Woman Horrified After Discovering 'Writhing Drain Terror' in Basement

An unexpected inhabitant lurking in a Pittsburgh woman's basement drain has terrified the internet.

Filming down the drain, artist Melissa Ciccocioppo captured spine-chilling footage of the mass of wriggling organisms living beneath.

Ciccocioppo, who owns a century-old house, stumbled upon the unsettling sight during a routine inspection of her basement. "I was doing a routine inspection of my basement a few days ago and thought, 'I wonder if there's anything happening in there,'" she told Newsweek.

The drain in question, located in the basement, serves as a run-off outlet for the aged property. Despite her familiarity with its purpose, Ciccocioppo was taken aback by the contents within. "I posted the video to Reddit because I couldn't figure out what I was looking at and Google wasn't helping," she explained. "I kept getting results for drain fly larvae and that's definitely not what it is."

Turning to Reddit, Ciccocioppo shared the video on the popular r/WTF sub with the caption: "Wtf is this monster in my drain?!"

With over 12,000 upvotes and thousands of comments, people started sharing their thoughts and reactions to the bizarre discovery.

Sifting through the suggestions, Ciccocioppo deduced the creatures were likely harmless: "Based on a number of comments, it would appear that it's a cluster of harmless annelid worms," she shared, joking that she had contemplated the idea of selling them as fishing bait.

The mass in the drain appears to be a colony of tubifex worms, a type of annelid worm belonging to the family Tubificidae. They are commonly found in the sediments of lakes, rivers, and even sewer lines.

"Creepy looking but not too uncommon apparently," said Reddit user Orrissirro in the comments. Shadowx180 added: "It's interesting that we live on this planet and also there are creatures we rarely encounter that are practically alien to us."

As the video continued to circulate, Ciccocioppo entertained the idea of assigning a name and backstory to the newfound inhabitants. From "Toby McTentacool" to "Winchester Wriggles Writhington," she explored various ideas.

With plans to consult a plumber regarding the situation, Ciccocioppo remains cautious about resorting to chemical treatments without expert advice. Despite the peculiar circumstances, she embraces the experience with a blend of curiosity and creativity, embodying the spirit of a proud owner of a Reddit-famous "writhing drain terror."

This isn't the first time a basement discovery has inspired fear online. Last year a man stumbled on a series of bizarre concrete containers in his 170-year-old home. The find prompted some dark theories, like from one commenter who said: "Definitely the beginning stages of a mass grave."