evvLV
Kwame didn’t smile. He just whispered:55Please respect copyright.PENANACBl0VaKY62
“They drew maps of our bones. Now we burn their paper.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAi8GyMjPS8j
The flare’s glow had barely died when Kwame stepped out of the smoke.55Please respect copyright.PENANAVc7WdQBHLt
No hood. No bluff.55Please respect copyright.PENANAYP09Y1OIZl
Just him — tall, furious, silent.55Please respect copyright.PENANAiDQGm7YgJo
Jabari rose quickly, dirt smearing his sleeve, his eyes locked with Kwame’s like old enemies recognizing the war had finally begun.55Please respect copyright.PENANAlmHW0IsaL9
Kwame said nothing. He raised a second flare.55Please respect copyright.PENANA5CUsn5tQ3O
And that’s when Musa moved. He didn’t shout. Didn’t warn.55Please respect copyright.PENANARSOiLdaiCQ
Just tackled Kwame sideways with a thud that cracked against the pipe wall. The flare dropped, bounced once — skidded harmlessly into a puddle. Extinguished.55Please respect copyright.PENANADLm6fkIrZK
They crashed into the damp stone, grunting, Musa’s elbow driving into Kwame’s chest with years of silent discipline.55Please respect copyright.PENANAw52HiT1GNW
Otieno was already helping Jabari to his feet.55Please respect copyright.PENANAs21MQtdYWT
But Ayo — Ayo was gone.55Please respect copyright.PENANAGapZQ63rqM
The boys spun, torchlight slicing through the tunnel like frantic blades.55Please respect copyright.PENANAB3rgUR1J87
No sound. No echo. A shadow where Ayo had been seconds before.55Please respect copyright.PENANAhwZpvfFMhw
And on the ground where he’d stood — half hidden under an old gear bag — was a folded square of thick paper.55Please respect copyright.PENANAoZ1NyPxVeE
Black. Crisp.55Please respect copyright.PENANAxtHAv66Wzz
Stamped with a mark: M.O.55Please respect copyright.PENANAIA39g4jrqA
Jabari picked it up carefully. The wax seal had melted slightly from the heat — enough to distort the shape.55Please respect copyright.PENANA6OimlEOfs9
But he recognized the symbol beneath the black ink.55Please respect copyright.PENANA2lwjXRJ5be
Mercy’s initials.55Please respect copyright.PENANAmGi42hM4re
Kwame lay pinned beneath Musa, coughing. He didn’t fight back. Didn’t speak.55Please respect copyright.PENANAqguynRG7NN
But his eyes were locked on Jabari.55Please respect copyright.PENANAmJmnExpDqT
Daring him to guess how deep this went.55Please respect copyright.PENANA4LruU6zvII
Jabari backed away slowly, holding the black card like it might catch flame.55Please respect copyright.PENANAwOehUcApqH
Otieno whispered, “He was never here for us.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAmoUI4sRGl5
“No,” Jabari said, his voice low. “He was here for the message.”
**********55Please respect copyright.PENANAouHgXmihWI
The chapel had long been closed for renovations — at least that’s what the staff told anyone who asked. But Mercy knew better.55Please respect copyright.PENANA93UuBWolNS
The boarded doors didn’t stop her.55Please respect copyright.PENANAK0lwGdIxxu
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAQJuKcCyjBl
She sat on the edge of the cracked altar bench, unfurled the card under the flickering light, and stared.55Please respect copyright.PENANACbwpyxQQ8m
Her initials. But not her handwriting.55Please respect copyright.PENANAvNiF0R4UzM
A test. Or a tribute. Either way, she recognized the pattern.55Please respect copyright.PENANASSb92l8S2V
It wasn’t just a seal. It was layered.55Please respect copyright.PENANAN3aUGw4E1I
The fold lines created seven geometric segments — each containing a barely visible ink dot. It wasn’t aesthetic. It was directional.55Please respect copyright.PENANApXDG9lRbbv
Mercy rotated the card slowly, letting muscle memory guide her. It felt familiar. Like a map she hadn’t drawn but had once walked.55Please respect copyright.PENANAsMBnmLiHaS
Then it clicked.55Please respect copyright.PENANADoyzYn0UAN
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:55Please respect copyright.PENANAXWt0O95B0F
A spiral that looped west, then curved north — then stopped.55Please respect copyright.PENANAGEWI8uEDQ9
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAe67ehaPek0
It wasn’t just a cipher. It was a return route.55Please respect copyright.PENANADdIEXnh6El
Ayo hadn’t just escaped the boys’ ambush — he’d reopened the thread Mercy had left behind. And sent it back.55Please respect copyright.PENANAMktf51M6xQ
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANALbkDsgIZm7
This morning, June followed — only a few steps behind. She never entered the chapel basement. She only peeked once through the warped window slit.55Please respect copyright.PENANArcyjnyMLfh
And what she saw?55Please respect copyright.PENANADbCexxhPlQ
Mercy — lit by a single flame, her fingers gliding across the black card like a priestess reading scripture.55Please respect copyright.PENANAwGFimnXmMM
She was smiling. Not cruelly. Not proudly.55Please respect copyright.PENANADhGcytoZAq
Knowingly.55Please respect copyright.PENANA0PMqpkEzbn
And that terrified June more than any punishment Mercy had ever given.55Please respect copyright.PENANAT2gM7YBMgO
Mercy turned the card over. One last message, revealed only when ink-stained fingers warmed the wax:55Please respect copyright.PENANAU3PSCu551d
“Some truths only reveal themselves in reverse.”55Please respect copyright.PENANAq6dre1TISk
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAPrP9oygq9j
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.55Please respect copyright.PENANAHmAfek3gNN
By dusk, the greenhouse would hum with new footsteps.55Please respect copyright.PENANAqOGohRhscz
And the Shadow Walkers — on the girls’ side — would know that their serpent had returned not to bite, but to lead.
55Please respect copyright.PENANArKmSWTHXJY
55Please respect copyright.PENANAeXam8HGMww