Susan pulled the trigger of her charger, splatting a Salmonid on the street below. Ink boiled in her veins as she searched for another target, adrenaline rushing through her body. The streets of Inkopolis were flooded with Salmonids, all crawling over each other to reach the blockade further down the street.
Susan tried to stay calm as she searched for another target. Her entire body was shaking and holding the charger still was a challenge in itself. A Salmonid entered her sight and she pulled the trigger. The creature exploded into a pool of toxic ink, and Susan bent down to refill her ink tank.
She examined her surroundings. She was on the rooftop of a tall building, surrounded by other Inklings and Octolings, all armed with chargers. They fired on the horde below, all of them with different expressions on their faces. Some looked determined, while others had a look of fear in their eyes. There was even one girl sitting in the corner, hugging her legs and rocking back and forth, like she didn't want to believe what was happening.
Susan heard a familiar click as her ink tank refilled itself and she stood back up, her charger aimed at the street below. The horde was gradually making its way towards the blockade, meter by meter.
Susan killed three Salmonids with one shot as she glanced over at the barricade. Dozens of Inklings and Octolings were down there, keeping the horde back. The barricade was a large pile of cars and other stuff, so high it reached the third floor of the apartment buildings. The people protecting it stood on top, raining ink down on the Salmonids.
Susan glanced up at the buildings opposite them. There were even more people there, raining fire down onto the street.
Susan aimed again and splatted a Salmonid that had gotten awfully close to the blockade. She looked at the endless stream of enemies. How were there so many of them? She'd never known this many Salmonids even existed! It didn't matter how many they killed, more just came crawling out of the ocean!
Susan had had a completely normal morning. Besides a small earthquake, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Like on most Saturdays, she had woken up, taken a shower, eaten breakfast and played Turf war. Nothing had seemed off.
But then, at 15:15, a warning was issued. The authorities warned everyone about a massive Salmonid attack out of nowhere. It caught everyone off-guard.
And then they requested that everyone that could fight should help with holding off the horde while everyone else evacuated.
Susan grunted and bent down as a shot of toxic ink came flying towards her. The shot stroked the top of her hat and it flew off her head. Susan watched as it disappeared out of view, floating towards the ground below. Susan rose up and threw a splat bomb, killing at least 10 Salmonids in the following explosion.
When Susan heard the warning, she'd rushed down to the docks to help defend Inkopolis. She'd do anything to protect her parents! She wasn't alone. Thousands of Inklings and Octolings came to help, the army had their hands full with assigning everyone into squads. Inkopolis was a massive city, and the Salmonids were supposed to attack from out on sea.
Susan had seen many familiar faces. People she'd grown up with, her teammates and other people she'd competed against in Turf wars. She didn't get assigned with any of them though. Everyone in her squad were complete strangers. Looking back, she was glad she didn't end up with anyone she knew. There had been 50 people assigned to Roof Squad 45. Now there were only 17 left…
A tear fell down her cheek. She'd seen so many people get killed in the last few hours. The fact that they were strangers made it easier, but she still felt pain as she replayed the events from the battle in her head. So many died. If Susan had known any of them, she didn't know if she could handle it…
Susan watched in horror as a girl got her head blown out a few meters away from her. The lifeless body tumbled over the edge towards the ground below. How much longer could they last here?
Suddenly, her radio turned on. Susan had been given the role of communications, so she carried the radio for when they got new orders. Were they finally going to give the order to retreat to the next barricade? A voice came through. However, something wasn't right…
Every other time, the voice on the other end had been confident and strong, like all of those generals you see in movies. It had carried a sense of authority, so Susan had always been able to tell herself that they were still winning. However, this time it was different.
The voice on the other end was panicking and spoke like they were in a desperate hurry.
"All squads, get out of there! We're being ambushed! Fall back to the next blockade and blow the previous one up!"
Susan's heart froze. She could hear gunshots and explosions on the other end.
"Agh!" the general yelled. "The Sanitized! They're beneath us! Thousands of them!"
The general grunted again, his breathing getting heavier and heavier. His voice spoke, his tone of authority had returned to his voice.
"It was good fighting with you all! I hope you make it out okay!"
Susan's head was going a mile a minute as the general continued talking.
"Live to fight another day! Fight for our future!"
The general took a deep breath. "Goodbye."
Susan heard the general throw away the radio, guns firing in the background.
"Come and get it, you bastards!" he yelled before the signal cut out.
Susan sat frozen in place, her background hazy. "What did he mean? The Sanitized? How could we be ambushed from beneath?"
Susan was pulled back into reality and she jumped up. "We need to fall back!" she yelled over the group. "We're being ambushed!"
Panic rushed through every person in the squad as they rushed away from the ledge. Confusion overtook them. Susan reached for a warning flare in her belt and fired it, the red ball of fire illuminating the dark sky.
She saw the people down on the streets rush away from the barricade, hurrying in the direction of the next blockade. Susan got ready to jump onto the next rooftop along with the rest of her squad. Traveling by rooftops was slow, but it was safe. None of the Salmonids could come up to them.
But Susan was still uneasy. What did the general mean when he said: "The Sanitized"? Nevertheless, they had to be careful.
"Be ready for anything!" she yelled. "They could be—"
But she was interrupted by gasps and yells of surprise. Susan turned around and saw what had caused such a reaction from the squad.
Further down the street, was a large group of people. At first glance, they might've looked like Inklings and Octolings. However, something was disturbing about them…
They gave a faint glow of green and moved in unison with stiff movements.
"What the…" Susan murmured and narrowed her eyes. "What are they?"
But then, the group of Inklings and Octolings all jerked up and rushed down the street. The people that had been defending shouted as they ran back to the blockade. Before Susan knew it, these green people began firing at the blockade. Were those the Sanitized?!
Susan watched in horror as both sides closed in on the squad down there. They were trapped! Salmonlings on one side, Sanitized on the other. Before Susan could properly process what was going on, a loud bang came from behind them.
The entire squad turned around and watched as a green Octoling came rushing through the door into the building. The Octoling fired her weapon, killing three people before anyone fired back. Susan was the first to react and sent a bullet of ink into the Octoling's face, and it crumbled down on the floor.
Before anyone got to breathe, more of them came running from inside the building, their weapons aimed. Susan's squadmates panicked and tried to fight back, but their numbers were too great. Susan fired, again and again, killing one Sanitized after another, but no matter how many she killed, they just kept on coming.
A green-skinned Inkling girl came running towards Susan, her splattershot raised. Susan fired back, but her shot hit the girl's weapon instead. The gun flew out of the girl's hands, but she didn't even flinch. She just continued running, no weapon in hand.
Before Susan had time to charge up another shot, the Sanitized Inkling launched herself at her, locking her hands around Susan's throat. Susan tried to push her away, but the force from the girl pushed her back. Susan stumbled over the edge and crashed into the roof of the building next to where they'd been.
Susan's charger flew out of her hand and the girl lost grip on Susan's throat. The impact pushed all air out of Susan's lungs, leaving her gasping for air. She'd been lucky the buildings were so close together. Otherwise, she would've fallen to her death.
Before she had time to recover, however, the Sanitized Inkling climbed on top of her and tried to wrap her hands around Susan's neck. Surprised by the girl's strength, Susan tried to fight back, trying desperately to push the girl off of her.
Susan stared at the girl's face. Her eyes were behind shades, but her face showed no emotion. It felt like Susan was staring into the face of a machine…
The girl's fingers were only centimeters away from Susan's neck. She growled and used all of the strength she had left to push the girl off of her. Now Susan was on top.
Without hesitation, Susan pummeled the girl's face. Again, and again, and again. The shades shattered and the girl's eyes were now visible. Susan couldn't believe what she was seeing. No matter how many times she struck the girl, she did not react. She just remained in that same, emotionless state.
Susan growled as she continued to pummel the girl. Finally, Susan launched herself towards her charger, stood up and turned around. The shades had shattered, sending shards into the girl's face and eyes. Ink dripped down on the ground, as the girl began to rise up, slowly.
"Really?!" Susan thought as she stood still, her charger aimed at the girl. "After all that and she's still going?!"
The girl looked up, slowly. Her eyes were now visible. Susan stared into them and felt a chill crawl down her spine. The girl's eyes were cold and pale. It gave Susan an uncanny feeling. The girl's eyes were empty and soulless. Dead.
She… no… it, was not alive. This monster standing before Susan was something unnatural…
Susan pulled the trigger, and the Sanitized dropped down to the floor. Susan's breathing was heavy, as she tried to calm herself down. Her heart skipped several beats as she remembered her squad. She spun around and looked up at the building they'd been stationed at. Not a single sign of life. The Sanitized must've left as soon as they'd slaughtered everyone.
Susan looked across the street. No signs of anybody. The streets were flooded with both Salmonids and Sanitized. The barrier had been torn down…
Susan felt tears fall down her cheek. No one had survived…
After a few minutes of crying, Susan got herself together and rose up. She had to get out of here. The plan had always been to fall back to the plaza if something went wrong. It was a long way, but if Susan traveled by the rooftops, she might make it without encountering any enemies.
She was about to leave when a sound stopped her. What was that? She listened harder. Had she been imagining it? A few moments later, she heard it again. Gunshots. And a voice!
Susan followed the sound, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The sound got louder and louder, and she began making out words.
"Somebody! Please! Help!"
Someone was calling for help. Finally, she found it.
Susan looked down at the street below the building she was standing on and spotted an Inkling boy down there. He had his back to the wall, a splattershot in his hands. A horde of Salmonids were making their way towards him, slowly inching closer. No matter how many the boy killed, there were always more Salmonids.
"Help!" he shouted again. Susan aimed her charger and fired. She had a chance to save him! He could still get out of there. Susan fired again and again, but it was no use. She would kill one, only for two more to pop up. Now, only a few meters were separating the horde and the boy.
The boy was getting low on ink. If he ran out, he was doomed! Susan reached into her belt for a splat bomb. Maybe she could give him a chance to run if she threw the rest of her bombs at them. But her hands just grabbed at air. She was out.
Susan was getting desperate, firing as fast as her charger allowed her to. Then, the boy's gun stopped firing. He was out…
Almost immediately, the horde closed in and surrounded the boy, their slimy hands reaching for him. The boy yelled, trying to fight them back.
"Let me go!" he screamed. "Somebody, help!"
The Salmonids weren't going to kill him. They were going to bring him back into their nest.
A chill crawled down Susan's spine as she imagined what they would do to him. She'd heard countless stories about those who were kidnapped by the Salmonids. Most people would say it was a worse fate than death…
The boy screamed as the Salmonids began dragging him away. He tried desperately to hold onto something, but the horde just dragged him ruthlessly across the pavement.
Susan felt herself aim her charger. "What am I doing?" she thought, as her hands aimed at the boy. The Inkling was hidden by the horde, the only thing visible was his hand that was sticking out, reaching for help that would never come.
"If I wait any longer, it'll be too late," she thought and began charging up her shot. "Am I really doing this?"
The boy continued screaming, his body being dragged further away with any second. Susan took a deep breath. "I can't leave him like this…" she thought. Her charger was fully charged and she aimed the gun directly at the hand sticking out.
Susan closed her eyes. She could bear looking. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled the trigger…
The boy's screams were silenced. Susan opened her eyes, afraid of what she would see. The boy's hand was gone. The horde was probably carrying his lifeless body into their nest…
Susan's hands were shaking. She stood frozen in place for a few minutes until she could move again. She tried to forget what she'd done. She took a deep breath and ran in the direction of the plaza.
Susan finally made it to the plaza. She had passed countless bodies on her way. They hadn't been the only squad to be ambushed…
Susan looked down at the plaza below her. Large blockades were at every pathway into the plaza. Susan had been listening to the radio on her way. Apparently, the normal civilians had been evacuated. Now they only had to evacuate those who were still defending the city.
All remaining squads were ordered to form up at the plaza and the square where helicopters would pick them up. Wounded would have a priority and they just had to hold out until they would come to pick them up.
Susan looked over the people gathered at the plaza. Dozens of people were lying around, wounded. There weren't many that were still standing. Was this really all that was left? If the horde got to them before the helicopter arrived, they wouldn't be able to hold it back for long.
Susan shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think those thoughts. She readied herself to drop down. "I just need to-"
But then, something happened. As she was getting ready to drop down on the balconies below, the ground shook. It knocked Susan off her feet and cracks began forming in the building she was standing on. The street was ripped in half as a large crack formed and some people narrowly avoided dropping down into the endless abyss below. Susan sat up, confused.
She had experienced an earthquake before, but never on this scale. She didn't even know such a powerful earthquake could form here in Inkopolis. Susan watched as all windows in every building shattered and rained shards down on the people below. Entire buildings groaned from the power of the earthquake, and some buildings even collapsed in on themselves.
Susan held on for dear life, watching helplessly as the people down in the streets tried to shield themselves from falling debris. Inkopolis Tower groaned, the metal bending from the strain. It was going to fall over!
More cracks formed in the building, one right under Susan's legs. She narrowly avoided it and watched as the place she'd been sitting in opened in half.
She heard a loud metal sound behind her and looked up. Inkopolis Tower was starting to lean at a dangerous angle. The foundations under the building were beginning to give in!
Slowly, the tower leaned further until the foundations finally gave away. The tower smashed into nearby buildings, sending bystanders running for their lives.
Susan closed her eyes and gripped the railing even harder. This was no normal earthquake. Nothing on this scale had happened ever since the city was founded.
Finally, the earth stopped shaking. Susan opened her eyes and examined her surroundings. The building she was on top of was covered in cracks. She could see apartments below her. Susan looked down at the horror down in the square.
Entire buildings had collapsed. Those who had not been crushed by debris were limping around. Susan heard calls of help from under some buildings, but no one was fit to go help them.
Susan stood up, her legs shaking. "What the hell was that?" she thought. "It felt so unnatural."
But something bothered her. She listened closely for anything out of the ordinary. What was that?
She bent down and placed her hand on the floor. The earthquake had stopped, but the earth was still shaking ever so slightly. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't paying attention.
Susan looked up. A rumbling sound could be heard. It was subtle, but Susan could hear it. She looked towards the horizon at the sea. The dark night hid her view, but something wasn't right. She narrowed her eyes. Was that movement?
The rumbling was getting louder. Susan's eyes widened as she slowly realized what was going on.
She jumped up and ran as fast as she could towards the edge of the building. There, she leaned over the edge and shouted so that her voice echoed throughout the plaza.
"Tsunami!"
Her voice lingered over the plaza, echoing from building to building. Silence met her cry, as people processed what was happening. Then, all hell broke loose.
People ran for their lives, desperate to find someplace safe. Susan looked over at the blockades and felt her heart sink. Sanitized were starting to climb over.
"They must've used the chaos to sneak closer," she murmured and sprinted across the rooftop. She had to find somewhere where the wave wouldn't reach her. As she ran, she watched in horror as the Sanitized closed in on the square from all directions, raining fire on the few that had survived. Susan forced herself to look away. There was nothing she could do for them now.
She leaped onto a nearby rooftop, her charger strapped to her shoulder. The building she was on was way too small. She had to get somewhere higher. She glanced down at the streets below.
They were infested with Sanitized, thousands of them strode forward like a single hivemind. Susan was perplexed. Did they not care? Did they not care about the tsunami that was approaching?"
Susan examined them closer. None of them showed any signs of fear. None of them faltered. Susan shook her head and tore her eyes away from the horde. It didn't matter now.
One detail Susan had noticed was that there was not a single Salmonid insight. Before there'd been thousands of them, but now it was like they had evaporated. Was it because of the tsunami? Most likely. While they hid, they just sent in the Sanitized to finish the job.
Susan scanned nearby buildings for any that were tall enough. She was far away from the ocean, so all the buildings between her and the ocean would slow the wave down considerably. By the time it reached Susan, it would be a lot smaller.
Susan looked back. The wave was not far away from shore now. She grunted as the ground beneath her gave away, nearly making her fall to her death. She didn't have much time left.
She spotted a tall apartment building not too far away. Maybe she could climb up there? She leaped between rooftops, consistently looking back at the oncoming wave. She was getting closer and closer. If she wanted to make that jump, she would have to get ready to grab onto the fire escape ladder. Otherwise, she'd fall to her death.
Susan sprinted as fast as she could, the edge fast approaching. Susan took a deep breath and jumped.
Time seemed to slow down as she floated through the air. Would she make it? The building was coming closer and closer. Time sped up again as Susan smashed into the building. She grunted and tried to grab onto something. Her downward descent was stopped as her hand managed to grab onto the ladder.
Susan yelled in agony as pain shot through her body. She felt like her arm was about to get ripped off. She gritted her teeth and grabbed onto the ladder with her other arm, ignoring the pain. She looked back and was met with a horrible view.
The coastline was gone. The massive wave was starting to swallow the city. Susan growled as she started to pull herself up the ladder.
"I will not die like this!" she growled as she slowly made her way to the top.
Susan had no idea how she did it, but she eventually made it to the top. By the time she got there, she was practically dragging herself across the floor. She sat up and looked towards the wave. It was getting closer and closer.
Susan sighed. Even after all that, was she still going to die here? Was the building built to withstand such a force? The earthquake had damaged the building. Maybe it would just collapse as soon as the wave hit it.
Susan closed her eyes, ready to find peace in her last moments. But then, she heard something.
Her eyes shot up and she immediately spotted the source of the sound. Several black helicopters were flying not too far away. The rescue team! They might still save her!
Exhausted, Susan reached into her belt and pulled out the last of her flares. If they didn't see this, she'd be doomed.
She aimed the flare up at the sky and pulled the trigger. A red ball of fire shot up and lit up the dark night. She waited, her heart frozen. Had they seen it?
Just as she was about to give up hope, she saw one of them take a sharp turn and speed towards her. They saw it!
Susan staggered as she tried to stand up. The sound of the wave was closer than ever. She glanced behind her. The ruthless wave had already swallowed up the plaza.
The helicopter began hovering over Susan, the wind making it hard for her to keep her eyes open. A rope ladder was dropped down not too far away from her. Susan staggered over to it. The rumbling of the wave did not make it easier to walk.
She reached out her hand and grabbed hold of the ladder. As soon as her fingers locked around it, the wave hit the building. Susan could hear it groan and tremble under her feet. It was about to collapse!
The helicopter rose up, Susan dangling for dear life. She felt agonizing pain in her arms but used all her will to hang on. The building she'd been standing on a few moments ago gave away and sank beneath the wave. If the helicopter had been a few seconds slower, and she'd be dead.
The men in the helicopter began dragging the ladder up. Barely conscious, Susan held on. When they finally pulled her into the helicopter, she collapsed on the floor.
The last thing she saw before her vision faded into darkness, was the city she loved so much being swallowed under the waves.
Susan opened her eyes. She felt sweat running down her face, as she stared at her familiar apartment in Splatsville.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Anna was lying in her own bed, fast asleep. Susan felt a chill crawl down her spine. She'd been having this nightmare consistently ever since that day. The day that Inkopolis fell…
Susan looked at her alarm. 05:30. She'd woken up three hours early.
Knowing she wouldn't fall asleep again, Susan rose up and dressed as quietly as she could, careful not to wake up Anna. When she'd finished she took up her charger and walked out of the room. It didn't hurt to go a little early. She might even get a head start on any other scavengers looking through the wreckages. Besides, she had to get her mind off of things...
Susan chomped down some bread and left a note on the table informing Anna that she had woken up a bit early. Susan grabbed the keys, her bag and strapped her charger to her shoulder. Then, she quietly opened the door, leaving the apartment in silence.