I received a package yesterday

It was sitting on my welcome mat, just a plain cardboard box with no markings or postage stamps. Being 5 a.m. this was quite perplexing, but I was late for work so I put the box on my kitchen counter and went on my way. I spent the whole time wondering about the mysterious package I was greeted with, assuming my boyfriend wanted to surprise me with a little something.

I rushed home as soon as work was over, just so I could put my curiosity to rest. I unlocked my door, pushing it open to see my cat, Polly, dead and covered in blood. Tears ran down my cheeks as I mourned the loss of my friend, I buried her in the little bit of backyard I have behind my duplex. I headed back inside and flipped myself on the couch, trying to forget the bloodbath I cleaned up when I remembered the box.

You could imagine my surprise as I looked over at my kitchen counter to see the box was opened. I jumped from the couch faster than I fell into it, inching my way until I was standing right next to it. I peered inside and saw an odd looking dreamcatcher. It was fairly large, about the size of a basketball hoop, with dark thread and brown beads. I lifted it carefully from the box to reveal bones dangling from some form of twine, maybe ribbon. They looked like chicken bones to me, one definitely looked gnawed on, which must have had something to do with my cats death.

This thing had to be from my boyfriend, he knows how much I read r/nosleep and love the macabre. I threw the dreamcatcher back in the box and headed to bed, it was an exhausting day after all. That night I had the most unforgettable dream I’ve ever had in my life.

The beginning was fuzzy, much as they always are, but it got quite clear when I saw Polly. I was in the bathtub relaxing in the warm water, I remember it smelling like lavender; I didn’t even know you could smell in your dreams! Anyway, she was sitting on the toilet seat, just licking herself to no end, her legs, her chest, her butt, anything she could reach. There wasn’t any fur or even skin there, just muscle tissue and what looked like bone, I couldn’t tell from all of the blood she was covered in. That’s when I noticed there wasn’t any blood anywhere else, and I felt the strangest sense of calm. She meowed at me, leapt from the toilet and darted down the hall.

I turned my attention back to my bath, the water seemed different but I didn’t seem to pay much mind to it. I grabbed my razor off the shelf and started to shave my legs, I pulled the blades across my ankle and peeled off my skin! It wrinkled up against the razor blood filling the tub, but I didn’t stop. I just kept shaving the skin off my legs until it was all gone. I looked at my legs, bits of skin lingered as if mocking my attempt to shave. The muscle pulsed and writhed, my veins dangled and dripped blood endlessly into the bath.

After examining what was left of my legs, I dipped them back into the bathwater, the pain from which woke me up. When I opened my eyes, I screamed loud enough to wake up my neighbor, my legs burned like they had been set on fire, or worse, like my dream had been real. I threw the covers off of me and looked down to see my normal legs. The pain was still very real though, my neighbor pounded on my door asking if I was alright, which must have been when I passed out because when I woke up I was surrounded by paramedics and police officers. They asked what happened and what was going on so I told them my dream and about the pain which continued and they sent me to the hospital.

They have no idea what’s wrong with me, so they’re keeping me here until they find something or probably send me to a psych ward. I didn’t tell them about the dreamcatcher, or my cat, but I have a feeling it’s all very connected.

I’m hoping maybe one of you guys has an idea of what may have happened, or what’s going on here. I’m kind of scared to go back home, but I really want to know what the hell is going on. My boyfriend is on his way to the hospital now, so I’ll find out if he gave me that stupid box or not. Thanks ahead of time.

[Part 2] (https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/4eudha/i_received_a_package_yesterday_part_2/)