Turning Red (II)

Over the next few weeks, Sheila fought hard, racking up easy victories and earning the respect and admiration of the Red Stainz. Though beating on hapless opponents was business as usual for her, for the gang, it was a spectacle unlike anything they had ever seen before. Red, in particular, revelled in the cash that Sheila brought in. He even began neglecting his gun-dealing in favour of booking fights.

"Blank's really layin' on the hurt," said Red, "Hope y'all bet wisely!"

Sheila was in the midst of taking on yet another opponent, a young black woman in a grey tank top and camo pants. Sheila wore her down by weaving out of the way every single time she threw a jab, then retaliating with punches of her own.

"No goddamned way," uttered the woman, "How are you this fast?"

"Practice, honey," Sheila replied, "I learned from my mistakes."

After dodging another of the woman's swings, Sheila landed a right hook that showered the crowd with blood from her mouth. 

"That bitch River ran circles around me," Sheila continued, "I'm makin' sure that doesn't happen again."

Sheila's next jab opened a small gash above the woman's right eye and sent her down on one knee.

"Finished already?" Sheila taunted.

"Hell no," the woman replied, after spitting out blood, "I'm just gettin' started!"

"Folks," Red announced, "It don't look like she's quite done yet!"

The woman stood back up, then rushed Sheila down, hoping to overwhelm her. After stepping aside, Sheila landed an uppercut to the woman's gut that once again sent her to her knees. The woman gripped her abdominals tightly while vomiting profusely.

"Disgusting," Sheila spat.

Sheila then stomped on the woman's neck, forcing her face into the puke puddle, before raising her arms in victory.

"Your winner," Red announced to the cheering crowd, "JOSEPHINE BLAAANK!"

-

Later:

"At this rate," said Red, while counting his cash, "You're gonna exhaust every available female fighter in the circuit, heheh."

"I'll fight men, then," Sheila joked.

"Confident, eh?" Red said, "Well, we'll see about that. For now, I got shit to do. See Sheila to her quarters, yeah?"

After paying D.D. and Lil H, Red left the building.

"Come on," said D.D., "You heard the man."

"What's his deal, anyway?" Sheila asked.

"What do you mean?" Lil H asked.

"Like," Sheila began, "Is he always a complete asshole to you guys?"

"Sheila!" Larry spoke through his teeth.

"Man runs a tight ship," said Lil H, "I mean, yeah, he can be a hard-ass, but he also provides, ya know?"

"Well, I don't think it's fair the way he treats you," said Sheila, "Every fight, I see his stack getting larger while yours stays the same. And then, he goes and beats the shit outta you just for speakin' up? I mean, what kind of a boss is he?"

"Look," D.D. insisted, "This ain't really any of your..."

"I'm just sayin'," Sheila continued, "If I were in charge, things would be a lot different."

"Yeah?" said Lil H, "How so?"

"For one, I wouldn't need cash – Just a place to stay and a steady supply of pills and opponents. I ain't the best at math, but I imagine that would leave more cash for my lieutenants. A lot more. It makes sense, after all. I mean, you guys are the ones doin' all the heavy lifting here, right?"

"You'd really give up your paycheque?" asked a bewildered D.D.

"Dude, I've lived on the streets my whole life. I fight for fun, not for cash. Look, I know you two clowns aren't used to thinking for yourselves, but if you were to actually take a step back and think this through, you'd see that Red was running this whole gang into the ground with his gun-running, especially when you have a potentially legit way to earn cash right here."

D.D. and Lil H stood quietly for a moment, rubbing their chins.

"So," D.D. began, "If you were in charge, you'd focus on fighting and we'd get to pocket all the cash?"

"All hypothetical of course," Sheila chuckled.

"Look," said Lil H, "We gotta think about this, a'ight? Right now, it's time we got you home."

As D.D. and Lil H escorted Sheila and Larry to their rooms, Larry whispered to Sheila:

"What the hell are you doin', huh? You tryin' to stir their pot or somethin'?"

"That's exactly what I'm doin'," Sheila replied, "So shut the fuck up and lemme work!"

-

The following evening, Sheila returned to the mill following her fight, where an entourage of gang members awaited her.

"Man, Sheila," one of them said, "That last fight was dope!"

"We should come 'round more often," another said, "She's incredible!"

"Know what?" said a third, "I bet she could even kick Red's ass if she wanted to."

"Now, boys," Sheila said, "You know I'd never hurt the man...But yeah, I probably could!"

Just then, Red burst into the room. He watched with disdain as his men crowded around Sheila.

"What is this?" he demanded, "A fuckin' girl scouts' meetin'? I don't pay y'all to stand around and socialize with my investment. Get the fuck back to work!"

"Dude, chill," said the third man, "We were just havin' a chat. Besides, it's late. Ain't much left to do 'round here at this hour, right guys?"

Red approached the man, then grabbed him by the throat.

"I ain't your 'dude'," he spoke through grit teeth, "And you don't get to tell me when to chill."

After slamming his fist into the man's gut he threw him to the floor and stomped on the back of his head repeatedly while the others looked on in terror.

"THAT GOES FOR THE REST O' Y'ALL!" he screamed, "Now, get back to fuckin' work!"

The group began silently dispersing, as Red next approached Sheila.

"You," he began, "Don't think I didn't hear all that talk of beatin' me up. You know I could fuckin' wreck you, bitch."

Sheila sized Red up, bringing her nose right to his. The crowd of gangsters stopped to watch events unfold.

"Yeah?" she said, "So why don't you hop into that ring some time and prove it, eh, big guy?"

"Only reason you're even still alive," Red began, "Is 'cause you're still worth shit to me. But, the moment you lose, it's game over, ya hear?"

"Good thing I don't lose. Now, why don't you go take a hike so I can get some rest?"

Red scowled, then promptly stormed out of the mill.

"Sheila," Larry warned, "You can't go 'round, pissin' that man off. He's fuckin' nuts!"

"Oh," Sheila said with a smile, "We're gonna drive him right up the fucking wall."

-

Later that night:

"AYE PAPI," the woman screamed, "GIVE IT TO ME GOOD!"

The sounds of moaning and the bed creaking echoed throughout the filthy, darkened house. Red, nude as the day he was born, gripped the headboard as he rocked back and forth atop the young woman for several minutes before abruptly stopping.

"Aw, shit!" he snapped.

After rolling off of the woman, he lay on the right side of the bed, taking deep breaths.

"Yo," the woman said, "What gives?"

"Nothin'," Red replied, "Got a lot on my mind right now."

"Fuck that! Just as it was gettin' to the good part."

The nude woman stood up from the bed and approached the bedroom doorway.

"Get me a beer, will you?" Red asked from the bed.

"You can go get one yourself," the woman retorted, "You limp-dick fag. I ain't yo maid!"

Enraged, Red leapt from the bed and chased the woman to the doorway. Before she had any idea of what was going on, he had grabbed her by the neck and was slamming her face repeatedly into the wall.

"I AIN'T NO FAGGOT!" he cried, "YOU HEAR ME?"

The woman did not reply. As he released her, her lifeless body slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood and brain matter along the way.

"RAAAGH!"

Enraged, Red punched a large hole in the wall, then stormed out of the bedroom.

"That does it," he said, "That bitch is done."

-

Sheila's next fight came a few nights later. Red watched from inside the mill as the crowd gathered in its usual spot outside.

"Full house tonight," Larry observed.

"Good," Red said, "Means a lotta people are gonna see Sheila fall tonight."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Red handed Larry a water bottle.

"That bitch done crossed me," he explained, "Normally, when someone does that, I just murder their ass, but with everyone takin' such a goddamn likin' to her, I had to come up with an 'alternative plan', if you catch my drift."

"You laced this bottle, didn't you?" Larry asked.

"Well, aren't you smart?" Red joked, "Here's what's gonna happen: Sheila's gonna get her ass beat tonight by our risin' star out there. Once people see her for the chump that she is, they'll kick her to the curb. Sounds simple, right?"

"Red, I don't think..."

Red sized Larry up.

"You ain't more afraid o' that bitch than me, are you?" he asked.

"N-No, sir," Larry quivered, "Absolutely not."

"Good. Now, do this for me so you can finally be free of me an' my gang."

"Y-You mean it?"

"With Sheila gone, I won't have need of you, right? Unless, of course, you'd rather stay."

As Red stepped outside, Larry stared down at the bottle and sighed.

-

Outside the mill, Red addressed the crowd.

"Alright, fellas," he said, "This fight took longer than usual to put together, because my champion's knocked out so many of New York's finest, I had to search far and wide, but it was worth it. Now, lemme see you put them filthy hands together for the challenger: Comin' to us all the way from Siberia, OLGAAA!"

The first fighter entered the ring. She stood over six feet tall, with blonde pigtail and a brutish face. To complement her impressive height, she possessed an incredibly stout physique, resembling more a sumo wrestler than a bodybuilder. Her outfit consisted of a black leather unitard. She waved to the crowd, inciting both cheers and boos.

"Next up," Red proceeded, "The one you came all this way to see: The champion, Josephiiine Blank!"

Sheila next entered the ring and removed her robes. Olga was actually tall enough to meet Sheila's eyes, though this did not intimidate Sheila in the slightest.

"She's huge," Larry noted.

"So what?" Sheila said, "This ain't just about size."

Sheila then grabbed the water bottle and chugged most of it down before approaching the centre ring along with her opponent.

"Alright," said Red, "Y'all know the rules...'Cause there ain't none! But, to keep things exciting, here's what I'm gonna do...If Olga proves herself tonight against Blank, I'm gonna take her on as my new champion. So, if all goes well for her, we may be seein' much more of her around. Alright, now let's go kick some ass, yeah?"

The two fighters touched gloves then backed away from each other.

"Aaaand," said Red, "FIGHT!"

The fighters began by circling each other. Olga threw the first few jabs, which Sheila blocked.

"That all you got?" she taunted.

Olga smiled and lunged for Sheila. Though Sheila blocked the blow, the impact knocked her back several inches. Olga then wrapped her large arms around Sheila and tried to wrestle her to the ground.

"Get offa me, bitch!" Sheila snapped.

After landing several elbow strikes to Olga's back, Sheila pushed her off and landed a big right hook to her face. Olga barely flinched; instead, she smiled at Sheila while wiping the blood from her nose.

"That's how it's gonna be, huh?" Sheila said, "Fine."

The two rushed each other down and exchanged punches for the next few minutes. During this time, Sheila grew visibly sluggish and went for the clinch. Olga took advantage by landing blows to Sheila's gut.

"Good," Red thought to himself, "The drugs are kickin' in. Soon, she won't be able to stand no more."

Olga pushed Sheila away, then landed a big right hook to her face.

"Fuck," Sheila said, while wiping her mouth, "Bitch got me good."

Olga began taunting Sheila by urging her over. By this point, Sheila could barely raise her fists. She blinked rapidly a few times, then rubbed her eyes with her left hand. The distraction allowed Olga to land a combo to Sheila's face and body, knocking her to the ground.

"The champ just can't keep up with Olga's strength, folks," Red boomed, "We might have our new champion after all."

Sheila tried to stand up, but had trouble maintaining balance. Olga rushed her down once more and landed a series of uppercuts to Sheila's gut while holding her in place by the back of her top.

"Ouch," Red said, "Looks like Blank's in trouble!"

Eventually, Sheila's knees buckled and she fell to the ground to catch her breath. Olga turned to the audience with a fist raised, then delivered a vicious blow to Sheila's face that seemingly knocked her out cold.

"About fuckin' time," Red muttered.

While Olga paced the ring with her arms raised, the Red Stainz in the crowd looked on anxiously as Sheila struggled to get back to her feet.

"Come on, Sheila," D.D. cried, "Get up!"

"You got this, girl," Lil H said, "Don't give up!"

Amid the cheers of the Red Stainz, Sheila glanced up and winked at the crowd. While Olga's back was turned, Sheila pushed herself off of the ground and grabbed the Russian from behind, wrapping her giant arms around Olga's shoulders in a reverse-bearhug.

"WHAT?" Red demanded, "The hell's this?"

Amid Olga's pained screams, Sheila squeezed until both arms had snapped like twigs. She then released the Russian, allowing her to collapse to her knees, arms limp at her side.

"Think you can beat me that easily?" Sheila taunted, "Bitch, allow me to teach you a thing or two..."

Sheila grabbed Olga's pigtails with her left hand, holding her chin up while raining blows down upon her exposed face with her right hand. After about a minute, the ring floor was coated in blood while Olga's face was left completely rearranged. The Russian collapsed, face-down, amid the cheers of the crowd.

"Now, wait just a goddamn minute," Red snapped, "How in the hell did she pull that shit off?"

Red then turned to Larry.

"Ingalls," he said, "I bet you had somethin' to do with this, didn't ya?"

"Red," Larry said, backing away, "I-I can explain..."

Suddenly, Red's lieutenants surrounded him.

"The fuck is this now?" he asked.

"Hey, everyone," Sheila called out, "See that bozo over there? He thought he could rig the game by poisoning my water. Good thing we swapped bottles before the fight."

The crowd jeered and booed.

"You what?" Red demanded.

"That's not very fair, now is it?" Sheila continued, "Then again, what the fuck does Red know about playin' fair?"

"You bitch, I oughta kill you!"

"So do it, tough guy! Get inside this ring and teach me a lesson, will ya?"

Red glanced around as the crowd egged him on. His lieutenants crossed their arms while staring him down.

"Fine," he said, "I'll show you!"

Red removed his tank top and tossed it aside, then stepped into the ring. For a moment, he and Sheila circle each other while locking eyes. Red made the first move by lunging at Sheila, but the latter stepped aside and tripped him, causing him to land face-down. The crowd broke out into laughter.

"Goddamnit," he said, pounding the ground, "That's it!"

He stood back up and threw a big overhand right, but Sheila caught his fist and began crushing it.

"GAAAAH!" he screamed.

She then threw an uppercut that sent blood spurting from Red's mouth and onto the crowd. Once again, Red fell to his back.

"Enough games," Sheila said, "You bore me."

"Wait..." Red pleaded.

As Red tried to stand back up, Sheila grabbed him from behind, wrapping her arms around his throat.

"Pathetic," she said, coldly.

After fatally snapping Red's neck, the crowd erupted into even louder cheer. After tossing his lifeless body aside, she performed a crab flex, causing the veins in her biceps to swell to an immense size, while letting out a roar.

"Let's hear it for Sheila, everybody!" D.D. cried.

"SHEILA! SHEILA! SHEILA!" chanted the crowd.

"Fuck yeah," she said to herself, "Now, the real fun begins..."