Chapter 20

"Omar?" Elise gasped, still trying to catch her breath. They were all sweaty and boiling from the inside out. Elise was almost too exhausted to really acknowledge the fact that she had just witnessed Omar, a man she mostly remembered for that one Christmas party she was invited to where every time she saw him he was holding at least three beers, throw a man to his death. "What the fuck?"

She slumped onto the floor, unable to stand anymore, and Holden joined her, leaning slightly against her, but she barely noticed.

"What been going on here? Where are the security guards?" Meagan asked. Her breathing was just as ragged as everyone else's, but she seemed too concerned to take a break.

"Things got real bad last night," Omar began. "They took over the restaurant and those not wanting to put up with their shit joined me and moved down here."

"Jesus Christ Omar, you start a revolution or something?" Elise asked.

"Wait, no more talk. Water, for the love of god," Steve finally managed.

"We do have a limited supply..."

"We brought guns," Elise held up her pistol.

"And granola!" Meagan offered.

"All right, follow me," Omar held the door open for them and the four weary travellers entered the Tower. "Holy shit. Did you guys bring a cat?"

***

Yesterday:

Krista was working a late shift that day. She started work about the same time Elise was going home, before the outbreak has garnered real attention, before the dead outnumbered the living. When she arrived they were having an oddly slow day seeing it was so sunny outside. That was the first and last warning she would get that something wasn't right.

An hour later she was on the glass floor level, trying to mind her own business and avoid tourists who looked like they needed someone to take their picture. She was terrible with a camera, always had been. She felt like she was doing them a disservice whenever she took a picture for them.

"What's going on out there?" One of the tourists asked, staring down through the glass floor.

Krista peered over the edge and saw a large crowd of people standing around at the base of the Tower. She couldn't tell if they were coming or going, but they all seemed to be moving, buzzing around each other like they were having a rave. Her first thought was that it was a flash mob, but for the life of her couldn't figure out what they were doing.

"Code 99. Code 99, please be advised-" came over her radio, and then it suddenly flared feedback as a good five people started speaking into it at once. She could barely make out anything being said, except for a snippet here and there:

"... banging on the doors..."

"... glass is break..."

"... what are those..."

Mostly it was just jumbled swearing and, she thought, someone started screaming giraffes over and over again. Suddenly she noticed that tourists were looking at her with worry and she turned off her radio, looking around nervously for a captain or a security guard.

"What's happening down there?"

"I, uh, I'm going to find out."

She saw another red shirt wearing host by the elevator and ran over. "Are you listening to the radio? What's going on?"

"Stop that elevator!" A security guard came around the corner and pointed at one of the hosts loading people onto an elevator to go back down.

"Hey, we've been waiting 5 minutes for this elevator," a tourist protested.

"Elevators aren't moving until we figure out what's happening-"

All their radios suddenly transmitted a final, frantic scream, and then white noise droned on until they turned them off.

The silence only lasted a second, before a tourist screamed in panic. The word "terrorist" was screamed more than once.

Krista was too stunned to move, until someone grabbed her shoulders and started violently shaking her. She felt her neck snap back and then one of the security guards grabbed the tourist and punched them in the face. The security guard had a glint of joy as his fist impacted with the man's face and an all out riot was suddenly in motion. Tourists frantic to escape and security guards happily beating them into submission.

All the hosts ran to the next floor up, just in time to see an elevator open, three security guards standing ready as three pigmy giraffes ran out, some sort of gelatinous goo still glazing their bodies. The guards only looked shocked for a brief second before they stomped on the tiny things, crushing them under their great black boots, grinning at each other as they ground blood and fur into the carpet.

When they were finished, the guards turned around at the shocked people.

"Everyone listen up! We're in charge now!"

Chapter 19

“One thousand, seven hundred and seventy-six steps. To the second floor.”

“I’m sorry...” Holden rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How many floors are there?”

Meagan pulled a metal rod out from her bag. She looked at it mournfully before shoving it through the handle to keep the door locked from inside, and turned back to the group to explain. “The main pod of the Tower has three public floors and four mechanical and service levels. The first floor is the radome, that big balloon looking thing, where we store our Christmas decorations. The second floor is the Glass Floor level but I doubt anybody is there. The doors are too easy to bar and most importantly, there’s no food. The third floor is the main Lookout level. There’s a bar and a tiny cafe and a kitchen, so they might be holed up there. Above that is another restaurant with an even bigger kitchen, but hopefully the survivors preserved whatever food they could and kept it up there, since that kitchen has a massive padlock. Above that--”


“Right. There are windows and there’s food. Okay, upwards then?” Steve said, urging the girls forward. “I think I should go first, Meagan should be behind me to direct. Elise, you stay behind Meagan and keep a look out, and Holden should bring up the rear.” He took the first step and Meagan grabbed his arm.

“You don’t even know where you’re going. I have to be in front.”

“I know where I’m going, I’m going UP, for the next two hours.”

Meagan shook her head. “If those losers from the United Way can do it in half an hour, we can do it in twenty.”

Just beyond the door came a single giraffe wail, a signal call. Steve began pounding up the stairs. “No time to discuss; let’s get the hell out of here!”

Annoyed, Meagan followed, leaving Elise and Holden to stare at the door and listen to the giraffe. “He’s still alone...” Elise muttered, pressing her ear to the door.

“Come on!” Holden said, tugging her sleeve. But she waved him off and hissed, “Hold on a second!”

From the other side, she could hear the single giraffe, but where there should have been several others in unison to join him, there was silence. Just one lonely giraffe, with no response.

“Why do you think they’re not listening to him?” Elise said.

“Maybe he’s the Holden of the giraffe world.”

She glared at him, but he had a point. “Okay, let’s go.”


They started up the stairs, catching up to Meagan and Steve with no problem. They climbed together silently, listening for any sign of struggle or entry from the many doorways they passed. Holden wondered where the doors led to, but he knew Meagan would explain in great detail, and he was just too tired. And besides, being below Elise in the line had its advantages that he wasn’t willing to risk just to have a chat.

Soon the space became more narrow and Meagan signalled they were approaching the first floor. The door was air locked, nothing would be getting in or out. So they carried on above to the glass floor. Elise stopped when she noticed a tiny blue sign marked “L2”

“This is the sign for the glass floor?” she pointed. “How the hell do people see this and NOT keep going up all the way during those charity things?”

“Usually somebody holds this door open. It’s on a magnetic lock but that all fails without power, and it didn’t look like there was any power downstairs.” Meagan tried the handle – it was unlocked.

“Wait!” Holden said, climbing up past Elise. “At least let the guys go first. You girls stay about a floor down; that way if we need to bolt back, we won’t knock you over.”

Too tired to argue, Elise nodded and took a few steps back. Never tired enough to fight, Meagan opened her mouth, but Elise smacked her arm. “Just get down here.”

“I wasn’t going to—“

Suddenly there was a massive bang against the door. It scratched and clawed, and they all knew this was no giraffe.

“What the fuck...?” Elise raised her gun and stepped up towards the guys. Holden held out his hand, then put a finger to his lips.

From beyond the door came shouting. Two men arguing about guns, security. Then another bang against the door. Then silence.

The door opened and Steve stepped aside just in time for the flying body to miss him on its way down the stairwell. The group stared at the dead body, then slowly up to the blood-soaked man holding the door open.

“What the hell was that??” Steve demanded, grabbing the tan skinned guy by his red collar. “You just KILLED that guy!”

“He killed somebody upstairs over food. And get off me!” The accent was slight, almost imperceptible, but it was there. Even with his face caked in sweat and grim and blood, his expression of complete distain for everything still shone through, and Meagan recognized him instantly. She pushed forward through the group and wrapped her arms around the bloody stranger’s neck.

“Omar! Thank God!”

Chapter 18

The instant Milo saw Elise he became attached to her, turning into a blur of fluff that circled around her feet. For a moment she couldn't move without kicking the cat, so stayed still as she smiled at her best friend.

"You weren't picking up your phone," Elise finally managed to say.

"Crap," Meagan hadn't thought to turn her phone back on after they lost contact. "I was saving battery power."

"New rule: If we get separated again, turn on your cell phone."

"Well hopefully we won't have to worry about that again. C'mon, let's go to the elevators and get your sister."

"Seen any of those security guards around?" Holden asked, holding his gun apprehensively. After that encounter with the man on the street he realized just how useless this gun was against a human - unless he was at point-blank range aiming at their eyes.

"It's been quiet-" Steve began, but a noise coming from below cut him off.

"Up the ramp," Meagan whispered, not wanting to waste any more time. Something was in the building with them.

"C'mon Dave," Elise pushed Holden forward, Milo letting up enough to allow her to walk, but not getting more than an inch away from her.

"Who?" Holden looked at her in confusion.

"Dave Holden."

Blank stare.

"Do androids dream of electric sheep?"

Holden turned to Steve. "So, Elise has apparently lost her mind."

"You just noticed?"

"Dave Holden is a character from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

"For the last time: I am not a literary character," Holden hissed, trying to keep from yelling.

"Tell yourself whatever you want - no one is named Holden in the real world."

They were almost at the end of the ramp when they heard the giraffe's wail.

"Run!" Meagan took off through the security checkpoint that once herded tourists, but was now abandoned, and headed towards the elevators now in sight.

Below them was the gift shop, a railing separating the two floors, and when they took a quick peek over they saw hundreds of giraffes in a nest made of cheap stuffed Moutie bears and the skeletal remains of tourists and staff.

"Fuck me!" Elise screamed. They had just found the motherlode of giraffes, and as she turned around and saw even more giraffes streaming up the ramp towards them she realized there was no escape.

Meagan reached the elevators first and screamed in frustration as the others turned and pulled out their guns to fire at the giraffes and give Meagan enough time to get them out of this situation.

"The elevators are out of order!"

"You told me once they could never break down!" Steve yelled.

"They can be turned off!"

"Plan B! PLAN B!!!" Holden screamed.

"THERE IS NO PLAN B!!!"

"DOESN'T THIS PLACE HAVE STAIRS!?!"

Meagan whirled around until she found the door to the stairwell, a skeleton still wearing black pants and a red shirt gripped keys in his hands. She grabbed them and reached the door, unlocking it and motioning her friends through.

"C'MON!!!"

The others turned and dived through, Steve was the last person, backing up as he kept shooting at the giraffes. They were about to overwhelm him as Meagan slammed the door on their tiny faces.

"Is everyone all right? Anyone bit?" Meagan started grabbing people's arms to check for bite-marks.

"Lay off," Elise pulled away, looking at the first flight of stairs.

"We can't be too cautious," Meagan frowned. She still couldn't believe Elise wasn't onboard with being overly cautious yet.

"Uh... Meagan?" Holden looked troubled. "Exactly how many stairs are we talking about here?"

Chapter 11

"Uh, Meagan?" Elise waved her hand in front of Meagan's face as she stared at them blankly, as if they had all disappeared. Her eyes were scanning from side to side as if she were counting something nobody else could see.

"Is...she...?" Holden began, but Steve shook his head quickly. "She used to work there. She didn't like it very much. She never talks about it."

"So many...tourists..." Meagan was mumbling. Elise grabbed her shoulders and shook her, which seemed to help, because in an instant Meagan was jabbering about how safe the Tower might be for them. "IF we can get passed security."

"Yeah but they're like mall cops at best right?" Holden said.

"Imagine if you took thirty highly damaged Iraq war veterans and shoved them into a job with no future, no benefits, no pay. And then you made them younger and dumber. And that's what we have to get passed. The angriest, stupidest brood of minimum-wage earning, baton-wielding maniacs this side of...the tiny giraffes we've been fighting."

"Okay, well that just means we need a plan, which we can discuss when we get moving," Elise said. She was already checking out the windows in the showroom for her exit, and Steve and Meagan followed behind her. "We've got to find a way to convince them that we're there to help them somehow. That'll make them take us in nice and easy without a fight. And besides, not all of them are bad, right Meagan?"

"No they're all atrocious people."

"What about that Allan guy?"

"What Allan guy?" Steve said, but Meagan wasn't listening.

"Shhhhh! Everybody shut up!" she hissed. She inched closer to the window and placed her ear against the glass. Carefully, silently, the other three did too.

"I don't hear anything..." Holden whispered. "Do you?"

"I hear you," Elise glared at him.

Then suddenly, Milo leaped onto the counter, his back arched, hair standing on end. He hissed and growled at the window, and all of a sudden they saw it.

A hoard of little giraffes coming straight for the front door.

"We have to get out of here, NOW!!" Elise said. She grabbed Steve by the jacket. "Where's your offices? There must be an exit from there!"

"There is, it's a fire escape. It's back through the main entrance, we have to go right past the doors."

"Then let's move before they get in. And Meagan!" she said, grabbing her tiny shoulders. "Don't get freaked out by the Tower now. I promise, if you lead us back there, I'll let you, I dunno..."

"Blow the fucking thing up?"

"Yes," Elise smiled. "I'll let you blow the thing up."

They made their way together back up one level to the MP's offices. They were ransacked, as if every other employee but Steve up and left. "They're all gone," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry man," Holden said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they made it out okay. They had plenty of warning. And maybe we'll see them on our way."

"Oh no," Elise said. "We are NOT adding a bunch of politicians to our little group." Then she leveled her gaze at Holden. "I have enough trouble trusting everyone as it is."

"Okay, look I don't know what your problem is but I've had enough of this crap! Who do you think told HIM there were weapons down there?"

"You almost killed my cat!"

"I THOUGHT IT WAS A GIRAFFE!"

"MAYBE I THINK YOU'RE A GIRAFFE, RIGHT NOW!"

"THAT.....doesn't make any sense."

Elise cleared her throat and smoothed her jacket. "Yes I realize that." They both huffed, embarrassed and tired from fighting, but Elise wouldn't be the first to apologize and Holden was too stubborn. So instead, Elise extended an extra wrist guard she stole from the store. "Truce?"

He looked down at the guard, then up to Elise's brown eyes. Which weren't so scary when she wasn't threatening to kill him. "Truce."

Steve cleared his throat. "Did you guys wannna grab a guitar and sing Hey Jude together, or can we get the fuck out of here?"

"Right! Yes, let's move!" Holden said. Elise shook her head in spite of herself and avoided Meagan's giant grin from across the room. So he wasn't so horrible or stupid. Fine.

"He still shot at my cat," she muttered.

Chapter 10

"You tried to kill Milo!" Elise's voice had become a shrill whip. She gathered the bundle of fluff that was Milo - who had hardly noticed the BB barely missing his head and imbedding itself into one of the shelves - and glared accusingly at Holden.

Holden, a tall thin man with dark hair an blue eyes, who looked to be about the same age as her and Meagan lowered his BB gun. "I'm sorry! I thought it was a giraffe!"

"Are you fucking blind!?!"

"You know what, it's been a pretty fucking crazy day! Their colouring's similar, I just reacted!" He looked towards Steve for help, but Steve shrugged in a manner that said: "I don't really know her - deal with this yourself." Elise looked at Meagan, also wanting someone to back her up, but Meagan was just gazing up at Steve with adoration, so Elise rolled her eyes and went back to glaring at Holden.

"You should be more careful with that thing."

"Why did you even bring your cat? Don't you know it's the apocalypse?"

"He followed me - and he's already taken out more of those damn giraffes today than you ever will with your crappy shot."

"Hey! My crappy shot saved your cat's life!"

Milo had begun to purr rather loudly and started licking Elise's face, which made arguing considerably difficult, so Elise decided to let the matter rest and walk away to pick a gun.

Holden still continued to mutter to himself as she walked away: "Like I ever fired a gun before - I'm a god damned artist."

Elise put Milo down and started stuffing her pockets full of ammo. The first gun she picked up was an uzi replica, but Meagan tsked behind her.

"Don't grab anything automatic, you need to conserve your ammo. Semi-automatic is the best," Meagan said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, looking up at Steve with a smile and Elise realized Meagan was just trying to show off all her insane survival knowledge.

Elise couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she put the uzi down and watched Steve and Meagan laughing together. After all the insanity they had just gone through to find each other, Meagan was completely ignoring her best friend for some guy.

And who was this Steve guy anyway? Meagan always went on and on about them, but how come they didn't just date? Was Meagan too nervous to ask? Was Steve too much of a jerk to notice her? Were they both just really socially awkward? Actually, that last theory sounded pretty sound.

Elise found a loaded Tommy gun replica and feeling a slight twinge of nostalgia for WWII movies - and never one to follow rules very well - she threw it in the bag Meagan had given her, then grabbed a hand gun to appease Meagan's insistence they only bring semi-automatics. Elise was pretty sure there would come a time when a mob of giraffes would be on them and a Tommy gun would come in pretty handy - even if it was only firing pellets.

Meagan and Steve were discussing their game plan and Elise noticed Milo had gone over to Holden who was petting him. "Traitor," she thought to herself.

"We have to go north," Meagan was still speaking in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Why?" Elise was beginning to feel annoyed and couldn't help but question her logic.

"Because giraffes are from Africa. The cold will kill them. So long as we survive the winter, we'll survive the apocalypse."

"... But it's August."

"Yes, well, winter will come eventually."

"And what do we do until then? Do you have any idea how hard it is to survive in the wild? Not to mention even if we did make it until winter we have no winter camping gear. You know, my sister and I-" Elise felt her stomach twist. "OH MY GOD!!! KRISTA!!!"

She had been so concerned with her own survival she had completely forgot to call her little sister. She had no idea if Krista was alive or dead, but she had to find out. She fished her phone of out her pocket, spilling BBs on the floor that Milo immediately started playing with and dialed her sister's number.

It rang one, twice, three times... Every time it rang Elise got closer and closer to bursting out in tears. Then, finally, miraculously, someone picked up and she heard the scared voice of a young woman answer.

"Hello?"

"Krista! Are you all right? Where are you? Who are you with? Do you have a weapon? You haven't been bitten, have you?"

"Elise? Calm down, I'm fine," she sounded like she was crying. "I'm at work, we're okay. We stopped the elevators and everyone up here is fine."

"Wait... you're still at the Tower?" Krista worked at the CN Tower. When she said she was upstairs she didn't mean on the second floor - she meant on the observation deck over 300 metres in the air. "Jesus Christ..."

"Is she okay?" Meagan asked, concerned that I suddenly look worried.

"Krista, it's okay. I have guns."

"You have guns?"

"Well, they're guns in principle. Look! I'm coming to get you." I hung up, turning it back off to conserve the battery and looked at Meagan. "We have to rescue Krista. She's in the CN Tower."

"Um..." Meagan started.

"Going downtown is not a good idea," Steve shook his head, but he wasn't saying no.

"I like the plan where we go north - away from the things trying to eat us," Holden walked over to them.

"No one invited you," Elise glared.

"Oh yeah, because I really want an invitation to the suicide run," but Holden still looked slightly disappointed.

"I can't leave Krista. She's all the family I have. None of you have to come with me, but that's where I'm going. That being said..." she looked back at Meagan, pleading with her eyes, "I don't suppose you wanna help me rescue my little sister and a bunch of tourists trapped in the Tower?"