Soon, dinner time arrived, and everyone gathered inside the dining room. Flake looked around at his family enjoying the meal—his daughter-in-law feeding his adorable grandchild, his teenage granddaughter eating her food while staring at her phone, and his son scolding her for using the phone during dinner. Meanwhile, his wife scolded her son for scolding their grandchild.
It was such a warm, lively scene—one Flake had dreamed of every time he found himself trapped in that cruel, silent hell. Seeing her husband lost in thought, Kelly softly placed her warm hand on Flake's palm and asked gently, "How are you feeling now, darling? Is it okay for you to sit here? I could bring the food to your room if you'd prefer."
Flake, hearing her soft, caring voice, smiled and said, "No, Kelly. I just want to be with everyone. I'm fine."
With that, the jolly atmosphere returned to the Flake family. They continued discussing various things until the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I'll go check it," Flake's son Richard said as he walked toward the door. After a few minutes, he returned to the dining room, and Kelly asked, "Who came at this hour, son?"
"It's my assistant. I had ordered a snake for a research project, and the lab sent it over," Richard said casually as he resumed his unfinished meal. Hearing this, Kelly frowned and replied, "I really don't like your obsession with those snakes. Don't bring them into the house. I can't sleep peacefully knowing those things are slithering around inside."
Everyone shared a light-hearted laugh. Flake wanted to say something, but he chose to keep it to himself. After what had happened to him, he had developed a deep aversion to snakes. But expressing his discomfort now, without even knowing whether what he experienced was real or just a dream, didn't seem like the right move.
After dinner, the family finished their meals and went to their respective rooms to sleep. While Flake was resting on the bed, taking his medicine that his wife had brought him, a very different scenario was unfolding in Richard's room.
Inside his room, Richard carefully placed the parcel box on the table and slowly opened it. Inside was a small, sturdy glass enclosure housing a medium-sized Russell's viper, calmly resting. Seeing this, Richard's face turned pale—his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. He immediately took out his phone and dialed a number.
After a moment, the call connected. "What the hell, man? When did I ever ask you to send me a Russell's viper? I told you clearly—I needed a checkered keelback. Why would you deliver such a dangerous snake to my house?" Richard snapped, clearly irritated at his assistant's mistake.
"What?! What are you talking about, man? Why would I send such a dangerous snake to your house? That species is strictly prohibited for transport outside of lab premises. Are you seriously not messing with me right now?" his assistant asked, sounding genuinely alarmed.
"Oh yes, of course, I'm joking with you this late at night—when I could be snuggled up with my wife, sleeping peacefully. Obviously, I'm pulling a prank instead," Richard retorted sarcastically, his frustration boiling over.
"My god! That means it actually happened… Wait, I'll call you back in a few minutes. Let me confirm with the delivery guy," the assistant said in a panic before abruptly ending the call.
Richard sighed, then turned his gaze back to the viper, now calmly coiled. "Well, buddy, don't do anything naughty, yeah?" he muttered.
He got up from the table, took out a key, and opened the secure room where he kept other snakes for research purposes. He carefully placed the viper's enclosure in the most secure section of the vault-like room, which only he had access to. As he stepped out and locked the door behind him, he saw his wife entering—having just tucked their children into bed.
She sat on the bed and said, "I hope Father gets well soon, so we can leave this country and return home."
Richard smiled, then sat beside her and replied, "Don't worry. We'll leave soon. Rest well—we've already had a pretty eventful day."
After a few minutes, he received a call from his assistant, who informed him that the delivery man had accidentally switched the parcels. The box containing the Russell's viper had been meant for another lab. The assistant assured Richard that the delivery guy would come in the morning to retrieve the snake. Richard ended the call and lay down beside his wife, falling asleep.
Elsewhere in the house, Flake lay sleeping in his room, his wife peacefully beside him. Suddenly, he heard a voice—faint at first, but gradually growing louder.
"Grandpa…"
"Grandpa…"
"GRANDPA…"
Flake sat upright instantly, his body jolting awake. He looked around the room, which remained silent and undisturbed. His wife was still asleep, breathing softly beside him.
"Did I dream something again?" he thought. But just as the question crossed his mind, he heard the voice again. It was the sound of a child calling out to him.
"Grandpa…"
Flake's senses sharpened. He now knew with certainty that he wasn't dreaming. Just as he was about to wake his wife, the sound of a door slowly creaking open caught his attention. His eyes turned toward the source.
The door to his room had opened on its own.
And just beyond it, a Russell's viper sat silently on the floor, staring directly at Flake. The moment their eyes met, Flake slipped into a trance-like state. His body moved on its own, and he began following the viper without question.
The snake slithered toward a door—one decorated with rainbow drawings and cheerful sketches. As soon as Flake reached it, the door swung open on its own. Inside, the viper slithered onto the bed and curled up on the chest of a sleeping ten-year-old child.
Still under the spell of the trance, Flake gently picked up the sleeping child and the viper, cradling both in his arms. Without a sound, he returned to his room. The door closed behind him as he entered.
He lay down on the bed, holding the child and the snake in his arms.
And in that instant, Flake opened his eyes again—and found himself back in that same, godforsaken chamber he thought he had escaped.
The same towering pillars. The same haunting silence. The same sense of dread. The same bowl—still resting at the center of the chamber.
But this time, something was different.
Before he could fully process the tragedy unfolding, he felt a heavy weight in his arms. Looking down, his blood turned cold—his breath caught in his throat.
"Wh...What?! WHAT!!!"