Mexico

4,543 years since initial death
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Their marriage was on the brink of a permanent collapse yet again.

Mark became a historian years ago, often appearing in presentations before teaching his own class. Valerie began story writing, yearning to become an author and a poet. They had the money to afford a fairly nice apartment near the city.

Over the years, they were relatively close. Valerie always put the most amount of effort into keeping the relationship strong. But Mark just felt differently. His love for her had died out several times. He couldn't look at her the same way as he once did hundreds of years ago. 

To him, Violet was dead and buried in Madrid. Valerie was just a shadow that was testing him. She doesn't even seem the same anymore. While she still doesn't share much about her personal past, she felt more comfortable with her immortality than he did.

Ever since she mentioned her sin that caused her curse was lust, he had expectations in mind. Sure, she's acted overly sexual sometimes in private, and she's revealed some kinks that surely surprised him. But he never enjoyed any of it. She embraced her sin with him, but he wanted no part of it.

She ran local businesses in the late 90s that he just never supported. She was simply out of his league. He figured it'd be easy finding somebody else, but with Valerie around; that was next to impossible. She loved him a bit too much, and he hates it.

Now that he's going on a trip with her, he's trying to find any opportunity to potentially leave her. 

Instead of taking a commercial plane, Mark wanted this trip to be special. He didn't care about Valerie's origins and how nostalgic it would be for her. He only cared about the perfect chance to view a new side of the world from a high perspective, granting him knowledge and further increasing his interest in history.

Their journey would begin in Florida, where Mark had been able to secure a private jet. They would not only land close enough to explore her home, but they would also be able to fly above and around it.

How Mark had the money for it was a topic no one brought up. While Valerie was independently rich from her questionable businesses and gigs, Mark had other ideas. Sometimes boredom and excitement got the better of him. He's not particularly proud of his actions today, but he made a fortune during the past century; fortunes he will never share nor reveal.

Meanwhile, the trip was emotional for Valerie, and she was ready to face it all. With their essentials packed, they reached the nearest airport and found a flight to Florida. Excitement had overwhelmed them for opposite reasons. 

Once they finally arrived, their private jet was ready in a secluded airstrip. A taxi delivered them to the site and they met their pilot there. By the name of Laura, she was well accustomed to the ancient Mayan sites in Mexico and Guatemala specifically. It was perfect for them, as that was exactly where Valerie originated from.

Onboard the jet, they took off into the sky. There was enough fuel to not only reach her home, but to even fly above most of the regions she had visited during her time. She doesn't have to wait any longer, it would be her's today. Above the Gulf of Mexico, they were already halfway there.

"So this one lady came over to ask me a question." Mark was passing the time inside the jet, hoping to keep Valerie distracted for the time being. "She was being a dick earlier, there's a bit more to it. But she came back and asked what my name was."

Taking a sip of champagne, he continued. "I told her, 'First name Mike, last name Literus'."

"Oh my God Mark, you can't be serious." She rolled an eye before placing a hand over her face.

Meanwhile Mark just started to snicker. "So she read my name back out loud as Mike Literus, and I just walked away before she could even realize it."

Valerie leaned forward and stared back at him. "You know that's sexual harassment, right?"

"No, no it isn't. Besides, she started it. She has the audacity to call herself a historian and claim that the magical wizard Merlin from Arthurian legends is just a myth. That he was 'probably' based off a real person from the 5th century mind you! Not even the 6th. As if King Arthur doesn't exist, yes he does. I've met him, I've seen Camelot. It wasn't an ordinary castle, rather it was a hillfort. You probably don't know what I mean, at that time you were climbing trees or drinking human blood in little stone houses."

"Excuse me?" His wife got slightly offended by his last statement. There was so much about her history that she's never told him.

Rather than answering her, Mark ignored her. He continued to speak while she sat by in silence with an eyebrow raised. "So I told her I know because I was there. That I'm immortal. She threatened to call the police just because I was making a scene and supposedly acting 'immature'! No, you're the one getting the cops involved in a pointless argument you were wrong about. Least I could do was just troll her and leave."

"Mark..." She was at a loss of words. "What the hell?"

He smirked back at her before taking another sip of champagne. That certainly was one way of keeping their flight entertaining.

It took a few hours before they began flying directly over land. They were closely approaching Tabasco, Valerie's birthplace. It was where her story began. Rather than landing at the local airstrip, the plane continued its steady pace. Taking a look outside the window, she was immediately filled with a sense of homesickness.

The forests still looked nearly identical, covering the majority of the Earth below. The city of Villahermosa was situated near her ancient home. She could still remember how it all looked, the dirt paths to the closest river, markets in the open courtyards, temples on opposite sides and dozens of cobble houses.

But that wasn't all she would see. The plane continued heading south, even taking a slight turn east. There wasn't much for Mark to see or really describe, but looking into his wife's eyes, it was clear this had meant everything to her. Eventually, they reached Guatemala. This was where her life had taken a turn, for better or for worse.

Oddly enough, it began to rain. The weather was expected to remain clear and sunny throughout the day. It didn't deter them from moving forward. They would reach the first major Mayan city within an hour. Along the way, the usual scenes of greenery and forests continued to spread.

With only a slight drizzle outside, they could still make out their surroundings from above. "Approaching El Mirador in twenty minutes, the largest ancient city belonging to the great Mayan Empire." The pilot spoke through the intercom. Mark was excited, but Valerie was feeling really nervous.

The rain was beginning to intensify slightly. Their trip may have to be cut short right after El Mirador. Fuel was of no essence, there was more than enough to take them back to Tabasco. But something still felt off. It shouldn't be raining, the forecast clearly stated it.

That was when they heard it. Thunder. It seemed the weather had been rapidly worsening.

"Mark, we need to turn back." Valerie was extremely anxious. A headache was beginning to form as she grasped her own hands tightly. Her hands felt like they were burning. She was in pain.

Mark agreed. They were planning on staying in the country for a week. Turning back now was disappointing, but they would make sure to return the next day. He stood up from his seat, making his way to the cockpit. Knocking on the door, there was a long pause.

Just when he finally heard the pilot respond, the entire plane rattled violently. Additionally, their ears were ringing. Something struck the plane, or was incredibly close. The pilot immediately tried to turn the plane around. But it was far too late.

What happened next nearly gave Mark a concussion. His body was sent flying directly up to the ceiling of the plane before plummeting back down hard against the floor. Valerie screamed as their glasses of champagne were launched off their table to shatter on the floor below. They had no time to even realize what had happened.

To make matters worse, it seemed the air inside the plane was being sucked out from the back. Travel cards and other light objects were violently dragged behind towards the rear. Valerie looked behind her, only to find the back of the plane was now on fire. She finally understood the situation.

Lightning had struck.

But this shouldn't be happening. Lightning striking a plane is bad enough, but an effect of this scale is next to impossible.

No response was ever heard from the cockpit. Not even the co-pilot stepped out to mention the situation. Mark struggled to stand back up as Valerie rushed to his side. He was still conscious, but his vision became blurry. It's clear he needed help.

She ran to the cockpit door and attempted to pull it open. It was unlocked, allowing her to open it as she looked inside. The pilots were unresponsive, seated motionless. Upon closer inspection, they were dead.

It seemed impossible, but somehow they were electrocuted. A third body was found to the side that belonged to the flight attendant. There were no survivors. Only Mark and Valerie were spared from death; for now.

Looking at the panels ahead, she paused for a moment. She doesn't know how to fly a plane. Rather all she knew was how to access the radio and call air traffic control for assistance. That was useless however, as no buttons on the panel were working. The plane had lost all control.

Mark had found the strength to stand back up as he slowly stumbled into the cockpit. Once he realized the situation, his mind immediately went blank. He stood beside Valerie, staring out the window ahead as they were slowly losing altitude.

Suddenly, there was a loud creak. It was the sound of metal and steel bending, practically being ripped off by hand. Just as they heard it, everything escalated for the worst.

Without warning, the entire rear portion of the plane's fuselage was torn off. The moment it happened, both Mark and Valerie hugged the cockpit's interior, keeping themselves from falling out. There were no parachutes for them to grab. They were trapped inside the plane. Either they jump or stay, it didn't matter. Death was inevitable.

"We'll have to jump!" Valerie spoke loudly, watching the window closely. "At this altitude, we'll never make it. Wait until we're lower, then pray for a miracle!"

Mark looked back towards the rear. The fire had already spread as the storm outside continued to rage. "Why can't we just end it now? We can live through this."

Just as he said it, Valerie struggled to walk towards the window as she stared outside. Up ahead was the peak of a hill. Something was there, and she knew what to expect. "Do you trust me?"

"Fuck no!" His answer hasn't changed since Madrid, especially not now.

Valerie sighed, she knew her plans were risky. But whether he trusted her or not, there was no other choice. "It'd be a lot more convenient if we survive rather than dying here. On my count, we run out there and jump. You remember what to do?"

"Spread my arms and legs, point my chest towards the ground and arch my back upward. Land with my feet, cover my head, brace for impact." Mark knew all the precautions needed to slow his descent. This wouldn't guarantee survival, but it was better than nothing. "This isn't my first time falling out of a plane, you know?"

Valerie focused on the hill, quietly counting to herself. This was it, it's the final countdown.

Before she finished, Mark spoke again. "You know, a bucket of water would be pretty useful right about now."

"What?" She was left confused, trying her best to concentrate on the hill.

Finally, Mark let out a chuckle. "It's an inside joke. Anything to calm us down before our demise."

Outside, the plane had already plummeted from thirty thousand feet to fifteen thousand feet. As they steadily continued their decline, the hill quickly approached them as their time ran out.

With one final order, Valerie gave him the signal to move. If they weren't immortal, they would have surely hesitated. Fear and pain weren't issues anymore. Whether they live or die, none of it would matter. It's a reality they have come to accept. It's what their lives have come to.

Stepping from behind the sides of the cockpit, they allowed themselves to get dragged towards the back of the plane. It was a sensation unlike anything they've felt before. For a moment, they felt stationary in the air. The world froze in time, keeping them suspended.

The deafening roar of the plane falling out of the sky only added to the rumbling chaos of the storm. Both Mark and Valerie were spiraling out of control in the air as the world boggled around in their eyes. When they stabilized themselves, their surroundings became clear.

Below them, Valerie could immediately spot the hill from before. There it was, in the distance beneath them. La Danta pyramid of El Mirador, or at least what remained of it. Only a small portion could be visible, as the rest of it was swallowed by the planet, concealing the majority of the ancient temple underground.

Their velocity was far larger than they had anticipated as their speed only increased. They had both started to separate from each other during the fall. Valerie kept her arms to her side and tilted herself towards Mark. Right before impact, she extended her arms out to catch him.

Holding hands in the air, they stared at one another as she smiled at him. Their backs were arched with their limbs spread outwards. Slowly but steady, their speed was decreasing. All they could do was keep this position until they were close to impact.

But it was never that simple. Not when Mother Nature had a hand in the matter.

All it took was one rumble in the clouds above. Just as it seemed that the storm was clearing, it released one final uproar in the shape of a bolt of lightning. Its target was Valerie, wasting no time in striking her instantly without warning.

The strike was powerful enough to break her apart from Mark. Their hands let go as they both spiraled right back into chaos. Only this time, they had no hope of reuniting in the air. Valerie was left paralyzed and immobile as she plummeted below. Mark on the other hand quickly got back into position as his ears continued to ring.

He had no time to comprehend the situation as he neared the ground below. Keeping his arms and legs spread out, he focused on the closest obstacle beneath him. He was now around a thousand feet above the ground, but it didn't seem to matter. The forests here were so vast that he would strike the trees long before he'd meet the hard solid earth.

Shortly before impact, he could see the stone remains of a temple atop a hill. For a split moment in his mind, he knew he had to go there. It was only a matter of reaching it one piece. Fortunately, he seemed to be right beside it.

Immediately, he placed his hands around his head as he straightened his legs. It was better to land on his legs rather than anywhere else on his body.

Finally, it happened.

Collision.

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