My mother brings home a woman named Julia Hayden from the back of the hill and makes her my sister-in-law.

Our family is poor. As Julia is beautiful, my mother forces her to work as a prostitute in secret to earn money for the family.

But a villager, Lara Clay, says Julia is not human.

When my brother sleeps with her, I peek inside through a crack in the door. In the dim yellow light, I see the shadow of a huge snake tightly coiling itself around my brother's body on the wall...

My family was poor. My brother, Philip Johnston, was lazy and gluttonous.

My mom, Jennifer Sawyer, had gone through great trouble to bring home a young woman named Julia Hayden from the hills behind our place for Philip to marry, but he beat and berated her every single day. Every part of Julia's body was bruised or cut.

I felt deeply sorry for Julia. Mom and Philip hit me and yelled at me every day too.

Eventually, our family became so poor that we couldn't make ends meet. So, Mom came up with a plan for Philip.

There were very few women in the village, so the men had almost no way to relieve themselves. Mom made Julia sell her body, charging 50 dollars each time. It brought them a good amount of money.

Philip agreed, and Julia became the only hidden prostitute in the village. She worked in the fields during the day. At night, Mom hung a red light by the front door, and the business began.

Julia was beautiful, had a great figure, and spoke in a soft voice. Men from the village came flocking in. Once night fell, people crowded our doorstep.

Sometimes, Julia had four or five clients in a single night. While the first man went inside, the others joked crudely with Philip.

"Philip, where did your mom find such a pretty wife for you? Maybe she could track one down for the rest of us someday. Save us the trouble of having to pay."

The others laughed in a lewd way.

Philip flicked the ash from his cigarette without a care. "Who knows which hill my mom picked her up from. She's been around for years and hasn't gotten pregnant once. She's a total waste of money."

…

Some men in the village had unusual preferences. I often heard Julia's agonized cries from the room. But after a while, other strange sounds would follow.

Whenever that happened, Philip would kick me hard. After watching me fall to the ground, he would grin nastily and say, "What a goddamn worthless piece of trash!"

After every client, Julia's body was covered in bruises. But for some reason, a strange fragrance came from her. Even though she hadn't bathed, the scent was overpowering. It made me feel lightheaded and filled me with the urge to fall asleep in her arms.

I shook my head hard to get rid of those weird thoughts. As I helped Julia tidy the bed, I lowered my voice and asked, "Julia, do you hate Philip?"

Julia gave a faint smile. "What's the point of hating him? This is probably just my fate."

Just then, the door was kicked open with great force.

Philip came back reeking of booze. The moment he spotted Julia, he lunged at her and unbuckled his belt at the same time. "You tramp, since all those guys have had their turn, it's time for me to enjoy myself."

A single tear rolled down Julia's cheek as she looked at me, her gaze filled with sorrow. She gestured for me to leave quickly.

I clenched my fists, wanting to rush over and punch Philip. But I was too thin, and I was a girl. If I tried anything, he would probably beat me to death.

Mom let out a sharp shriek from behind the door, grabbed me by the ear, and hauled me out. "You brat, stop bothering your brother while he's trying to get Julia pregnant, or I'll beat you to death!"

I looked at Mom with a bitter smile. I wondered how they could be sure the child would be Philip's if Julia got pregnant, since they forced her to sleep with so many men every day.

Philip made a deafening sound inside the room.

Mom stood outside with her hands on her hips and shouted, "You useless woman, hurry up and give our family a grandchild, or I'll make you suffer!"

I felt sorry for Julia.

I couldn't sleep, so I wandered aimlessly around the village and ended up at Lara Clay's front door.

Lara was a widow. A few years back, her daughter had been taken by wolves in the hills. She was deeply unfortunate. Even though she had a fiery personality, she had always been decent to me.

When I washed the entire family's clothes in the freezing river during winter, Lara helped me wash a few items and complained about how heartless Mom was.

Sometimes, she would slip me a few fruit candies I had never tasted before. One Christmas, she quietly pulled me into her home and let me try dishes that smelled amazing.

Yet the villagers were a little afraid of Lara because she was a medium with second sight, someone who could perceive things most people couldn't see or understand. They whispered behind her back that she brought bad luck to her husband and child.

To my surprise, the lights in Lara's home were still on at that late hour.

It was as if Lara knew I was coming. She opened the door and pulled me into the living room. She looked conflicted and said, "Kate, I need to tell you something. Don't breathe a word of it to anyone."

"What is it, Lara?" I asked.

"I suspect… your sister-in-law isn't human," she replied.

What? Julia was so beautiful and kind. How could she not be human? Besides, if she wasn't, why would she put up with Philip hitting her and Mom screaming at her every day?

Seeing the disbelief on my face, Lara sighed. "Kate, I know you're a good girl, so I don't want anything to happen to you. Do you know what's hovering over your house every night when Julia takes in clients?"

As if afraid I wouldn't believe her, Lara patted my hand firmly. "It's surrounded by thick clouds of dark energy."

"Why have I never seen it?" I asked.

"I can see things others can't. I'm more experienced with the supernatural than you are," she answered.

"Then what is Julia?"

"I think Julia is a… snake demon."

My eyes widened.

"I heard that your mom found Julia in the hills and that she was injured when she was brought back. Kate, think about it. How could a grown woman be found in those hills where wild animals are everywhere?

"Julia is a snake demon in disguise. Their kind is naturally lustful. Your mom putting her to work only played into that. Just you wait. It won't be long before she reveals her true nature. When that happens, things are going to get very ugly."

"Lara, it's not that I don't believe you, but… how can you prove Julia is a snake demon?"

"Sneak a look while Julia is with a man. If she's a weak snake demon, her shadow will give away her true form. Furthermore, anyone who sleeps with a snake will grow scales on their body within a few days. After a while, they'll rot away and die. Even angels can't save them."

After Lara finished speaking, she grabbed my hand tightly. "Kate, remember—if anything seems off with Julia, run immediately. Now go home. If you stay out any longer, your mom will yell at you again."

I nodded gratefully at Lara.

Because I kept thinking about what she said, I spent the whole day in a daze and even burned dinner. Mom beat me for it.

That night, Mom did something unexpected. Instead of putting the red light out, she pushed Philip toward Julia's room right after dinner. "Get moving. I've done the math on the timing. Give our family a child as soon as possible!"

I kept Lara's words in the back of my mind.

While Mom went out to chat with the neighbors, I quietly slipped to the door of Julia's room. It wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, I saw Julia's flushed cheeks. Her dark hair hung over her chest, making her skin look strikingly pale.

Julia's legs were wrapped around Philip's waist, rising and falling with his movements as she let out soft moans. Philip kept thrusting as he muttered filthy, crude words.

The room was dimly lit. Remembering what Lara had told me, I quickly looked for Julia's shadow. The moment I saw it, I clapped a hand over my mouth.

Even though Julia had her legs around Philip's waist, the shadow on the wall showed a large snake coiled tightly around him, its head raised high and its tail swishing eagerly.

I wondered if Julia was really a snake demon.

Julia seemed to notice me outside the door right away. She turned and glared at me with round, dark eyes that showed no white at all.

I broke into a cold sweat. I rushed back to my room and huddled under the blanket, trembling.

Mom came back, muttering curses under her breath. "Strutting around like that, doing nothing but luring men all day, and she still can't manage to get pregnant."

I desperately wanted to run out and clamp a hand over Mom's mouth. If Julia was a snake demon, would she devour our entire family?

For several days after that, I couldn't bring myself to look Julia in the eye, terrified I'd see those black eyes from that night. But Julia treated me even more kindly and often insisted on doing my chores for me.

…

To everyone's surprise, Julia became pregnant a few days later.

Mom was so happy that she killed a chicken to celebrate. It flapped a few times before going still. She told me to bring over a basin of hot water to pluck the feathers.

I carefully carried the hot water into the yard. That was when I saw Julia crouching on the ground, chewing on something. The corners of her mouth were smeared dark red, and there were a few chicken feathers stuck to her lips.

I was so startled that I didn't dare to breathe. My mind went completely blank. I forced out a smile. "Julia, w-what are you eating?"

Julia calmly wiped her mouth. As she walked past me, she said softly, "Kate, I don't have much of an appetite, so just save some chicken soup for me."

I plucked the chicken with shaking hands, only to find that all its organs were gone. When Mom saw it, she assumed a stray cat had gotten to it and launched into another string of curses.

…

Julia's belly grew at an alarming speed, becoming perfectly round within three days. Since Philip couldn't sleep with her during that time, he spent every day in the village gambling and drinking.

One day, Julia said she was craving honey water. Mom sent me to the edge of the village to buy some honey while grumbling under her breath, "Make the most of it while you can. If that baby isn't a boy, I'll beat you to death."

I trudged toward the village entrance, feeling hollow.

Along the way, I ran into Felix Rowland. He was one of the men who had been with Julia at our house before.

Felix blocked my path with a sly grin. "How come your sister-in-law hasn't been taking clients lately? Her skills are really—"

I kept my head down and said, "Julia is pregnant."

Felix looked excited. "What? Could it be mine?"

I shook my head. Just then, I noticed Felix scratching his arm as if it were itching. The patch of skin had been clawed raw until it was nearly purple, dotted all over with tiny markings that looked just like snake scales.

Lara had been right. The men who had been with Julia were starting to grow scales.

Strangely, no scales appeared on Philip. I didn't see any on his legs, arms, or face.

…

In less than a month, Julia's belly had swollen to the size of a ball. She walked around the yard with one hand pressed against her lower back.

Aside from that one night, I never saw Julia's shadow take the shape of a snake again. I wondered if my eyes had played tricks on me.

But how could I explain the scales on Felix's body? Could it have been some kind of skin condition?

…

On a stormy night with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, blood pooled beneath Julia's legs. She writhed on the bed in agony.

Mom said she was going into labor. I asked if we should fetch the midwife from the village, but she slapped me.

Mom said she had delivered both me and Philip herself, so there was no need to spend the money. She said childbirth wouldn't kill anyone. Then she kicked me and told me to get a basin of hot water.

When I carried the water in, Julia's face was pale with pain, and her legs were spread wide. The sight was frightening.

Mom's hands were covered in blood as she reached between Julia's legs, pulling at something.

"It hurts. It hurts so much," Julia groaned.

Mom told me to hold Julia down.

Mom's hair hung wild around her face, making her look monstrous. She slowly pulled an egg from between Julia's legs. "It's out, it's out."

The egg was as large as a washbasin, golden and oval. Julia had actually given birth to a golden egg.

The egg was eerie. It grew increasingly transparent with each passing second. I could almost make out a small black snake moving inside, its red forked tongue flicking in and out.

Yet Mom cradled the egg in her arms, cooing and rocking it as though it were a baby.

I was convinced that Mom had lost her mind. I moved beside her and tugged at her sleeve. "Mom, Julia laid an egg."

Then I turned around and saw that Julia, who had been lying there soaked in blood just moments ago, was gone.