A terrified man had the surprise of his life when he woke up to find a many-legged venomous 'creature from hell' in bed with him.
Pictures show the massive creepy crawly on the poor man's sheets - and he said it even looked like a snake at first glance.
Jesse Pye, 35 and from Texas, US, had barely opened his eyes when he noticed the gruesome creature had crawled into bed next to him.
“It was 7.30am and I was waking up to get ready for work,” he said.
“I saw something black that looked like a snake or a giant worm, I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew it wasn't good.
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“My immediate reaction was to move slowly and grab my glasses and phone. I started to film it because I couldn't believe what I saw.”
It was then that he saw the long body, bristling with dozens of legs.
“I knew it was a centipede but wasn't sure what type,” said the software engineer. “I wasn't sure if it was venomous.”
“I've never seen a centipede this big.”
Sharing the footage online, Jesse asked what exactly the “creature from hell” was.
“They are much bigger looking in real life,” he wrote.
He discovered that his new friend was one of the largest centipedes in North America – the giant redheaded centipede.
Their venom typically causes sharp, searing pain around the bite, with the further possibility of nausea, headache and skin necrosis.
Individual cases of bites leading to kidney failure and a heart attack have also been documented.
Jesse estimated it was up to eight inches long..
“Burn the entire place down immediately,” advised one commenter.
Another responded: “No way. You're in Texas! Shoot the damn thing!”
Mr Pye, who had his nerve-racking encounter while staying with a friend in San Antonio, thinks the insect may have been tempted inside by the soaring temperatures outside.
He said: “I researched online and they say centipedes escape the heat.
“It's been over 100F (37C) every day for the past week so that makes sense.”
In the end, Jesse, from Austin, plucked up the courage to carry the bedding – and his unexpected guest – outside.
“I folded the blanket over the centipede and carried it to the back porch,” he said.
“I shook it and made sure the centipede was off of it.”
