Maxx's entire spine turned into ice water.
The Alpha leaned through the shredded metal doorway, golden eye burning like a furnace, and repeated—calmly, disturbingly—
"Your viewers… smell delicious."
Maxx slapped his hand over the hologram lens.
"NO. NOPE. WE DO NOT EAT THE AUDIENCE. THEY ARE NOT SNACKS. THEY ARE POOR, OVERWORKED STUDENTS WHO DONATE FIVE CREDITS AT A TIME!"
Chat instantly ignored every word and collectively lost its mind:
WHAT DID HE JUST SAY LMFAO
alpha predator gonna eat the chat 😭😭😭
bro drop the lore update rn
we not even edible 💀
4531's whisper was a razor-thin line of fear.
"Maxx… it's analyzing us."
"No kidding! It just threatened to devour my SUBSCRIBERS—THAT'S BASICALLY A WAR CRIME."
The Alpha sniffed the air again, long and deliberate.
Its pupils narrowed.
"You carry two scents. One of prey… one of anomaly."
Maxx blinked.
"Anomaly?? I am NOT an anomaly! I am a normal, exhausted college student who has not slept in—"
His wristband chimed:
📉 "Sleep debt: 68 hours accumulated. Performance penalty active."
"…okay maybe I'm a LITTLE anomalous."
4531 grabbed his wrist.
"Maxx. It's locking onto your energy signature. Your emotional output is feeding the tracking system."
Maxx's jaw dropped.
"My WHAT is doing WHAT now—?!"
"The stream. Your broadcast waves aren't just visual—they affect system sensors. You're… broadcasting your fear."
"SO MY STREAM IS BASICALLY A BEACON OF 'FREE MEAL HERE'?!"
4531 nodded grimly.
The Alpha pressed a claw against the door, testing the weakened hinge.
Chat spammed:
maxx stop shaking the camera bro im getting motion sick
DUDE TURN THE MONSTER AROUND SO WE CAN SCREENSHOT
WHY R U HIDING?? SHOW ITS FACE
fight it bro
Maxx snapped at his viewers like an unhinged kindergarten teacher:
"FIGHT IT?? WITH WHAT?? MY GPA??"
Then—
A donation dinged.
💸 User "Sl33pyGoblin" tipped 15 credits: "fight it bro u got this"
Maxx stared at the notification like it was a betrayal of the highest magnitude.
He hissed through gritted teeth, "Stop encouraging violence I am NOT a combat streamer—"
4531 tugged his hoodie.
"Maxx. Backup plan. NOW."
"Do I LOOK like someone who has a backup plan?!"
The Alpha finally forced half its massive frame through the torn doorway. Its long, powerful arm dragged across the ground as it crouched low, like a lion ready to pounce.
Up close, Maxx finally saw its face:
Was Not fully human and not fully beast.
But it looked intelligent.Curious and hungry.
"Hello, Streamer," it rumbled.
The chat screamed collectively:
HOLY HE'S HOT??
why the monster kinda fine tho
alpha daddy confirmed
PLZ MAXX GIVE HIM My IG HANDLE
Maxx almost swallowed his tongue.
"CHAT—THIS IS NOT THIRST TIME—WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU—"
The Alpha leaned close enough that Maxx could see its fangs.
"Streamer," it purred.
"What world do you come from?"
Maxx froze.
4531 froze.
The chat suddenly got very confused:
Info drop???
is this the new storyline event??
scripted af bro
world?? like alt server??
The Alpha's voice dropped lower, deeper.
"You are not from here. Your scent does not belong to this world."
Maxx's heartbeat became Morse code for "help."
He whispered, "You can… smell that??"
The Alpha nodded slowly.
"You reek of another universe."
Chat went nuclear.
OKAY THIS STREAM IS INSANE
interdimensional streamer confirmed
no way this is real, this update is wild
CLIP IT CLIP IT CLIP IT
Maxx's hands shook violently as he held the hologram.
4531 touched his shoulder. "Maxx. It's reading your origin. If it fully identifies you—"
The Alpha finished her sentence:
"—the facility will move you to containment."
Maxx squeaked.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE CONTAINED! I ALREADY LIVE IN A DORM ROOM THE SIZE OF A SHOEBOX!"
The Alpha tilted its head.
"Then run."
Maxx stared.
"…What?"
"Run," the Alpha growled softly. "Before I change my mind."
4531 grabbed Maxx's hand.
The Alpha's eye glowed like molten gold.
"If I catch you… I keep you."
Maxx screamed, "WHY DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A THREAT AND A PICKUP LINE?!"
Chat:
BRO YOU GOT BAGGED BY A MONSTER
RUN MAXX RUN
W RIZZ?
OMG THIS IS SO SCRIPTED I LOVE IT
Maxx didn't wait for a second invitation.
4531 yanked him by the arm as they sprinted deeper into the maintenance tunnels.
His stream was still active while the LED still glowing.
The chat still spamming emojis and unhelpful advice.
And behind them—
The Alpha laughed.
A low, and hungry, delighted laugh.
That followed them ,as it was echoing.
and getting closer.
Maxx and 4531 aka Lyra tore down the narrow maintenance hall, shoes slapping metal, alarms shrieking above them. Pipes hissed steam in their faces as they sprinted past flickering lights.
Behind them, echoing like a stalking thunderstorm:
Thoom.
Thoom.
Thoom.
The Alpha wasn't even running.
It was walking.
And still gaining.
Maxx yelled over his shoulder, "WHY IS IT WALKING?? WHO WALKS MENACINGLY DURING A CHASE?! JUST RUN LIKE A NORMAL NIGHTMARE!"
Chat spammed unhelpfully:
bro he's toying with u 😭
this is anime villain behavior
maxx u got 7 seconds at BEST
are we sure this is a game??
Maxx shrieked, "IT'S NOT A GAME—STOP CALLING IT A GAME—THIS IS REAL, I CAN SMELL MY OWN FEAR—"
Lyra yanked him into a sharp turn.
The hallway opened into a massive circular chamber with broken rail systems and suspended catwalks.
Maxx stumbled to a stop. "Great. Perfect. A boss arena. WHY DOES EVERY ROOM LOOK LIKE A BOSS ARENA?!"
4531 scanned rapidly. "There—elevator shaft!"
Maxx followed her gaze.
A maintenance lift hung half-broken over a deep vertical pit.
He didn't like pits.
Options in pits were always:
Fall to your death
Almost fall to your death
Fight something that climbs out of the pit and it seems it was all of the above
Maxx chose denial. "Nope. No. Absolutely not. I don't do pits. I've been traumatized by too many platformers—"
Then the Alpha stepped into the room.
It was quiet and roaming like a predator giving its prey one final chance to run.
Lyra shoved Maxx hard.
"GO!"
He didn't argue this time.
They sprinted across the metal walkway.
Maxx punched the lift button like it owed him money. "COME ON COME ON—WHY DOES EVERY LIFT IN THIS WORLD SEEM TO LIKE RUN ON WINDOWS 98?!"
The lift buzzed, flickered—
And the worst sound in existence beeped:
ERROR: POWER UNAVAILABLE
Maxx looked at Lyra and Lyra stared at Maxx at this moment.
The Alpha looked delighted at this.
Chat exploded:
LMAOOOO RIP
ggs bro
maxx is about to become a collectible
run faster omg
Maxx jabbed the dead button repeatedly.
"SORRY, DID YOU NOT HEAR THE PART WHERE MY SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON WEEKLY STREAMS?! I CAN'T DIE IN THE AFTERLIFE—MY TUITION IS DUE!"
Lyra grabbed the side panel and tore it open with her bare hands.
"What are you doing?!" Maxx squeaked.
"Manual override. Hold them off!"
"HOLD THEM OFF WITH WHAT—MY ANXIETY?!"
But he turned anyway—
Just as the Alpha stepped fully onto the walkway.
Up close, under the cold white lights, its body was clearer:
It was actually humanoid,muscular but stitched with metallic seams.
Organic and engineered at once and a living breathing weapon.
Its golden eye swirled like a storm.
"Little Streamer," it said, voice a low purr.
"Stop running."
Maxx raised his hands, palms sweating through his gloves.
"I WOULD LOVE TO STOP RUNNING BUT YOU KEEP SAYING TERRIFYING SENTENCES."
The Alpha tilted its head closer.
It sniffed the air near Maxx's face.
"You smell like a doorway."
Maxx blinked.
"…A doorway to WHAT?"
The Alpha's smile widened.
"Another reality."
Maxx's soul left his body.
Chat collectively lost their minds:
PLOT TWIST LET'S GOOOO
maxx is literally a portal 💀
bro is a walking Isekai gate
this story is CRAZY
Maxx whimpered, "I'm a WHAT?! A DOORWAY?! I don't even know where my dorm keys are half the time—"
The Alpha reached toward him.
Lyra shouted, "MAXX! JUMP!"
She slammed a lever inside the lift panel.
The floor under them bucked—
Then the lift DROPPED.
Maxx screamed as gravity betrayed him again.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS FALLING—WHY DOES EVERYTHING INVOLVE FALLING—"
The lift slid downward in a controlled-freefall, sparks shooting up the shaft.
Lyra clung to the railing.
Maxx clung to her like she was the only stable molecule in the universe.
Above them—
The Alpha peered down the shaft.
And smiled.
"Run, little Streamer. I'll follow."
Maxx screeched, "WHY DOES HE SOUND HAPPY—STOP SOUNDING HAPPY—"
The lift plunged deeper into darkness.
And the very last thing they saw before the doors slammed shut—
Was the Alpha stepping into the shaft.
and jumping straight after them.