Chapter 22: The Visitor

 

The prison was cold and quiet, the kind of silence that pressed heavy on the chest. Zinhle, Amogelang, Kea, and Bonolo sat in their separate cells, each lost in her own thoughts. Their faces were pale, their eyes red from crying. They hadn’t slept. The weight of fear and confusion sat on their shoulders like bricks. No one said a word. They didn’t know what would happen next only that it wouldn’t be good. Suddenly, the silence broke. Footsteps echoed through the hallway slow, deliberate, and unnerving. Each step sounded louder than the last, as if a storm was approaching. The girls looked up, their hearts pounding. A man appeared at the end of the corridor. He walked confidently, dressed in an expensive black suit that stood out against the cold, gray walls. His shoes were polished, his face clean-shaven, his posture upright. Two guards flanked him, but it was clear he was the one in charge. He stopped in front of the cells and slowly looked at each of them, his smile wide and smug. The girls stared back, confused for a second until recognition struck them like lightning. “Hello, golden girls,” he said smoothly, his voice dripping with sarcasm and pride. “Do you remember me?”

The girls froze. Time seemed to stop for a moment. No one breathed. No one blinked. “You…” Bonolo whispered, her voice cracking. “You’re the one… You ruined our lives…” The man laughed a cruel, cold sound that bounced off the prison walls. “Ruined your lives?” he repeated with a smirk. “No, no. I’m just returning the favor.” He took a slow step toward Bonolo’s cell, his gaze locked on her face. “Bonolo,” he said, his voice low and mocking. “Do you remember high school? Do you remember what you did to me? Playing with my feelings, pretending you liked me, catfishing me and then you humiliated me in public, to you I was a joke. Bonolo’s lips shaked. She lowered her head and tears rolled down her cheeks. She had no words. He turned sharply to Kea. “And you,” he said, his voice growing darker. “Do you remember setting me up with weed? You knew what that would do to me. You knew the consequences.” Kea’s hands shook. “I… I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. He clenched his jaw. “Sorry?” he hissed. “I was expelled. Do you know what that meant for my family? They worked their whole lives to put me in that school. I was their only hope. And you took that away from me like it was nothing.” His eyes burned with rage now, no longer smiling. The girls were crying silent, helpless tears. He stepped back a little and gave a cold laugh. “Oh, poor Lulu… such a coward. She couldn’t even face the truth. Taking her own life that was the lowest of all.” The girls winced at the mention of Lulu. The pain of her loss was still fresh, raw, and now used as a weapon against them.

“Why are you doing this?” Zinhle asked through her tears, her voice shaking with fear. He stepped closer, his face just inches from the bars. His eyes were filled with hate. “Because,” Themba said slowly, “this is payback. You all took something from me. Now… I’m taking everything from you.”He adjusted his jacket and gave one last smirk. “And don’t worry,” he said, turning to leave, “I’ll make sure you stay in prison for a very long time.” With that, he walked away, his footsteps fading down the hallway. But his cruel laughter lingered in the air, echoing off the walls long after he was gone. The girls sat still, stunned, broken, and scared. There was no more doubt. This was never a game. It was revenge.