Page 100 of Immersed
“That’s not—”
“You didn’t push me away, Levi. You pulled me closer.”Asher’s grip tightened fractionally.“You threaded your hands through my hair and guided me where you wanted me.”
“We have work to do,”Levi repeated, pulling his arm free.“If you want to survive another loop, you’ll focus on that instead of—this.”
Something dangerous flickered in Asher’s eyes, but he inclined his head in a gesture of temporary surrender.“I’m keeping track of those three minutes,”he said.“With interest.”
Levi retrieved Dr. Faine’s journal from his pocket, his hands shaking as he flipped through the pages.“There are areas mentioned in here that we haven’t explored yet, and I think—”
“You’re beautiful when you’re strategizing,”Asher interrupted, leaning against the wall.“I like watching your mind work.”
Levi ignored the compliment, focusing on the journal.“We need to find a way to the basement. I think that’s our objective. If we can get there—”
“We will,”Asher said with quiet certainty.“Together.”
The word hung between them, loaded with implications Leviwasn’tready to examine. He pushed past Asher and opened the door, determined to use every moment of daylight theyhadleft.
Behind him, Asher followed with the patient certainty of a predator who knows exactly where his prey is going.
And how much time hehasto catch it.
36
Full Party Dynamics
Nightfell.
The sanitarium’s windows darkened one by one, as though some invisible hand extinguished each light. Shadows lengthened across the polished floors, stretching into grotesque parodies of human forms. The temperature dropped several degrees—not the natural cooling of evening, but something deliberate. Calculated. Designed.
Levi felt the change like a physical presence against his skin. Theyhadhours before the building fully activated, but he could already sense the subtle shift in air pressure as hidden mechanisms stirred to life behind the walls.
“This place feels different at night,”Maddie whispered, shivering despite her heavy sweatshirt.“Like it’s... watching us.”
“All old buildings settle after dark,”Owen replied, adjusting his glasses with nervous fingers.“Temperature variations cause the materials to contract, creating auditory phenomena that the human brain interprets as—”
“It’s watching us,”Jasper confirmed, nodding seriously. His pupilsweredilated, either from the dim lighting or whatever hesmoked during their equipment setup break.“You can feel it, right? The way it’s... hungry.”
Levi exchanged a glance with Asher, who leaned against the wall with practiced nonchalance. The others couldn’t see what they saw—a building designed as a trap, its guts already beginning their nightly reconfiguration.
“Where should we start?”Elliot asked, fiddling with an expensive EMF detector. “The third floorhasthe most reported apparitions.”
“No,”Levi said quickly. Too quickly. He cleared his throat and tried again.“I mean, the most interesting energy readings are likely on the second floor. There’s a section called the Research Wing that looks promising.”
He’dspent the daylight hours studying Dr. Faine’s journal, piecing together fragments from its cramped handwriting and medical diagrams, comparing them with his notes and trying to figure out what they were missing.
“How do you know that?”Tyler asked, brow furrowed in suspicion.
“Research,”Levi improvised.“I did some digging on this place before we came. Standard preparation.”
Asher’s mouth curved into a slight smile at the lie.
“Well, look at you, being all professional,”Maddie teased, bumping his shoulder with hers.“No wonder Asher couldn’t keep his hands off you earlier.”
Heat rushed to Levi’s face. The storage room incident had spread through the team like wildfire, transforming into jokes and knowing glances that made him want to die. Worse, Asher seemed to bask in the attention, standing closer to Levi than necessary, letting his fingers brush against Levi’s when passing equipment.
“Speaking of hands,”Jasper chimed in,“let’s pair up. Buddy system, right? Safety first.”He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Levi and Asher.
“Yes,”Levi agreed, seizing the practical suggestion.“We should split into teams. Cover more ground efficiently.”
