The War Expands

Matthew Law is walking down the street. He’s a big-time pimp with even bigger dreams. Dressed in a purple suit and gold chains hanging from his neck, he makes for the archetype of movie-time pimps. He has two rather large men with him as muscle. Scott and Mike. A nickname of Matthew? MattLaw. This is the rule that he keeps over all of his hookers in the city. He collects his payments from them and then pays his tithe to Madame Lussier for permission to continue working the city. 

They are walking down the street in their common patrol to go to each whore in the neighborhood to collect their money before getting back to the car so that they can move onto the next neighborhood. It’s busy work, and sometimes he has to have his men lean on a John or two who cause trouble, but it’s otherwise a peaceful trade. Especially when Madame Lussier has the police in her back pocket. 

They turn down a back alley to where his most valuable earner works when they stop in their tracks as a beautiful blonde woman in a stunningly short red dress stands next to a well-muscled one-handed man. Matthew just chuckles. 

Matthew Law - I don’t know who you people are, but we are not hiring. Leave now so we can get through. 

The blonde woman smiles coldly. 

Woman - We are not here for jobs. I am Esmeralda von Krauss and this gentleman is Tyr. We are here to put you out of business. The women you take advantage of will band together to make their own money without paying you most of it. 

Matthew Law - Listen…Esmeralda? That’s just not the way things work around here. The girls pay me so I can protect them. I pay Madame Lussier so she can protect me. You and your friend here can get fucked. My guys can take you both. And Tyr? Is that a play on the Norse God of War? I see you even cut off your hand to play the part. You people are seriously unbalanced. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Tyr here IS the Norse God of War in the flesh, but he is just here to observe. I am the one you need to worry about. 

Matthew now laughs out loud, slapping his knee in his hysterics.

Matthew Law - If only I were hiring. You do look like you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose. Maybe you let me fuck you, and then my friends fuck you so that we let you live tonight?

Tyr - M’lady, you sure you don’t want me to kill them?

Esmeralda von Krauss - No, dahling. I need to work things out a bit. I have a match to prepare for. This will be a nice little game to play.

Matthew Law - Game? Look here, bitch.

Esmeralda von Krauss - What? Come on, tiny penis. Say something worthy of my time. 

Matthew Law - Scott. Mike. Take her down, and if Tyr interferes…kill him. 

Scott - You got it, boss.

Mike - You still wanna fuck her?

Matthew Law - Yeah. Just subdue her for me. 

Mike - You got it.

Scott and Mike move in on Esmeralda. Mike takes a swing at her, but Esmeralda catches his fist and pulls him forward to get him off balance. She steps past him and palm strikes Scott in the nose, mashing his nose and sending the small bones up into his brain to kill him instantly. She draws her silver blade and slams it home into Mike’s right eye socket to kill him too. She looks across at Matthew as his goons finally fall dead to the ground. 

Matthew swallows hard. He turns around and takes off running in the opposite direction. She draws an upholstery needle. With a flick of her wrist, she sends it through Matthew’s left knee so that it sticks out through his kneecap. He falls to the ground with a scream of pain. 

Esmeralda walks over to him, her heels clicking against the pavement. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - You weren’t very brave without your muscle, MattLaw. Why do your girls fear you? Your muscle. I didn’t even need to use mine…

Matthew Law - Please…don’t kill me. I’ll be nicer to the girls. I’ll…let them keep more money! Please! 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Sorry. This is less about saving the girls than it is about sending a message to Madame Lussier. 

Matthew attempts to pull the needle out of his leg, but there’s not enough of the needle sticking out to get a good grip. He begins dragging himself away, but Esmeralda casually follows.

Matthew Law - I’ll pass any message along! 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Oh, I know you will. 

She lifts a high-heeled shoe up into the air and brings it down, impaling Matthew’s skull with it. He pulls her foot out of his head and looks down at the dead Matthew. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - You are the message. We are at war. Tyr? Let’s go. We have other messages to send.

**********
Somewhere else…

Madame Lussier is sitting at a high-end salon and getting her toes done. A young man walks into the room and heads straight to her. He looks nervous as he stands there and waits for her to acknowledge his presence. She regards him with an imperious glare.

Madame Lussier - Stanley…report. 

Stanley - We are being hit on many fronts, ma’am. Pimps are dying, brothels are being emptied, and a couple of sweatshops are being taken down. Whores and laborers all across your empire are going free! All of this being done by Esmeralda von Krauss. 

Madame Lussier grits her teeth, a wave of purple skin flashing across her flesh and is gone. Stanley takes a few steps back, fear plain on his face. 

Stanley - What do you want to do?

Madame Lussier - Get me Hector. We need to turn up the heat in this war. 

Stanley - Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.

He scurries off to find Hector, and Madame Lussier glares down at the lady doing her toes.

Madame Lussier - Esmeralda will not win this war. 

**********
Esmeralda von Krauss and Tyr are in the back of a limo and are heading back to the hotel where she has set up her base of operations with her Valkyries. She hands Tyr her smartphone after setting up Facebook Live. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Hello, dahlings. I’m here to talk about Tyler Anderson. I understand that you’re going to give this match your all. That you “don’t care” if I am a woman or not that you are going to defeat me in the ring. 

Esmeralda shakes her head as she gets out a black foot-long cigarette holder and slots an imported Egyptian cigarette in place before lighting it. She takes a long drag and blows the smoke into the air. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - You should be more afraid of me, Tyler. Look at what I’ve gone through here. Look at what I’ve done. I am the Chaos champion after going through several superstars in a single match. I nearly defeated the previous World champion since being here. You can’t discount me as being “merely a woman” for I am more powerful than you think. I will be the single woman who rules this roost. I will be the one who calls the shots in all things. 

Esmeralda takes another drag from the cigarette, flicking the ashes onto the floor of the limo. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - You and yours call yourselves the Unstoppable Force. What have you faced that hasn’t stopped you in your tracks? What have you defeated in the ring that should give me pause, dahling? Nothing. I fear neither man nor woman, beast nor god. You will be just another match under my belt. Just another victory for me. To you? This will mean…everything. I will change your life forever, just by gracing you in the ring with my presence. Bring your everything, bring your family. I stand alone in that ring. I need no allies to face wrestling opponents. You would do well to remember that. 

She reaches over to Tyr to grab the phone and cut the connection. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Tyler is going to have to go back to his clan and spread the word. Esmeralda cannot be beaten…