The sound comes from Payday 2, the co-op heist shooter released by Overkill in 2013, where the Cloaker is one of the most memorable special enemies. Because the unit appears fast, punishes isolated players and often ends a run in embarrassing fashion, its audio became popular far beyond the game itself. It spread through gameplay montages, streamer clips and short meme edits as a shorthand for being caught off guard, much like a shocked sound used to sell a sudden reversal.