Man Returns Home After 6 Months. Finds Over 100 Eggs Covering His Bed

But the fourth comment came from Dr. Aris Thorne, a leading expert in invasive urban fauna. Thorne’s comment was short and strictly capitalized: DO NOT TOUCH THEM. ARE YOU IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST?

David quickly typed back: Yes, Seattle.

Thorne replied instantly: You have a rogue infestation of Escobaria gigas—the Giant Asian Tree Snail. They were illegally imported as pets a few years ago and have been adapting to urban microclimates. A single adult can lay up to 400 eggs, and they look for soft, porous, undisturbed surfaces that mimic decaying forest floors. Your memory-foam mattress was the perfect incubator.

David stared at the phone, then at the bed. A giant snail.

Are they dangerous? David typed.

Not to you, Thorne responded. But if they hatch, they will eat through your drywall, your wallpaper, and every piece of wood in your apartment within a week. And judging by the dark color of the embryos... they are due any hour now.

Just as David finished reading the text, a tiny, wet click echoed in the quiet bedroom.

He froze. On the far side of the cluster, a small fracture appeared in the amber gel of the topmost egg. A pale, calcified rim poked through, followed by a soft, gray tentacle no thicker than a piece of thread.

David didn’t wait to see the second one emerge. He backed out of the room, slammed the door shut, and grabbed his duffel bag. Bedtime would have to wait. He was going to a hotel, and he was calling an exterminator with a very specific specialty