Nikki sits, shifting her face so her eyes can peer through the small slats in the Common House. The sun blinds her, so she can't see anything. She sighs, turns around, and goes to sit at "her bed" which she doesn't own, but has slept in every night for the past twelve years.
There is nothing to do during the hot Megaton summers. No Purified Water for those who don't own a house, so Nikki's throat is as dry as the desert. She wishes she had enough money to buy an ice cold Nuka-Cola. She had a Nuka-Cola only once, two years ago. It was given to her "Knight" as she called him, her "Knight in Raider Armor".
She allows a smile to cross her dirty, sweaty face as she remembers. Stockholm had yelled "Raider!" But when the man in Raider armor limped into town, his gun strapped onto his back on not by his side, it was obvious he didn't want to hurt anybody.
Nikki had watched from the sidelines as Lucas Simms confronted the man. The man seemed nice enough. He said his name was Jack, and the only reason he was wearing Raider Badlands Armor was because he had just taken down three Raiders, and he needed protection. On his arm was a shiny Pip-Boy, evidence that he had just stumbled out of a Vault.
He had walked into Moriarty's Saloon, and Nikki followed him at a distance, curious about this newcomer. Although she had been living in Megaton for twelve years, ever since she was ten years old and her parents moved here from Grayditch, she hadn't seen newcomers as interesting as this for a long time. She watched shyly from the corner as Jack ordered two ice cold Nuka-Colas. She was starting to wonder if he planned to drink two Nuka-Colas when he waved her over.
"Do you want one?" Jack had asked, nodding towards the directions of the Nuka-Colas. Too shy to speak, Nikki just nodded. He smiled at her and pressed it into her hand. Still too shy to talk, Nikki simply sat down on the bar stool next to him and drank the Nuka-Cola.
She had always wondered why Nuka-Cola was so popular. Now she knew. The sweet drink ran down her throat, and Nikki felt as if all of the sand, dust, and radiation that was down there was cleansed away. That day, two summers ago, she had fallen in love with Jack over a bottle of Nuka-Cola.
Jack had smiled at her as she closed her eyes and finished the bottle.
"Damn, that was good," was all Nikki could think to say.
"Is that the first one you've ever had?" Jack had asked, his eyebrows shifting downward a little in concern.
"Hell, even irradiated water's a treat for me. A Nuka-Cola is a gift from God." It was true. Most Megaton settlers didn't even have enough to buy food everyday.
"Gee, it wasn't like that in the Vault," Jack had said, glancing down at his shiny Pip-Boy 3000. A look of guilt ceased his face.
"What was it like in the Vault?" Nikki had asked. And that got him started.
He liked to talk about the Vault, where he had lived for nineteen years of his life. He was out now, looking for his Dad. He had been out of the Vault for a week. Jack told Nikki about his trials in the Wasteland, and she eagerly told him hers, happy to have an audience to talk to.
Two days later, he left. He had washed and fixed his armor, got all the Stimpacks and food he needed, got extra ammo and a couple more guns, and now it was time for him to leave. But before he marched into the Wasteland, he had told Nikki that he'd be coming back, and when he did she could have all the Nuka-Colas she could ever want.
And there she was, two years later, still waiting. Often she spends her days standing on the scaffold by Moriarty's Saloon, staring out into the Wasteland. Staring out into the harsh sun, as she hopes one day to see her Knight in Raider Armor, and together they could share an ice cold Nuka-Cola.
A/N
My first Oneshot! I've always really loved reading oneshots, so I decided I'd try one on my own. Please review to tell me what you think!
Psychotype