The desert landscape blurred past the window, a vast, monotonous expanse of sand and rock. Charlie Hunter's mind was racing, her thoughts a tangled mess of fear, uncertainty, and disbelief. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears as the reality of what she had just done began to sink in. She had left everything behind—her life, her career, her future—all for a chance to save Nile. As the jeep sped through the barren wasteland, the weight of her decision pressed down on her, suffocating her with doubt.

She glanced back at Nile, unconscious in the back seat, her head resting awkwardly against the window. A deep, unshakable fear gnawed at her insides. What would Nile think when she woke up? How would she react to the insanity of it all? The questions swirled in Charlie's mind, feeding her anxiety until she couldn't take it anymore. She needed answers, and she needed them now.

Turning her gaze to the front, Charlie focused on the woman driving the jeep with a calm that was almost unnerving. Andy, she had called herself—Andromache the Scythian. The name alone was enough to make Charlie's skin prickle with unease. This woman, who had appeared out of nowhere and turned their lives upside down, was now eating baklava with the nonchalance of someone on a Sunday drive. The contrast was jarring, and it only added to the growing tension inside Charlie.

"So, Andy," Charlie began, her voice betraying the nerves she was trying to suppress, "how exactly did you know about Nile? Let alone, how to find her?"

Andy's response was slow in coming. She glanced at Charlie out of the corner of her eye, her expression unreadable, before turning her attention back to the road. For a moment, Charlie thought she wasn't going to answer at all.

But then, without looking away from the desert, Andy spoke. "I saw her in my head because she's like me."

"Like you?" Charlie echoed, her confusion deepening.

"Immortal."

The word hung in the air, heavy and impossible. Charlie's breath caught in her throat as she turned to look at Nile again, the reality of Andy's words sinking in. Immortal. It was a concept that belonged in myths and legends, not in the harsh, brutal world they lived in. And yet, here it was, staring her in the face.

"Well, shit," Charlie muttered, her voice barely audible. "Couldn't have happened to a worse person."

Andy's lips twitched into a small, humourless smile. "Listen, kid—"

"I'm not a kid," Charlie interjected, the irritation in her voice a welcome distraction from the fear clawing at her insides.

Andy ignored her, continuing as if she hadn't spoken. "I don't know what you're expecting to happen here, but nothing's going to be the same. She can't go back to her normal life."

Charlie felt a surge of frustration rise within her. "No shit, Sherlock. Think I don't know that? We're deserters now. Neither of us can go back home. And definitely not Nile. The things they'll do to her..." Her voice trailed off, a shiver running down her spine as she imagined the horrors Nile would face if she fell into the wrong hands.

"Good," Andy said, her tone suddenly sharp. "You're not as foolish as you look."

"Hey!" Charlie shot back, her temper flaring at the insult. But Andy just laughed, a low, throaty sound that did nothing to ease Charlie's growing anxiety.

"That's just rude," Charlie muttered, crossing her arms and sinking back into her seat. But the anger quickly faded, replaced by the cold, hard reality of their situation. "But no. Seriously, this is bad. Nile's not the kind of person to listen to reason. She's going to want to go back. To see her friends and family. To live a normal life." Charlie's voice softened, the sadness she felt for her friend creeping in. "She's great and all, but I know her too well. She isn't suited to the immortal lifestyle."

"And you would know what that entails... how?" Andy's question was pointed, and it made Charlie pause.

"I've... I've done a lot of thinking, okay?" Charlie replied, her voice defensive. She didn't want to delve into the dark thoughts that had occupied her mind during the quiet moments of their deployment. "Just leave it at that."

Andy let out a soft, disbelieving sound, but didn't push the matter further. Silence fell over the jeep, the only sound the rumble of the engine and the distant wind whipping across the dunes. Charlie tried to settle her racing thoughts, but the uncertainty of what lay ahead made it impossible. They were heading into the unknown, with no map and no clear destination, just a vague promise from a woman she didn't fully trust.

The tension in the air was thick, the silence oppressive. Charlie was about to speak again when a loud crash from the back of the jeep shattered the uneasy peace. The trunk flew open, and before Charlie could react, Nile's body was thrown from the vehicle, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

"Shit!" Charlie gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.

Andy pulled the jeep to a stop, the sudden calmness of her actions at odds with the chaos unfolding around them. She didn't rush, didn't panic. Instead, she slowly got out of the car, removing her sunglasses and tossing them to Charlie.

"Wait here," Andy said, her voice cool and controlled, her movements deliberate as she walked over to where Nile lay struggling to get up in the sand.

Charlie barely caught the glasses, her mind too focused on Nile's retreating form. But that all went away as the sound of a gunshot pierced the silence. Panic surged through her as she watched Nile collapse to the ground. Before she could stop herself, Charlie was out of the jeep, running towards Nile.

"Nile!" she shouted, her voice cracking with fear.

Andy sighed, the sound barely audible over the wind. "Relax, she's fine."

"Fine?" Charlie repeated, her voice incredulous. "You just shot her in the back of the head. How is that fine?"

"She won't stay dead long," Andy replied, her tone infuriatingly calm as she tucked the gun back into her pants. "Just watch."

Charlie's eyes were glued to Nile's body, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst."Why does it have to be so goddamn slow the first couple of times?" Andy remarked, cracking her neck. Charlie looked back at the calm woman and tried to breath through her panic, taking note of what she just said.

For a moment she feared that she might be losing her grip on reality. That Nile wasn't in fact immortal. But she desperately hoped that she was wrong. That Nile would come back and it wasn't just a fluke last time. But then, something impossible happened.

Nile's wound began to heal, the bullet hole in her skull slowly closing up, the bone knitting back together, skin forming over it as if nothing had happened. Charlie's breath caught in her throat, her hands trembling as she watched the impossible unfold before her eyes. And then, with a sudden gasp, Nile sat up, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. Hand feeling the wet blood on the back of her head.

"You shot me," Nile said, her voice shaking as she turned to face Andy.

"I did," Andy confirmed, her tone matter-of-fact. "Now, get back in the car, please."

But Nile wasn't listening. She was panicking, her breath coming in short, frantic gasps. "This isn't real. No, none of this is real."

"Nile," Charlie tried to soothe her, reaching out to touch her friend's arm, but Nile flinched away, her eyes wild with fear. It was as if she didn't recognize Charlie at all, and the thought made Charlie's heart ache.

"You haven't figured this out yet?" Andy asked, stepping closer. "You can't die."

Nile's eyes darted from Andy to Charlie, her mind struggling to make sense of the impossible situation. Andy reached down and roughly pulled Nile to her feet, but the sudden movement triggered Nile's fight-or-flight response. Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her utility knife, her hand shaking as she held it up defensively.

"Nile, no!" Charlie cried out, but it was too late. Nile lunged at Andy, driving the knife into her shoulder with a strength born of desperation.

"Argh! Fuck!" Andy yelled, the pain in her voice genuine. She staggered back, but instead of retaliating, she remained calm. Charlie rushed forward, grabbing Nile's hand and trying to pull her away from Andy, but Nile shoved her back, sending Charlie stumbling to the ground.

"Can you please not do that again?" Andy asked, her voice strained but controlled. With a wince, she pulled the knife from her shoulder and tossed it aside, the metal clattering to the ground.

Charlie scrambled back up to her feet, her training taking over as she instinctively moved to check on the wound. But what she saw stopped her in her tracks. The wound was healing before her eyes, the torn flesh knitting back together, leaving nothing but smooth, unbroken skin. Charlie stared, her mind struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.

Andy looked down at Charlie, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Not quite used to that yet, huh?"

Charlie blushed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and awe as she met Andy's gaze. She hadn't noticed before, but now that the initial shock was wearing off, she could see just how striking Andy was. Strong, confident, in control—everything Charlie admired in a person. There was something magnetic about her, something that made it hard for Charlie to look away.

A sudden noise behind them drew their attention, and they turned to see Nile, pale and shaking, retching into the sand. Charlie's heart went out to her friend, but she knew there was nothing she could say that would make this any easier. Nile was in shock, her entire world turned upside down in the span of a few hours. Everything she had known, everything she had believed about life and death, had been shattered. Charlie could see the confusion and fear in Nile's eyes, and it broke her heart to know that there was nothing she could do to take that pain away.

Andy, however, was not one for emotional coddling. She approached Nile with a steady, measured pace, her expression one of calm authority. "Who are you?" Nile asked, her voice trembling as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I lead a group of immortals. An army, I guess. Soldiers, fighters—people like you," Andy explained, her tone matter-of-fact, as if she were discussing the weather. She took a step closer to Nile, who instinctively took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. Andy sighed and softened her voice, trying to bridge the gap between them. "Look, you've got questions, kid. I get it. You want answers? Get back in the car."

Andy's voice was firm but not unkind, and it had the effect of breaking through Nile's panic, at least a little. She hesitated, glancing at Charlie, her expression pleading for some kind of explanation, some assurance that this nightmare wasn't real. But Charlie could only nod, her own heart heavy with the weight of what she couldn't say. "Come on, Nile. You've got nothing left to lose," Charlie urged gently, trying to convey the seriousness of their situation without adding to Nile's fear.

Recognition flashed in Nile's eyes as she finally saw Charlie standing there, not just as another soldier, but as her friend—someone she could trust. "Charlie? What...?" Nile's voice cracked, the confusion and exhaustion evident in her tone. She looked around, as if hoping to find some semblance of normalcy in the barren desert, but all she saw was the relentless emptiness stretching out around them.

Charlie moved closer, her expression softening as she reached out to guide Nile back to the jeep. "It's okay, Nile. I'm here. We'll figure this out together." The words were meant to comfort, but Charlie wasn't sure she believed them herself. They were both in uncharted territory, and the path ahead was anything but clear.

With a shaky breath, Nile nodded, her strength returning just enough to allow her to follow Charlie's lead. They both climbed back into the jeep, Charlie settling into the middle seat to give Nile some space, who still seemed on the verge of panic. Andy watched them for a moment before getting back into the driver's seat, her demeanour as calm and collected as ever.

The jeep rumbled to life, and they resumed their journey, the desert landscape slipping by in a blur of gold and brown. The silence in the vehicle was thick with unspoken fears and unanswered questions. Charlie could feel Nile trembling beside her, the reality of what had just happened still too raw, too surreal to fully process.