Page 61 of Immersed
Thetasteofbloodwas still on Levi’s tongue when consciousness slammed back into him.
He jolted upright, expecting the familiar meadow or van interior, but instead found himself crouched beside a pile of electronic equipment in the Drosselmeyer County Sanitarium’s main lobby. The shock of it—waking up already inside the death trap—sent panic racing through his chest.
Different spawn point. The game is evolving, cutting out the setup time. Fucking fantastic.
Around him, the team was setting up their base camp. Owen was adjusting a thermal camera on its tripod, muttering about electromagnetic interference. Zoe checked battery levels on handheld recorders. The familiar routine felt surreal.
“Levi, you okay?”Tyler called from across the lobby.“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Which would be pretty ironic, considering.”
“Just... processing the atmosphere,”Levi managed, forcing his voice to sound normal. The sanitarium’s oppressive weight pressed down on him, every shadow potentially hiding a trap or moving wall.
Asher approached from the left, carrying coils of audio cable. His expression was neutral, the same mild concern he wore in previous loops. But Levi could see the calculation underneath now, the predatory awareness.
“Need help with the recording setup?”Asher asked, his tone collegial. The scripted line, delivered like they were still playing their roles.
“No.”The word came out flat and cold.
Asher’s head tilted, but his neutral mask remained in place. “The audio equipment can be tricky. I’ve got experience with the levels on this particular system.”
“I said no, Asher.”
The sharp dismissal drew glances from across the room. Maddie looked up from organizing EMF detectors, eyebrows raised. “Damn, Levi. What crawled up your ass? He’s just trying to help.”
Levi’s hands stilled on the equipment case latches. How could he explain that every word out of Asher’s mouth was calculated manipulation? That beneath the helpful colleague act was a predator who fingered his mouth while they were dying?
“Just tired,” Levi muttered. “Long night.”
“We all had the same long night,”Elliot pointed out, not looking up from his expensive camera equipment.“Some of us aren’t being dicks about it.”
If only you knew.Levi forced himself to breathe evenly, to maintain the facade. These NPCs, with their programmed personalities and false memories, had no idea what they were really dealing with.
“Maybe he’s picking up residual energy,”Jasper suggested, waving a sage bundle in Levi’s direction.“This place has some seriously dark vibes, man.”
You have no idea.
Asher moved closer, ostensibly to organize cables, but positioned himself within arm’s reach.“You seem tense. More than usual for these investigations.”
The observation, delivered in that same neutral tone, made Levi’s skin crawl. Asher was enjoying this—the shared knowledge, the fact that only they knew what was really happening.
“I’m fine,”Levi said through gritted teeth.
“Are you sure? Because you’re being kind of hostile for no reason.”Asher’s voice held just the right note of confused concern, perfectly calibrated for their audience.
Owen glanced up from his thermal readings.“Statistically speaking, pre-investigation anxiety affects 73% of paranormal researchers. Entirely normal to feel on edge.”
“I’m not on edge,”Levi snapped.
The lobby fell into uncomfortable silence. Everyone was staring now, their confusion and concern palpable. In their programmed reality, this behavior made no sense.
Zoe stepped forward, her expression gentle but worried.“Levi, maybe we should take a break. Get some air before we start the actual investigation.”
“I don’t need air. I need everyone to stop treating me like I’m having a breakdown.”
“Well,”Tyler said,“you kind of are having a breakdown. Or at least acting like it.”
Asher seized the opening, moving closer with that deceptive concern.“Why don’t we step out for a minute? Talk through whatever’s bothering you.”
Like hell.But before Levi could protest, Asher was already moving. Strong hands grabbed his arm, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough that trying to fight felt futile.
