Cold. His skin was as cold as ice. His face lifeless. I stare down at him for a few moments. The sound of my phone buzzing pulls me out of my trace.
"This is Detective Vause…. Ok. I'm on my way."
I stare down at my latest prize, and with a sigh of disappointment I let the door slam shut. As the door closes I concentrate. I concentrate on controlling it, controlling my Dark Passenger. It fights, it always fights. It screams at me. Screams for me to let it swallow the person I pretend to be whole. My Dark Passenger wants me to let the mask I hide behind crumble.
But I can't. Because I am something special. I have mastered the art of deception. People like me never blend in, we always stand out. But I stand out for all of the right reasons. I have the smile, the personality, and the look that hold the mask together.
There are 42 individual muscles in the face and I have learned to control each one. When the average individual interacts with others these muscles work together to create signs of emotion; happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise. I don't know what any of those things feel like, because I feel nothing. But I have learned how to fake these emotions. I've learned how to let those small signs of emotion dance across my face. And that's what sets me apart from the rest of my kind.
I make my way towards the exit. As I activate the alarm to my safe haven I feel the change. I feel the mask take charge. The mask forces my Dark Passenger down, down into the depths of myself, so that it can no longer be detected. When the security light turns green I head towards the stairs.
With my keys in hand I head towards my car.
Duty calls…