Madeco. May 18th, 2024.
The afternoon sun shined brightly on Madeco. The once desolate remains of a small desert town had blossomed into something far greater than anyone could have imagined 19 months ago. It was completely unrecognizable from what it once was. The buildings, fields, and forestry that once surrounded the area had been upheaved and in their place, a new society was being built.
A society with acres upon acres of crops, an expanding inventory of livestock, and a massive lake that would provide filtered water through the town’s rebuilt plumbing system, efficiently built, practical, and sturdy buildings capable of generating their own power through solar panels, with wind turbines generating the rest. It was not the most attractive settlement, as it was built for survivability and sustainability above all else, but it was a bastion of advancement compared to the vast majority of the world.
As such, it garnered the attention of the huddled and desperate masses for miles upon miles, causing the once paltry population of dozens to balloon beyond a thousand. It was an impressive feat for certain, and as word of this settlement spread, the number was only going to grow larger.
The law of the town was that anybody was welcome to join so long as they did their fair share, helping out with the production of crops, building of new homes, or the various other occupations that were becoming increasingly needed and practical as more and more people arrived. From the building of home or cultivation of crops to more fringe professions, such as the repair and maintenance of devices and appliances that were left damaged after the solar flare unleashed upon the world 9 years ago.
In a workplace made specifically to address this issue, there were several workstations, all of which were occupied with people diligently making their way through a large pile of salvaged items in the center of the room, trying to make them work as best as they could, and informing each other about how to repair specific items. In one of these workstations resided Jacquelynne Onson, who had become something of a mechanic’s apprentice since she moved to Madeco. While she did not know much at first, only having some knowledge thanks to a few odd-jobs she performed prior to meeting Abigale, experience was a good teacher for her, and with her small hands, she was a good fit for such a job.
She let out an exasperated sigh as she finished her last assignment for the day, repairing a small refrigerator. A very useful device for keeping food fresh and cool during the upcoming summer months. With her work done for the day, she exited from her workstation, taking her hair out of the ponytail it was affixed in and allowing it to drop past her shoulders. She grabbed a metal cup of water from the shop’s own refrigerator before sending herself outside, where a cool breeze brushed over her somewhat sweaty body.
As Jacquelynne finished her water while gazing at the farmland in the distance and the orange sky and pink clouds above, she let out a gentle smile. As she nursed her cup, cooling her body, her co-workers also filtered away from their workstations, grabbing water, chugging it down, and leaving the building, saying their goodbyes to one another, ready to return to their homes for dinner and rest.
It was a simple cycle that Jacquelynne had taken to with fondness these past few months, with each passing day being further and further from her time at the Flare Foundation and the week she spent with Abigale. She briefly pondered her past during her brief stroll back home, asking what-ifs that had rolled around in her head over these past few months before she arrived at her unremarkable little abode. Upon checking the household garden, which contained growing tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and broccoli plants, she returned to the front door, where she came face to face with her housemate Zedaki, who was resting on a salvaged sofa.
Zedaki’s white hair was gathered in a ponytail flipped lazily across her shoulder, while her outfit consisted of a red and white flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves along with jeans stained with dirt from the days she spent working in the fields. Since the end of her journey, she adopted a slightly gentler and calmer look, no longer burdened by her former responsibilities as a leader of Madeco, or the emotional burden that came with traveling with Abigale. Instead, she was now a farm worker who spent her days cultivating food, strengthening her body with each passing day.
The two exchanged a brief smile as Jacquelynne took off her shoes, sitting them right next to Zedaki’s dirt-covered work boots, before entering the bathroom to wash her hands. Upon exiting the room, she looked to see Zedaki in the kitchen, getting out what she would need to make dinner. Despite last year’s year’s bountiful harvest, food was still rationed out throughout the community, and most people survived off of simple things. Beans, bread, corn, and whatever fruits and vegetables they could preserve.
Due to the time of year, people were able to get fresh fruits and vegetables, which would serve as the base of Zedaki and Jacquelynne’s meal. Meat was certainly present among the citizenry diet, but with the wild animal population low, livestock growing, and the population booming, it was a rarity reserved for only luxurious occasions, with even eggs and milk being held in high regard.
Being the helpful sort, Jacquelynne soon made her way to the kitchen to assist Zedaki, assisting her by cutting the vegetables before everything was gathered on two plates for them. As they worked on preparing their meals, they made their usual idle chatter, mentioning what they did at work, though there really was not much for either to say.
“You know, harvest this, water, this, use this to get the soil ready. Pretty dull as usual, but at least I have some music to listen to while I do it.” Zedaki said with familiarity, having gone on similar spiels in the past.
“Yeah, I’m lucky we were able to get that computer working again. Though, I still wish we could have found some more CDs,” Jacquelynne said as she casually chopped away at a head of broccoli.
“At least we got a copy of Terra’s CD collection, so at least we have some… variety, I guess.”
“It was really weird seeing her again. She felt like a different person.”
“You think she’ll ever stop by again? I mean, it’s been over a year.”
“She said that she was going traveling. So maybe. Though, I kind of… don’t want to see her again. Does that make me a bad person, Zed?”
“Nah. With the shit you went through, I probably wouldn’t want to see that person’s face for as long as I lived. You forgave her, which is a helluva lot more than I would’ve done.”
“Her face looks a lot different from what I remember. It’s like a fusion between her and Abigale, but, well, I guess that’s what she is now.”
“When do you think Abigale’s gonna drop by again? It’s been almost a year since we last saw her, seeing as how she couldn’t make it to the town’s anniversary back in November.” Zedaki mentioned.
“She’s got to be busy. I would like to see her again, but… I shouldn’t be selfish.”
“Selfish? Pfft. Girl, without you Abigale would’ve been dead on the floor before she even knew what was even the fuck. Plus, you really had a thing for her, didn’t you?”
“Eh? A thing?” Jacquelynne stammered.
“Don’t give me that. I saw how you looked at her all those times, you can admit it.”
“Well, I, um, I just thought that she was really pretty, and confident too. I felt safe around her. She was always nice to me too. I mean, she took me along on her journey, when most people would have just left me. But, um, that’s about it.”
“You sure about that? Because I still hear you mumble her name when you sleep sometimes.”
“Um… I’m going to end this conversation now.”
“Heh. Whatever you say, Jay, whatever you say.”
From there, the two finished their dinner and were soon off to ready themselves for the approaching evening, changing into their sleepwear and placing their work clothes in a basket that one of them would bring to the town laundry in the morning. They finished their day reading through their respective books, borrowed from the town’s makeshift library. Zedaki enjoyed a nonfiction novel that focused on the life and hardships of the American wild west, while Jacquelynne slowly made her way through an adult mystery novel, struggling with certain words and concepts due to her lack of an education. Shortly after sunset, and once their home was hued in darkness, the two made it to the shared bedroom of their small home. They casually wished each other goodnight before laying in their own beds, knowing that they would meet each other again come morning.
While sleeping, Jacquelynne dreamed about meeting with Abigale once more. It was a common dream for her, and played out similarly to the others, with Abigale greeting her after work, and embracing her in a hug while remarking how it has been so long. It was a simple and earnest dream representative of something Jacquelynne longed for, but never received. Abigale was perpetually busy, and even though she kept her promise to meet with the two, she was distant, beyond them, and more interested in helping the world over her obligations. In spite of this, Jacquelynne still felt a fondness for Abigale, a sense of adoration, and as she eventually came to accept it, a sense of love.
But Jacquelynne never expressed her feelings to her Abigale, as she knew that they would not be returned. Instead, she and Zedaki continued to meet with Abigale annually, and with each passing year, the meetings felt more and more like an obligation. Their once lively meetings became more and more of an obligation, as the group had truly nothing to discuss during their last few meetings.
By the time Jack and Zedaki passed away, the world was restored, rebuilt, and better than it had ever been. Abigale had fulfilled her promise to abide by her past aggressions and then some, ushering in what could only be described as a utopian state by the end of the 21st century. The damages and devastation of the Cataclysm had been relegated to the annals of history, a fact only known through secondary or tertiary experiences, and the future for humanity was a radiant one. They were a new society, unified, bereft of war or global conflict, and perpetually guided in their growth by a being who looked down upon them from the sky above. A lone woman with an eternal commitment to shepherd humanity towards their best possible future. A woman known as Abigale Quinlan.
Das Ende
