Page 31 of Immersed
Levi froze, listening intently for any sound of approach. The barber shop remained silent except for his own labored breathing. Outside, darkness had fallen entirely, the abandoned town now visible only as deeper shadows against the night sky.
Need more security. Need something else.
The desk. If he could move that as well, position it against the filing cabinet...
Levi rounded the desk, intending to drag it toward his makeshift barricade, when his body froze mid-motion. The blood in his veins turned to ice as his gaze fixed on what lay on the office floor.
The stranger lay on a bedroll, his chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of sleep. His features were relaxed, softened by unconsciousness, making him look almost innocent. He’d removed his shirt, only wearing a too-tight black wifebeater that revealed a torso sculpted with lean muscle. One arm was tucked beneath his head, using a backpack as a makeshift pillow.
But something was wrong with the scene. The stranger’s breathing was too regular, too controlled. His eyelids didn’t flutter with REM sleep, and his body held a tension that contradicted true rest.
He’s faking it. He’s been waiting for me.
Levi’s lungs refused to function. His heart hammered so violently he feared the sound might give him away. The stranger’s chest continued its hypnotic rise and fall, but now Levi could see the subtle signs of deception.
A hunting knife lay within arm’s reach of the “sleeping” figure, its blade gleaming dully in the dim light. Positioned too conveniently, too deliberately for someone who was truly unconscious.
Time stretched and compressed around Levi as he stared down at his tormentor. The stranger looked different in this false repose—still dangerous, but somehow more human. His face lacked the active predatory intensity that haunted Levi across multiple deaths, though the threat remained coiled beneath the surface.
I could end this now.
The thought crystallized with shocking clarity. Levi’s gaze darted to the knife, calculating the distance. Three steps. One quick movement. Drive the blade into the stranger’s heart while he maintained his charade. No more chases. No more deaths. No more loops.
His gaze traced the contours of the stranger’s exposed torso despite himself, following the elegant line of his collarbone, the subtle definitionof his abdomen. The symmetry of his form seemed obscene in its beauty—like a sculpture come to life.
Stop staring and grab the knife. Now.
Shame burned through Levi at his hesitation, at the unwanted appreciation his brain betrayed. He’d seen this man murder his friends. Had felt his hands crushing his throat, drowning him, shooting him. Had tasted his lips in a mockery of intimacy.
He’s a monster. He deserves this.
Levi inched forward, each movement painfully slow, conscious of every creak in the floorboards beneath his feet. His hand extended toward the knife, trembling as his fingers hovered above the handle.
One quick thrust. End it.
The knife felt heavier than expected when he finally grasped it, the leather-wrapped handle warm against his palm—too warm, as if it had been recently held. Levi positioned himself above the “sleeping” figure, raising the blade with both hands. His arms shook with exhaustion and fear, the tip of the knife wavering in the air above the stranger’s chest.
Do it. He won’t show you mercy. Don’t show him any.
Levi’s knuckles whitened around the handle. His muscles tensed, preparing for the resistance of flesh and bone.
The blade plunged downward.
A hand shot up with lightning speed, catching Levi’s wrist mid-strike. The stranger’s fingers wrapped around his forearm with crushing force, stopping the knife inches from its target. The stranger’s breathing remained unchanged, maintaining the illusion even as he defended himself.
“That’s not very sporting of you,” he said, voice thick with mock disappointment and barely concealed amusement.
Terror paralyzed Levi as the stranger’s eyes finally opened and fixed on him with delight rather than anger. The stranger’s grip tightened, bones grinding together in Levi’s wrist until his fingers involuntarily released the knife. It clattered to the floor beside the bedroll.
“I was wondering when you’d find me,” the stranger said, sitting up with fluid grace, still maintaining his grip on Levi’s wrist. “I’ve been waiting. Though I must say, your approach lacks subtlety.”
Levi’s mind fractured with panic. He yanked backward, trying to break free, but the stranger’s hold remained unbreakable. His other hand scrabbled at the fingers crushing his wrist.
“L-let me go!”
“But you just arrived.” His free hand gestured around the small office. “Do you like my accommodations? Not exactly five-star, but it has a certain rustic charm.”
With a sudden twist, the stranger pulled Levi off-balance, using his momentum to roll sideways. The world tilted as Levi found himself pinned beneath the stranger’s weight, those impossible eyes hovering inches from his own.
