In the hallway, a gigantic snake skin was discovered. I quickly alerted my neighbors in the group chat to be cautious. “Make sure to close your doors and windows! Snakes can swallow things much larger than themselves. This one is enormous, and after shedding, it will soon be on the hunt for food!” However, my neighbors brushed off my warnings, laughing at me for being overly cautious. The property management promptly replied, “There’s no snake in this building. Some residents need to stop spreading panic.” “Hiss, hiss.” So, what’s out there in the hallway now? While cleaning, the neighborhood janitor found a large snake skin in the building. Initially, everyone thought it was just a prank and that the snake skin must be fake. How could a snake possibly find its way into a high-end apartment? Having grown up in the mountains with my grandfather, I recognized it immediately. It was a freshly shed snake skin, which meant the snake had grown even larger. I quickly warned everyone in the chat, “Close your doors and windows! Snakes can swallow things much larger than themselves. This one is huge, and after shedding, it will immediately look for food!” My caution was met with ridicule, as many believed that being in the city center, far from the suburbs, meant there was no chance of a snake being around. If there were a snake, surely someone would have seen it by now. The mom from Apartment 606 said, “908, stop trying to scare everyone! We’re not in the countryside, so where would a snake come from?” She had a point, but what if someone was keeping it as a pet? After all, it’s not unusual for people to keep snakes as pets. I couldn’t help but continue in the chat, “Maybe someone is keeping it at home. Everyone should still be cautious.” The chat filled with snake emojis, as no one took it seriously. Only the resident from 707 seemed concerned: “If someone really is keeping such a large snake, maybe its owner has already been eaten?” The chat fell silent after that. The property management tried to reassure everyone, sarcastically adding, “There’s no snake in this building. Some residents need to stop spreading panic.” Just then, my takeout arrived, and I was about to open the door when a scream erupted from outside. I couldn’t reach the delivery person by phone. Instinctively, I hesitated to open the door. After a while, I peeked through the peephole and saw a foot slowly vanish from view. Pressing my ear to the door, I heard a distinct sound. “Hiss, hiss.” There’s said to be no snake, so what’s in the hallway now?
The delivery person likely didn’t make it. This snake must be highly venomous to take down an adult so quickly. I immediately called emergency services and told the residents in the group chat not to leave their apartments until professionals arrived! A resident from 1008 joked, “Is this some new kind of prank? Maybe the delivery guy is just pulling your leg?” The resident from 707 said, “I can’t stay in; I still need to pick up a package later.” The mom from 606 chimed in, “Our baby needs to go downstairs for some sun every day.” You can’t reason with some people. If something happens, they’ll only have themselves to blame. Locking all doors and windows and waiting for professionals is all I can do for now. I suddenly remembered that my best friend, Emily Johnson, was supposed to visit in two hours. I quickly called her to tell her not to come over yet. But when the video call connected, Emily was all smiles, “Surprise! I’m already downstairs at your building; aren’t you going to come out and greet me?” “Don’t come up, don’t enter the building! There’s a snake!” The video froze suddenly! Judging by the background, Emily was already in the elevator, and her phone lost signal, cutting off the network. As long as she goes back the way she came and doesn’t leave the elevator, she’ll be fine. I quickly messaged her, praying she wouldn’t step out! Meanwhile, the previously relaxed homeowners’ group chat exploded in chaos. The property’s surveillance confirmed there was indeed a large snake roaming the apartment complex. The property management quickly changed their dismissive attitude and issued a notice for residents to stay indoors. They also asked if anyone was keeping a snake at home. There was a lot of swearing, but no one answered the question. If the snake is wild, it would be even more aggressive. It’s uncertain if professionals can even catch it. My best friend finally messaged back, “I’m almost on the ninth floor. Come out and help me with my stuff!” It seems my message was delayed, and she hasn’t seen it yet. Her chat window kept showing “Typing…” Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Could it be her?
“Liv, is that you?” I called out as I approached the entryway, but there was no answer, just incessant knocking. The knocking grew louder, as if something was chasing her. Emily called me again, breathless, “I was scared to death. Thank God I heard your voice message and closed the elevator. I ran out!” So, whoever’s at the door isn’t her! Anxiously, I approached the door and peeked through the peephole. It was the young girl who lived across from me. Her lips were purple, and she nervously looked around. We usually exchanged glances in passing, and I had a good impression of her. Just ten minutes ago, she was messaging in the group chat. Why was she outside now? “Help me! I left my keys inside!” she suddenly shouted, banging on the door harder. Her voice echoed through the hallway. The girl screamed desperately, and my compassion almost made me open the door. But then I heard her pleading voice. “Don’t bite me… I’ll find you new food…” “No!” “Hiss, hiss.” Then there was silence. I didn’t have the courage to look through the peephole again, but I could imagine the gruesome scene. Calming myself, I realized the girl across the hall wanted me to feed the snake so it would spare her. If I had opened the door, I could have been the snake’s next victim. But if this snake had already bitten the delivery person, how was it still searching for food? Could there be more than one snake in this building?
I informed the property management of the situation outside and urged them to check the surveillance to locate the snake. The residents were in an uproar, demanding the property management catch the snake immediately. But the property was powerless. The situation was unclear, and they couldn’t send anyone into our building. We could only wait for professionals to arrive. The property management finally responded, saying the snake that appeared on surveillance had suddenly vanished without a trace. They claimed to have checked all the surveillance footage but found no sign of the snake. Someone boldly speculated, “Could the snake have gained intelligence and learned to evade the cameras?” The group chat exploded with discussions. [Is someone keeping this snake? How does it seem so familiar with every floor?] I also suspected someone was hiding it, preventing anyone from finding it. The mom from 606 suddenly blamed me: [Is it 908 keeping it? Trying to catch a thief by shouting thief!] Good intentions were met with malicious speculation, and I chose to stay silent. The property then sent a photo of the snake skin, asking if anyone recognized it as their pet snake that had escaped. Upon enlarging the image, I realized that although it looked similar to the first snake skin I saw, the patterns were completely different. This confirmed my earlier suspicion; there was more than one snake in this building. And the snake skin shed by this snake was even larger. I hesitated about whether to inform the property management. Then a message came through the group chat saying the snake had been caught. I watched the video the property shared of capturing the snake. It was clear that the snake in the video couldn’t possibly have shed those two massive snake skins. Residents started celebrating, sending thumbs-up emojis to praise the property’s efficiency. I didn’t know how to voice my doubts. After all, I still had to live here. Exposing the property’s lie might make me a target. More importantly, I had decided not to meddle anymore. Reason prevailed over emotion, and I shared my assessment with them. The property manager was the first to dismiss me, calling my claims nonsense and insisting the snake had been caught. He even called me directly, berating me and resorting to threats. “You residents only cause trouble for us. I warn you, if you want to keep living here peacefully, you better shut your mouth!” Just in case, I recorded the entire call. The group chat divided into two factions: one believed I had a point and urged caution, while the other sided with the property and was ready to resume normal activities. I also warned Emily to head home and stay away from the building. She’s the type who loves excitement, and I feared she might get bitten if she’s not careful. But from twenty minutes ago, she hadn’t replied to any of my messages after the last emoji she sent. I remembered my balcony overlooked the area downstairs, so I stepped out to check. She wasn’t downstairs, so maybe she went home? Then I looked down and saw a massive snake tail hanging from the balcony of a downstairs apartment. The person inside hadn’t closed their floor-to-ceiling windows.
I quickly snapped a photo and posted it in the group chat, warning the downstairs residents to be careful. The mom from 606 freaked out, recognizing her son’s baby bib hanging on the balcony. Amidst a flurry of voice messages, she shouted, “That’s my house! Someone please save my baby!” “My mother-in-law and son are home alone! Why didn’t my mother-in-law close the windows?” The group fell silent, everyone knowing that responding meant they’d have to help. And no one wanted to take that risk. The mom frantically tagged the property, but they pretended not to see. Unable to stand by, I reminded her to call home and warn her mother-in-law to find a safe place to hide until the snake left on its own. Ten minutes later, the mom added me through a private chat. She made several video calls to me, but I didn’t answer. In this situation, everyone was looking out for themselves. “My mother-in-law and my son are the only ones at home! Why didn’t she close the window?” The group chat fell silent. Everyone knew that responding would mean having to help, and no one wanted to take that chance. The mothers kept mentioning property management, but they remained unresponsive, ignoring the calls for assistance. Feeling concerned, I suggested she call home to alert her mother-in-law. It would be best for her to find a safe place to hide and wait for the snake to leave on its own. Ten minutes later, the mom added me on the group chat and tried calling me several times through video, but I didn’t answer. In this situation, everyone was looking out for themselves, and I didn’t want to get involved either. The mom insisted that I should go to her house to assess the situation and bring her son and mother-in-law to my place for safety. But without knowing the snake’s location, going out blindly was risky. Even if there wasn’t a snake in the hallway, who could say if it had left her house? Going there might be dangerous. Waiting seemed to be the safest option. After all, I had done my part by warning her. I decided not to respond. She then began calling me out in the neighborhood group chat: “908, why aren’t you answering my calls? Are you just going to let them be in danger?” With the attention redirected, other residents joined in to criticize me. The messages came pouring in. “Yeah, since you saw it, you should help!” “We’re all neighbors here. 606 is a single mom and her child, 908, don’t be so selfish!” These people were quick to speak now, but they had stayed silent earlier. It made me angry, so I retorted: “If you’re all so concerned, why don’t you go?” “I’ve warned them numerous times to keep the windows shut and stay inside. If they didn’t listen, why blame me?” “608, 605! You’re right next door and across the hall, why don’t you go? It’s just a short walk!” The blame shifted, and 608 said they weren’t home, while 605 agreed with me. The mom was still desperate. Her latest private message pleaded for help. “My baby isn’t even a year old. Please help me!” She forwarded a video from her mother-in-law, showing the baby crying continuously, his face red and looking very pitiful. The grandmother was pacing the wooden bedroom floor, trying to soothe the child. I quickly advised her that snakes are sensitive to vibrations and suggested she stop moving. After my response, the mom thanked me repeatedly. She sent over ten videos in a few minutes, asking if I saw the snake. She even suggested adding her mother-in-law so I could keep an eye on the baby via video. How could someone be so demanding? I refused and told her to contact property management and emergency services if she was so worried. Speaking of which, why hadn’t the emergency services arrived? More than twenty minutes had passed. Suddenly, the mom messaged me: “My mother-in-law got bitten! Please save her!” How could that be? I had carefully checked the video and saw no snake in the rooms. The mom, with a sobbing voice, apologized: “My mother-in-law said the baby kept crying, so I thought it would be safer to run upstairs to you with the baby. But she got bitten as soon as she stepped out.” If it weren’t for the innocent child, I would block her. Isn’t she just making things worse? “My mother-in-law is still breathing. She crawled back home with the child. I’m begging you to help! You know snakes; surely you know how to deal with the poison, right?” I’m not a doctor. How could I know? It seems she can only rely on an ambulance now. The mom cried even louder, “There’s a city-wide marathon today, and all the roads are blocked. Not even a fly can get to our street, let alone an ambulance.” So that’s why the emergency services hadn’t arrived! But why today of all days? The mom then sent a screenshot from a video call. There was indeed the shadow of a large snake and a pair of sneakers. 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