Title: Just Another Day
Characters/Pairing: Willow
Word Count: 377
Summary: When the Atomites stop by, the Ghouls close up shop.
Author's Note: The Church of Atom: Ghoul kidnappers extraordinaire.
A typical day outside Underworld had Willow pacing around the entrance to the Metro for hours on end, her hunting rifle slung over her back and pistol secured at her side. A typical day saw the occasional group of Super Mutants wandering by and paying her no mind as they grunted and spoke to one another in their disjointed speech patterns. Sometimes, one or two of them would be dragging the dead body of some unfortunate animal or human.
An atypical day saw those Brotherhood of Steel assholes popping down to pay a visit--to make sure that the Ghouls were still in their "place." An atypical day saw potshots at Willow from the bored soldiers out by the Memorial, though she knew they were intentionally missing her.
Those were the sort of days Willow got used to and tolerated. The typical days that encompassed six out of seven days, and the atypical day that predictably made up the last.
It was the annoyingly atypical days that got under her skin. On those days, she spent her time sitting in front of Underworld's entrance, hunting rifle in her hands, and the knowledge that her fellow Ghouls had already barred the door from the inside. On those days, she was forced to take the occasional warning shot. A waste of perfectly good ammunition every time, but necessary to maintaining her sanity on those days.
It was on the annoyingly atypical days that the Church of Atom took a field trip to The Mall. It was on those days that Willow's near-infinite patience as Underworld's guard was tested. If there was one thing Ghouls couldn't stand the most, it wasn't bigotry--it was those Atomite fools.
Willow took a shot, skimming the wall near an Atomite's head as he poked it around the corner. He squeaked and disappeared behind the building again.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" she shouted, ejecting her spent cartridge. "You're never getting in here again. Not after the last damn time."
But without fail, once a month, groups of them would continue to show up to pester her. Dealing with them gave her a headache, but a headache every month was better than the alternative.
She didn't fancy getting kidnapped again.