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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelIO1XXxft
Juma hated this kind of show — too bright, too scripted. But it made for the perfect cover.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDBXTB5Sbk
“Everyone’s looking up,” he whispered.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQ8BOoesHO
“No one sees what we’re pinning to their legs.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89v8lEBBQZ
Jabari didn’t smile.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5Tymm2Y34
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled poster, smooth and stiff. Thick matte ink on thick gray stock.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB9BpfW7IH
ORDER OVER INSURRECTION37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiflxU90TAY
A white wing over a fractured flame.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4REo3BR0D
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUV00RWUrTl
Four in total. No more. Enough to seed rumor, not provoke response.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVb4rfuea5J
They weren’t messages for students.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaV9ZvRRRV
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiv0Acpd79
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QMsCMBJco
He whispered:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNICWvROvdU
“She wanted an audience. Let’s give her one.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLYXMPmttS
Behind the hydroponics dome, a girl in Kisumu Girls' tracksuit lowered her phone quietly. Her name wasn’t known to either of them.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7bHOVqBfs
But the notification she sent was clear:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEvIHWHd0S
“The birds are flying banners again. Mercy will see.”
*****37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ52D31BI4M
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbz1Cfi4z1
Inside, Jabari and Juma moved fast, pushing through ankle-deep water that had begun pooling around the eastern wall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNysuPsecV
“This isn't just a chamber,” Juma snapped. “It’s a channel.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAPDJXIsdH
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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPG0q5znU2
Repurposed by whom?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloB6fRDOgo
By Mercy.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRUuvLmQA3
Atop the hidden stairway, two girls in Kisumu Girls’ jackets stood in silence.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6zzN9spkg
One wore Mercy’s old prefect sash — though no one had given it to her.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8a0LQ2tTen
The other held the key.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5emLPdDub
She waited exactly until her watch ticked to 12:17 a.m.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcMhbYrQ8z
Then she slid the bolt home and turned it once.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGBOWRRuTm
Click.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHLznvQsc0
The girls didn’t laugh. Didn’t speak.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwGjzdaRt6
They simply walked away.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8Z17nzIKp
Jabari’s light flickered.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpDLteY0aD
He and Juma reached the far side — a rusted metal ladder leading up toward the chapel’s north vestibule — welded shut from above.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOityxCDmI5
“She locked us in,” Jabari said.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc37Qa4s77
Juma stared at the water now reaching his shins. “That’s not the problem.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagnmi5To5X
The sound came next — not fast, not crashing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOzsjruV7q
A slow gurgle. A hiss.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuTB35bw60
Then the unmistakable suction of redirected flow.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9ollA14Oc
Juma turned to Jabari.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbt4HEalBkB
“She's opened the borehole line.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20fxmtiH0V
And sure enough, behind the sealed hatch, where the borehole channel fed under the school… the grate now trembled.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRDUnaOPHM
Then the water began to rise.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTtbHw4ZXy
From the high choir loft, Mercy stood silent, eyes calm, watching the stained glass as shadows shifted across it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0jENgMD0f
Behind her, a girl whispered, “They’re in.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEbyovokex
Mercy didn’t reply at first. Then:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6feVn6OfZ5
“They came looking for a lie. Let them leave soaked in truth.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4809gvoexz
She turned away and walked down the spiral staircase, vanishing into the dark.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszX37zCLrR
The water rose like a slow betrayal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pCP0cLVNC
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCErX6ljWGl
Then — a sound.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGs7raIQOkM
Bang. Bang. Clank.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzeOL0MeIA
A screech of iron echoed from behind the north wall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZdtZcy3EP
Juma froze. “Did you hear that?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGOR8Ts7un
Clank. Slam.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigeDoWp3as
Then a voice, muffled by metal and rage:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4Rkm4FPls
“Get back!”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxi3HLTBIuu
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSyjsdtDt4
And through the water— Musa crawled through.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKl6HsjPjq
Soaked. Grit-covered. Grinning like a man who had wrestled a pipe system and won.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWtKFs2pth
“I told you I was the better swimmer,” he coughed.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89Xe0gCurL
As the water drained and light returned, Juma leaned against the far wall, breathing hard.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBrZdJqMIk
“We were seconds from blacking out.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7BXaknaeA
Jabari, still quiet, turned his torch toward the south chamber — a small alcove half-submerged behind a collapsed marble panel.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZ91MnYfJF
Musa followed his gaze. “What’s that?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoN6kYV9k1O
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaTpyDKtOe
Behind it, half-sunken and chained inside a rusted cage:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuIdSnKTed
Three black ledger boxes, stamped with faded silver initials: “M.O.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pYyc9c2r5
Juma slowly unlocked one latch. Inside: letters, class registers, intercepted prefect reports, old Order rosters — all annotated in Mercy’s handwriting.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AGDW8W4y3
Jabari picking one up and reading aloud:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H7ZdByx8E
“She was never exiled. She was buried.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjHHEBMRX5
Musa whispered “She didn’t build a trap. She built an archive.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZkpNDPq43
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyIxUs22vA
Jabari looked up sharply.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIvrj1u1aT
“You followed us.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTBFmazHZC
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P9sE3sgtF
“You need this one,” he said. “It’s the only one with dates after Mercy’s expulsion.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkHDDVNF9a
Juma narrowed his eyes. “Why help us?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jrQ3cTiPf
Ayo hesitated, then looked directly at Jabari.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VV9A3lFy2
“Because I’ve seen what Kwame would do with it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ142oNlP3G2
The silence cracked with the sound of metal boots on water-slick stone.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTPc0ZMJc3
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHaCmZOI7w
The one marked “Staff Correspondences: 2007–2014.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CxVy4QACj
Jabari stood. “What are you doing?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnSjOsFOAT
Otieno held his gaze. “You know I follow the truth.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzZr3gNTiL
Then turned and walked out — no rush, no guilt.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgNLmAwrz1
One box in Jabari’s hands. One box in Ayo’s grip. One box now leaving with Otieno.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1ugLQZzFh
Musa broke the silence.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbgutygbtL
“That’s it, then. The lines are drawn.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTwvfbbE78
Juma added, “And Mercy didn’t even have to choose sides. She just lit the match.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kHzarlzaR
Jabari watched Otieno disappear into the crypt tunnel, Ayo still standing beside him, conflicted but present.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabk0e1znjt
Musa whispered, “This isn't just about the wall anymore. This is a war over what gets remembered.”
******37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRGnc9VA1Z
The video was less than ninety seconds long.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNV9ANZJRk
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsiSkYPF8K
The screen opened on dim light, stone, water glinting along the floor like liquid glass.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0MMCT6zjR
The voice was unmistakable.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuz60nbSHoh
“This is what they called leadership. This is what they built walls to protect. Jabari’s Order — drowning in Mercy’s revenge.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGojL5zizwd
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSVCuAz4Nv
Then:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJsdGukGye
Freeze frame.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58hDqI9XE3
Jabari, back turned, lifting a rusted ledger box.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Tbk69jdwP
The words flashed over the image in blood-red type:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS2shbBaH8
"The Order is underwater."37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb19Abc3fDO
Then black.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdxN40UsBY
By 7:00 a.m., the dorm corridors buzzed like electric wires.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjN5czUBpsu
“Who recorded it? There are no phones allowed—how did it get out? Was it staged? Is Mercy back? Was the flooding real?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1VxKvy7pK
In the Kisumu Girls library, Shiko watched Kim watching the terminal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9CJsMrdGJ
“That’s the tunnel. That’s the crypt,” Kim whispered. And that—is a declaration.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7d8y9eozj2
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGF9yPU2Vo
Kwame stood outside, eyes on the sky, arms folded.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fqq208Qnf
He didn’t need a phone.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuqoSG7ITe
He just needed a network Mercy built…and a reason to set it on fire.
**********37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFanWEEifl
June pushed the heavy doors open just as Mary arrived from the science wing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFUMUlpegJ
“The boys have seen it?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7822GWIAR
“Everyone has.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxV9m49lC2R
Kim entered last, silent.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCheIdyEuJA
Shiko hovered in the corridor, uninvited but listening.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGuicdJiDe
On the old Order wall board, Naomi stood still.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay0Nn7UZT3
Below her — pinned with blue tacks — were printed stills from the Kwame video. One showed the crypt grate. Another, Jabari holding the ledger.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnltOqWJKK
“This wasn’t Mercy’s trap anymore,” Naomi said quietly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSb8rbSNRG
“It was her signal.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fAXB3cJES
Naomi turned to them — prefects.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmgZ5NqinJ
“There’s at least one ledger still moving. Probably being moved to St. Theresa’s. Possibly Maseno.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPS18ycG9H
Mary stepped forward. “So, what do we do?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXi7iW7Tjo
Naomi tapped the board.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIm56OnKs6
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4guRV8Akbi
June’s voice was cold.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qswvK4uNF
“You think Mercy would use one of us?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpwSaMJN4j
Naomi didn’t blink.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHCDgyPRI5
“Mercy doesn’t use people. She recruits them.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu6pne01l4
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:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZM3NNuhPJ
“Don’t trust who enters first. Trust who stays behind.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hSBcwtP9W
The Order Hall is locked though Naomi stays inside, assembling the remaining cipher logs and pulling names off Mercy’s old class rosters.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxz3RpLPZ1
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7L3z0RQsT
She has only one instruction:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxAYncSBIl
“Deliver it by dusk. If you’re stopped — deny you ever knew.”
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh8nYR93ju
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6us7i28RKi
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