Chapter 13

Sunlight crept through the windows and Meagan blinked angrily. “Close the curtains Mom...” she mumbled. Laying about two feet away Steve opened his eyes and smiled at her.

“I’m not your mother.”

“Thank goodness for that,” she smiled back. Then Steve looked over her shoulder and his eyes went so big Meagan’s heart stopped. Oh shit, she thought. But then Steve smiled, and nodded silently behind Meagan.

She rolled over cautiously and propped herself up, and caught sight of something far more surprising and far less likely than a hoard of angry miniature giraffes – Elise fast asleep, draped across Holden’s chest.

“Well I’ll be damned...” Steve whispered, now inches away from Meagan’s ear. “If this were Survivor, they’d be an alliance.”

“Yeah well I wouldn’t count on the moment lasting when Elise wakes—“

“OH JESUS H CHRIST!”

“—up”

Elise shot up, jolting Holden awake as well. “What, what’s going on!?” he said, clamouring to his feet. Elise stared up at him from the ground, looking shaken and violated.

“Nothing,” she snapped. “Nothing. Milo brushed against me in my sleep. Sorry...sorry to scare you like that.”

“Oh,” Holden said, his face softening, “it’s all right. Are you okay now?”

“Yes, I’m fine. We should get packed up.”

“Okay then, let’s move,” Meagan said, oblivious to the tension. She grabbed her bag and began rummaging through, thinking aloud. “We should look for side streets with houses that can provide cover if we need it. And we might be able to salvage some more supplies. We’re probably no more than four hours walk away, tops. And keep the food sealed as much as possible. We don’t know what’s attracting these things.”

“Did it look like they were communicating with each other?” Holden asked. Meagan stared at him as if he’d asked, “Do you think they’ll hurt us?”

“Of COURSE they communicate. All animals can communicate. Didn’t you ever see Jurassic Park 3?” She finally found what she was searching for. She pulled out an old navy blue Maple Leafs hat from her bag and fitted her long ponytail through the back. Elise frowned at her in dismay.

“You have a HAT, in your SURVIVAL bag.”

“I can’t have hair in my face while swinging away at a giraffe, can I?”


The group readied themselves and with Milo at their heels they ventured out together into the streets. Still quiet, and strangely void of giraffes, they made their way along the sidewalk to another side street and headed towards the Tower. They passed ransacked houses, abandoned cars, and stray pets wandering the streets without an owner to take care of them. Every few miles they would hear the distant sound of gunfire, or screams, but they never stopped.

They pressed on like that for three hours without interruption. But nobody mentioned the absence of giraffes. Like a perfect game in the eighth inning, nobody wanted to jinx it.

But as they approached the downtown core along Lakeshore Avenue, a mere ten minute walk away from the Tower, Holden grabbed Elise’s arm.

“Hey! Wha—“

“Shh. Stop,” he hissed. Meagan and Steve turned around. “Listen.”

The group stopped and turned, but nobody needed to ask again. A hoard of giraffes were just ahead, only a hundred feet away, breaking their way into a Canadian Tire.

“Patriotic little buggers aren’t they...” Steve muttered. Then he saw what they were after. “My god, there were survivors in there!”

A group of people streamed out of the doors. They ran together across the parking lot but they were no match for the giraffes. One by one the survivors were tackled, eaten, and then melted away. In their little puddles’ places sprang more giraffes, who on apparent instinct began following the herd. It only lasted a few minutes, but by the end not a single human was left.

The four stood very still against their wall. Steve slipped his hand around Meagan’s waist and pulled her close to him, turning her body towards him to shield her. “We have to keep moving,” he said to her. “It’ll be okay once we make it to the Tower. We’ll be safe there.”

“They thought they were safe...” she whispered.