According to the Stanford Prison Experiment, environmental factors can affect human behavior, leading individuals to react negatively or violently in certain situations.
[Sbusiso Mnonisi Mabaso]
Clap! A violent thunderclap rang out, intensifying the tension in the air.
Zombification? What does that mean? Zombies, as in zombies?
Just as I was preoccupied with my thoughts, a mangled person emerged from behind Zakhele's house. It was barely recognizable. One part of the face was burnt off, while the other had scratches all over.
"Azande?" Zakhele, who had been dazed a few minutes ago, uttered.
I covered my mouth. Zombification seemed like a reality; everyone who had died would be zombified.
I looked at my little boy, who had started giving a raspy breathing sound. Zakhele dragged his leg forward, approaching the zombie. Both of them had the same awkward gait - one alive, the other dead, a dreadful contrast.
Azande was Zakhele's oldest son, 22 years old. I assumed he had succumbed to death before he could fully escape.
I rushed to Zakhele, almost tackling him. "That's not him; he died!" I pleaded, wrapping my arms around him.
The man tried moving forward, and I let him go, not because I didn't care, but because two of my favorite people were standing right next to me.
"Lilitha, Mxolisi," I muttered, staggering over to them. "I'm so sorry; let Daddy join you guys."
Words flowed out of my mouth as I hugged them. They embraced me back, though they said nothing and only gave raspy breathing sounds. That was enough.
I could feel my chest warm up. I thought I had lost them forever.
Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang out, snapping me back to reality. The two cold bodies in my embrace went limp.
"No, no, no!" They fell to the ground, resuming their earlier state, only this time with holes in their foreheads.
I knelt in front of them, bringing them closer. "Come back, please come back. I need you." Tears streamed down my face.
"Argh!" I heard Zakhele scream.
As I turned back, I was greeted by the sight of him bashing the mangled corpse with a rock on the head.
"They weren't them. They were zombies. I thought at least you'd know that, Sbuu."
"Kaizer," I muttered under my breath.
Of course, I knew they were zombies. I just wished I could have been with them one last time. And he took that away from me.
I could feel my breathing becoming erratic; my eyes became fixated on Kaizer.
Boom! The sound of a collapsing roof nearby snapped me back. I breathed in deeply and smiled.
I couldn't let my emotions take the best of me. Kaizer was a gang member. Before all of this happened, I was a lawyer, so I had represented him in quite a few cases.
"What do you want?" I looked at him calmly.
"I'm recruiting. The world has gone to hell, and I sure as hell can't reach the top by myself."
We stared at each other for a while, and I nodded.
Kaizer was a criminal mastermind. A few years ago, he had offed his own father, who refused to give him one of his most successful drug rings.
This was the world of the devil, and to survive, I had to roll with the strongest fist.
I glanced over at Zakhele, who was now muttering to himself like a crazy person.
"What about him?" I asked.
"He's coming with too."
I nodded before looking at the two corpses by my feet. My warm chest had already gone cold again.
Continuous gunshots rang out in the neighborhood. I couldn't live knowing my child's corpse and the woman I loved were rotting on a random street somewhere, so I decided to let the fire consume their mortal shells.
Although it was a hard thing to do, it was something I had to do nonetheless.
The world had gone to hell; it had registered in my mind now. This was my reality.
I looked at the pastor who had always hated me because he knew of my sinful deeds. Who knew he had some of his own? Maybe blaming me made him feel better.
But I'm different. I looked at Kaizer, who was smiling while chatting with another guy. Our group now had six people in total.
I didn't blame Kaizer for doing what he did. This world was made for them - heartless people who had no qualms doing sickening things. And Zakhele was a poor human who had succumbed to the madness.
In the end, all of them would perish, and I'd be the only one left at the top.
I am nothing but a fool in the world of the mad but I'll do whatever it takes to get back to my family. Even if I have to become the maddest .
To be continued...