Disclaimer: Madagascar and its characters still belong to Dreamworks!


Adrift

As the ocean lapped at the side of his crate, Melman lost sense of time. Waves of nausea overcame him – whether they were caused by sea sickness, panic, or something more sinister, he did not know. His throat felt raw from calling for his friends, as if he had swallowed barbed wire. Every time the pain subsided, he tried again. Usually, though, no coherent words formed. There was only a feeble whimper. The crate was so small, he could not extend his legs – not that he would try it, anyway. His position on the water was too precarious. His knees ached, but he dared not move a muscle. Any movement, no matter how small, could cause the crate to tip over and sink.

The giraffe was certain that each miserable moment brought him ever closer to a watery grave. Occasionally a small amount of seawater would spill through the small hole in the crate, leaving him currently sitting in at least an inch of water, not to mention small amounts of his own vomit. He could practically hear the joyful cries of the bacteria at their discovery of a new host. They were crawling all over him, feasting on his flesh, burrowing into his skin…

Melman shuddered in disgust. Sitting in the dampness and filth would undoubtedly cause something to fester, but what could he do? There was no physical way for him to escape the pathogens. He was a sitting duck. There was nowhere to run. If he somehow managed to free himself from the crate, he would be in real trouble. The ocean taunted him from outside. It would claim his life and wanted to make sure he knew it.

There was so much he never got to do.

So many dreams he had never dreamt.

So many goals he had never achieved.

There had been only one thing he had wanted more than anything else in the world – but he had been too much of a coward to pursue it. Now, it was too late. She would never know the truth.

But maybe it was for the better.

She deserves better.

Melman stretched his neck, his head hitting the top of the crate. He drew in a sharp, salty breath. The crate was shrinking. The too-small space was becoming even smaller. It was closing in on him, he knew it. His chest tightened. He couldn't breathe. His heart pounded hard against his rib cage, desperate for oxygen. He was gasping for breath.

He would die here. A filthy, underfunded zoo would not be his demise. A rare disease would not sentence him to death. A parasite would not pilfer his existence. Asphyxiation would be the knife to cut short his life. They would find him at the bottom of the ocean, a mere skeleton. His body no longer his own, it would give sustenance to the scavengers of the deep.

That wasn't how he wanted to go.

Melman pressed his hooves against the sides of the crate, causing it to rock in the waves. Luckily, it didn't tip over. He would not let the crate crush him, even as the walls drew tighter still. He was not done fighting – not yet. His resolve did nothing to hinder the panic that had taken hold of him. Regardless of the strength of his willpower he was still at the ocean's mercy.

How long would he drift before the crate could support him no longer? Would he sink with his prison, or would he be able to break free? Maybe it would never come to that. Maybe his heart would stop long before he slipped beneath the surface.

Melman drew in a shaky breath. Of cours, it would be the one thing he had strived to prevent his entire life: disease. It would claim him now, when he had no means of treatment. His fight – his livelihood – would all amount to nothing. He had taken up the challenge when he was young. Despite himself, Melman smiled at the vague memory of his mother always reminding him to take his vitamins, and encouraging him to cooperate with the vets.

"But, Mama!" he protested. "Th-they have needles!"

She pressed her muzzle to the top of his head to comfort him. "Melman," she said, "I know shots are no fun. But you know what is less fun? Getting sick."

"I know, Mama, but –"

"No buts. Do you know why they give you shots?"

He thought for a moment, and then slowly shook his head.

"The stuff they put in the needles, it tells your body how to fight germs."

He tilted his head to one side, thinking about her words.

"So when the germs do come in, your body knows exactly what to do to kill them." She lowered her head to look him in the eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mama," Melman replied, noticing the intensity in her gaze. She was…worried? "Mama? What's wrong?"

She sighed, and drew herself to her full height. "Your papa thinks I'm crazy. He…he doesn't take his medicine. He's come up with ways to avoid it, or to fake it."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she confessed. She sounded flustered. "But if he keeps it up, one day the germs will attack, and his body won't know what to do."

Melman blinked. "And Papa will get sick?" he squeaked.

"Yes, baby." Her voice cracked with an emotion the young giraffe could not identify. "Your papa will get sick."

The memory faded, leaving Melman alone, rocking on the sea. He wondered about his mother. Was she still thinking about him? He wished he could tell her that he had done his best – he had never missed taking his medicine, never missed an appointment, and he always kept himself clean. He had done everything right. He had literally devoted his life to staying healthy, always being on high alert for infection and disease.

And where had it gotten him?

Nowhere.

The constant, nagging fear of illness had ruled his life. It left almost no room for anything else. He had been a prisoner of his own mind. Melman scoffed. In his never-ending quest for health, he had done nothing to contribute to the world. The only semi-courageous thing he had ever done was attempt to save Marty – and even then, he had wanted to stay behind. Not only that, but the entire scheme had ended in disaster.

He thought of all the times he had talked his friends out of an adventure. There had been that one time when Alex wanted to raid the sushi bar across the zoo after closing. Melman had brought up the concept of getting caught, but also mercury poisoning.

Marty once challenged Alex to a race around the zoo, and Gloria would be the judge. The three had been so excited about it, but Melman had tried to talked them out of it. They had gone through with the race anyway. Alex won. Nothing had happened.

Even Gloria had her share of scheming. Melman remembered an incident when they were much younger in which she had wanted to get flowers from the landscaping to make her friends flower crowns. He had brought up allergies, bees, and all kinds of ridiculous repercussions. He would never forget the way the excitement drained out of her twinkling brown eyes, and the immense guilt he felt afterwards.

He could see the disappointment in their faces every time. Alex would roll his eyes. "Melman, c'mon," he would say, "We're just having a little fun. We aren't even gonna leave the zoo."

Marty would try to laugh it off, but even his good-natured chuckles did not hide his disdain. "Chillax, Melman. You worry too much, ya know?"

Gloria would sigh, trying to contain her own disappointment. "Why do you always – " then she would stop to look at him with that sweet, chocolatey gaze that he adored. "Never mind. I guess you're right, Mel," she would say. Whether she came to her senses or wanted to spare his feelings, he was never sure, but it did little to help the horrible feeling that crept over him every single time.

All he did was hold them back.

He was a burden.

If he had not hesitated before leaving the zoo, maybe they would have reached Marty sooner. Maybe they would have avoided being cornered in Grand Central Station. Maybe they would not have been transferred.

Maybe Melman would not be trapped in a crate on the sea, silently pleading for the ocean to swallow him whole.


Hello everyone! It is I!I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've always been really excited to write this scene. It was supposed to be dark, but I wasn't expecting it to be this dark. Heh.

Thanks to all of my faithful readers after all of these years :)

Please review and let me know what you think!

*cough*nobody reviewed the last chapter and it made me nervous but I wasn't gonna mention it*cough*