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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4U8WoPZ5Y
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zlrTbVFHz
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkB2qPYzOgF
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7NEsO5Gnq
Jabari didn’t smile.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tWVPXNSH0
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJkdwBVmsw
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr15TCFgkqs
A white wing over a fractured flame.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kExvHG37n
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFUxMKPEbd
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoixBZ6XJf
They weren’t messages for students.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjIfKjBS0b
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOboG8MoXuT
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdpPN4vAXR
He whispered:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5gnsS3VAx
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrJgyFfwyp
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRGR1iZ2sP
But the notification she sent was clear:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Oe4tdTFst
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8N6Jcc0qM
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpsQmOCDOA
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXuBb8yqON
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDDHG3sUNe
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.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3cSsFU50G
Repurposed by whom?105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoP7GCdXqIO
By Mercy.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8vKiXc1ES
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauS9GedUnj
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8CKi65kKQ
The other held the key.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy91UQJn3V5
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzay2GU3P9o
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcL5V1a78E
Click.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLhgOxtqFI
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMrDPcw4Ad
They simply walked away.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HBh25LT5d
Jabari’s light flickered.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckhC8SpO33
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HDeq8wznm
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvymwF3OJpW
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTArzrSu6wF
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIT44Ur8WA
A slow gurgle. A hiss.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFqEahtFw7
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyXcyLZ62i
Juma turned to Jabari.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSISK5PuQrA
“She's opened the borehole line.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWH2sLGrUaD
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHefbDtkPS
Then the water began to rise.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcW6qreaWl
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQumoEunrZ
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0CF4zrJLN
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtMEX69txu
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGw6gBT41F
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EjHpTWrhA
The water rose like a slow betrayal.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWL6NUWVst
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlC2zMIOpAJ
Then — a sound.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvJemmb23n
Bang. Bang. Clank.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpawzhOBEv5
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlsR2tnDkC
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ieAYG7Oqy
Clank. Slam.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6tnlrvA9W
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kS1IOYHHV
“Get back!”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6jBol9CR1
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeHppYylKv
And through the water— Musa crawled through.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikE2dacDVN
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXAVy59iv1
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQcQlRqw9K
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgucl6HfJoP
“We were seconds from blacking out.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MaTnLrDdQ
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBEgymJbg4
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8hxCLEL1k
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLieorzx9dE
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg8wj5P7kP
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu14RvvqEGg
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyaZEOlMGy
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAoSsU4vqX
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrklW0pIkL
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkk4kdq10Y
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHDwo0gtuR
Jabari looked up sharply.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY7vGmuzTJ
“You followed us.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnYlOPSEVh
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSEnHDOxSf
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXMApHTNN4
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡij0e09o9eS
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUjr9I9Ait
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lB46M5h91
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRW8WIgLSU
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0Px9twgi3
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgnxTDMQa8
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUD6BCihQli
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglYsJAGJfN
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFL8YrQz9Y
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXaOIolnHd
Musa broke the silence.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8m8c4mNP2l
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXiuM9Vjrj
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FMONHZu7L
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavdF0n0Vle
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyb9nM8U8Qj
The video was less than ninety seconds long.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFpiEpahPp
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNg7apukIV
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoHk8dlaFk
The voice was unmistakable.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTYaff66bW
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw6Z7099gt
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBHP57SbFD
Then:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL4ytqws8t
Freeze frame.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DY2fNb2Xd
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlIkPt3mSB
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAiWusqqOG
"The Order is underwater."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxRVgNCnBB
Then black.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBjDwWwKaE
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrsLGCxoU2
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6uKE4gM33
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVf2ukc7JxC
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmKRUhdKwM
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bEqnUMdNG
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiok3VU1Qgl
He didn’t need a phone.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73wva0H0vu
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqG0PKjuy5
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAWsJDup76
“The boys have seen it?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKBQORRplg
“Everyone has.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0R8FQ3iMG
Kim entered last, silent.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVogoG9qTcw
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0potB87zs
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6wRTM2ESJ
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgksxDR7rk0
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdPas98V8p
“It was her signal.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOghPrdubEH
Naomi turned to them — prefects.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVu3h30kRh
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLTpPQY6cJ
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6khPzpiFdl
Naomi tapped the board.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJPDtY0cOV
“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.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXusJTdnW2
June’s voice was cold.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcA6rZrCGZ
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoB901vKkU
Naomi didn’t blink.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7r79p0TuA
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPV7aCgVaz
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:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfOZEV3AHb
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WUyGUNyHB
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpFRmducnB
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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXAC7jSGlE
She has only one instruction:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxog9P9n8g
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBalq0YbH5s
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr2W7Hcbiw
