(Second-to-last episode in the final season)
Chisom sat alone in the school library, her eyes scanning the flash drive again and again. The footage of Kunle’s disappearance was damning, but it wasn’t enough. Not in a place like St. James, where secrets had roots deeper than truth.
That was when Ada slipped her another note, this one more urgent than the rest.
“She used to work here. Meet at the water tank behind the kitchen. 8:00 p.m. Come alone.”
A former staff member?
At exactly 8:00, Chisom crept to the back of the kitchen building. The air was thick with smoke from the cooking fires, and the massive water tank loomed overhead, casting a long shadow.
A woman stood waiting — tall, dressed in an oversized hoodie, her face mostly hidden. But Chisom recognized her voice instantly.
“Mrs. Halima?” The former school nurse.
She nodded quickly. “I shouldn’t be here. If they find out…”
“Please,” Chisom said. “Tell me what happened to Kunle.”
Mrs. Halima reached into her bag and pulled out a small recorder. “I started documenting everything the moment I realized the kind of school I was working for. Corruption. Abuse. Even disappearances.”
She pressed play.
The recording crackled to life. Her own voice began:
“This is Nurse Halima Abubakar. This is my confession.”
“In 2021, I was asked to alter a medical report to frame a student for drug possession. I refused. The next week, my transfer letter arrived.”
“In 2022, Kunle Adebayo came to me with bruises. He said the Head Boy and two seniors attacked him. He said he found out about ‘The Order’ and how they were controlling school elections and covering up harassment cases.”
“I told him to keep quiet. I regret it now. Weeks later, he vanished.”
Chisom blinked rapidly, her throat dry.
Mrs. Halima added, “There’s more. Names. Payoffs. Even the principal is involved. The Order is bigger than you think.”
“Why are you helping now?” Chisom asked.
Tears shimmered in the woman’s eyes. “Because silence is no longer safe. For any of us.”
Suddenly, headlights swept across the field. A car was approaching.
Mrs. Halima shoved the recorder into Chisom’s hands. “Take it. Get back to the dorm. Don’t let them see you.”
“But what about—”
“Go!” she hissed.
Chisom ran, heart pounding, clutching the recorder like it was gold.
Back in Ada’s room, the three of them huddled together — Chisom, Ada, and Joshua — listening again and again to the recording.
“This is it,” Joshua said. “This will take them down.”
Ada’s voice was shaky. “If we survive long enough to play it.”
Chisom met their eyes. “Then we show everything. Tomorrow. Prize-Giving Day. Public screen. No way to shut it down.”
Read Previous Episode: “Episode 10 The Hidden Tunnel”
🎓 Next Time on the Final Episode of The Hidden Files:
Episode 12 – Exposure Day
It’s Speech and Prize-Giving Day at St. James College. Chisom prepares to play the footage — but The Order is ready to strike first. Not everyone will make it out.
📅 Final episode drops this Friday on alphayem.com.ng
