Man’s Garage Is Quarantined After Opening Neighbor’s Package

What smells so bad?

When Mike opens his creaky garage doors, he is met with a revolting smell. He gags in disgust as he steps inside. What could be the source of the retched odor? Mike felt a horrible feeling descend into the pit of his stomach as his neighbor’s parcel catches Mike’s attention. The smell came from whatever was contained within the package.

He initially assumed his neighbor had received one of those monthly meat subscription boxes. But the contents of the box weren’t even animal meat. It was genuinely out of this world.

Just A Regular Man

Mike Jones was a regular guy from a regular town. Many people in the community remembered Mike as a polite and compassionate neighbor who was always willing to help.

But Mike had no clue what was in store for him when he volunteered to aid a new neighbor. He believed it was a kind gesture, but he was utterly wrong.

Friendly Neighbor 

Mike had resided in the same house for the last 11 years, and he greeted each new family that moved into the neighborhood with a smile and a wave.

As any friendly neighbor would, Mike agreed when his new neighbor asked him to collect any mail or deliveries he had received while he was away. On the other hand, Mike had no idea what he was about to discover.

Going Viral

Mike’s new neighbor was much younger than him. He was a Youtuber who, like many others, seemed to enjoy filming bizarre videos, hoping that they would go viral. Mike rolled his eyes at one of those videos that included finding an M&M in a pool of skittles.

Mike wasn’t bothered at first. “He’s just a kid,” he reasoned. But Mike had no idea how far his neighbor would go to achieve stardom.

Youtuber Asks For Favor

Mike received a knock on the door one Friday afternoon. He answered and was astonished to learn that it was his YouTuber neighbor.

His neighbor was going away for several weeks and had requested Mike to pick up his mail while he was away. Mike was happy to hear this because it meant he’d be out of the way for a while. But Mike had no indication of what was about to happen to him.

Mysterious Package 

His neighbor left the next day, and during the first few days, Mike had only retrieved invoices and letters from his neighbor’s house.

Then, one night, Mike found a parcel in front of his neighbor’s house. ‘RETURN TO SENDER’ was written in bright red on it. Mike had no idea then, but this mystery box was about to shatter his world.

What Did It Contain?

The item was fairly large, and Mike struggled as he dragged it over to his house to keep it safe for his neighbor. He intended to store it in his garage, but the package was large.

Mike was a burly man who had done a lot of weightlifting in the gym, but still, he had difficulty moving this box. What was contained inside? He assumed it was furniture, but he was completely mistaken.

Letting It Drop

Mike had finally transported his neighbor’s enormous box into his garage after around 15 minutes. However, as he opened the creaky garage doors, he lost his hold on the box, and it slid to the ground.

Mike stopped when he heard a crack echoing from inside the box. Whoops. Mike had no clue what he had just done and prayed it wasn’t too pricey.

Forgetting The Package

Mike headed into his house after shoving the box into the garage corner and pulling down his noisy garage doors.

He had forgotten about the package until a few days later. But then, one day, he noticed something that left him sick to his stomach: a putrid smell lingered in the house.

A Terrible Smell 

One morning, while Mike was in his kitchen cooking breakfast, he noticed that something was off; there was a strange smell lingering around the room. As the day went by, he could smell it in every room of the house. 

At first, it was nothing more than a light odor, but then the smell transformed into something truly horrific. It was like roadkill. 

Where Was It Coming From?

Mike searched all around his house, inspecting each and every corner and nook; however, he 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 Mike 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. The reasonable thing to do was put it into the fridge right after delivery, but maybe his neighbor had forgotten to mention it to Mike.

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 at 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 stunk 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.

The Terrible Truth 

Mike was correct when he guessed that the source of the smell had come from rotting meat. That stench could only be coming from that sort of thing. But it wasn’t from a pig or a cow. Very far from it.

It was from a human. As a matter of fact, it was from a human that Mike knew very well: his own neighbor.

Calling The Cops

Mike’s mouth dropped wide open when he saw his neighbor inside the box. He was evidently dead but in one piece.

He ran out of his garage and called for help on his cellphone. Mike felt sick to his stomach. As quick as a flash, the cops turned up but Mike wasn’t prepared for what he would later find out.

Interrogation 

As expected the cops took Mike in for interrogation, seeing as he was the one with a corpse in the garage… Thankfully, they realized he had nothing to do with it and let him go.

But there was something inside the box alongside his neighbor’s corpse that was a crucial piece of evidence. It would change everything and ultimately prove Mike’s innocence. The neighbor was holding a vlogging camera. 

Watching The Footage 

The cops showed Mike the footage from his neighbor’s camera. He had no idea what he was going to watch, but he knew he had to find out. 

Already emotional from uncovering a corpse in his garage, what Mike saw on his neighbor’s footage left him even more lost for words. He felt sick to his stomach and was close to fainting.

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 that’s what he thought. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

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 that mailed himself home. He would get thousands of views on his channel and make a good profit out of ad revenue. Maybe he would even get some interviews on mainstream media.

And people did, indeed, end up hearing about him. But it was for a much more harrowing and eerie reason. 

His Last Few Hours

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. His neighbor had broken his neck.

Sick To His Stomach 

After watching this footage Mike felt sick to his stomach. While he thought his neighbor was stupid for attempting such a dangerous prank, he never could have expected it would have cost him his life.

But there was something that Mike had failed to mention to the police. It was a crucial detail that would have major consequences.

A Terrible Secret 

You see, in his neighbor’s footage, just after the box toppled over and his neighbor broke his neck, Mike heard a noise that sounded incredibly familiar. When he realized what it was, he felt a shiver going down his spine.

It was a sound that he knew very well: the screeching sound of his own garage door.  

The One To Blame! 

Could it be that Mike was to blame for his neighbor’s unfortunate incident? Instantly, Mike was hit by a violent wave of anguish and anxiety. Had he been responsible for his neighbor’s death?

What should he do? What would the police say about it? But surely, they had checked the footage as well. They knew that the cause of the accident was the box toppling over. However, there was one essential detail.

Something They Didn’t Know

Just by checking the footage, the police had no way of knowing where the accident had taken place: they didn’t know whose responsibility it was. 

For all they knew, the box could have fallen off the truck upon delivery, or from one of the racks inside the truck. While reflecting this, Mike came to an appalling realization.

In The Dark

The police had no way of knowing that the accident had occurred inside his garage; therefore, they were in the dark about the fact that it was Mike who dropped the box, causing his neighbor’s death.

In other words, they couldn’t know anything about the extent of Mike’s involvement in the accident unless he told them about it. Mike broke out in a cold sweat.

Dilemma

Now, Mike was faced with a dilemma he could have never guessed he would have to encounter. Should he tell the police about what really happened? Should he tell them that the screech they could hear on the footage was his garage door?

In other words: should he tell them that his neighbor died inside his house and as a result of him dropping the box?

Fear

In a few seconds, Mike saw his whole life flashing before his eyes as his heart galloped inside his chest, threatening to jump out of his mouth.

He had visions of himself in front of a court, with handcuffs and an orange overall before being sentenced and then spending the rest of his life in prison or getting out as an old man.

Why Him?

And it was all just because of his neighbor’s stupid Youtube video that Mike didn’t even have business being involved with. 

Why couldn’t his neighbor have started a channel of fragrance reviews or video games? Why did he have to set himself up for a risky prank and get Mike involved without telling him anything about it?

Frightened

Mike felt frightened, devastated, furious, and regretful, all rolled into one. He felt like crying, screaming, and yelling all types of insults and curses dedicated to his neighbor.

But all he could do now was sit on that chair in the police station, while the officers around him showed him the footage. But what should Mike do now?

Should He Tell The Truth?

Should he tell the police the truth and risk going to jail, or should he just pretend he didn’t hear that screech, play dumb, not mention it at all, and carry on with his life? 

Would he be able to live all his life with the certainty that his neighbor died inside his garage and that he lied to the police about it?

They Looked At Him

One police officer stopped the video right there and then. Then, all the officers in the room turned back and looked at Mike for a few seconds.

All eyes were on him. He could feel big drops of sweat going down his forehead and flooding the palms of his hand. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, one of the officers spoke.

A Few Questions

“I’m sorry for this,” the officer said. “I can see that you’re distressed. The footage is certainly quite disturbing and I’m sorry that you had to watch it, but it’s necessary.”

“Now, with your permission and my fellow officers’, I’m going to have to ask you a few questions about what we all have just seen playing on that screen.”

The Moment Of Truth

“I would like to ask you if the box fell down inside your garage or after you picked it up,” he said, giving Mike an ice cold stare that looked like it could perforate into his mind and his very soul.

A few seconds of silence followed. Mike’s heart was beating like a drum. Now, it was the moment of truth. 

Decision

Now, Mike had to make the decision. He could tell the officer the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and face whatever consequences followed from it.

Or he could omit that one single detail that made him have a part, no matter how accidental and unwilling, in someone else’s death and carry on with his life like nothing happened.

He Spoke

After some quiet seconds that felt like an eternity, Mike finally spoke. He opened his mouth to give his version to the police officers surrounding him, staring at him with piercing eyes.

But before he could speak, he noticed that words couldn’t come out of his mouth. He noticed something. It was something that had never happened to him in many years.

Tears

Tears began flowing down his face and he broke down. He couldn’t take it anymore. He admitted all the truth: the box toppled over inside his garage. It was him that lost his grip on it, resulting in his neighbor’s death.

Mike buried his face inside his hands, shaking and crying. What was going to happen to him now? Was he going to jail?

Shocked

The police officers seemed shocked by his reaction. One of them brought him a glass of water, and the officer who had asked him the question waited a few seconds before speaking back.

“Well, I’m sorry for what you’re going through. However, you must know that you won’t be accused of manslaughter. It was an accident. However, there’s something that might happen.”

Compensation

“Your neighbor’s family might consider that you’re liable for the accident and they might have the right to claim compensation. However, the judge will have the last word in all of this.”

Mike felt relieved to hear this. Besides, now his conscience was clean. But now, there was a new worry in his life. Would his neighbor’s family claim compensation?

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.