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