Page 53 of Immersed
“I found medical supplies,”Levi interrupted.“Third floor, supply closet. Proper bandages, medical tape—looks like hospital stock.”
“Are you serious?”Maddie asked.“Like, actual medical supplies?”
“They’re old but sealed,”Levi said.“Better than what we have here.”
“I’ll go with you,”Tyler volunteered.
“No,”Levi said quickly.“Stay with Zoe. I know where they are.”He turned to leave, then paused.“Hasanyone seen Elliot recently?”
A moment of silence fell over the group.
“Not since we split up,”Jasper admitted.“Hewassupposedto be checking the east corridor with Zoe.”
“I thought he went to get equipment from the van,”Maddie added.
“I haven’t seen him outside,”Owen said, adjusting his glasses nervously.
Levi felt a chill run down his spine. Elliot’s absencewasn’tcoincidental.Why is the game changing this much?
“I’ll keep an eye out for him,”Levi promised, already moving toward the stairs.
As he climbed back to the third floor, Levi’s mind raced with possibilities. Was Zoe’s injury a distraction? A way to separate the group? Orwasit meant to test his response specifically? The gamewasbecoming more complex with each reset, the scenarios more layered.
This is wrong. Too early. Like the game’s AI changed the script midway through. But it’s still daylight. There has to be a reason.
He reached the third floor and hurried toward the recreation room where he’d lefthis bag. The building felt different now—shadows stretching longer across the walls, sounds carrying with unnatural clarity. Somethinghadshiftedwhile he was downstairs.
As Levi approached the recreation room, he heard a sharp, pained gasp from inside. He froze, hand halfway to the doorknob. Every instinct screamed danger, but Zoe needed those medical supplies.
I could turn around. Find another route. Maybe there’s more supplies elsewhere.
He shook his head. Logical thinking kept him alive this long. The messenger bag with bandageswasright inside where he left it. Going elsewhere would waste precious time Zoe didn’t have.
Quick in, quick out. Grab the bag and leave.
Levi pressed his ear against the door, listening for movement. Another soft sound—fabric rustling against the floor. His heart hammered against his ribs as he crouched down, peering through the keyhole.
The limited view revealed nothing but the far wall and piano. Swallowing hard, he turned the knob with excruciating slowness and pushed the door open just enough to peek inside.
The sight froze him in place.
Elliot lay sprawled face-down on the floor, his expensive jacketwasshredded, revealing a gaping wound that exposed vertebrae and muscle tissue. Dark liquid pooled beneath him, spreading across the warped floorboards in a crimson lake that seemed impossibly large for one human body.
Bile surged up Levi’s throat. He clamped his palm over his mouth, forcing the acid back down. The metallic scent of fresh death filled his nostrils, sickeningly familiar from previous loops.
This is wrong. It’s too early for this…
Levi’s eyes darted to his messenger bag, still sitting on the chair where heleft it. Just fifteen feet away. Between him and the medical supplies that could help Zoe.
Think logically. Elliot’s already dead. Whoever killed him might still be here. But I need those supplies.
He weighed his options. Returning empty-handed meant Zoe’s injury would worsen. Infection would set in. The group would beweakened, vulnerable. But entering a room where a murderhadjust occurredwaspractically suicide.
Unless the killer’s already moved on to the next target.
Levi steeled himself. “Focus,” he whispered. “Analyze the situation.”
He pushed the door wider, taking a few cautious steps inside. The floorboards creaked beneath his weight. His eyes swept the room, searching for movement in the shadows.
