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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztAmVdm3Wg
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAJtunUd4F
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDz9OzwjJeb
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpQelRa4wU
Jabari didn’t smile.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8H95RWqCe
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lnfhCRBSe
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8dTrHRU3h
A white wing over a fractured flame.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3o5f9ThHCw
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK8CpOXcWb
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHpkh6n6ec
They weren’t messages for students.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HJEWT5iP1
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiYXSbu5Vs
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOXfk2Qq28
He whispered:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomel1aGv13
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwHRE6r6P0
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpUOwei85Q
But the notification she sent was clear:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyKxtJAxLl
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWeOVwVIro
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUn6VChPXD
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9VSFDDvBg
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwiyXGtEcj
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.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1Ip79wHb7
Repurposed by whom?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OdP2Nd5pl
By Mercy.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGhqLtrz0B
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCTecVY6fh
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUAHwUrvVU
The other held the key.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GIRDK8q8d
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2EoQXd7IS
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSTI6tH2wa
Click.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGrmSssZaO
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1x3snABJw
They simply walked away.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgh6Vbb8sT
Jabari’s light flickered.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LHpCVIOIY
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT21FDBxPl
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtV7SlPJcR
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdG2CtTmi8Z
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpgWXewUyS
A slow gurgle. A hiss.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sBeowoqOh
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdI4FYa2VT
Juma turned to Jabari.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGf9Vw1yO7
“She's opened the borehole line.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevrJFFpZN4
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2OZifbJfV
Then the water began to rise.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFTIiDBug1
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwr3Yg1LYLC
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUPv0u1h7M
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQADnpcu8m
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZi3Pp12ll
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lBfWTH1gx
The water rose like a slow betrayal.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVeV1BMhCB
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHO0fFCnAht
Then — a sound.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEAEI0Dryj
Bang. Bang. Clank.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsOTxHy22k
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ9kAgDSkN
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWogslUpS2W
Clank. Slam.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zygb7FUKK
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfF3qPrCimf
“Get back!”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrncNwRtNj
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAB1ZqR0KC
And through the water— Musa crawled through.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEaWyl1Sx9
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyCyVa80OG
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhh9pcGl69
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MbWpEbOOl
“We were seconds from blacking out.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWzNBZaNvZ
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl0b1HpRoe
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD3V44F9Py
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp888S1lte
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw30Xh8V14
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jb0JASI5z
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyib45m0pp3
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULlXrg2Fdu
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZn8vLGbbiM
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FYhq5UaHB
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDRALucqRd
Jabari looked up sharply.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLjn8yU7l8
“You followed us.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlynnZVNCR7
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziKxuwDFtz
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIPHVMOGjO
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0lCvaFpNw
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniN32gvDbm
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTkyzqD6xn
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4q6Ot7alJn
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpFwtaU2XO
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9NnXVIew1
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyCE2063rJ
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNG3Mhdgwrl
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uF682cBVT
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Oi1JidT7Q
Musa broke the silence.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYevoYrKnY9
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS2aePrV5p
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNLj4ZslD7
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF4nq1P43v
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyYaWNp2i8
The video was less than ninety seconds long.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp1LEiI1il
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5bzFNDywM
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqaDHbnUT8
The voice was unmistakable.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrnyIjwdO9
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3z0uR73aT
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBC7JDRgdXH
Then:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhCGld7BFY
Freeze frame.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTVgBPJdvy
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjNam35C0j
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisrtZ5Nq51
"The Order is underwater."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpG04EtO4bD
Then black.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEib9Lq4JO
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVJlYTdjfi
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjBq8WZKDE
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqMSWOVGmq
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TSEDEr095
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42j7IPSTiu
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RLdKTk3Mh
He didn’t need a phone.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7LmQM7EkF
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjbt6Rgzjz
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7VyizVS7s
“The boys have seen it?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDUMggwaTt
“Everyone has.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQa1uB6l5h
Kim entered last, silent.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rXCM15VQX
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlYWyGh6op
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeCTLgLpsq
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw4LVWklFZ
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpv9H1xMgEH
“It was her signal.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wHJVz2IVm
Naomi turned to them — prefects.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKksTC9LKg
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTvj1kGwqT
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMBjEfty9u
Naomi tapped the board.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbr6i9nEYB
“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.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhEsVM55Mp
June’s voice was cold.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tfTIC3puA
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzZqoSwaNN
Naomi didn’t blink.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1T6pudMDv
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o77AxdR83
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:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu1S8Z58rr
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxGu0kt7yi
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaWUIZNPTk
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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZbGsOELC2
She has only one instruction:58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AByM4HWLn
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNZ5klC1sB
58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNxF8cL7xp
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.