Apocalily Series (Book 2): The Almighty Lady of Tomorrow

by Fizzotti, Marcos

  In the entertainment room, Lily drank from a jar with three Xs painted on it.

  “That’s good stuff.” She told Slim and Dylan.

  “Definitely” Dylan agreed. “Joshua up there got a real talent for trading.”

  “He should be the one running this Undertaking thing.” Slim commented.

  Zomboy entered the room, followed by Nancy and Mate.

  “Want some?” Lily offered them the drink.

  Mate and Nancy shook heads negatively.

  “No thanks.” Zomboy also declined. “We consider alternative ways to preserve our bodies other than alcohol.”

  “Speaking which,” Lily said “I think you were precipitate in turning the minister guy into a zombie. He is a scientist. You could’ve persuaded him to find a way to reverse what he did to you.”

  “We are dead, Lily. It’s a one way ticket. We kept our souls, but our bodies will never work again. We’re just subsisting until we are replaced by responsible living ones, reliable enough to continue our work through generations. Once such goal is achieved, we, the living dead, already agreed to gracefully put a bullet in our heads.”

  “So, that’s why you brought me here, right?” Nancy asked.

  “Not to stay.” Zomboy said. “I understand you’ll be quite busy with your new duties in Brokenville. But you could make some rounds up there and tell people you trust about this place. See if they can visit us sometimes and check the accommodations.”

  “How are you going to convince them to stay here?” Nancy queried.

  “I didn’t plan that far ahead.” Zomboy answered. “But if I ask them nicely enough and exercise their idealistic bone, perhaps I can persuade them to give this place a chance. It’s always a better alternative than being probed and experimented on, to later commit suicide.”

  “Finish that movie theater.” Nancy requested. “And I’ll see what I can do.”

  “It’s a deal.” Zomboy said.

  “No romantic comedies!” Benson spoke, standing by the doorway.

  “And don’t forget to bring your kids here.” Zomboy suggested to Nancy. “I’m sure they’ll love the amusement park we’re also planning to build.”

  “It sounds like fun, but I’ll have to get pregnant first.” Nancy replied.

  “Alright,” Dylan spoke standing up “That's a little bit more information than I needed. If you excuse us, we got some power cables to fix.”

  “Yup, those damn generators in Titania won’t work forever.” Slim said and he stood up as well.

  “We are bound to have some trouble cleaning all that dog drool.” Dylan complained. “It’s mighty disgusting.”

  And they left.

  “What about us?” Lily asked Zomboy. “Need anything else from me and Mate here?”

  “You already did enough.” He replied. “Your work is above ground. As your job title so clearly states, you belong to the road.”

  “What about Allison?” Mate queried.

  “She’s part of my team now.” Zomboy answered. “Unlike the Minister, she knows secrets that will certainly help us fight those Undertakers characters.”

  “And how is she going to pull her weight?” Mate asked with a smirk.

  “By doing an assortment of things, mostly related to farming.” Zomboy replied. “Her first assignment, though, will be dig latrines and find a way to channel the residues properly. Come to think of it, we don’t have to use the bathroom, so we never bothered building any. If she wants to use the facilities, she’ll have to make them first.”

  “Then, it’s settled.” Lily said. “After the round of goodbyes, we’ll be ready to go.”

  “Will I ever see you again?” Nancy asked with tearful eyes.

  “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.” Lily answered. “Meanwhile, find a way to get pregnant.”

  “I know a way.” Nancy said. “What I lack now is a counterpart.”

  “You’ll find a good one in Condor City.” Mate assured her. “How do you feel about smartasses?”

  30th MOVEMENT

  Deep into the undergrounds of an undisclosed location, the Chancellor contemplated the beautiful sight that stood before him.

  “What about the heart?” He asked the young Doctor Moseley.

  “It was surely the most difficult part to clone, but it’s beating in the right pace. The other organs are also functioning within parameters.”

  “Great. Now let’s talk about the critical element, the brain.”

  “We reconstructed her entire personality and added a little touch of our own.”

  “Which is?”

  “Some memories she didn’t have before.”

  “Yes, this is also important, but I was actually referring to the security directives. I don’t want any more flaws. She turns rogue, she dies.”

  “Absolutely, Mister Chancellor.”

  “You did a great job, Mia. Some of my guards risked their lives to get a sample of her DNA in secrecy, when the site was overrun.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’m also in debt with my dear professor. I’ll dedicate my entire work to his loving memory. I owe him that much.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Robert Hedgiest was a great doctor and scientist, not to mention a very good friend. I’ve always held him in high regard.”

  “His contribution to this project was priceless.”

  “Indeed. Now, you have the utmost obligation to make it count.”

  “I won’t disappoint you, sir.”

  “The last president of the world started this grandiose venture and we cannot even think of letting it go to waste.”

  “This is not a possibility. Especially now that Lily Master will no longer be a liability. She won’t even know what hit her.”

  “I hope so. We’ve already lost a lot of money and resources with her. This time, she dies and that’s it. No more chances for anybody to underestimate her.”

  The Chancellor and the doctor watched with eyes soaked in admiration the gorgeous woman, whose naked body blazed in beauty and splendor, like the most perfect sculpture. Her beautiful figure was suspended inside the large cryogenic tube, immersed in the liquid bearing all necessary substances to keep her alive.

  They approached the tube. The woman inside opened her angry eyes.

  LAST MOVEMENT

  The gates of Condor City rose giant before them. Lily honked twice, so the powerful didgeridoo sound would announce their presence to the town’s keepers. The Australian jumped to the floor in front of Ike, Ivy and Jill, which had already disembarked.

  “Do you think they’ll take us?” Ivy asked.

  “I’m sure they will.” Lily answered. “You just say that Lily and Mate sent you. Mayor Susan is a friend of ours.”

  She turned to the mob of teenagers standing before her.

  “And be careful all of you.” Lily advised them. “Most of all, do what is right for everybody, not only for two or three.”

  “That’s the idea.” Tara said.

  “What exactly are you guys going to do?” Mate asked.

  “We’re going to travel around and tell people that, even in a world falling apart, there are better ways than what the Undertakers offer.” Price replied. “They attract people with promises to give their lives back and more, all by taking the path of least resistance, as long as everybody agrees to become their brainless slaves.”

  “And what will you offer?” Ike asked.

  “We’ll show people it’s possible to rebuild everything they lost, and even keep thinking with their own heads, if they’re not afraid of a little hard work.” Price answered.

  “This is great, but how are you going to convince folks your ways are better?” Lily queried. “They might not like your ideas at first. They may prefer the life of ease and idleness promised by the Undertakers.”

  “That depends on what you do.” Price said.

  “Meaning…?” Lily frowned.

  “I think it’s pretty obvious!” Tara retorted. “You’ll be o
ur example.”

  “Oh boy!” Lily regretted having asked.

  “We’ll mention that we got to know you well.” Tara continued. “That’ll certainly attract a lot of followers. So, whatever you do, be decent.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility, but I’ll do my best.” Lily said.

  “And don’t forget to mention me and my heroic feats as well.” Mate Clarkson requested. “I also want to be a role model.”

  “Will do” Tara promised with a smile.

  “Yes siree!” Price decided. “They’ll have to work hard!”

  “Everything comes with a price, right?” Mate said.

  “That’s right, bro.”

  After exchanging tender hugs, high fives and best wishes, each group followed its way. The teenagers split into several old Kombis they borrowed in Brokenville and sped away. After they convinced Major their quest was a necessary one, he agreed they could use some vehicles that were heading for the junkyard anyway.

  The gates of Condor City opened to Ike, Ivy and little Jill. They walked inside.

  “Do you think they got musical instruments for sale in there?” Ike asked.

  “I was hoping they’d have musical instruments for free.” Ivy said. “What the heck do they need money for?”

  “Maybe to pay the electric bill” Ike pondered. “They seem to have a certain monopoly on the subject.”

  “Do they have Christmas in there?” Jill queried.

  “I tell you what.” Ivy replied. “Even if they don’t have, we’ll introduce it back. What do you say?”

  “Wee!”

  “Do you really believe they’ll let us do anything?” Ike asked.

  “I don’t know.” Ivy answered. “But it’s going to be fun to try. For the first time since this whole mess started, I have hope.”

  The gates to the city closed again.

  And so, they followed their path. When the world as we know comes to an end and all references are lost, people react in a great variety of ways. Most humans will do anything to survive and they’ll become animals, even worse than the undead, wallowing in selfishness and disregarding their next, every man and woman for themselves, abandoning the children to their own fates. Many are the examples in history.

  However, there are those who go on crusades to change the world and build a more just society. Some have to find ways to take care of a new family in a dying planet. In either case, Ike, Ivy, Price, Tara and the rest of them will have to grow up way before time, but this is life.

  After all, the ultimate quest is always the pursuit of happiness.

  “So?” Mate asked Lily.

  “So?” Lily asked him back.

  “Do you believe we'll ever find something in between?”

  “You mean, a new race of intelligent zombies coexisting with the remainders of humankind, working together for the common good?”

  “Something like that, yes.”

  “It’s possible. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Okay.”

  “Something bothers me, though.” Lily said.

  “What?”

  “This whole pressure people put on my chest, this road warrior thing. I’m just human. What if I let everybody down?”

  “You won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “You can act human. Even if you screw up, people will make excuses for you, until you have a chance to correct whatever mistake you made. Face it, Lil. The myth of Apocalily grew beyond our control already. All we can do now is making the most of it.”

  “I guess I can live with that. You always have the power to put my mind at ease.”

  “I’m an easing person.”

  “Pretty cool, too!”

  “And you are pretty and cool!”

  “Nah, you’re just saying that because you owe me money.”

  “I do?”

  “Well, no, but pay me anyway.”

  “Would you take an I.O.U.?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Thanks!”

  Mate looked at the great nothingness rising on the horizon.

  “Hum, Lily…” He called her.

  “Yes, Mate?”

  “What we do now?”

  “We keep on going.”

  “Can we still stop for an ice cream?”

  “And perhaps a Sundae.”

  “With chocolate syrup?”

  “And caramel slice, you can never get enough of it.”

  “Back to the end of the world?”

  “And then some.”

  They climbed on the truck and to the end of times they rode.

  APOCALILY

  X

  THE ALMIGHTY LADY OF TOMORROW

  THE END!

  Watch out! The next Pink Floyd song that pops into your mind could be Amy sending you a message.

  Marcos: “Hey Zomboy!”

  Zomboy: “Yes, Marcos old boy.”

  Marcos: “So… what did you think of the book?”

  Zomboy: “Terrible! Only one interesting character!”

  Marcos: “Well, that’s all I can do. Anyway, what is this character you found so interesting? You’re talking about Lily, right?”

  ???

  Marcos: “Right, Zomboy? Hey Zomboy… Are you still there?”