The Evidence in the Bag: A Journey to Zaka (Shadows in the Dark, Ch. 2)

Michael Chisungo didn't look back as he boarded the bus. In Mkoba 18, the air still tasted of tear gas and the metallic tang of fear, but here, on the Masvingo-Zaka road, it was just dust and diesel fumes.

​The engine groaned, a heavy, rhythmic sound that matched the thudding in Michael’s chest. He sat by a cracked window, clutching his backpack like a shield. Inside that bag wasn't just his life—it was a death warrant for the men who thought they owned Zimbabwe. Photos of ballot boxes being moved in the night, videos of the "restoration" that the news anchors called a success.

​On the overhead radio, a smooth voice was talking about "national stability." Michael looked at the passengers around him. Their faces were shadows in the dim orange light of the bus, eyes weary and fixed on the dark road ahead. They knew the truth better than any radio broadcast ever could.

​“You running from something, mufesi?” The whisper came from the man sitting beside him—a face lined with enough exhaustion to bridge the gap between Gweru and Zaka.

​“Just visiting family,” Michael said. The lie felt heavy on his tongue. “Zaka is home.”

​The man grunted, unimpressed. He’d seen enough "visitors" lately to know that in 2025, a young man doesn't travel this late unless the city has become a hunting ground. Outside, a faded billboard flashed by: “Prosperity Through Unity.” Michael just tightened his grip on the straps.

​His phone buzzed in his pocket. One final message from Nyasha before the signal died: Police closing in. Get to Rumwe. Find Priscilla.

​The bus began to slow, the single working headlight cutting through the red dust. Michael knew that once he stepped off into the Zaka night, there was no going back. The city was behind him, but the shadows were already waiting in the hills of Rumwe.

​The hunt has moved to the village. Shadows in the Dark is a journey into the heart of resistance, where the price of the truth is paid in blood and loyalty.

​[Read Chapter 3: The Baobab's Shadow]

​Lawson Chiwara is the author of Shadows in the Dark. Writing from Ndanga District Hospital, Masvingo, he tells the stories of the people the news cameras forget.

Contact: lawchiwara0@gmail.com