Dream - Rat Race Fuel

I lied in bed resting and felt something strange - I remember being bitten at my toes, feeling chewed up. I thought they might have been rats feasting on my feet; whatever they were had jagged and pointy teeth. My legs were prodded like pins and needles, except, instead of feeling tickled, all the fatty, fleshy parts were being chewed off. Their eyes traced my body like lasers piercing the surface of my skin. Their beady eyes glowed red in the shadows and their teeth shined like hundreds of daggers. No one could hear my pleas for help; just me and the creatures fueling my nightmare.  

I thought, maybe I'm plagued by these images because we currently have pest problems at home. My instincts pushed me to look beyond the obvious and understand what the symbols could mean. I'd never felt so hopeless in dream analysis until that moment. The articles I found suggested allusions to the "Rat Race" lifestyle catching up to me. Working under highly stressful conditions, only to earn minuscule gains - hence, the cheese at the end of the maze. Even then, I don't feel I'm being rewarded with much of anything outside of these experiences. I've continued working through these severe conditions, only to come home feeling more restless than before.

Only in My Dreams would something as ordinary as sleeping become a nightmare. I always wonder what my subconscious tries to warn me about with these vivid scenes. Sometimes, the vision comes too late and it becomes an awakening reality. The rats that feasted on my limbs planted foul seeds in my mind. This undying feeling that I may not escape the Rat Race if I remain stagnant, in the darkness. It's one of those situations where you watch your fears devour you. I know I'm stronger than this though; I'm slowly breaking away from the nightmare. I have to find the light that leads out of the maze, where hopefully, the reward is worth more than a piece of cheese.

I wonder what's in store for me? I hope to wake up soon.