Chapter 3
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Levi followed Jasper deeper into the woods, both arms cradling an ever-growing pile of sticks and branches.
Each piece carried authentic weight, the bark snagging on his hoodie sleeve with perfect resistance.
He tested the sensation by shifting his grip, marveling at how his muscles responded to the actual weight distribution.
“This is extraordinary,” he whispered when Jasper wandered a few yards away. “I can feel everything—the roughness, the weight, even the temperature differences between the pieces.”
He glanced around, half-expecting to see chat messages floating in the air somewhere. Nothing but trees and lengthening shadows greeted him.
“Chat, can you guys see this?” Levi spoke quietly, feeling foolish.
He waited, but no scroll of comments appeared. A flicker of concern crossed his mind—were his viewers staring at a black screen right now? Had the stream crashed when the neural interface activated?
Jasper turned back, eyebrows raised. “You say something, man?”
“Just talking to myself.” Levi forced a laugh, heat rising in his cheeks. “Bad habit. Along with staying up till 3 AM and living on energy drinks.”
“I get it. Sometimes I have my best conversations with me.” Jasper stooped to pick up a gnarled branch. “The trees listen better than people, you know?”
As Jasper moved ahead again, Levi found himself whispering to the air out of pure habit. “I guess the neural interface is so complete it blocks out everything from the real world. Even you guys.”
The thought sent a shiver through him. How isolated was he right now? But then he looked around at the stunning detail of the forest—the way light filtered through leaves, the authentic scatter of debris on the forest floor—and the concern melted into amazement again.
This feels more real than real life.
“That clearing where I started,” Levi called to Jasper. “Have we been there before?”
Jasper looked back, puzzled. “The meadow? Yeah, we passed through when we hiked up yesterday. Why?”
“Just wondering if we should check it out again. It seemed... I don’t know, peaceful.”
“It’s just a clearing, dude.” Jasper laughed. “Unless you dropped something there?”
Levi shook his head, but the question nagged at him. Something about that meadow felt important, though he couldn’t put his finger on why. It reminded him of something Ethan used to say about paying attention to starting areas, but the memory felt hazy.
“What if I missed something important back there?” he murmured to himself, then caught himself talking to his absent chat again.
The thought triggered a clearer memory of Ethan hunched over his keyboard, frantically reloading a save file.
“First few minutes are always crucial,“ he’d explained, gesturing at some horror game Levi had been too scared to watch closely. “Environmental storytelling, item placement, NPC dialogue, if you miss something early, and you’re screwed when the real horror starts.”
Ethan would have known what to do here. He was always so good at mapping the important details.
Levi’s arms tightened around his bundle of firewood. What if he missed something in that meadow? What if that feeling of importance wasn’t just his imagination?
“You look nervous,” Jasper commented as they turned back toward camp. “Getting spooked already? Wait ’til the sun goes down.”
“Just thinking,” Levi replied, forcing his expression to relax. “This place feels familiar somehow.”
They emerged from the tree line to find the others gathered around the fire pit.
Tyler arranged the larger logs in a careful structure while Zoe sorted smaller pieces by size.
Maddie sat cross-legged nearby, scrolling through her phone, and Elliot stood with arms crossed, observing rather than helping.
“The foragers return!” Maddie announced, looking up with a bright smile that seemed genuinely warm.
“About time,” Elliot muttered, taking some branches from Levi’s arms. “I was starting to think you two got lost.”
Levi watched as they assembled the fire, the way they moved around each other, the small jokes and gentle teasing, all felt so natural. Like watching real friends who’d known each other for years.
“Perfect night for ghost stories,” Jasper announced as the first flames caught and began to spread. “I’ve got some new ones that’ll make your skin crawl.”
“Food first, then your questionable entertainment,” Elliot replied, pulling a cooler from beneath a tarp. “I’m not listening to Jasper’s made-up tales on an empty stomach.”
The group dispersed around the growing fire, settling into what seemed like familiar positions. Levi hesitated, unsure where he belonged in this social ecosystem. His streaming experience hadn’t prepared him for navigating group dynamics like this.
Zoe spread a weathered blue blanket a comfortable distance from the fire. She sat cross-legged, coating her exposed skin with bug repellent. Unlike Maddie’s stylish but impractical outfit or Tyler’s varsity jacket, Zoe wore sensible hiking pants and a long-sleeved shirt despite the warm evening.
She’s thinking ahead, Levi realized. Preparing for when it gets cold later.
He approached cautiously. “Mind if I join you?”
Zoe looked up, her expression neutral but not unwelcome. “Sure.” She shifted to make room, then offered him the bug spray. “You’ll want this. The mosquitoes get vicious once the sun sets.”
“Thanks.” Their fingers brushed as he took the bottle, and he was struck again by how real the contact seemed—her hands cooler than his, the texture of her skin utterly authentic.
He sprayed his wrists and neck, watching as the others laughed and argued over food preparation. Zoe remained quiet beside him, glancing upward at the darkening sky.
“So,” Levi ventured, “have you been camping with these guys before?”
“First time with this exact group,” she replied, capping the bug spray. “I know Tyler from college. The others are friends of friends.”
Levi nodded. She wasn’t overly chatty or pushy, just answering his questions honestly. There was something calming about her straightforward nature.
“What made you decide to come out here?” he asked.
Her face softened. “The Perseids. I’ve always wanted to see them away from city lights.”
“Perseids?”
“Meteor shower. It peaks tonight.” She pointed upward where the first stars were beginning to appear. “Should be remarkable out here.”
The idea sent a thrill through Levi. A meteor shower in a place this beautiful, rendered with this level of detail—it would be breathtaking. He found himself eager for it.
I can’t believe I get to experience this. Even if it’s not real, it feels real enough.
As the night deepened around the campfire, flames casting dancing shadows across his companions’ faces, Levi listened to their stories unfold through casual conversation. Each person seemed so distinct, with their own quirks and histories.
Tyler checked his expensive watch, the firelight glinting off its polished surface. “Meteor shower should peak around one AM. We’ve got perfect conditions, clear skies, new moon, no light pollution.”
One AM. I wonder how time works in the simulation. Is it synced to real time, or is this accelerated somehow?
“Astronomy major,” Zoe explained to Levi. “He actually knows what he’s talking about, unlike most of his opinions.”
Jasper rummaged through his backpack, producing a six-pack of beer and a small tin container. “Entertainment has arrived!” He tossed beers around the circle before opening the tin to reveal several neatly rolled joints.
Levi watched as Maddie eagerly accepted both offerings, while Elliot rolled his eyes, but didn’t refuse the beer. Zoe declined with a polite headshake.
“What about you, Levi?” Jasper extended a joint toward him. “Help take the edge off?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Levi waved it away. “I like to keep my head clear.”
Especially when I’m experiencing something this astounding. I don’t want to miss anything.
While the others drank and smoked, Levi found himself studying the campsite. Zoe’s backpack looked organized and practical. A hatchet for splitting wood leaned against a log. Elliot’s flashlight looked expensive and powerful. These details seemed important somehow, though he couldn’t say why.
Ethan always noticed everything in those games he played. He said environmental details mattered, even the ones that seemed random at first.
“Maddie,” Levi asked, curious about the social dynamics, “how do you know everyone?”
She giggled, already a little buzzed. “I dated Tyler sophomore year, then Elliot junior year.” She took another swig of beer. “Now we’re all just friends. Mostly.”
“She’s our social butterfly,” Jasper added, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Works at that fancy art gallery downtown and gets us into all the cool parties.”
“When I’m not babysitting my little sister,” Maddie sighed. “She’s thirteen going on thirty. Parents are always making me watch her while they jet off to wherever.”
Levi nodded, touched by how openly they were sharing personal details with him.
The conversation felt natural, like he’d known these people for years instead of hours.
The neural interface technology was remarkable.
How did it generate such complex, interacting AI personalities that felt this authentic?
As the night progressed and alcohol loosened tongues, more stories emerged. Jasper revealed he’d dropped out of engineering school to pursue music. Elliot complained about his father’s expectations for him to take over the family business.
“Another trust fund kid rebelling against daddy,” Tyler muttered under his breath, and Levi caught the underlying tension between them.
The temperature dropped as full darkness settled around them. Levi noticed Maddie shivering despite sitting close to the fire. She glanced around the circle before fixing her gaze on him, a mischievous smile playing across her lips.
She stood unsteadily, wobbling over to where Levi sat. “Mind if I join you? It’s getting cold.” Without waiting for an answer, she plopped down beside him, pressing her body against his side. “You’re so warm.”
Her hand landed on his knee, fingers tracing small circles through his jeans. The firelight caught the glint in her eyes as she leaned closer, her perfume mixing with the scent of woodsmoke. “We could share body heat.”
And here I thought the scariest part would be the horror elements.
Levi felt his cheeks warm, not from attraction but from the awkward situation. He’d been in similar scenarios before—usually at the few parties Peter dragged him to—and they never ended well.
“You’re very sweet, Maddie,” he said gently but loudly enough for everyone to hear, “but I should probably mention I’m gay.”
The circle went quiet for a beat before Jasper burst out laughing.
Maddie’s eyes widened before she joined in the laughter. “God, of course you are! All the cute ones always are.” She squeezed his arm affectionately before standing. “Elliot, make room. I’m freezing.”
Elliot smirked, lifting his arm to create space beside him. As Maddie nestled against his side, Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, handing it to Elliot.
“Seriously?” Levi asked, watching the exchange with amusement. “I’m flattered I was worth a whole twenty bucks. That’s more than most of my stream donations.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Zoe said quietly. “They bet on everything.”
“Twenty bucks says we see fifty meteors tonight,” Tyler announced, already moving on to the next wager.
Levi leaned back, charmed by how naturally the group had accepted his revelation. No awkwardness, no weird questions, just easy acceptance and friendly teasing. It felt... nice. Comfortable in a way his real life rarely managed.
I could get used to this, he thought, then immediately felt guilty. This isn’t real. These aren’t real people. But it feels so...
As he watched the group laugh and joke through the flames, a movement beyond the circle of light caught his attention. Something tall and still seemed to stand at the forest’s edge, just beyond where the firelight faded into darkness.
Cold spread through his chest, his heartbeat suddenly loud in his ears. The sensation of being watched pressed against him like a physical weight, making it hard to breathe normally.
When he blinked and looked again, nothing was there.
Right on schedule, he thought, forcing himself to stay calm. Nothing says ‘atmospheric horror buildup’ like phantom figures that vanish when you look at them.
But the feeling remained, crawling along his skin like invisible spiders.