The Price We've Paid

Is this Real?

Andy's POV

You pushed open the door to the humvee, pulling the gun from the small of your back.

Pop!

The gunshot echoed through the sweltering desert air as you watched blood splatter on the sand near where the girl fell.

"Ugh," you groaned, as you approached her, "Why does it have to be so goddamn slow the first couple of times?"

You hated this part.

Eventually, her wound begin to heal and she shakily looked toward you after gasping awake.

"You shot me!" She yelled.

"I did," you said plainly, "I need you to get back in the car please."

The girl was frantic; trying to make sense of something that was believed to be impossible.

"This isn't real," she mumbled to herself. "No, none of this is real."

You grabbed her and pulled her to standing. "You haven't figured this out yet? You can't die...get up!"

As you pulled her up, she quickly grabbed the knife from her belt, plunging it into your right shoulder.

"Ah, fuck!" You yelled, as you yanked the blade from your skin and threw it off to the side. "Can you please not do that again?"

Pulling it out was the worst part. You were used to the initial shock of it all...but the lingering feelings that remained, when a blade scraped along from the inside out...fuck that shit hurt.

The girl suddenly went somewhat pale, backing away as she turned and retched into the sand. After a moment she turned back toward you, anger still burning in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I lead a group of immortals," you answered. "An army, I guess...soldiers...fighters, like you."

She looked at you dumbfounded. It was a familiar look; the same look Booker gave when you and the rest of the team had found him.

"You've got questions kid, I get it," you said, as you started back towards the humvee. "You want answers? Get back in the car."

You didn't have time for this. Being out in the open for too long made you vulnerable; especially now. You knew she would follow you. Newbie's always wanted answers. 

You swung open the door, pushing yourself into your seat and letting out a small sigh as you cranked the ignition. And sure enough, after a moment, you watched as she ran across the hot sand to join you in the car.

...

As the plane took off, you moved toward a box that was strapped down in the cargo hold. You kicked it and heard a bunch of bottles clink together. You carefully opened the corner of the box and pulled a brand new bottle of vodka from inside.

You rolled the bottle in your hand until the label came to face you.

Cheap...but it'll do.

You unscrewed the lid and tipped up the bottle. The liquid was warm as it slid down your throat. It was definitely cheap. It didn't even burn going down. Though perhaps that was more so because you were used to the burn rather than the fact that it wasn't there.

You grabbed the overhead netting as the plane began to shake slightly. By the time you lowered the bottle from your lips and had moved to sit next to the girl, half the vodka was gone.

"So why is this happening to me?" The girl asked, now dressed in fresh clothes, the blood cleaned from her hair.

"I wish I knew," you responded.