What Was Inside The Package?
Mike opens his squeaky garage doors and a repulsive smell knocks him back. He retches in disgust as soon as he sets foot inside. Where was the smell coming from? Suddenly, Mike sees his neighbor's package and a terrible feeling hits the pit of his stomach. The smell was coming from whatever was inside the package.
At first, he thought perhaps his neighbor had ordered one of those monthly-meat-subscription-boxes. But what was inside the box was not meat. It was something truly unimaginable.
An Ordinary Man
Mike Jones was an ordinary man in an ordinary town. Throughout the community, many townspeople knew Mike as a friendly and caring neighbor, who would be willing to help anybody out.
But Mike had no idea what was coming to him when agreed to help a new neighbor out. He thought it was a gesture of kindness but he was so wrong.
The Perfect Neighbour
Mike had lived in the same house for the past 11 years, and with every new family that moved into the neighborhood, he welcomed them with a smile and a wave.
So when his new neighbor asked Mike to pick up any mail or parcels he had delivered while he was away, Mike agreed, as any friendly neighbor would. But Mike had no idea what he was about to uncover.
A YouTuber
Mike’s new neighbor was younger than him. He was one of those YouTubers who seemed to enjoy filming wacky videos in hopes he would go viral. One of those videos included finding an M&M in a pool of skittles, which Mike just rolled his eyes at.
At first, Mike didn’t mind. “He’s just young,” he thought. But Mike had no idea the lengths his neighbor would go to become famous.
Asking For A Favour
One Friday afternoon, Mike heard a knock at the door. He answered and was surprised to see it was his YouTuber neighbor.
It turned out his neighbor was going away for a few weeks and he asked Mike to get his mail while he was gone. Mike was relieved to hear this, at least he’d be out of the way. But Mike had no idea what was coming to him.
A Strange Package
His neighbor set off the following day, and for the first few days, it was merely bills and letters that Mike had retrieved from his neighbor's house.
Then one night, Mike came across a package at the front of his neighbor's house. Written on it was ‘RETURN TO SENDER’ in bright red. Mike didn’t know it at the time, but this mysterious package was about to tear his world in two.
What Was Inside?
The package was quite big, and with a struggle, Mike pushed the box over to his home to keep safe for his neighbor. He planned on putting it in his garage, but the parcel was heavy.
Mike was a pretty strong guy who was no stranger to weightlifting at the gym, yet he struggled to move this box. What was inside? He thought maybe it was furniture, but he was so wrong.
Dropping It
It took around 15 minutes and Mike had finally managed to transport his neighbor's large box into his own garage. But as he opened the squeaky garage doors, suddenly he lost grip on the box and it fell to the ground.
Whoops. He hoped it was nothing too expensive in there, but Mike had no idea what he had just done.
Forgetting All About It
Luckily, there was no car in his garage. He had been using the space for storage. After pushing the box into the corner of the garage, Mike pulled down his squeaky garage doors and headed back inside his home.
He had forgotten all about the box... until a few days passed.
A Terrible Smell
A few days passed and Mike had noticed a strange smell lingering around his house. At first, it was nothing more than a light odor, but then the smell transformed into something truly horrific. It was like roadkill.
Mike searched all around his house but couldn’t find the source. But then he realized he hadn’t checked his garage. He opened the squeaky garage door, and the repulsive smell knocked him back. He walked inside the garage, covering his nose. He had no idea what he was about to uncover.
Inside The Garage
Mike scanned all around his garage to try and find the source of the smell. With each step, Mike felt the smell getting stronger and stronger.
But then he realized something: the smell was coming from the box in the corner. Mike felt a terrible feeling hit the pit of his stomach as he looked at his neighbor's box.
More And More Questions
At first, Mike thought perhaps his neighbor had ordered one of those monthly-meat-subscription-boxes. They were incredibly popular throughout the neighborhood.
But, judging by the weight of the box, it must be filled with meat. But what was inside the box was not animal meat. It was something truly unimaginable.
Repulsed
Mike covered his nose as he got closer to the box. He picked up a pair of scissors and bent down, but then he saw the box was soggy. Mike was repulsed by this.
He cut through the top of the box, and just when he thought the smell couldn’t get worse, he flipped open the flaps and discovered a new meaning of the word stink.
Running Out For Air
Straight away as Mike Opened the box he was met with a smell that was so disgusting, it made Mike retch.
Quickly, he ran outside for some fresh air. What was inside the box that stank so badly? He knew he had to find it out, but he wasn’t prepared for what he would find.
Taking A Deep Breath
No amount of air fresheners, sprays, or deodorants could keep the smell from lingering inside Mike’s nostrils.
He knew he had to go back inside the garage and take a look inside the box. He took a deep breath before walking back into the garage, but he had no idea what he was about to find.
Looking Inside The Package
Armed with a cloth covering his nose, a garbage bag in one hand, and cleaning bleach in the other, Mike made his way over to the box ready to get rid of whatever was inside.
But as Mike was about to find out he didn’t need any of those things. What he was about to find inside the box was nothing that could be cleaned or washed away. It was something that would haunt Mike for years to come.
Camera
Mike’s mouth dropped wide open when he opened the box. Inside he found a camera
Mike picked up the camera and saw it was recording, He tried rewinding the footage but at that moment it died. He scrambled to the kitchen to find a plug to charge the battery.
The Footage
With the battery on charge, Mike had to wait, what was on the video camera? And did it explain the scent from the box? He promised himself he wouldn't rummage any further into the box before he looked at the camera.
But there here was something inside the box alongside the camera that turned out to be a crucial piece of evidence. It would change everything.
Watching The Footage
After watching the footage Mike showed it to the police. They would get to the bottom of it, they would find out what had happened.
Already emotional from the box in his garage, the police would soon understand once they looked inside the box in the garage.
A Prank Gone Wrong
You see, the footage showed Mike’s neighbor sitting inside the box at a shipping facility. He spoke into the camera and told people he was going to mail himself across the county. He had food, blankets, flashlights, and bottles.
The plan was foolproof, or so he thought.
Didn’t See It Coming
His neighbor thought this prank was going to make him go viral. Soon enough, people worldwide would hear about the guy who mailed himself home.
The neighbor was desperate to become famous, and people did end up hearing about him and his prank... But for a much more harrowing reason.
The Last Few Hours Of Footage
Throughout the following hours of footage, Mike’s neighbor seemed cool, calm, and collected despite being stuck and crammed inside a box. At one point, he told his viewers thought he was, “in a truck, ready to be delivered.”
But in the last piece of footage in Mike’s neighbor's harrowing video diary, he confidently told the camera “he had a feeling he was near home.” Then, suddenly, the box toppled over and the shot went to black. So what was in the box?
Sick To His Stomach
Inside the shipping box underneath the camera was five military-grade cans of putrescine that were rigged to an elaborate timer that was set to dispense the foul-smelling “riot bombs” -- they were set to go off on the hour, every hour.
Putrescine is a chemical that produces a scent that is almost identical to organic putrefaction. There was also concrete to weigh the box down and a clothed mannequin to fool Mike.
Filming The Entire Thing
So where was Mike's neighbor? He had been filming the entire event from his bedroom window. But he took it way too far.
He didn't think Mike would call the police. Somehow he just didn't things would escalate the way they did. He just thought that Mike would figure out that it was a prank and it'd make for a hilarious prank on YouTube.
Consequences
Did Mike's neighbor really think it was worth it? He was really desperate to make it as a YouTuber and he really thought this was the only way. He deserves a little credit at least, for setting up the whole elaborate prank.
We bet Mike wasn't laughing though, the harrowing experience that led him to believe something far worse had happened will haunt him for a while.