Page 55 of Immersed
“I did a good job, right?”Asher’s voice cracked like breaking glass as he traced Levi’s lower lip with a bloody thumb.“Do you like me more now?”
The question hung between them, absurd and horrifying in its sincerity. This wasn’tjust a killer—thiswassomething else entirely, something that craved Levi’s approval with an intensity that defied logic.
Levi stared back, paralyzed by the realization that whatever game he was trapped in, Asherwasn’tsimply its villain.
Hewasplaying by rules Levi didn’t understand.
18
Enemy Engaged
ThemetallictasteofElliot’s blood lingered on Levi’s lip as he tried to process Asher’s impossible question.Do you like me more now?As if murder and manipulationwerejust different strategies in some twisted courtship.
Levi’s mind raced through his options. Scream for help? No one would hear through the locked doors. Attack? The knife lay across the room, and Asher’s physical strengthhadalready proven superior in multiple loops. Play along? The thought made his stomach turn.
He needed time. Space to think.
“I would have p-preferred ifyou’djust talked to me,”Levi said, voice steadier than he felt.“About remembering the loops. About knowing who I am.”He swallowed hard.“Instead of... this.”His eyes flicked toward Elliot’s body.
Something shifted in Asher’s expression—a flicker of disappointment that crossed his features like a shadow. His hand dropped from Levi’s jaw, leaving bloody fingerprints on his skin.
“You wouldn’t have believed me,”Asher said, taking a step back. The sudden space between them felt like the first breath after nearly drowning.“You would have run. Like before.”
He turned away, moving toward the window where afternoon light cast long shadows across the floor. Blood dripped from his fingertips, creating a trail of crimson droplets across the weathered floorboards.
“After Riverbend,”Asher continued, his voice softer now,“when you cut your own throat rather than let me touch you...”He paused, staring at his bloodstained hands.“It hurt my feelings.”
Levi remained pressed against the door, heart hammering in his chest. The offhand way Asher referenced his suicide—as if itwerean inconsiderate act rather than a desperate escape from violation—sent ice through his veins.
“I decided I didn’t want to be the killer anymore,”Asher continued, wiping his hands on his jeans.“I woke up in that van with you sleeping on my shoulder. You looked... peaceful. I thought maybe this time could be different.”
“What are you?”Levi asked, the question escaping before he could stop himself.
Asher turned, heterochromatic eyes reflecting the dying sunlight. He shrugged, an oddly human gesture from something Leviwascertainwasn’thuman at all.
“Does it matter?”Asher asked.“I just want you, Levi. If that means being your colleague instead of your...”He hesitated, searching for the right word.“...adversary, then I’ll do it.”
The raw honesty in his voicewassomehow more terrifying than any threat.
Levi’s mind worked furiously, analyzing this new information. Asher remembered everything—every death, every loop. Hewasn’tjust an NPC in this game; he was something else. A player? The game master? Whatever hewas, hewasthe only other constant across the loops.
The only person who remembers what I remember.
The realization hit with uncomfortable clarity. If Levi wanted to understand the rules of this game—to find a way out—Asher might be his only consistent ally, despite everythinghe’ddone.
This is like forming a party with the final boss because you need his loot to progress.
“If you want me to trust you,”Levi said carefully,“there need to be ground rules.”
Asher’s expression brightened with unexpected eagerness.“Name them.”
“No more random killing.”Levi gestured toward Elliot’s body.
“He went through your things without permission,”Asher said defensively.
“No. More. Killing,”Levi repeated.“And no touching me without permission. No...”He swallowed, memories of Riverbend flashing through his mind.“Not without permission.”
Asher studied him for a long moment, head tilted.“And if I agree to these terms?”
