How is this internet troll convincing people to commit suicide? I conversed with him for so much longer than the others. I suffered vile words. Why am I not jumping off the top of my apartment building? Why am I not trying to kill myself?
It would be a good idea. If she were to die, then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything ever again. No more fears about water. No more loneliness. It would solve so much. Why live when it was so much simpler to just die?
She switched off the shower, banishing such thoughts. It wasn’t her. She’d never thought about ending her life before, never, not even after her biological parents died.
But it would solve everything.
She stopped as she exited the shower, her bare feet almost slipping on the wet tiles. Those weren’t her words. They belonged to the troll.
She wiped the steam from the mirror, examining her reflection. Her wet skin looked gaunt and tired. Being Lorrie had taken a lot out of her, more so than any persona she’s ever taken on before. Was it the troll, or something else?
“I swore he wouldn’t get into my head,” she told herself. She grew angry at herself for getting so caught up in this case, but mainly she despised the internet troll. He was vile. “That fucker got into my head!”
Perhaps the troll’s words did have some sort of hypnotic effect after all. Maybe her mother didn’t know everything there was to know about hypnosis.
Hypnotic suggestion? Some kind of code in the troll’s texts?
“Shit,” she said, frustrated. “Shit.”
She started to dress, ready to go out for a run. She needed the fresh air to clear her brain. All she could hear were the troll’s words, taunting her, beckoning her to take the ultimate step. The bastard would not occupy one more minute of her precious time. For now, she was going to banish him from her mind.
She looked up at the mirror, fogged up with steam again. Something was written on it.
Tameka read it out loud. “The water can hurt you.”
She knew without a doubt that she’d written it. Now she thought about it hard enough she could actually remember doing it, just before she starting getting ready. Why had she forgotten? Why had she written it in the first place?
“I need to call my mom,” she said, resigned to another lecture about the subconscious.
She opened the bathroom door, deciding to forgo calling her mother. A run through the city would clear her head, just like it always did. Her mother would only fret and come over and she’d feel suffocated.
There was a seven-foot tall man standing in front of her.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.
3
Tameka had a moment to contemplate how fucking ugly the man was before he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. His grip was like steel, his arms rippling with so much hard muscle they were like tree trunks. If she didn’t know any better she could swear she was being assaulted by a pro-wrestler.
“How are you not dead?” he demanded.
She struggled in his tight grip, feeling the air being sucked out of her lungs. She kicked at him, flailed her arms around, but it was no use. She was powerless.
“I have too much to live for,” she said. Her throat felt crushed. “I’ve never had a three-way for a start. Always planned on it. Life just seemed to get in the way.”
“I worked on you for days!” he roared. “You should have killed yourself!”
Tameka laughed, despite the pain. “You’re losing your touch. What can I say? I’m just that stubborn.”
He threw her on the floor. She landed on her backside, feeling pain shoot up her spine. She dusted herself off and stood up. The giant was just standing there, staring at her like she was a miracle.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.
She had a gun hidden in every room of her apartment, just in case. She’d never had to use one before, always feeling safe here. The one in the hallway was taped underneath a small table that she piled her mail on. All she had to do was get past him and put a bullet in the freak’s brain.
Now Tameka had a good look at the man and she realized she’d been wrong. He wasn’t just ugly but repulsive. His eyes were bloodshot. His nose was huge. His lips were swollen like a failing starlet who’d had too much collagen injections. His skin was green and veiny, like he was about to die from sepsis.
Green skin. Giant. Almost like a real troll.
She laughed. There were no such things as trolls.
Right?
“Am I funny to you?” the internet troll demanded.
“I want to know why you’re doing this,” Tameka asked.
“It’s a living,” he said.
Tameka was confused. Despite the fact that he seemed rather chatty for a giant who wanted her dead he seemed almost…sad? It didn’t add up. Despite his appearance she had been expecting something different, maybe a hot felon with a buzz cut.
“You…you get paid to convince people to kill themselves?” she asked, confused.
“I have talents. I use them. Why not? It’s not as if I’m any good at anything else.” He sighed mournfully and leaned his giant hand against the wall. “Besides, I don’t have much of a choice. My mother wanted more for me, but it’s hard to find work nowadays.”
What the hell is going on here? Am I having a breakdown?
Tameka edged closer. She could see the gun now. It was almost within reach. “Tell me about it.”
“Why do you care?” he snapped.
Shit! His teeth are black! His breath smells like the Star Wars prequels.
“I care,” said Tameka gently, smiling. She had to act caring and calm like a hostage negotiator. “Please. Tell me. I want to listen.”
He looked down at her. His desolate eyes actually made her feel bad for him before she reminded herself of his sick crimes.
Don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a killer.
“My name is Vincent,” he introduced. He seemed shy. “And I’m a troll.”
“You don’t have to be,” she told him. “You can be anything you want.”
He looked at her like she was mad. “How can I not be a troll? I was born a troll, just like you were born human.”
He thinks he’s an actual troll. He’s fucking insane. He’s probably going to eat me.
“And why do you think you’re a troll?” she asked. She felt her resolve failing. She couldn’t hope to calm down a maniac, could she? “Nobody is born a troll. Or maybe they are. What do I know?”
He grunted. “This is going nowhere. You can’t help me. I don’t know why my magic didn’t work on you but it doesn’t matter. I have to do this. You must die.”
Tameka had a second to react as his lumbering form made a stampeding charge towards her. She punched him in the face. He took the hit like it was a butterfly’s wings dusting his skin. He slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. She crashed into the bathroom, skidding across the still wet tiles, her head hitting the edge of the ceramic tub with such force she blacked out for a second or two.
This is crazy!
“The police aren’t going to treat this as suicide!” Tameka yelled. Her head throbbed, and the hand she’d used to punch him felt like it had been trapped in a car door. “You’re leaving evidence behind all over the place!”
Vincent ignored her, his face consumed with blind, lustful rage. Tameka flipped to her feet and prepared herself just as the troll struck with his fists again. She blocked the lunges, his meaty fists slamming into the side of her arms with such force she thought she could hear her bones snap.
The bathroom gun is in the medicine cabinet above the sink.
She kicked him in the groin and slid under his legs. He grabbed at her hair as she got to the medicine cabinet, pulled open the door, and grabbed her gun. She had it aimed at his grotesque head in less than a second.
“I really don’t want your blood all over my nice clean bathroom,” she warned him. “But I will shoot you if I have to. Now get out.”
<
br /> “They’ll be angry with me,” he wailed miserably. “I’ve failed!”
“Do I look like I give a flying shit? Just get out.”
He hung his head in shame. Tameka spared him a brief, momentary thought of pity before he growled and charged at her again. She shot him in the shoulder.
“Argh!” he screamed.
He fell back, smashing her bathroom door to pieces. His blood sprayed across her and her nice clean bathroom. He gave her a look of terror before making a run for it. She heard his fading wails for the next few minutes before she decided to venture outside.
“Hello?” she called. “Large man who thinks he’s a troll?”
My poor bathroom door.
She walked out into the living room, absentmindedly stepping over the splintered remains of her bathroom door. He was gone, evidenced by the trail of blood leading into the hallway outside her apartment.
“What the…”
She kneeled down on the floor and inspected the spots of blood. They were green.
Either this guy really has the worst blood infection I’ve ever seen or he really is a troll.
“Hello?” a voice called.
Tameka ignored the voice, rushing to put her boots on. She had to follow the troll. This was her only chance to get the man who’d caused the suicides of all those people. Besides, this was personal now. He’d come into her home, violated her personal space. She was going to put half a dozen bullets into the bastard’s skull.
“What happened?” Yenay Chen demanded. “I heard a gun shot!”
Yenay was her next door neighbor, a six-foot tall Chinese woman with green hair, a yoga instructor who Tameka sometimes went out drinking with. She also occasionally helped her out with cases if she had her hands full. She would be called Tameka’s best friend if it wasn’t for the fact she was one of those vegans who thought they were better than everyone else. Still, a friend was a friend.
“Call the police,” she told Yenay, storming past her. “Tell them I had an intruder.”
“We were supposed to be going out tonight!” Yenay shouted.
Tameka stopped and turned to her. “I’m going hunting.”
4
The trail of blood led Tameka to the stairs of the apartment building to the roof. She must have hit a main artery when she shot him because the troll was gushing a lot of blood. He was most likely dying. She wasn’t concerned. She didn’t feel pity or remorse for this creature. He’d attacked her. He’d driven six people to their deaths. He deserved everything coming to him and more.
She checked her gun for bullets, not wanting to run out at the last minute. The troll was a cornered rat, and cornered rats tended to bite first.
She pushed open the door to the roof. The moon was full, lighting up the night like a fireworks display. Tameka smiled. She’d never been up here before. The steel skyscrapers and mesmerizing, sea themed architecture of the urban metropolis of Blue City was awe inspiring, even if the sight of the ocean just less than a mile away made her stomach do somersaults.
“There’s nowhere for you to go!” she called.
She stepped forward, trailing through pigeon guano. Every shadow held menace. Every whisper of the night air caused her to shiver. Every breath she took reminded her that something had tried to kill her.
She heard footsteps behind her. She spun around, finding Yenay emerging through the door. She had a shotgun with her.
“What are you doing?” Tameka demanded. “I nearly put a bullet in you!”
“I thought you might need my help,” said Yenay quietly. “Trolls are tricky.”
Tameka said, “You know I’m after a troll?”
“The green blood gave it away.”
Tameka ignored her friend for the moment. She could take care of herself. If they survived this she’d ask her about trolls later.
He is not a real troll! He’s just…diseased or something.
“Why is a troll trying to kill you?” Yenay whispered behind her.
“I’m just that charming,” Tameka answered.
“This is not something to joke about.”
The trail of blood stopped at the edge of the building. Tameka poked her head over the side, seeing a crumpled body on the sidewalk twelve stories down. It wasn’t moving.
“He must’ve fallen,” said Tameka.
Yenay shook her head. “A fall like this wouldn’t kill a troll. He’s just resting.” She grinned. “Come on! Now’s the time to to take him out! One bullet to the brain should do it.”
“Stop being so quirky. It’s annoying.”
Tameka shook her head, the impossible events pushed to the back of her mind. Now wasn’t the time to ask stupid questions. She had to take the troll out before it could kill again – or preferably before it killed her.
Vincent opened one eye, staring up at the clouds, unable to move. The troll had lost so much blood and the fall had wounded them even more, though there didn’t appear to be any broken or fractured bones. Yet he could feel himself healing. The Matriarch wasn’t going to welcome this troll into her bosom just yet.
She’s coming for me.
The troll groaned and rolled over.
Vincent hadn’t met a human as tenacious and blood thirsty as this one before. It was odd. She’d seemed such a fragile type when they talked on Facebook. Timid even, easy to manipulate.
And then she shot me!
What if someone found out about this? They’d be the laughing stock of the troll community if they found out one of their own had almost been killed by a lowly human. Sure, it was an honor amongst the troll people to die by the hands of a female, but not a human female.
Vincent staggered on down the alley, half leaning against the wall for support. The bleeding had stopped, which was a good thing. She couldn’t follow the blood trail now.
“Stop right there!” a voice called from behind him.
Vincent turned around. There were two women heading down the alley towards him. They looked angry. They looked very, very angry.
I have to get away! I have to get away!
Vincent smashed huge fists against the wall. Over and over again the troll hit the wall, bringing it crashing down in the alley. It was a sight to behold.
Tameka fell back as the wall came crashing down. Brick dust exploded into the air like fog, coating the air in its choking, cloying ash. Both her and Yenay broke out into fits of coughing, unable to breathe or see a way forward.
I can’t see a thing!
She charged through the dust cloud, climbing over the rubble, desperate to get ahead. She vowed to chase this troll down to the ends of the Earth if she had to. Maybe she’d take a break to wash her hair or have sex with some hot guy she met at a bar, but she would be formidable.
The Terminator, but sexier.
She crawled out the other side, looking around the abandoned street. On the other side was a row of coffee shops. Their inhabitants were too busy writing their screenplays on laptops they hadn’t paid for yet to notice the wall falling down across the street. A Laundromat was open, an old man standing outside smoking weed. He stared at the devastation caused by the wall collapse but just smiled and gave her the thumbs up.
She looked around for the troll, finding him trying to break into a car. He smashed the side window with his fists just as Tameka pointed her gun at him again.
“Did you really just bring a wall down to stop me?” she demanded. “Did you really just bring a fucking wall down on top of me?”
He turned to her, his face panic stricken. “Just leave me alone.”
“Stop trying to sound like the victim here.”
He screamed and picked up the car in his meaty fists like it weighed nothing more than a kitten. Tameka had a moment to contemplate how she’d be received in Heaven as the vehicle was flung at her.
Wait, I don’t believe in Heaven.
Do I?
She rolled to the side, dropping her gun in the process. The car, actually a black old fashioned Mi
ni, smashed into the road, crumpling up like a can of beer squeezed in an alcoholic’s fist. It faltered for a moment, balancing perfectly, before it toppled over, landing just an inch from Tameka’s foot.
It had squashed her gun.
“I still hadn’t finished paying for that yet!” she cried.
She turned back to find the troll heading down the street, loping along at quite a fast pace given his gargantuan size. He was a fast runner, especially when given the freedom to let rip.
Tameka got to her fit and started after him. She was a fast runner too. You had to be fit if you wanted to keep up with the amount of work she took on. Chasing criminals was just as much part of her job as being a chameleon was.
And I really love the chase!
Vincent looked back, spying the woman. She was still on the chase.
The troll fished about in their pocket, finding a cell phone. It was broken. It must have been damaged in the fight. Calling for back up was out of the question.
“I can handle her,” Vincent whispered, starting to panic. “She’s only human.”
They ran down another alley, passing a British restaurant. The tasty aroma of fish and chips drove Vincent’s senses crazy. Trolls loved fish, especially if they were raw and straight from the sea.
I can smell salt water.
Vincent grinned, knowing they were near the harbor. It would be easier to hide there. The resourceful woman wouldn’t know where to look.
Tameka stopped at the entrance to the alley. The stench of sea water made her want to vomit. Her fear came at her tenfold, threatening to engulf her. Why was it playing up so much tonight? Why had the case with the troll made her fears so profound? She thought she was getting better. She thought the nightmares were behind her.
The water can’t hurt you.
She took a deep breath and carried on, knowing she’d have to ignore her fears if she wanted to catch this troll. This was too important.
She grabbed a small plank of wood from the alley as she passed. It would do as a weapon for now.
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