Vexxie stood frozen outside the door where Luna had just died. Her hand was still gripping the cold metal handle, her knuckles white, her mind racing. The soft hum of the facility and distant echoes of machinery were the only sounds now.
Brogan's voice was barely a whisper in her earpiece. "Vexxie... are you okay?"
She didn't respond. She just stared through the reinforced glass at Luna's motionless body.
Finally, with a deep, shaky breath, she pushed herself to her feet. Her voice was small but firm. "I'm going to finish the quota…"
Brogan didn't try to stop her. He couldn't.
With trembling steps, Vexxie turned and walked away from the glass, away from Luna, and through another hallway she hadn't explored before. She passed broken piping, flickering ceiling lights, and rooms half-eaten by decay.
Every corner felt like it held a new threat.
Then — a small room tucked between two long corridors. Her flashlight caught the glint of something metal. She stepped in slowly.
Scarp.
There were three pieces lying near a crumbled workstation — old processors, a mangled control unit, and a worn-out power coil.
[Game HUD: Scarp value - 51 Credits]
Her breath caught. "That's it... that's enough," she whispered. "I just need to get back."
[Twitch Chat]"SHE CAN DO THIS."
"FINISH THE QUOTA FOR THEM 😭"
"DON'T DIE PLEASEEEE"
With the scarp secured, Vexxie turned and began retracing her steps.
Her pulse pounded with each footfall. Every vent seemed like it might burst open. Every shadow felt alive.
But she kept going.
Then, she took a turn too quickly — a sharp right down a corridor she hadn't entered before — and her boot landed with a distinct click.
She stopped cold.
Beneath her foot, she felt a small raised plate.
Beep.
Her eyes widened in horror.
A red light blinked on the floor below her.
"…a mine," she whispered, her voice trembling.
She didn't move. She didn't breathe. Her eyes started to water.
"No. No, no, no—" her voice cracked as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out but a sob.
[Twitch Chat]"NOOOOOOOOOO 😭"
"DON'T MOVE."
"IS THAT A MINE?!?!"
"THIS GAME IS UNREAL WTF"
"PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S A WAY TO DEFUSE IT"
"Brogan…" she whispered over the mic.
"…I stepped on a mine."
Brogan's voice was thin. "W-what…?"
"I'm sorry," she said. "I was right there. I could've made it back…"
Brogan's voice shook. "No, no, just wait—maybe there's a way—maybe if you stand still someone will come—"
"No one's left, Brogan."
She looked down. The red light was still blinking.
"I'm not gonna let the game choose how I die," she whispered.
And with that, she closed her eyes.
Stepped forward.
A single click.
Then — the world exploded in a flash of red and orange.
[Game Notification: Vexxie has died.]
[Twitch Chat]"SHE WENT OUT BRAVE 😭""I can't believe how brutal this game is.""SALUTE TO VEXXIE 🙌""I'M DOWNLOADING THIS RIGHT NOW OMG"
In the quiet aftermath, the facility was still again.
Back in the center hallway, Brogan stood motionless.
Coil Head still loomed behind him. Its heavy, spring-loaded steps creaked every now and then, staying close — never leaving his line of sight.
Brogan's eyes were wide. He hadn't moved in minutes.
He had heard everything. Vexxie's last words. The explosion. The silence.
And now, he was the only one left.
He let out a long, shaky breath.
"There's no one left," he whispered to himself.
The quota meant nothing now. The scarp was gone. The mission failed. And all his friends were dead.
Still facing Coil Head, he stared at the twisted creature. Its metallic coils writhed, but its legs stayed planted.
"I don't care anymore."
He closed his eyes.
And turned around.
SNAP.
[Game Notification: Brogan has died.]
[Twitch Chat]"HE TURNED AROUND NOOOO"
"BROGAN GAVE UP 😢"
"EVERYONE'S DEAD. THIS IS CINEMA."
"WHOEVER MADE THIS GAME DESERVES AN AWARD"
"IM DOWNLOADING THIS GAME RIGHT NOW"
Three nights. Three moons. Four players.
No survivors.
And deep in the shadows of that moon, the monsters still waited — patient, merciless, watching the next ship to arrive.