Chapter 4: Climax
Morning found her awake once more, the sun filtering through the window and warming her skin. She got dressed and made her way to her kitchen, finding a breakfast had been lovingly made, a loaf of fritter bread, hand made, still warm, with a cinnabutter dip, and a note saying Jack left to start work on the other tenant's broken large appliances, and that there was apple and orange juices in the fridge.
Tears welled up in her eyes. What was this man?!? He was so pure, a precious little cinnamon bun and he had fallen into her lap purely by accident. She tore into the fritter bread. It was astonishingly good. Sweet and warm and soft. The cinnabutter only made it better.
Emily grinned to herself as she prepared to leave for work, her heart swelling with gratitude for the unexpected blessing that had come into her life. Jack had quickly become a constant presence in her days, his mere proximity enough to lift her spirits and chase away the lingering traces of last night's nightmare.
She arrived at the office to find her colleagues buzzing with excitement, their voices hushed as they pored over copies of the newspaper that had just hit the stands.
Emily's heart sank as she realized what they were talking about - her article. She felt a mixture of pride and shame as she skimmed through the pages, reliving the events of the past few weeks through the journalist's lens.
She thought about the interviews and the things that Jack said shortly after his transformation. The tone of the article was one that implied that the men being turned into trolls deserved it. Their inner ugliness forced to the surface, and that's what they get for messing with women's hearts. She thought about Jack and his kindness and wholesomeness, and it made her want to throw up.
If that was ugliness, then there was no beauty in this world.
But Emily couldn't deny the impact of her article. People were talking about it, sharing it online, debating its merits and flaws. She felt both proud and ashamed, knowing that her words had sparked a conversation about gender dynamics and power imbalances.
She felt unwell and asked her boss if she could take the day off. She agreed and thanked her for the article, it was bringing in clicks and views like there was no yesterday. Emily forced her self to smile at that, but inside she wanted to vomit.
As she returned to her apartment, the Cinnamon and fresh baked bread smell still powering through the place, she plopped down on the Couch, the one where Jack slept and wept. She didn't know any of the other men the witches had transformed, but she did her due diligence before hand and had found nothing too awful. Yet she still said those men deserved it.
Where they all like Jack? Good men looking for a little companionship in their lives? Decent guys looking for a good time, to do as humans do when they feel stressed and lonely? Hell, she herself had found and used men before, needing a little satisfaction or validation in moments of feeling down. She wasn't a bad person for that, right? Was it okay when women used men but not the other way around? If so, why? Her head swam in boiling water.
She placed her hands over her face and screamed. The the door opened.
"Jack?" She called.
"Nope, better." Amelia replied.
"You look tired, hon. Did you get any sleep last night?"
Emily closed her eyes, wishing she could escape from the emotional turmoil that threatened to consume her. "Not really," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain pouring down outside.
Sophia Smirked, "So, you ready to turn some big wigs into Troll bellies?"
Lily clapped and giggled. "I've always wanted a rich man under my control!"
Lily exclaimed excitedly, rubbing her hands together eagerly.
"So, did you read my article?" Emily asked, hand on her forehead
"No." Amelia said.
"No." Lily Said.
"I don't read trash." Sophia said.
"Thanks for the support, ladies." Emily replied, annoyed.
"Oh, come on, hon. We all know you're not doing this for journalism. You're doing it because you want revenge on all the men who've wronged you. And let's be honest, sweetheart – we all have our reasons. So why not join us and enjoy yourself?" Amelia purred, running her fingers through her long blonde hair.
Emily hesitated, torn between her moral compass and her desire for vengeance.
On one hand, she knew that turning innocent people into trolls was wrong. But on the other hand, she couldn't ignore the pain and humiliation that men had inflicted on her and countless others. It was a difficult decision, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying her own values.
However, as she watched the three witches prepare their potions and cast their spells, she felt a growing sense of excitement. There was something thrilling about seeing these powerful women take control and mete out justice according to their own rules.
Just then Jack returned.
"Hey, Em, do you have a-" He walked in and saw the witches and his body immediately shut down. He curled up into the fetal position, and started to cry. He was flashing back and melting down. Emily felt a thunderbolt of pain shoot through her as she watched her boyfriend writhing on the ground in such agony.
"Still pathetic as ever, I see." Sophia said, barely looking at him.
"Sophia. SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Emily roared at Sophia, her usually calm demeanor completely shattered. She grabbed Sophia by the throat and slammed her against the wall, her eyes blazing with anger. "You don't get to talk about him like that! He's not just some pathetic creature to you - he's my partner, my friend, and he's been through enough already!"
Amelia stepped forward, her expression serious. "Emily, please calm down. This isn't helping anyone." She snapped her fingers, and Jack fell into a deep slumber where he wouldn't be hurt by their presence anymore. She didn't like men all that much, but he was a victim, one they made, the fact of which was not lost on her, and exposing him further just felt cruel. Even bigots have standard.
Lily chimed in, her voice high-pitched and nervous. "We get it. He's different, okay? Not all men, not all men!"
Emily eased her grip on Sophia's throat. For the first time in forever, Sophia had a look of fear plastered over her face.
"Jack's a good man, and you raped him. You damaged him in a way no one should ever be damaged. He's worthy and he deserves a chance to make some young lady very happy, even if it's not me, he deserves to be happy and make others happy. He deserves to have a happy family life." Emily left the emotion pour form her.
"Well, maybe, but, the family part is off the table." Amelia said.
"Huh?" Emily asked,dumbly.
"Humans and Trolls can't reproduce. Humans and ogres maybe, but not trolls." Amelia replied.
Emily breathed deeply, gathering her composure. "I understand that, but it doesn't make what you're doing any less wrong. Turning innocent people into monsters won't solve anything. It will only create more suffering."
Lily nodded in agreement. "I know, it's just... sometimes it feels like the only way to get back at men."
"How has the gender of men, who make up half of the planet's population ever hurt you? Not 'individuals who hurt you, who should be held to account because they are responsible for their own actions', but men, roughly half of people in general?"
The three witches were taken aback. They mumbled lame answers. When it was put like that, it kinda seemed like they were just hateful.
Amelia pushed through her seconds of guilt and smiled. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, dear. See, we're not just trying to punish the men who've done us wrong. We're also trying to send a message to all the other jerks out there. We want to show them that if they continue treating women like disposable objects, there will be consequences."
"And hurting random men like Jack will accomplish that... how?" Emily was seething. She realized that she might have been too close to being a hateful bigot, much like those she had hated.
She hadn't meant to fall into that trap, but it was clear that she needed to step back and reevaluate her goals. She couldn't let her pain blind her to the bigger picture.
Emily looked around the room, taking in her apartment, in less than 72 hours, a man, a good man, but a man none the less, had fixed up her home, cooked her food, supported her with his work, comforted her in time of distress and made her feel safe and protected. She wondered if most men were like that. Not the pillaging monsters she had almost imagined them to be, but loving, caring people who wanted to be part of something greater.
Amelia mumbled something, and the other witches mumbled something back.
"You're right. Random attacks aren't going to change anything. Jack makes you happy. I can see that. I think it'd be wrong to take that from you. He'll be your big fat house troll, you'll be happy together, and It'd be wrong to take that away from you. But..." Amelia started.
She looked genuinely contrite, something Emily had never seen before.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess we got carried away. We were just so angry and frustrated with the way things are, and we thought this would be a way to hit back at the men who hurt us. But now..."
Sophia shook her head. "It's not worth it. All we're doing is causing more pain and suffering. There must be another way to make our voices heard."
Emily was stunned. These women were actually apologizing?
"You misunderstand me, Ladies. Random Attacks aren't okay. Targeted attacks, on the other hand..." Emily smiled wolfishly, and the Witches grinned madly in return.
"Targeted attacks. Well, that's precisely what we shall do. No more senseless victims. From here on out, we shall focus on punishing those who truly deserve it. That means researching and planning our targets carefully. We want to make a statement, after all. Let's make it count."
"I believe we have an appointment to keep." Emily smirked. The girls laughed hyenas, and started to head out, but Emily paused at the door and looked back.
"Hey, first can you help me move Jack to the bed? or at least the couch? He deserves better than the floor." Emily asked of the witches. They moved him to her bed. He slept soundly.
"He'll be asleep for a while, it usually lasts 24 hours. He'll wake up well rested." She paused, smiled and finished "And hopefully with you in his arms." Amelia said. As they returned to the hallway, and resumed laughing like hyenas.