Temperatures rose in the Indian ocean and people ran away from the pool of fire that started. Shama, the dark lord, rode out from under the water riding Pegasus. Dlozi kneeled down to his old master, pointing at the return of Shama flying passed their building then ran away with the magic ball.

Shama took out his bludgeon and struck lightning at Khabazela’s walls making a hole in his office; he then entered the office with Pegasus. Khabazela’s spirit came back and saw his faith tumble down. Shama gave Pegasus the privilege to kick the old man to death with his front heels.

The four witch riders faded into dust and gave Khafu a sense of relieve. Shama took out the spirit of Khabazela from the old body and trapped it inside the bottle he had carried along. He later stood proud, looking down at his new world after the recession of one thousand years.

Khafu ran one thousand miles back home to his wife without a ride. Khazi watched the news on TV channels that the whole township had burnt down. With her full belly, she tried to call Khafu who had lost his mobile phone. Taxis and vans came from every direction, armed with dangerous weapons, and parked outside her house. “Let the witch burn!!!” the mob outside got fired up.

“Zakwe, there’re people outside trying to kill me. Please harry! I tried calling Khafu but he’s not picking up his phone!” she cried looking from the windows.

The mob broke down her front gate and burnt her black Range Rover sport in the garage. Rocks were thrown against her locked doors as she screamed inside. Explosives broke her window and the curtains caught fire, the mob stayed long enough to see the house burn down before speeding away. Khafu arrived hours later. He got to his knees once again seeing the wrapped dead body of his wife being taken out by the officials.

Zakwe got out from the car and saw the incident miles away. Laying on the passenger seat was a bag full of cash, and so unable to save his sister, he decided to skip the country alone. But seconds later the mob crossed the street following his tail with taxis and vans. Cars chased him until he lost control and hit the yard walls. A police man rushed to his doors with a pistol and shot Zakwe to death before the mob came out to burn his car.

Seven days later Shama and his seven witches stood before Nkanyamba, the god of the blood river.

“On the seventh day you will all rise from the soil and serve your remaining hours on earth as humans. You may have a family, and bring me more children in time,” Nkanyamba declared. “I set you free, you may now live. I’m also expecting my family to return back home as well in these moments of peace!” The cursed witches agreed.

Khafu went to the Dumba mountain where his family was last buried. He placed an axe on the ground hoping the seven witches would join him and seek revenge for his wife’s death.

*****

“God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to teach us the privileges of living in heaven. But He was mistreated and nailed to the cross. He died for our sins!” said the priest.

“Today everybody takes the bait because I believe we are all sinners. Which is why when you have sex with one partner you often get bored, which is why when you get paid it’s never enough, which is why after God answers your prayers you soon get yourself back to trouble, which why we get sick and die!”

The church said “Amen.”

Buried on the high mountains, laid to rest on the same porch for so long, were the most feared witches. They kicked the soil and dug their way up in the stormy rain.

The naked men entered a hardware store to pick up tools in late hours. Security guards were asleep when the dead men stole their clothes. Dragging hardware tools against the concrete floor, they walked like zombies down the streets.

“Let the man change ‘fore seeing his day, our Father sent his only son through himself in Jesus’ name we shall all be set free from our sins, now let us pray!” the priest closed his eyes at the front of the stage as the church kneeled down. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…”

The seven witches kicked the church door open and stood in the lightning armed with their heavy tools. Church members turned their heads and screamed. The witches chopped heads, sliced hands, and tripped church members with their tools, rolled pickaxes on their backs as they fell to the ground.

“Forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” the priest saved his prayers.

The church members were crawling in the pool of blood. The witch labourers took their time making sure everyone was dead and broke every skull with a hammer, spilling out their brains.

“Amen!” the priest said opening his eyes. He picked up a pen close to his written notes and pushed it against his eye till his brain shut down due to internal bleeding, eventually killing himself.

The seven witches left the church building in flames.

Morning came and dead bodies were recovered from the scene wrapped in bags.

“So the priest was involved in the killing of the seven witches?” Detective Cele asked the community members.

“He once told us about their ghosts and said the devil is out there as much as God is out there for his work and miracles,” said a community member.

Detective Cele took statements, fearing the worst for himself as remembered shooting to death a young man called Zakwe in his car before the community burned him. The officer later went to a sangoma to ask questions about his safety.

“Your future blows like a candle my boy, the most feared witches want you dead!” the sangoma pointed out the dark shell from the bones laid against the ground. “If you had to make peace with them, then you would have to go apologies to the Inkanyamba on your behalf. The snake dragon rests in the blood river with her young. The most feared witches are planning on killing you slowly as their last victim. Now run, run boy, run!” the witch doctor said with evil stare.

Detective Cele followed the rituals the sangoma told him to. At the blood river, his family helped him sacrifice seven black chickens, seven lamps, seven bulls. He slept there seven days dinning under a bridge. On his last day he saw something strange coming out from the dam to go claim his sacrifice. Three big snakes walked out from the stream like lizards. Armed with seven heads, their size stretched beyond pythons, they stretched up their necks eating all the dead livestock from the shores.

Detective Cele was able to take a video clip before the snakes swam back to the river fading underwater.