Chapter 1 - 1: small beginnings

Hey all! This is my latest story. I had a blast writing it and I hope you enjoy. It's all done, so will be posting a couple chapters a week.

I also write science fiction books! If you have any interest please message me here or at hew.yuon@gmail.com for a FREE copy

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The helmet of a nazi bobbed up directly in the crosshairs of Jake’s sniper rifle. He grinned and cleared his throat, sensing an opportunity to show his skills.

“You see guys, this noob forgot the most basic strategy. Don’t get your head above-”

A bang rang out from tinny speakers, currents of red ran down Jake’s screen.

“Cover... shit.”


A, ‘Respawning in...’, notice popped up at the top of the screen. Jake looked at his score and sighed.


“Four kills, thirteen deaths. No wonder I’m getting nowhere with this.”


Jake Palmer was a streamer, and not a very good one. Where the best of the best looked like god on screen, Jake hardly ever won. All day he sat in his basement apartment gaming from the only area clean enough to show on camera. Jake was dedicated, playing for dozens of hours a day in the hope of luring money from strangers. The only problem was, he was making absolutely no progress.

Caffeine, adderall, practice. Jake had tried them all to excess, yet nothing seemed to help him improve. His reflexes were about as sharp as sandpaper, and he had never been a master strategist. Jake had known this of course, and planned on getting popular by making people laugh instead. Despite the lack of success, he repeated the mantra the only other streamer who had tried to help had given him.

“Just get on, stay on, and you’ll get noticed eventually.’

With his only followers being his mom and that digital friend, Jake initially thought the idea was genius. Having lost his programming job earlier in the year, Jake decided once and for all he had had enough of corporate life. He was tired of insane deadlines, of poorly written code he’d be responsible for fixing. Streaming had been the answer. Making money playing games and talking to people? Jake could do that! He was far more extroverted than his programming peers anyway, and it was time for a change. Jake knew it would be tough to get started, but he had no idea it would be this bad.

Three months of 8am to 6pm gaming. A website. Social media accounts that followed all the hottest streamers. Custom follower stickers. None of it had attracted the audience Jake had wanted. The most common comment he got these days was from other streamers telling him how trash he was. As Jake’s self esteem fell his bills rose, and now he was close to missing his next rent payment. Regret had come and gone. There was no getting his old job back, and now here Jake was, cradling his head in his hands and trying to get out of this terrible situation he had put himself in. Just as Jake was about to log off, a familiar icon popped up on his screen.

“Ah Kayla, my one follower, how are we doing today KayTrae30?” Jake said to the camera as he clicked the message.

‘Heyyy :( oh gosh im so sorry about everything, i thought you’d be HUGE by now. Ugh what a mess. Listen though, I think I might have something to get you by in the meantime. Use my promo code with the link below and you’ll get past the red tape. I won’t rest till your massive ;)’

The link Kayla included sent Jake to an unfamiliar site. ‘Chomp Subs NA’, was bold in the header, an image of a pro gamer eating with one hand, gaming with the other. Below that, the site jumped into details.

‘Get paid to eat! Ever want to maximize your growth potential online, but don’t have the capital to get started? If you qualify, become a verified Chomp Subs NA Parter today! Eating our delicious blend of name brand products on screen pays well, and gets you noticed within our cuisine focused network for even more opportunities! All payments are up front, and non refundable.’

Jake’s eyebrow shot up so fast on his face he had to tamp it back down. The site seemed just like it said. A bunch of snack and fast food brands offering money to eat their products on camera. The rates were great too.

‘A thousand bucks just to eat some microwave pizza for a few weeks? Sounds good to me!’

Jake hesitated as he went to click accept. The details were to be mailed to him in print at a later date, and he had never heard of this, ‘Chomp Subs NA’, before. This seemed too good to be true. Jake was nearly about to close the tab when he saw the date in the bottom corner of his laptop. Rent was due in three days. He had just enough cash if he skipped groceries, but the thought of resorting to instant noodles repulsed Jake. That upfront cash policy seemed great right now, and he didn’t need to pay them a dime to get started.

‘This seems weird as hell, but Kayla wouldn’t steer me wrong, would she? And I mean, if I don’t like the food I can make this a one time thing.’

Jake’s finger hovered over the accept button. Anxiety bubbled his guts, but the image of KayTrae30’s smiling avatar came through like pepto bismol. Jake swallowed, and clicked the button. He was in.