My Short Story

[Kitkat0330 she/her]

I was hoping to get advice for a short story I just wrote. It's still in the beginning stages, so let me know what you guys think!

Lily dove behind a green hedge and fired at the approaching zombie. Her hand shook and she missed, the bullet going above the undead’s left shoulder and hitting one of the white columns of the field. “Calm down Evergreen!” Lily was so full of adrenaline she barely registered the words coming from her earpiece. “We have our guns aimed at him so there is no reason to be scared.” The voice reassured. “You know this. Focus. Take a deep breath. Aim. And then fire. You can do this.”

Lily stopped to breathe as the zombie got closer and closer. Carefully, she took aim, focused on the zombie and pressed gently on the trigger. “Yes ma’am.” she breathed as she pulled the trigger. The glass bullet hit the Zombie in the right shoulder and shattered. It was almost like an explosion as vines burst from the little capsule and grew down the Zombie’s arms and wrapped around their torso. Then, in an instant, purple flowers sprouted and bloomed. Clematis pedals danced as the vine slowly stopped growing. 

No one knew why, but zombies became completely docile around flowers. When the apocalypse started 60 years ago, gardeners had noticed that zombies wouldn’t attack when in gardens. At first it seemed like a coincidence, but after many experiments, scientists realized that the virus retreated around flowers. It didn’t matter what type of flower, but some were easier then others. Clematis was the easiest plant to use for planting- the process of growing a flower inside the zombie to make them harmless, and eventually, human again. Which is why apprentice florists like Lily were called Clematises. 

The zombie stopped walking toward Lily and instead sat down in the grass. Lily stood up behind her hedge and walked up to the zombie and handed him a flower- a lily. The zombie took it and smiled at her and Lily grinned back. “Not bad Evergreen.” Orchid looked behind the zombie at the white pillar that was now covered in purple flowers “Although we will have to work on your aim under pressure.” Orchid walked down onto the field and examined the zombie who was gently stroking one of the petals. “You hit him right in the shoulder, so he should be able to live without complications in the future.“

Lily plopped down on the ground then reached up and wiped her brow. She took a few deep breaths to steady her heartbeat. Soon, it stopped pounding in her ears and she relaxed. She suddenly felt very, very tired. Orchid obviously sensed how she felt because she smiled and offered to give Lily a break. “Yes please! Thank you ma’am!” Lily stood up slowly, her sore muscles groaning.

Orchid offered her a water bottle and Lily downed it in a few gulps. She and Orchid walked toward the purple hanging wisteria that covered the door. Orchid pulled it aside gently so as not to harm the delicate blossoms and Lily ducked through into the cool hallway. Orchid walked through the door behind her and Lily turned to look at her. “Head to your room and freshen up then meet me in my office in two hours.” Orchid said as she walked toward her own rooms. “Don’t be late.” 

Lily pulled her feet together and put her hand to her forehead in a stiff military salute. “Yes ma’am.” Orchid snorted and Lily started down another hall. 

As Lily turned a corner she passed a classroom full of sprouts. First year students who were training to be florists. She paused and looked in. There were ten students, which was pretty average for a first year class. 

Most of them won’t make it to graduation. Lily thought sadly. Lily herself was the only one left in her class still studying to be a florist. By the end of her first year, only six people including Lily had remained. Luckily, none of the losses were due to casualties. Most dropped out of the program due to the physical requirements, but others had left because of the amount of information each florist had to know by heart. 

“Why don’t normal people get planted then if it protects you from the zombies?” The voice from the classroom drew Lily out of her thoughts. 

She remembered her first year when a boy in her class had asked the exact same question. “What was his name again? Oh yeah. Chrysanthos. But everyone had called him Chris. He dropped out at the beginning of last year didn’t he? He made it pretty far. I didn’t expect him to be one of the last ones.” 

Lily was again taken from her thoughts by voices from the room. This time it was the teacher’s voice. 

“Zombie bodies are fortified by the virus, and while the virus can’t do anything to flowers due to its unique nature, it does help strengthen the zombie’s body so that they don’t die as the flower grows. By the time the zombie is human again and the virus has been completely killed, their body and the flower had adapted to keep each other alive,” The teacher continued “Whereas if we were to plant a normal human their body wouldn’t be able to take the strain from the constant draining of nutrients the flower needs as it goes through the first few years of growth and they would die within a few months even if they were a strong, healthy individual. Think of it like the difference between symbiotic and parasitic relationships.” 

Lily’s teacher had given the same answer word for word. Lily smiled as she continued down the hall. She passed the stairs and instead entered the elevator. She pressed the fifth floor button and waited as the elevator took her to the second highest level. When she stepped out of the elevator the hall was completely empty. 

She pulled out her key, which had a pressed lily inside of the clear plastic and held it up to the scanner. The camera scanned the flower and the door unlocked with a click.“SCAN SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME BACK LILY.” Greeted the robotic voice of the AI scanner. Lily opened the door and entered her rooms. She had a front room, a bathroom, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a greenhouse. It was meant for two people, but Lily’s roommate, Daffodil, had dropped out in the beginning of third year and Lily had been alone ever since. 

“Alice, could you turn on the lights please?” Lily said to the AI as she entered the building. She took off her boots and left them laying in the entryway. “OF COURSE LILY.” The lights flickered on and Lily thanked the AI “ANYTIME.” Alice said, sounding almost proud of them self- or maybe that was just Lily’s Imagination.

She dumped her belt with her guns and bullets, her earpiece, and her pouch of flower petals on a table and laid on the couch. She stayed there for several minutes as she gathered the willpower to make herself food. 

Eventually she stood and made herself a sandwich. As she ate she watched the recording of the training match. She got to the part where she missed the zombie and instantly felt a wave of frustration. “I need to work on my aim.” Lily muttered to herself. She glanced at the time and decided it was time to start heading to Orchid’s office. She stood and put her gear back on. She walked to her door and opened it. She looked back to make sure she hadn’t left anything and started down the hall. 

She pressed the call button on the elevator and waited for it to come. As she was waiting she heard a sound coming from the hall behind her. She turned to see what it was, and was stunned by what she saw. A zombie was coming towards her, and not a planted zombie. This was a wild, bloodthirsty zombie. Lily reached for her gun and heard the elevator open behind her. She whirled around and saw two more zombies. “This can’t be happening. It’s impossible. They wouldn’t be able to get past the flowers planted along the grounds.” Lily thought as she scrambled away from the zombies who were now making their way towards her. 

Lily was officially in a panic. “I need to concentrate.” Lily took a deep breath to calm down. Then another. Then another. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Lily aimed at the zombie down the hall, but her hand continued to shake. Lily gave up and instead ran towards the zombie. She dodged past the undead’s grasping hand and felt their hand graze her arm. Lily turned the corner and was met by the sight of ten more zombies blocking the stairs down the hall. “No. No. No. No.”  Lily pressed her back against the white wall behind her and continued trying to control her breathing. 

She felt the adrenaline rush through her but at the same time, she felt completely paralyzed. Fear washed over her in waves and suddenly she felt a tightness in her chest. Hurriedly she forced herself to continue breathing. “You can do this. You can do this.” Lily still felt terrified. “If I can't calm down, maybe I should use my fear instead.”
Lily pointed her gun at the group of three zombies around the corner and closed her eyes. She felt the panic, the fear, the hesitation, the worry, and most of all, the frustration. The frustration at her situation, her frustration at the zombies, the frustration at the world, but most of all, her anger at herself. She opened her eyes and directed it at the zombies. She shot at each of them and hit each in the shoulder. Blood dripped onto the purple flowers as they bloomed and the zombies stopped, confused by their surroundings. She turned and pointed her weapon at the zombies near the stairway. She did the same thing and shot them down. 

However, more kept coming. No matter how quickly she shot them, they kept coming. Soon the hall was clogged with planted zombies and the floor was covered in gooey black zombie blood from the wounds in their shoulders. The zombies that had been shot mulled about and sat on the floor as if they were without a care in the world. The wild zombies nearest to them also felt the effects of the flowers and would wander aimlessly until they got far enough from the flowers. Then they would continue towards Lily only to be blocked and jostled by planted zombies. 

Lily stood in the corner, ready to shoot towards the elevator if anymore came from that way. The stone was cold against her back as she continued to shoot at the mass of undead. She continued reloading until she reached for another bullet and found that she was out. She had more bullets in her room only a few doors down, but that would mean giving up ground and possibly getting herself cornered with no escape. 

Lily shot a few more zombies then bolted toward the door. She shoved her key up towards the scanner and waited for the door to unlock. “KEY REMOVED TOO QUICKLY.” Alice informed her. Lily tried again and the camera scanned over the card. “KEY MOVED TOO MUCH FOR CLEAR SCAN.” Reported the AI. 

Lily cursed and tried to hold her hand steady. She could hear the zombies but focused on holding the key card instead of looking back to assess her situation. Lily prayed that the planted would keep the bloodthirsty zombies from making it too far forward while she was getting her tools.  “SCAN SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME HOME LILY.” 

“Thanks.” Lily panted as she shoved the door open, more out of habit than anything. She closed the door quickly, checked the lock, and ran towards the greenhouse. She flung the door open and started rummaging through the drawers and cabinets that lined the east wall.

Before becoming a florist, each apprentice had to create their own flower to use in their bullets. Lily had spent many sleepless nights in the white room breeding flowers and experimenting to make a vine lily that shone with a silvery metallic gleam. She had only tested it out a few times, but she still had about thirty completed bullets and fifty bullets containing the seeds of her failed experiments. 

“YOUR HEART RATE IS EXTREMELY HIGH,” Reported Alice helpfully “IS SOMETHING WRONG?” Lily jumped at the voice and had her gun out before her mind registered that her AI had been the one talking and not something more nefarious. A screen on the wall opposite her turned on and displayed a pixelated face that served as Alice’s avatar. The face was simple, with black rectangles for eyes, and a line for a mouth and eyebrows that helped Alice to show emotions.

 “Lily?” The AI’s voice was quieter and less robotic with more emotion now that they were engaged in a conversation. Lily on the other hand, had been so concentrated on the danger she took a moment to remember what she had been asked. 

She bent down to continue searching as she responded “Yes something is wrong Alice.” Lily’s hand collided with something cold and when she took it out she threw it to the side. And thrust her hand back into the drawer.

“Oh no. Can I do anything to help you?” The AI sounded worried for her- as much as possible with a robotic voice- and Lily felt a stab of bittersweet gratitude at the sweetness of the concerned AI. In that moment, it suddenly dawned on Lily just how little anyone could help her now. She was alone in a building with dozens of bloodthirsty zombies who would infect her as soon as rip her throat out. Lily closed her eyes and warded off the metal image of her bleeding on the ground with a cavity where her windpipe should be.

Lily opened her eyes and tried to think of what the AI could do to increase her chances of survival. “No, I don't think you ca- Oh!” Just then, Lily found the case where she had stored her bullets. She yanked them from the cupboard where they had been stored and set the case on a table covered in flowers in flower pots. She opened it and loaded her gun. Then she started dumping them into her pouch. “Listen Alice,” Lily braced herself then continued “There is a horde of zombies outside who are doing everything in their power to kill me and destroy everything.” 

Lily paused to let it sink in. Somehow, saying it out loud made it too real. Before, it had seemed more like a nightmare than real life and Lily had been too focused on survival to process what had happened. But now, there was no way this could be a dream. Lily felt like she was choking. She was going to die here. Lily cleared her throat and gave her instructions. “If they break through, I want you to send your consciousness back to the city and report what is going on.” 

“My consciousness? That will take at least twenty minutes to reach the city after leaving, and another twenty minutes to be back. During that time you will be alone. I can just send a message so that I can stay here and help however I can.” The robotic voice was calm and rational, but Lily knew that Alice understood what she was trying to do.

Lily busied herself checking her weapons so that she had an excuse to avoid eye contact with the screen that served as Alice's eyes.“Alice, if they destroy your power box while you’re connected, you’ll die.” 

“I am not alive, so I can not die. Besides, my purpose is to help you. I do not fear death.” Alice was still using her persuasive voice, and Lily was tempted to give in. She would miss Alice when she was gone, and Lily hated the thought of being completely alone. Lily tensed her jaw. It didn’t really help that much, and it made her jaw tired, but it made her feel more resolved. 

“Alice. I gave you an order.” Lily stood and loaded her gun with a click. “They’ll break through in just a few minutes. I need you to go. Now.” Lily walked toward the greenhouse door and opened it. She had never been one to cry easily, but in the face of her own death, she thought no one would blame her for letting a few tears run down her cheeks. 

“Goodbye Lily.” Alice's voice sounded small and sad. Lily turned around in time to see the screen with Alice’s crying avatar go dark. Crying? I've never seen that before on any AI. Lily walked into the kitchen and stared at the red light on Alice’s power box that sat on a shelf in Lily’s kitchen. The light went out signifying that Alice was gone. Truly gone. And that Lily was now completely alone. 

“Goodbye Alice.” Lily stared for another moment before shaking her head and turning towards the door and looking out the peephole. The zombies hadn’t made it as far as Lily had feared, but she could see them coming around the corner. The planted zombies did their job well. Tripping the wild zombies and blocking their path. If Lily hadn’t been so scared, she would’ve laughed at the ridiculous sight.

Lily opened the door slowly and poked her gun through, ready to shoot. She opened it more and slipped through, checking to make sure that no zombies were hiding just beyond her line of sight. She closed the door and started shooting again at the mass of zombies. Now that they could see her again, they renewed their efforts, pushing harder. Lily put bullets through the shoulders of a few more zombies and watched the blood drip onto the white floor. Lily didn’t mind so much. She had always hated how the white floors and walls made the building feel more like a hospital than a military headquarters. 

Just as she seemed to be getting the upper hand and only a dozen wild zombies remained she heard a ding that meant the elevator had arrived. She pointed her gun at the doors, ready to unleash a barrage of bullets. The doors opened slowly and Lily felt a new, more intense fear wash over her and run through her veins. Lily thought she was as scared as was humanly possible, but that was before she saw the Goliath. The zombie was eight feet tall and had massive muscles. Every step it took shook the ground and left divots in the floor.

Lily scrambled back and watched as the giant lumbered towards her. She shot the last few zombies so that they couldn’t surround her and ran towards the mass of friendly zombies. She glanced at her watch and noted that some of the zombies would have started to regain intelligence by now. 

Her hypothesis was correct. Several zombies stood and pushed the others out of the way to let her through and she thanked them. She knew that when they turned human again, their days as a zombie would be hazy, but that the day they were planted would be impossible to forget. Most people who had once been zombies often described it as their most important memory.

Lily froze. They would remember this day for the rest of their lives. They would watch her die. Although zombie ages were hard to tell, some of them were children. Kids who wouldn't have a childhood like the others. Lily couldn’t let that happen. She turned to the zombie that seemed the most intelligent. Lily froze. She recognized that uniform. “Go.” She said to Orchid as she pointed at the stairs. “Run. Take others.” Some looked confused, while others nodded and started walking towards the stairs, dragging other zombies with them. Lily turned to walk down the hall, when she felt a hand grasp her pant leg. She looked down to see one of the zombies. This one looked around five or six years old. The planted looked at Lily with brilliant blue eyes, looked down at her shoulder where silver lilies bloomed and shimmered, then ran after the others.

Lily could still feel the Goliath coming towards her with every shake of the ground. Lily walked around the corner and pointed her gun at the enormous zombie. She was going to stand her ground and let the people escape. No matter what.

 

Twenty years later, a girl sat playing on a carpet in her living room. She looked up and noticed a painting of a girl she had never seen before hanging above the mantel. “Mommy?” She called to the other room.

Her mother entered the room and picked up the little girl. She set her on her left hip, careful to avoid the silver lilies that cascaded down her right shoulder. “Yes dear?” the woman asked as the little girl stroked the soft petals. 

“Who is that?” the girl asked as she pointed to the painting. The mother smiled sadly at the painting. “Her name was Lily Evergreen.” The girl's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion as bounced in her mothers arms. “But that's my name!”

 “Yes it is. You were named after her.” 

“Why? Was she important?” 

“When I was a little girl around your age, I got turned into a zombie. That girl saved me. She created these flowers'' The mother gestured towards her arm. 

“She was a florist right?” 

“Yes she was. And an amazing one at that. She planted over one hundred zombies that day, and everyone’s lives are better because of it.” 

“Can I meet her?”

“Not in this life.” 

“Why not?”

“She was killed.”

“How?”

 “She was fighting a Goliath.”

 “Did she win?”

 “She did. The Goliath turned back into a human, but they still killed Lily.”

 “She sounds brave.” 

“She was. I’d even call her the bravest person I’ve ever met.”

 “I want to be a florist just like her so that i can help people!” The mother smiled at her daughter, tears in her bright blue eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be just as amazing as her.” 

Lily smiled and hugged her mother around the neck. “I will! I promise.” 

The mother hugged her daughter tight and gazed at the painting. “Thank you.” She mouthed. 

A decade later, a class of sprouts stood as their instructor entered the room. Lily could hardly contain her excitement as the teacher turned towards them, the silver lilies sprouting from her shoulder waved at them as she looked them over. “Welcome sprouts. My name is Orchid, and I’m going to make you into florists.” The teacher looked them over once more before turning towards the screen in the front of the room. “Alice. Play the slideshow.”

“Of course Orchid.”

 

[BlueWildRye he/him]

This is awesome!!!!! And the idea is so unique too.

[Mr. Misting he/him]

This was epic! I'm a major fan of the world building. It's really cool how you name everything based on flowers, like with evergreen, which I thought that was rather clever. As the story continued, I was worried there wouldn't be much going on, but the plot twist zombie attack was awesome. Good job, that's some sick worldbuilding and good story.

Near the start you said you needed advice. What sort of advice do you need? What sort of work do you plan to do on the story?

And also, for future story posting, it's common practice to the text in a spoiler box, to make the page easier to read.

[WhyEverNot_8 he/him]

This is awesome!! I can give editing tips if you need them!

[The Stormfather He/Him]

This is awesome!