I sit alone in my room. Music is blaring so loudly that is hurts my head. Yet 

the pain seems to make me feel less numb. All these years I’ve put on a happy

 mask. Everyone around always called me the fun person, happy go lucky, 

hyper, and funny person. If they only knew how alone I felt, the sadness, the

 tears that have been shed behind these doors. Would any of them even care 

for the real me? Day after day I wake to place this mask on, if not then the

 world wouldn’t be the same. I enter work giving a smile only to be yelled at 

by my supervisor for their own mistake. Suppose someone has to take the 

blame why not the person who always smiles. They make me go to the head 

boss apologizing for something I’d not done. How this person kept their job

 was a real question. Walking from the room I let out a sigh and smiling back

 to my supervisor. Then I go to the same work I did every day. The 

continuous motions were second nature. The saying fake it till it becomes 

reality could kiss my ass.

This repetitive motion could make anyone dull to their environment. When 

work was done everyone rushed to their belongings ready to leave. Each 

person like a zombie in a herd leaving the building. Once out the cold night 

air hits hard waking everyone up. I smile nicely as invited out for drinks. No 

one wants me to refuse, yet I wish they would let me leave. Giving up I go to

the bar with everyone. It was a nice place for being a bar although there was 

a man there that I’d never seen. He just sat at the bar staring at my group. His

 eyes were cold and twisted yet it didn’t seem to scare me any. My co-

workers started to drink, laugh, and eat while I watched him. A smile came to 

his lips as he looked me up and down. 

“Hey! Trish are you going to drink with us or check out the guy?”

 My co-worker snapped me back to reality as I blushed slightly.

 “Sorry about that. Yes I will drink too.” 

I down the shot placed before me, not even thinking.

I glanced up to see the man was still watching me. It was like his eyes could 

see through my painted mask. On one level it was enthralling the other not 

so much. Was he some kind of creep or even murderer for all I knew. I 

laughed a little at a stupid joke from one of the people in our group. The 

night seemed to drag on the same. I would take a shot here and there as 

watching the man. He never even looked to anyone else. Was I that 

fascinating? Either way my group was getting ready to leave when he walked 

over. 

“Excuse me miss would you like to have another drink with me?”

 The others just looked to me then waved their good-byes. Standing up I nod

 being led over to the bar. This time it didn’t bother me to have a drink. In all 

truth I wanted to know about this man. We drank a few more then rounds as 

he lead me from the bar. In my head it was a bad idea to go with him, yet I 

didn’t listen.

He drove to a huge house leading me inside. I followed as he took me to a 

room. It was dark as I felt a little cold chill run down my spine. 

“You are empty just like me. I like that about you.”

 Turning my head I could see his face. His eyes were so cold and murderous. 

Was this man going to kill me? As the lights turned on there sat my

 supervisor chained in a chair. Why wasn’t my first thought to try and help 

them? The man placed his arm around my waist just softly kissing my neck.

 “I’ve been watching you for a while now Trish. You and I are so much a like.

 We kept all the pain inside, not wanting to hurt people. But what if you

 finally let it all out?”

 I turn touching his face slightly.

 “What is your name?”

 He smiled kissing my lips tenderly.

 “It is Zack.”

 My supervisor was screaming under the gag placed in their mouth. This

 room had everything prepared for painting. It was slightly amusing to see

 them stuck like this. As I walked over they looked to Zack then pee’d their

 pants.

All the times I took the fault for their failures. All the times they hit me calling

 me incompetent. This would be sweet revenge if I did something to them.

 Perhaps what Zack said was true that it would feel nice to let it all out. 

“What should I do to them?”

 Zack walked over with a small push tray. Laying on top was several medical

 tools along with normal tools you could buy at the hardware store. I looked

 over to see the fear in my supervisors eyes once more but this time it was

 placed towards me. I take a simple scalpel from the tray. 

“I’m done taking the blame for everything you do wrong.”

 Walking over they started to squirm more in the chair, even crying some.

 Their tears meant nothing to me. Did they care about all the times I cried?

 No, this person was one of those that made my life a living hell. They drove

 me to wear that fucked up smiling mask.

Zack sits down in a chair he brought just to watch the show. For one second I

 glance back at Zack, he is smiling. His smiles actually made me feel good for

 once. Now it was time to get payback, I cut their clothing off to reveal all 

their naked flesh. Slowly I place the scalpel on the upper arm letting the 

tiniest drop of blood trickle down. It was like a new door opened to me with

 that tiniest trickle of blood. All the rage I’ve kept pent up was coming to the 

surface. I wanted to make them suffer as they had me.

 “Don’t even think of begging.”

 My voice was cold as I sliced down the arm. I kept slicing till all the skin on 

their arms and legs were gone. They were covered in blood as was I. Their 

body twitched as I poked the scalpel into some muscle. It was amazing what

 the human body could endure. For the first time I actually felt a live. Zack 

came up behind me, kissing me tenderly as he showed me how to slowly 

torture someone. Once done we went to his room. I felt like my body was on 

fire as we made love.

Zack held me in his arms as I cuddled him. It wasn’t even hard to believe what

 we had just done. A part of me felt so free that I’d actually fly away any 

moment. In the morning I borrowed some clothes getting ready for work. 

Zack placed a kiss on my lips handing me a key to the house. 

“From now on I am yours and you are mine.”

His words made me feel safe and loved. I leaned up kissing him. Zack placed a

 second set of keys in my hand as well. 

“What is this for?”

 He laughed a little then pointed to the drive way.

 “We live far out in the country, I’m not letting you walk to work.”

 I leaned up kissing him once more. This felt like a heavenly dream. As I pulled

 up to work there were several people just standing there crying. Zack had

 left the body where it could be found but poured acid onto the remains

 getting rid of our prints. After parking the car I try to fake console people

 about our boss. It still felt good knowing they died at our hands.

Soon we all went on with our lives. I lived with Zack ten years before things

 would change. One the night our child became nine the police came to our

 home. They had accused our son of stabbing another child at school. 

Personally I gave him a reward for it but couldn’t let those idiots know. In the

 back of the police was the child and it’s mother. They barged into our place

 demanding my son to be taken away. There was nothing wrong with our 

family. I punched the woman closing the door. That is when Zack gave me the

 look. Our son Eric went to his room grabbing his favorite toy. It was a 

machete hat I’d given him when he turned four. The police barged in as 

getting stabbed by my husband. The woman and her son tried to run as I

 pushed pass stabbing them both in their necks. That is when I heard shots

 fired. My family was being shot at inside the house. One of the police had 

lived though being stabbed. My husband lay dead on the floor as my son was 

bleeding out. Soon as I entered another shot was fired. I could feel the blood

 gushing from the wound. I make myself walk over pulling my husband to our

 son the sit on the floor holding them both. Eric looked to me with a tender

 smile as the light left his eyes. I smiled up to the police officer. 

“Thank you for letting us go together, we all loved one another but this

 world was so ugly. It turned pure souls into us dark ones. Maybe you can 

stop someone before they reach our level. Good bye.”