Reborn: My Roommate's Pet Snake Is Her Dead Boyfriend

My roommate kept a black pet snake with creepy red spots.

Every night after lights-out, that snake would crawl into my bed. It would wrap tightly around my thighs, and its ice-cold, wet tongue would flick across my neck.

Terrified, I told our Resident Advisor that there was a snake in our dorm. But when housing security inspected the room, they found absolutely nothing.

Everyone in the building started calling me a paranoid freak.

My hair fell out in clumps. I was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. Finally, I ran out of the campus gates in the middle of the night, straight into the path of a speeding semi-truck that crushed my skull.

My soul floated in the cold night air, looking down. I saw my roommate, Chloe, holding that black snake, laughing hysterically.

"Kai, babe, did that bitch taste good?"

The black snake let out a low, raspy laugh that sounded chillingly human.

It turned out it was never a snake.

Chloe had paid a fortune to a dark witch to seal the soul of her perverted boyfriend, Kai, who had died in a horrific car crash, inside that snakes body.

And because she knew I was pretty, she let her boyfriend crawl into my bed night after night.

But then, my eyes flew open. I was reborn.

I was back to exactly one month before the fall semester started.

Without a second thought, I booked a plane ticket straight to the deep wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains.

When I returned, I had a ten-foot-long golden albino python packed safely inside my suitcase.

My soul had floated in the air for three agonizing days.

And in those three days, I finally figured everything out.

That black snake with red spots was actually Chloes dead boyfriend, Kai Carter. Chloe had paid a shady occultist a massive sum of money to trap his soul inside the reptile after his car accident.

Kai had been an absolute creep when he was alive, and he became even more disgusting after he died.

Chloe couldn't bear to lose him completely, so she came up with this sick, twisted way to keep him around.

But she didn't expect that once Kai became a snake, his perverted desires would only grow.

He targeted the prettiest girls on campus.

And I was the unlucky winner.

Every single night after move-in, that snake would slither into my bed right on cue.

Its cold, scaly skin would slide up my thighs, and its wet, slimy tongue would lick my neck and earlobes.

I told the RA about it in a panic, but they searched our room three times and found nothing.

Soon, the entire floor thought I was losing my mind.

"Sera, are you just stressed out from classes?"

"Maybe you should go see a therapist?"

"Stop accusing Chloe. Shes literally the sweetest girl on the floor."

My hair started falling out in handfulls. My nerves were so shot that I was too terrified to close my eyes at night. My weight plummeted from a healthy 110 pounds to a skeletal 85.

During those dark days, they took videos of me shivering in the corner of my bed and posted them to our dorm's Snapchat group. The caption read: "The drama queen in room 302 is having another episode."

In the end, I broke.

I ran out of the campus gates at midnight and was crushed to death by a giant semi-truck.

I died in silence, like a pathetic joke.

But now, I was alive again.

I stared at my phone screen: August 1st, 7:23 AM. Exactly one month before the semester started.

I lay in bed for three minutes, completely still, letting the memories of my past life wash over me. Then, I smiled.

My past life taught me one thing: Chloe was a master manipulator. She knew how to play the victim, cry on cue, and say things like, "I don't know why Sera hates me so much." Everyone would immediately take her side.

This time, I could run. I could request a room change.

But I didn't want to. Because if I ran, some other innocent girl would end up in that bed, suffering the exact same fate.

After thinking it over, I booked a flight to the mountains that very afternoon.

Before I died in my past life, I had read a thread on a conspiracy forum about an old witch doctor living deep in the Appalachian Mountains who could talk to snakes and control massive pythons.

Back then, I thought it was internet garbage. But in this life, I believed it.

On the plane, I drifted off to sleep.

My nightmare was filled with that black-and-red snake crawling up my legs. I kicked at my blankets frantically but couldn't shake it off. I opened my mouth to scream for help, but no sound came out.

I woke up gasping, tears streaming down my face. The older man sitting next to me handed me a packet of tissues and asked if I was okay.

I nodded in terror, my resolve to find the witch doctor hardening.

The moment I landed, I didn't waste a second and headed straight into the mountain hollows.

By noon the next day, I was standing in the exact spot described in the forum post.

Just as I stepped onto the overgrown path, an old, sun-weathered woman blocked my way.

"No tourists allowed here. Go back."

I looked her dead in the eye. "I'm not a tourist. I'm looking for the one who speaks to snakes."

The old woman's expression shifted. She turned and walked deeper into the woods, gesturing for me to follow.

She led me to a secluded wooden cabin. The porch was covered in dried mountain herbs and hanging snake skins. The air thick with a pungent, musky odor.

Pushing past the heavy screen door, I saw an elderly man sitting in a rocking chair. He looked to be in his late sixties, his skin leathery and his eyes deep-set, but those eyes gleamed like a feral cat's.

"Who sent you?"

"No one. I saw a thread online. It said you can command snakes."

The old man scoffed, taking a sip from his mug of black coffee. "And how do you know I'm not just a scammer?"

I stared back at him. "Because on my way up here, I noticed all the chickens in the yard were locked up tight, and not a single dog in this hollow is barking. The dogs are silent because theyre terrified of whatever you keep in here."

His hand paused mid-air. He leaned back against his chair. "Youve got a dark shadow over you, girl. Someone put a curse on you?"

I didn't want to explain the whole reincarnation thing. I only had one question: "Is there a way to force a human soul out of a snakes body once it's been sealed inside?"

The old man froze, his coffee mug hovering.

He stared at me for ten long seconds before slamming the mug onto the wooden table. "Binding a human soul to a reptile is forbidden black magic. Where did you encounter such a thing?"

"I lived through it."

"Lived through it?" His voice pitched higher. "You encountered a soul-bound snake? Was the soul from a living person or the dead?"

"A dead man."

The old man went silent for a long time.

He stood up, paced around the room, and pulled a polished black bone flute from the wall, handing it to me. "The one you metwas it a small snake or a big one?"

"Small. Black with red bands. About fifteen inches."

The old man snorted. "Thats the lowest tier of soul-binding. Trapping a weak, dead soul inside a common garden snake. High on malice, low on actual power."

A sharp light flickered in his cloudy eyes.

"Since you made it all the way out here, it means you want to fight back. The law of the wild is simplefight poison with poison. Fight small with big."

He reached under his table and dragged out a heavy wooden crate. The moment he slid the lid open, a wave of cold, musky air hit my face.

Inside, coiled on a bed of dry straw, was a baby python, its scales a brilliant, glowing gold. It was only about as thick as my index finger.

It lifted its head and looked at me, its golden, vertical pupils sending a chill down my spine.

Slowly, trembling, I reached my hand into the crate.

The baby python flicked its tongue, then gently crawled onto my wrist. Its cold scales slid against my skina sensation identical to the night Kai crawled onto my legs in my past life.

But this time, I didn't flinch. I let it wrap around my wrist like a heavy, golden bracelet.

The old man chuckled. "The little guy likes you. He's small now, but in three months he'll be six feet. In six months, he'll top ten feet. That little black snake won't even dare lift its head in front of him."

"What does he eat?"

The old man grinned, revealing a row of crooked teeth. "He eats snakes. Specifically, other snakes."

When I left the Appalachian hollows, my suitcase contained a specialized, heated reptile case.

Inside was the baby python. I named him Sunny.

The old man had also given me the black bone flute.

"Don't play this in front of regular folks. Snake charming isn't exactly holy work. But sometimes, you have to use darker magic to clean up a dark mess."

I asked him one last question. "Can the soul inside that little snake be expelled?"

The old man thought for a moment. "Once a dead soul is bound to a beast for too long, they merge. If you want to drive it out, you have to make it feel a terror worse than death itself. Snakes don't just fear predatorsthey fear absolute domination."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have to make that little snake understand that he isn't the apex predator anymore. You are."

On my flight back, I leaned against the window and closed my eyes.

The memories of my past life flashed behind my eyelidsChloe holding the black snake, her high-pitched, mocking laughter echoing in my ears.

"Kai, babe, did that bitch taste good?"

And Kai's raspy, disgusting laugh from inside the snake.

And then, the faces of my old dormmates.

"Sera, can you just act normal for once?"

"A snake? Okay, show us some proof then."

This time, I didn't need proof.

Because I was bringing the solution.

Once I got home, I spent every day training Sunny. Our bond grew incredibly strong, and he could understand my basic commands.

Three days before the semester started, I called the housing office. I asked if bed selection was first-come, first-served. The lady on the phone said yes. I told her Id be checking in a day early.

In my past life, I was the first to arrive. I foolishly chose the bottom bunk by the window. Chloe arrived second and took the top bunk.

Back then, I didn't realize she chose the top bunk so her heavy curtains could hide her hiding the snake, while my bottom bunk was the perfect launching pad for that thing to slide down into my sheets at night.

This time, I was still the first to arrive. But I wasn't taking the window bunk.

I chose the bottom bunk right next to the door. The moment anyone opened the door, my bed was fully visible.

This would severely limit Chloe's ability to hide her snake. If her snake wanted to get from her bunk to mine, it would have to cross the wide-open, highly exposed center of the room.

That was only step one.

On September 6th, I walked into my empty dorm room.

I placed Sunny's heated enclosure on my nightstand and opened the lid.

Sunny lifted his head, his golden eyes shimmering under the fluorescent lights. I held out my hand, and he smoothly slithered up, coiling around my wrist.

Then, I went out to the local target and bought heavy black blackout curtains, fabric scissors, heavy-duty double-sided tape, and a sewing kit. I was going to fortify my bed.

The only reason Chloe's snake had evaded the housing inspections in my past life was because she had custom-made, hidden zippered pockets sewn into her bedding and bags.

Well, this time, I was going to be prepared way before she even set foot in this room.

As I was securing my blackout curtains, my phone buzzed.

It was a friend request on Snapchat. The profile picture was a mirror selfie of a girl with long, perfectly styled blonde hair and a sweet, dimpled smile.

The bio read: "Hey! I'm Chloe, your new roommate! Thought I'd add you so we can connect!"

I stared at her smiling face for a long time.

In my past life, I had accepted her request instantly, typing out a bunch of excited, naive messages.

Back then, Chloe had sent me voice notes, her voice sounding so sweet it could give you cavities.

This time, I tapped accept.

"Hey girl!" she replied instantly. "Which bed did you grab? Can I have the top bunk opposite you? I heard that spot has a great view of the courtyard!"

What a flawless opening act. First, pretend she has no idea how the room is laid out, then pretend she just wants a "nice view," and finally, naturally secure the exact position she needed.

I messied back: "Totally! I actually just got here and took the bottom bunk by the door. If you want the view, both window bunks are still totally open!"

The "typing..." bubble popped up and disappeared several times. After a full thirty seconds, she finally replied: "Oh, the bottom bunk by the door? Won't that be super noisy with people walking by?"

"Nah, I sleep like a rock. A thunderstorm couldn't wake me up."

I smiled as I sent the text. In my past life, I really did sleep like a rockso deep that the first time the snake crawled into my bed, I didn't even wake up right away.

But this life was different. Now, I could hear a pin drop.

After exchanging some basic small talk about our majors, she finally dropped the bait:

"By the way, are you afraid of snakes? I think they're actually so cute. I was thinking of getting a pet snake, but I wasn't sure if our dorm allows them."

She had tested me exactly like this in my past life. Back then, I had replied, "Omg no, snakes are so scary, please don't!"

And she had laughed it off, saying, "Haha just kidding!" only to smuggle the snake in on the very first day.

This time, I typed: "Snakes? Omg, not at all! I actually think they're adorable. You should totally get one! Id love to play with it!"

The other side went completely silent for a few seconds. "Wait, for real?"

"Yeah! I watch so many snake-handling videos on TikTok. Those bright yellow pythons are literally so beautiful."

Another long pause.

I could easily picture her face on the other side of the screenher brow furrowing, her fake smile faltering as she stared at her phone.

She was probably wondering why this Sera girl wasn't fitting into her neat little box.

Finally, she sent: "Well, then I guess I'll have a little surprise for you when I get there! ~" followed by a winking emoji.

I tossed my phone onto the desk.

Sunny was resting quietly on my wrist. I stroked his head, and he nudged his nose against my finger affectionately.

In two days, Chloe would arrive with that little snake carrying her dead boyfriends soul. And she was going to learn a very hard lesson:

Not only was I not afraid of snakes, but I owned one that ate hers for breakfast.

Move-in day finally arrived.

At 10:00 AM, the sound of heavy suitcase wheels echoed down the hallway. A key turned in the lock, and the door swung open.

Chloe stood in the doorway. She was wearing a white crop top, denim shorts, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, sporting her signature sweet smile.

She was dragging a massive silver suitcase and carrying a heavy black backpack. Her eyes quickly swept the room, pausing on me for a fraction of a second.

"Hey! You must be Sera!" her voice was soft and bubbly.

"Hey Chloe! Nice to meet you!" I stood up and helped her pull her heavy suitcase inside.

She pushed her suitcase directly under the top bunk opposite meright facing my bed.

Then, she began unpacking, pulling out her things one by one.

Toiletries, clothes, her iPad, snacksand a small, black, hard-shell pet carrier with tiny ventilation holes.

It was tiny, barely eight inches long. Easily small enough to slip into a backpack or a custom-made hidden pocket.

As she pulled the carrier out of her bag, she subtly turned her body, using a bag of chips to block my view. Her movements were so smooth she had clearly practiced this a thousand times.

But she didn't know that from the moment she walked through that door, every nerve in my body was locked onto her.

I pretended not to notice. I leaned down, picked up a pack of tissues she had dropped, and handed it to her with a smile. "Here you go, Chloe. Wow, this packaging is so cute."

"Oh, thanks! Ordered them on Amazon," she said, taking them and quickly sliding the pet carrier into her nightstand drawer.

It was incredibly fast. If I hadn't been watching her like a hawk, I would have missed it.

But she had no idea that in my past life, to figure out where that damn snake was coming from, I had torn this room apart when she was in class.

I knew every single one of her hiding spotsunder the folded sweaters in the bottom drawer, inside the lining of her hanging duffel bag, and the hidden pocket taped directly underneath her mattress.

All of them were fitted with opaque, custom-made zippers.

Does a normal college freshman arrive with that kind of stealth gear? No. She was on a mission.

After she finished unpacking, Chloe turned to me with a sweet grin. "So, Sera, remember that surprise I mentioned?"

She reached into her drawer and pulled out the black pet carrier, placing it on the desk.

There was a dark, eager glint in her eyes, like she was holding her breath to see me scream.

In my past life, the moment she popped that lid and that black-and-red snake poked its head out, I had screamed, stumbled back, and knocked over my water bottle.

That was the beginning of my living nightmare.

This time, she popped the lid.

The black-and-red snake slowly slid its head out.

It was slightly smaller than I remembered, but the dark scales and blood-red bands were exactly the same. It flicked its black tongue, its vertical pupils narrowing into slits.

My stomach violently churned.

The memories of my past life rushed back like a tidal wave.

The feel of cold scales sliding up my thighs, the wet tongue on my neck, and that raspy, dead mans voice whispering in my ear: "What a pretty face... let me wrap around you."

My temples throbbed as anger flared in my chest. Under the desk, my hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging deep into my palms.

In my head, I slowly counted to three.

One. Two. Three.

Then, I smiled. I let my eyes crinkle up, showing a completely innocent, bubbly expression.

"Oh my gosh! He is so cute!" I leaned in closer to the desk. "What kind of snake is he? His pattern is beautiful, like a vintage floral print!"

The eager smirk on Chloe's face froze.

According to her script, I was supposed to scream, pale, and run to the other side of the room.

Then she could play the "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I thought you said you liked snakes!" card, instantly labeling me as the weak, easily bullied roommate.

But I didn't follow her script.

"You're... you're not scared?" her voice shook slightly with confusion.

"Are you kidding? I told you, I love snakes!" I reached out a finger toward the little reptile.

The snake immediately recoiled, its body tensing into an S-curve, its eyes locked onto my hand.

I could feel it. The greasy, perverted, greedy aura of Kai Carter radiating from that tiny reptilian body.

Chloe quickly slammed the lid shut and shoved the carrier back into her drawer. "He's super shy. Don't touch him, he might bite."

"Aw, bummer," I said, pulling my hand back with a harmless laugh. "I'll just wait until he gets used to me."

Chloe forced a tight, awkward smile.

That first round ended in Chloe's utter confusion.

But I knew this was just the warm-up. She wasn't going to stop just because I wasn't afraid. Because the pervert trapped inside that snake wouldn't let her.

Sure enough, the trap was set for that night.

At 11:30 PM, the dorm lights went out. The hallway silences stretched, and the entire building was plunged into darkness.

I lay in my bed, my heavy blackout curtains zipped tight, my duvet pulled up to my chin. My eyes were wide open in the dark.

About an hour passed. Around 12:30 AM, I heard it.

A faint, rustling sound coming from Chloe's bunk. It was incredibly soft, like fabric dragging across fabric.

"Rustle. Rustle. Rustle."

The sound moved from her bed to the wooden frame, sliding down the wall onto the tiled floor.

Then came the almost silent scrape of scales sliding across the cold floor.

It was moving toward me.

In my past life, I would have been fast asleep by now. But tonight, I was as awake as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

Every inch of my skin tensed, my hair standing on end. The horrors of my past life played on a loop in my brain.

But I didn't move.

I waited.

The sliding sound got closer and closer, until I could feel a sudden drop in the air temperature near the floor.

A chilling draft crept in.

And then, I heard a sound.

It wasn't a snake's hiss. It was a wet, muffled, human-like grunt, squeezing out of the snakes tiny throat.

It was laughing.

At the bottom of my blackout curtains, there was a tiny two-centimeter gap. The black-and-red head of the snake slowly poked through, its red-flecked eyes glinting in the dark, its black tongue tasting the air.

In my past life, this was the exact moment I broke.

But tonight, I pulled my blanket tight, rolled over to face the wall, and whispered in a voice so quiet only I could hear:

"Sunny, you're up."

Beneath my bed, the lid of Sunnys backup enclosure slid open without a sound.

Something massive was slowly crawling out from the darkness. It didn't make a sound, but it carried an overwhelming, suffocating pressure that seemed to freeze the very air in the room.

It was a primitive, instinctual dreadthe kind carved deep into the DNA of every prey animal.

The little black-and-red snake instantly froze.

It wanted to run.

But it was already too late.