ZIMBABWEAN HORROR STORIES

OLD GIBSON

Old Gibson
A Story by: Ntandoyenkosi Dube second winner of the Wattpad-Zim horror story competition.

The silence in the car was getting kind of weird and the journey sure seemed long and boring because of the deafening silence. Something just had lighten up the mood cause people were quite tense. Mr Moyo turned up the volume. Some music would sure do them some good.

Mr Moyo was focused on driving but at the same time could not help but notice the sad faces that he saw from the back seat through the front mirror. His sons were not happy about moving to the country side, not even his wife. But what could be done? The Covid 19 situation had driven him over the edge so this was the best solution. The numerous lock down impositions had badly affected the flow of his income and he could not longer keep up with the overwhelmingly expensive lifestyle in the urban areas.

He sure thought that he had made a smart move. At the same, he had to admit that he too was quite skeptical about  moving to Lupane. It sure was a freaky place. Throughout the years there had been reports of people who mysteriously disappeared and some dying with no cause whatsoever. Sure weird but there was that one story that sent chills rushing  down his spine,the Legend  of old Gibson.

Mr Moyo really thought that he should let his family know a little bit about their new environment but he had no idea on how best to deliver the message without setting them on panick mode. Nonetheless,he just had to communicate this to them as it was vital for  safe settlement. He gripped firmly the steering wheel , drove on a moderate  speed and sat up straight against his
seat. This was sure an attempt to generate confidence and give validity to what whatever he was about to say.

Mr Moyo narrated the story of Gibson, a man who kept the residents of Lupane in awe due to his mysterious practices. He had a colossal homestead  that was occupied by him and his countless number of vicious dogs. Old Gibson would go on a hunting spree with his dogs every day.  Some of the meat was stashed away into one of the huts that was always locked and mounds and mounds of other flesh given to his dogs to devour. Rumours were that old Gibson kept monsters in his hut that were ever hungry and could barely get enough to eat. A foul smell of rotting flesh hung in the air for nearby inhabitants to endure. No one dared to question the old man about it lest they so wished to perish...It happened  that Mr Gibson fell terribly ill. The hunting sprees had to come to a halt. Well, bad news spreads like wild fire. Soon people knew about his condition. It might have been bad news for him but it was certainly good news for the Lupane residents.

Mr Gibson soon passed away. His dogs gathered around his homestead. They howled and howled,their sorrowful cries carried by the wind to all corners of the countryside. Old Gibson was laid to rest and soon people forgot about him and his existence. One morning the people were alarmed by one man who came ranting mad claiming that old Gibson was alive.  People laughed about it and were sure that the guy was just drunk. Before long, they had to call mental health practitioners to take him away as he would not stop.

In a matter of weeks , many people had been taken away as they claimed that they had seen old Gibson. Some even made claimed that the old man told them that he would punish those who celebrated his demise. Once more, people were terrified. Their freedom had been shortlived. Mr Gibson's homestead   was haunted. Individuals who passed a distance too close to the homestead risked having their mental capacity severely altered. They would often get confused and lost as to where they were exactly headed. Some  children claimed that they had been terrorised by old Gibson's dogs. People were petrified. Some relocated in order to safeguard their families.

Before Mr Moyo could finish up his story about old Gibson he was interrupted by his son Mandisi who looked both frightened and worried "Daddy I'm now scared,  can't we just go back home?".

Mr Moyo laughed gently and replied,"Son there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here. I'll protect you. The only thing that you should do is to stay away from old Gibson's territory ok?" . The young man noded.

Suddenly there was a heavy screeching of their car tyres. The car stopped abruptly. The passagers were stunned. " What's wrong Moyo,  why have we stopped? " asked the wife.

With a stone cold look and a faint voice he replied, "We are staring right in the face of evil, old Gibson's homestead..."

Story by: Ntandoyenkosi Dube