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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgudWhY7z3
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6okISTizwc
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUInM5KfAFB
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgeQtwg6RP
Jabari didn’t smile.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGrJHNB24K
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT7dX4Ysc5
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAmg8LrQJs
A white wing over a fractured flame.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqVSYjFQYV
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTYlVsC2j
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhl5EVGnqA
They weren’t messages for students.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwrPNS2yY8
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzVP5bCz7x
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdRlzJqBH0
He whispered:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gjvPvqYIM
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xdErFYZO4
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrokHg9qp0L
But the notification she sent was clear:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftvnBwJxGt
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyt31IGbsWf
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzT3wROPFCz
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RIQh1dBl2
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkptVnFFU2
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.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb098NdQtgH
Repurposed by whom?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8agjc0H9Uy
By Mercy.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BoO9LTT0z
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4CujgPVnb
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngTcNEWOK6
The other held the key.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8tmkbGQ2S
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXkD7ovk7S
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrON3UsqhI
Click.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8we2WbXZdg
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY9YnJvZO1
They simply walked away.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo0zpiRzOQ
Jabari’s light flickered.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtRTx2pAsQ
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8s0q1MhvsM
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡux25kKTdrP
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVcot1ISFN
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kYL5WUV5W
A slow gurgle. A hiss.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GoElcHn9o
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlD10UfGes6
Juma turned to Jabari.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFjwHfFipn
“She's opened the borehole line.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaNLAa6S4m
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPfa85OE8I
Then the water began to rise.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOUH5imLll
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCFvzMlOkA
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgZ5fXZpsG
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUY9xxFePr0
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNMS5QotAt
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuiv6vWxhd
The water rose like a slow betrayal.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquV7SqSYgw
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d8aIKqwyu
Then — a sound.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmgjPtDl4L
Bang. Bang. Clank.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgaFSZ5UNn
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBthIhuzd6u
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKCQt9OfxS
Clank. Slam.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaglUxaDFlw
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJrP0MiFR5
“Get back!”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5z662dztop
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh86CtgjvA
And through the water— Musa crawled through.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQk02EY4n7
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPE0bFAwQy
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qYY6kQd02
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkXQdPCfDL
“We were seconds from blacking out.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwQrV2DYgm
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZn6oQC5rE5
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwaE6fycDD
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDiKqLj2Tf
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRfy0XcGgx
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9SOKSfXes
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jTD8k7L45
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjirtKcZEC4
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xCjwAViG9
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1Q1f29IHR
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mu7856CC8
Jabari looked up sharply.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqZuwndrEk
“You followed us.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSO6jcY8HVr
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtTWTTiufS
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sNWcPSM1v
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DPwKwEM4j
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QUyeSZ9bU
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgiA8ndXqM
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbzPv3eZaR
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCdTysttbN
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI72kK8SP26
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYhkklhiHR
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIy7i28Sfh
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjr1qgv75H
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlDAdq6fau
Musa broke the silence.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVbdbYZtSa
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIGaVuc2kB
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4v0902i0ID
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSiiluoaDh
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdvvDNHd65
The video was less than ninety seconds long.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqtVEhJnd2
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAZJTxBC9s
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAah0Bi39P
The voice was unmistakable.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfVP2o5Kha
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuDCTxHYVZ
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYnF2cHwMe
Then:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTGqopa4wZ
Freeze frame.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IVtGYZK6R
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCorSMjyaGN
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MU8jfTGGp
"The Order is underwater."27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Sq9nTJcd0
Then black.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuxtPojxTy
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SHIgmz83z
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4vONDRBbn
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdD3U0bR1B
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRmXsqtruc
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8t6kzABZJ
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjcBWAaDb2
He didn’t need a phone.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykAN5MigCq
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS48o9PLyh
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB4exALWG7
“The boys have seen it?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfZdaiqA0X
“Everyone has.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTrw9q7zxc
Kim entered last, silent.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ785LCD2uqr
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZfAtbmWX3
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL7pxOU0FZ
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYLXG4xU66
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1m5ISQxGZ
“It was her signal.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgVfYDnUQs
Naomi turned to them — prefects.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EmBgQkxGT
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2eMuf4kEx
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggHHdt3dNa
Naomi tapped the board.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2FYBHTR0q
“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.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhykR8oUSi
June’s voice was cold.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VVizNFvon
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL2Vbo7Wjj
Naomi didn’t blink.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QLwoxfvMg
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJ3TsBNDoS
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:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIiqn3y4Lr
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6PQhNakcW
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9kf331Hiv
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPv5LWSb6g
She has only one instruction:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyJJzaQtJb
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxYnMespck
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnK72mcmEXT
