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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJ6L7KPjEi
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttzulStcvo
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPwm4FO2yS
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Mcdk68WEL
Jabari didn’t smile.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2v5AkIV9C
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRqy2ENNH1
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIApUbCt4cF
A white wing over a fractured flame.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl0DoeqFbt
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtbmeDeAml
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24Kks7grJd
They weren’t messages for students.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4r91N8CXH
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDyGSuFPCL
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUgpyyFKNj
He whispered:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7a2Wx3fHTP
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIVDyBX4l9
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaz9rpBrYHr
But the notification she sent was clear:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPNDHrk9Uv
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AvCC8UrB1
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIkckPJuNv
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZ5zjOwgck
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunn7cu9KBu
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.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxwKi8Ph4C
Repurposed by whom?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1PQdZxhCp
By Mercy.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvVKBHHlj6
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSmBwl5ihX
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUDEzq82FM
The other held the key.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiEwREucBA
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cScGKrH4q
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GuMcrEcpX
Click.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6M4vF5Zwx
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2LiyVyOOA
They simply walked away.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFYpqenCHq
Jabari’s light flickered.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYgwCfYT8U
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I3EpL6uZr
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B4XRF33cR
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwA2UtFeDZB
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cjHCxz1JN
A slow gurgle. A hiss.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCFeroxlCt
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z8BRRo0Xx
Juma turned to Jabari.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8bTA5TXHo
“She's opened the borehole line.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKmg5GeDA0
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GMPYiO8UB
Then the water began to rise.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7IsEYnBxq
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hsn2MgBam
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWX044jmdI
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJzn8G1ru8
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxwGW6AHt9
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg8qVjfJXs
The water rose like a slow betrayal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoupBWHnUC
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqRxbzFmyt
Then — a sound.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuoZ1NzB9X
Bang. Bang. Clank.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63EYkmaS7f
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxnN3YlWcN
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZsUl0JNDJ
Clank. Slam.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmnJ3btBcq
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ375riSdueV
“Get back!”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yYIrvOur1
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c61yWwORQ
And through the water— Musa crawled through.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtaxR9jC2a
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXeb3DXPRQ
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYJ05HFi1d
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdli915l54
“We were seconds from blacking out.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTQlqT1oXs
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzOqnGz7vb
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ44twPWVaM
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG8SvNkJlt
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ7JCEJLCE
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEGTfNStlP
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62KmVlXa9C
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8HcTuq4KF
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkK2Z39TVB
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsdWFTwehX
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NluCZDmas
Jabari looked up sharply.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGb87Tk53S
“You followed us.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojRYvRQB6v
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZEjaJ5HbX
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYsPB9HWra
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3zxicNM2F
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXNqdqsVvR
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfpnzr8mwp
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0n67vH37jS
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLBHjd3upF
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYABuE97Zx
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplZyeUQbei
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty20P2R87f
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9ERcCrXPZ
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC7aYbl7yQ
Musa broke the silence.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakiXHMwISk
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1iknUoEb4
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDkHpE5Wy0
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXucKX5iq6
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcgUpStWqi
The video was less than ninety seconds long.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZNaILfo70
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYADHfbL9ty
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXqQdAvAUm
The voice was unmistakable.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hcwZQa3Oi
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjcnulKaUl
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1VmnzUiQU
Then:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllhkqru1H2
Freeze frame.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ45GKHPVkv
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuUbzSfuVK
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGF1Br52GG
"The Order is underwater."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4nWqCH3WK
Then black.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN59AKU8lJD
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOhteVb6Vr
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFn2Q9gURGo
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTt4QbFX8cs
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGtr3BjmhI
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrCTBnf4a7
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9pViOMXKK
He didn’t need a phone.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpsYpsfOTX
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiVijakUKd
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshyVdBT1EW
“The boys have seen it?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8YgkGg7JU
“Everyone has.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz5wdG4B8a
Kim entered last, silent.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLmMsMY8rN
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlSJZtAizW
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uDe5EWoT3
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwu8PxxjoBD
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmckIMsBf7o
“It was her signal.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQNrwVVg9F
Naomi turned to them — prefects.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeRR7EnmCH
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJR9YlHlRJp
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKTsfxb5ZV
Naomi tapped the board.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRfbr3UPim
“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.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiMbfjEElZ
June’s voice was cold.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyYIjDbXpU
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkqB5czlKp
Naomi didn’t blink.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCX8SkF55at
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCPDFhcBw8
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:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pJtzDxGze
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcbChmyHwY
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58x1ryG4oa
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbr34y9FMKD
She has only one instruction:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRIW5kNO9n
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtB2bnEik8d
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dA2z97msY
