After the Storm (A Splatoon 2 AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Dedf1sh walked through the dim hallway for an uncomfortably long time, her footsteps echoing. Her trek throughout the tunnel had caused her mind to wander. She didn't want to think but it seemed her mind betrayed her as soon as it got the chance to. Eventually, she stopped fighting it, seeing as she wasn't seeing any end anytime soon.

What was going on out there? Her own kind was being really vague about things concerning the surface and about herself. All this time she was unaware of the outside world, and it seemed like it was on purpose. She could only wonder why...

Before she knew it, she reached a crossroads. A physical crossroads. The hallway stopped suddenly, leading into another tunnel. It was also dimly lit, with the only light coming from multiple grates above, on the top sides of the tunnel. She hopped down, turning left and following the wall. Occasionally, she looked up, noticing the grates. They were dripping with sanitized ink.

Was this what was going on outside?

She came across a ladder, leading upwards towards a closed manhole cover. Perhaps this would be a good enough time to check things out. She placed a hand on a rung; it was slightly rusted, but sturdy enough to hold her weight. Holding onto the highest rung she could reach, she placed her foot on the bottommost one, repeating the process with the other remaining limbs.

Dedf1sh began to climb effortlessly, swiftly. She could see the holes where light would pour inside; a kinda grayish light. She had reached the top in a matter of seconds, stopping only to push the manhole cover out of the way, while using the walls around her to keep her steady. Pushing the cover aside, she squinted. The sky was bright, but overcast.

It was the first sight of the overworld.

She climbed up, crawling onto the pavement before replacing the cover to the hole she had just come out of. As she stood up, she looked around at her surroundings. She was in a residential neighborhood, it seemed. Sanitized ink was all over the place in clumps; atop houses, in yards, even on the street. Some of the piles seemed to be disturbed, as if people were stuck in them or had fallen in them. She walked down the street. This was an eerily quiet place, it seemed. It should be morning for these folks, judging by the lighting. People should be coming out and driving around, but most of their cars were still parked, covered in the same ink.

Something bad happened, and to Dedf1sh, it seemed like she was partially responsible by association. She was going to find out what happened; she was going to set things right. Hopefully, if someone were to notice her, maybe they'd understand.

She saw, up ahead, what seemed to be moving figures beside a large van. She squinted in an attempt to try to get a better view. They seemed like silhouettes; being unable to discern colors right now. Though, the situation did seem to look like a struggle. She ran towards the van, hoping it would give her cover should they notice. As she got closer, she saw the situation much clearer.

A short way in front of the van, a group of Sanitized Octoling soldiers were restraining a particularly aggressive-looking Inkling, one who had a small patch of the ink on his head.

The back door to the van was left ajar; it hadn't been closed properly. Dedf1sh slowly opened it, and shifted into her octopus form and back once she was inside. The van was mostly empty; it seemed like it was meant to carry something in bulk, like packages or something.

The door clicked shut behind her. She was too late to keep it from closing. The other sanitized surely did notice, as they looked at the van.

Dedf1sh watched from the inside, her cover being the driver's seat. Looking through the window from the safety of the hole between the headrest and the backing, she saw as one of them took out a pair of shades from an equipment bag. They then placed it on the still-struggling Inkling, who almost immediately calmed down. The Octolings let go, with one of them moving out of sight.

This was bad. They probably know someone is hiding inside the van, and if they find out it's her, they'll most definitely put some shades on her, keep her docile. Make her lose the experience she had only just regained.

She crept up to the back door, pressing the lock closed, and pressing her ear to the door. After a short while, she heard someone trying to yank open the door, but finding it's locked. She stepped back slightly, creeping up to the side door, and pressing those locked. She shifted into her octopus form once more, slipping into the driver's seat.

She heard the side door handle click. In a little while, they'd most definitely try to get to the front. If she transformed now, she would most definitely be caught. If she didn't act right then and there, she would be caught regardless.

Oh, well.

Still as an octopus, she moved to the passenger-side door, locking it just as she heard the handle start to move. She then moved back into the driver's seat, locking that door, finally. She was safe. At least, until she looked at the passenger-side window.

A sanitized Octoling looked inside, and had spotted her. Now they'll definitely attempt to smash their way in and retrieve her! That is, until she realized she was in a van, a moving vehicle. She could drive this thing away from the soldiers!

Changing back into her octoling self, she looked at the dashboard. Not much, seemed like an LCD screen where the speedometer would be. Steering wheel was alright, as well as a button that seemed to turn on the vehicle. Dedf1sh pressed that.

The Octoling outside started to pound on the window as the engine roared to life. The LCD turned on as well, turning into the speedometer dashboard. A panel on the side turned on as well. It looked to be a GPS of some kind. There was one location which was marked with a star, out of the possibly hundreds of addresses on it.

She had to get out of here, fast!

Quickly inspecting the bottom, Dedf1sh saw the gas pedal and the brakes. Those should be easy to control, right? As the other Sanitized began to pound and try to climb the van, Dedf1sh pressed her foot on the gas pedal. The van lurched forward, fast. Hopefully it was fast enough to outrun the Octolings that were quickly pursuing her.

The GPS showed a straight enough street for now, nothing too unexpected. Though, to be safe, she made the occasional left turn and right turn. It didn't turn out well, what with her vehicle skidding in order to turn. What mattered was that she managed to escape the local sanitied soldiers, and judging by the road ahead, there wouldn't be any more for the time being.

She slowed, then stopped, the van as soon as she reached the top of a hill. It was in front of a long driveway, leading to a large house. She hoped the owners didn't mind if she stayed in their protection for a while, if they were in at all. Leaning back on the seat, she turned off the vehicle, staring at the gray-blue sky.

The coast was clear. Finally, she was free.