Page 15 of Immersed
The campfire blazed, casting recurring shadows across recurring faces. Jasper passed around joints with the same lazy grin. Owen recited the same facts about the Perseids. Tyler told the stupid joke about shooting stars being alien spaceships.
Levi’s skin crawled. They were automatons, flawless simulations repeating their programming with mechanical precision.
“You okay there, Levi?” Zoe’s voice cut through his spiral. “You’ve barely said a word.”
Her face glowed in the firelight—alive, unmarked, unsuspecting. In hours, she would slip away to use the bathroom. In hours, the stranger would rip her apart.
“I’m fine,” he managed, voice thick with alcohol. “Just... enjoying the night.”
The group tilted their heads back as the first meteors streaked overhead. Gasps and exclamations echoed around the campfire. The same wonder, the same timing, the same words of amazement.
“Make a wish,” Maddie said, nudging Levi’s shoulder with the same gentle pressure.
I wish to wake up. I wish this was just a game I could turn off.
The night progressed with excruciating predictability. One by one, they retreated to their tents. Jasper invited Levi with the same, “Don’t wait up too long, dude” before disappearing into their shared tent.
Levi remained by the dying embers, eyes fixed on Zoe’s tent. His mind raced with desperate possibilities.
What if I can change it? What if I can break the pattern?
Movement caught his eye—Zoe’s tent zipper sliding down. She emerged, toilet paper roll in hand.
Panic surged through Levi’s system. He lunged forward, scrambling across the campsite, nearly falling into the fire before grabbing her arm.
“D-don’t go into the woods!” The words burst from him, desperate and raw, stutters fracturing his speech. “You’ll die! He’ll kill you! He’s out there waiting!”
Zoe froze, eyes widening. The toilet paper roll tumbled from her fingers.
“Levi, what the—”
“Please,” he begged, his fingers digging into her forearm. “You can’t go alone. He’ll f-find you. He’ll kill you like before.”
The commotion roused the others. Tent zippers opened. Flashlight beams cut through the darkness.
“What’s going on?” Tyler demanded, emerging shirtless from his tent.
“Levi’s freaking out again,” Elliot muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Maddie and Owen appeared next, followed by Jasper. They formed a semicircle around Levi and Zoe, faces illuminated by flashlights and dying embers.
Levi looked from face to face, seeing only confusion and concern. No recognition. No understanding.
“He’s out there,” Levi whispered, still clutching Zoe’s arm. “W-watching us. Waiting for one of us to be alone.”
Six pairs of eyes stared back at him in stunned silence.
“I’m calling this in,” Elliot announced, jaw tight with irritation. He dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a sleek satellite phone. “Mydad’s helicopter can be here by morning. This camping trip is officially over.”
Levi lurched toward him, desperation clawing at his chest. “No! Don’t! He’ll hear you!
“Hear me?” Elliot shoved him away. “The only one hearing anything is going to be the medical team when I tell them you’ve lost your mind.” He punched numbers into the keypad, turning away from the group.
Levi’s mouth opened to protest when a wet, sickeningthunkcut through the night air.
Maddie, who’d been standing beside Elliot, stumbled forward. Her body jerked, her face twitching. Levi’s eyes fixed on the hunting knife protruding from the back of her skull, its handle catching the firelight.
Time seemed to slow. Maddie took another staggering step, her hands rising to her head as if trying to understand what happened. Her knees buckled. She pitched forward, face-first into the campfire.
