Strange

Five

"Yes?"

"Y'know that man I was with?" He nodded, "He is two huts down, he has dinner waiting." Andie smiled, "Thank you." Without another word, she slipped out of the tent, heading in the direction that the healer had directed her in. She counted the two huts, coming up upon the third, considering the healer hadn't given any specifications if the hut was on the left or the right, she prayed this was the right tent.

She poked her head in, a smile spreading across her lips at the sight of the man she was looking for. He glanced up, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly, "Hey,"

"Hi." The woman approached the man, noticing Short Round asleep on a mat in the corner of the small tent, "Poor thing's exhausted." She said, taking a seat beside Indiana. "Yeah, kid was tryna stay up until you came back but he didn't make it."

It warmed her heart, to think that the child she had come to care about so quickly cared about her too.

"Well, I'll be here when he wakes up." Andie watched as Indiana reached for a small plate, handing it to her. The woman was practically starving, and despite how mushy it looked, she was grateful for the food nonetheless.

"What exactly is this stuff?" She asked, using her fingers as a makeshift spoon to scoop up the food. Indiana shrugged, "I honestly have no clue. But it's not as bad as it looks. I promise." Andie took his word for it, tasting the food.

And as he said, it was honestly pretty good, or maybe it was just her starving that made everything taste better.

As she began to eat, she glanced up at Indiana, "So, Delhi tomorrow?" The man shifted in his seat, reaching into the pocket of his jacket, "There's been a change of plans." Andie furrowed her brows, "What
do you mean?" He took out a small cloth, setting it in front of the woman.

"We're heading to Pankot."

Indiana was quick to fill her in. This village was in shambles. The Shaman had explained to him about an evil that was spreading from Pankot. Their sacred stone that was said to protect the village had been taken, causing an aftermath of horror to sweep the village. The wells dried up and the river stopped. The crops died and then the animals died too. And then... they took the children. Andie listened to the story with horror. To think that a terrible thing could happen due to the loss of a single stone was insane.

"That's terrible, Indy."

"I know.. and at first I didn't think there was anything we could do...." He paused, glancing at Short Round before his hazel eyes returned to the brunette. "A kid escaped. I found him and he practically passed out in my arms due to exhaustion. And he gave me this," He gestured to the cloth.

"What is it?"

"Sankara."

Andie's dark eyes widened, "Sankara? Like, the Sankara?" "So you know them."

The woman nodded, "I know the basics. Sankara was gifted the stones by the Hindu god Shiva along with the message that he should go out and battle evil with the stones."

"But when he died the stones were lost." Indiana finished, tucking the cloth away into his pocket again, "I have reason to believe that the stone taken from this place was a Sankara stone."

Andie was silent for a moment, processing all she heard. "So.. so this is why we have to go to Pankot."

"This is why I have to go to Pankot." The woman arched her brows, "Am I not allowed to go?" Indiana hesitated, "I didn't say that."

"Well then what did you say?" She pressed. Indiana adjusted the hat atop his head, exhaling deeply, "I'm just saying, you've already been through a shit ton since working with me, I don't wanna force you into anything-"

"Indiana."

He paused, eyes falling on her. "You didn't force me into anything. I got your letter and I agreed to go with you on my own accord."

She knew that in that moment some of Indiana's guilt had disappeared. Andie could tell that he'd felt terrible about the whole situation, her getting shot. He believed it was his fault, which of course it wasn't. Not in her mind at least. It was that damn Lao Che's fault.

Indiana tilted his head slightly, a smile toying on his lips, "So... what are you saying?"

The woman bit back a grin, "I'm saying that you're stuck with me Jones, I'm not going anywhere."