Page 18 of Immersed
“Please,” Levi whispered, tears streaming down his face.
The stranger reached out, long fingers brushing Levi’s cheek. He caught a tear on his fingertip, examining the droplet with unsettling fascination. He rubbed the moisture between thumb and forefinger. “Interesting,”
Levi shook, each breath sending fresh waves of agony through his dislocated shoulder. The stranger’s hand moved from his face, hovering over Levi’s chest before pressing down gently against his sweatshirt.
“I can feel your heart beating so fast.” The stranger’s expression softened, almost reverential. His palm flattened against Levi’s sternum, fingers splaying wide as if to capture every frantic thud. “Like a frightened rabbit.”
Levi’s gaze darted past his own feet to where Jasper’s body lay crumpled among the leaves. The gun—Jasper’s gun—rested just beyond his friend’s outstretched hand. Moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting silver highlights on the weapon’s metal surface.
It gleamed like salvation. Like hope.
If I could just reach it...
The stranger’s weight shifted, knees pressing into the forest floor as he leaned closer, still mesmerized by the rhythm beneath his palm. His other hand remained hidden, tucked behind his back.
Levi tensed his good arm, preparing to push himself toward the weapon. One desperate lunge. That’s all he needed.
Sharp, sudden pain exploded in his neck. Levi’s body jerked, his good hand flying to the source. His fingers brushed against a knife handle, the blade buried deep in his throat.
Warm wetness gushed between his fingers. He tried to inhale but drew in only blood. It filled his mouth, metallic and thick, spilling over his lips. Every nerve in his throat screamed as blood poured from the wound. He could feel his life flowing out with each panicked heartbeat, could taste his own death on his tongue.
Levi’s eyes found the stranger’s face. His features had twisted into disappointment, evident in the slight downturn of his mouth. Thehand on Levi’s chest pressed harder, feeling the rapid, stuttering beats as Levi’s heart fought to compensate for the catastrophic blood loss.
“You were going to try something,” the stranger said, voice tinged with genuine hurt. “I saw you looking at the gun.”
Levi couldn’t respond. His lungs burned, desperate for oxygen they couldn’t receive. Blood bubbled from the wound with each failed attempt to breathe. His vision darkened at the edges, the stranger’s face becoming the only clear point in a rapidly shrinking world.
The stranger’s frown deepened as Levi’s heartbeat slowed beneath his palm. “Already? But we just started.”
Levi’s hand fell away from his neck, strength abandoning him. The agony was absolute, consuming every thought except one desperate hope.
Please let this just be a game. Please let me wake up.
The last thing he saw was the stranger’s face and those unnatural eyes staring into his with childlike disappointment.
7
Rogue-like
Leviboltedupright,adesperate gasp tearing from his lungs. Sunlight filtered through the meadow grass, momentarily blinding him. He blinked, disoriented as the crushing weight of recognition settled in his chest. His stomach lurched.
Again. I’m back again.
His fingers flew to his throat, desperately searching for the wound that killed him, fumbling and scratching at his skin. Nothing but smooth, unmarked flesh greeted his touch, but the phantom sensation of steel piercing tissue lingered. His hand shook so badly he had to press it flat against the ground to steady it.
It felt so real. It WAS real.
His breathing accelerated, shallow and rapid. Levi’s chest constricted as panic clawed its way through his body. The edges of his vision darkened. His fingers curled into the dirt beneath him. The air felt too thin.
I can’t—I can’t breathe—
Levi forced himself to close his eyes, focusing on the sensation of the ground beneath him. The dirt under his fingernails. Wind against his cheek. Anything to anchorhimself.
Inhale. Four seconds. Hold. Four seconds. Exhale. Four seconds.
The breathing exercise his therapist taught him after Ethan’s death. He repeated it until the crushing pressure in his chest eased.
This is a game. Games have rules. Rules can be exploited.
