Queensbrawl, Nevada

All eyes were on Naomi and her husband, Jay. Naomi Rose and her husband had just moved into a small town in Nevada called Queensbrawl. There was an unrelenting desert heat in Queensbrawl. Tumbleweeds crossed the roads more than people. There never seemed to be a cloud in the sky and the temperature remained above 90 degrees, even at night. 

Naomi and her husband liked the town’s quiet atmosphere at first. Everyone seemed hospitable to the couple. But after a day, Naomi and Jay felt like a couple who didn’t belong in their skin. They felt hopeful again after receiving an invitation to a town party. When Naomi and Jay arrived at the party, they saw how many people lived in Queensbrawl. Naomi thought about how she saw more people in a supermarket.

“Howdy, new neighbors!” A woman’s boisterous voice assaulted Naomi. She smiled a little when her husband chuckled at the sound of the woman’s booming voice. The woman was a firecracker. Her hair and clothing didn’t fit the modern era. She wore a purple and white dress that exuded an old-fashioned 1950s design. It was as if the apple-shaped woman stepped out of an episode of I Love Lucy. Her rosy hair had classic retro waves, and it shined just as bright as her chandelier earrings.

“My husband and I got your invitation.” Those were the only words Naomi got out of her mouth before the bubbly woman assaulted her again, this time with a wild hug and a kiss to her cheek. The plus-sized woman did the same to Naomi’s husband. 

“It’s nice having new neighbors. It helps our town grow.” The woman clasped her hands together in front of her busty cleavage. “My name is Cathy Bloom. I’m a town councilwoman.” A sparkling smile never left Cathy’s red lips as she introduced herself. “I’ve lived in Queensbrawl all my life.” Cathy savored her words. Her gentle, motherly voice revealed itself once her boisterous tone subsided. 

“There’s a lot of people here. Is this the town’s total population?” Jay asked Cathy. When Jay said, there’s a lot of people here, he meant the opposite. There was a hint of secret sarcasm in Jay’s words. He hoped that Cathy’s answer to his question would be no. He almost looked shocked when Cathy told him he was looking at the town’s total population inside her home. Cathy had a large five-bedroom house, but it was still surprising to see that her home could fit the town’s total population. 

“My name is Naomi Rose and this is my wonderful husband Jay Rose.” Naomi proudly presented her husband and herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how the other women at the party were staring at her and her husband like police snipers. Naomi could feel their suspicious eyes burning into her, and she tried to ignore the women’s rude behavior. 

“Naomi is a beautiful name!” Cathy’s boisterous voice returned as she complimented the young woman. She placed her wild gaze on Jay. “I love the name, Jay. It’s so cool, like Jay-Z!”  

Jay cringed when Cathy did the West Coast hip-hop sign with her hands. It felt awkward to see a dumpling of a white woman dressed like a 1950s housewife doing hip-hop hand signs. Jay cringed more when Cathy did the West Coast sign after mentioning Jay-Z because he knew Jay-Z was an East Coast rapper.

Cathy continued with her awkward compliments, which she mostly directed at Jay. “You’re so tall, dark, and cute! I can see why your wife is happy!” Cathy flirtatiously slapped her hand across Jay’s bulky arm. 

Naomi raised an eyebrow after Cathy flirted with her husband. At a young age, Naomi was a fiery ghetto, white girl. She grew up in the Bronx, and she would’ve knocked Cathy out for pulling a coquettish stunt on her husband. Naomi’s spicy personality mellowed out when she reached her mid 30s. She kept a pleasant smile on her face while giving Cathy an intense stare. Cathy redeemed herself a little when she complimented Naomi’s beauty. 

“Your wife looks like Charlize Theron! You’re so beautiful. I wish I had your figure.” Cathy admired Naomi from head to toe. She loved how Naomi’s glorious platinum blonde hair matched the color of her low cut dress. Cathy even placed her hands on Naomi’s curvy waistline. She acted like she was coasting her hands across a magnificent sculpture. Naomi had a feeling that Cathy was sizing her up for something, even though she could see the woman’s admiration.

“I’m a vegan. That’s why my figure looks the way it does.” Naomi didn’t want to sound like a braggart. She did a little pose for Cathy while resting her petite hands on her hips. Naomi could still feel eyes on her, mostly from women. The other women in the room shared Cathy’s 1950s housewife dress code. They all wore their cookie-cutter retro-styled dresses with pride. All the women at the party were pretty, like Cathy. But the beauty wasn’t natural, like Naomi’s. These women had artificial beauty. Even when they smiled, their smiles looked robotic and their eyes looked disconnected. They had perfect makeup and hair. It looked too perfect. Being in the room with the women made Naomi feel like something trapped her in a 1955 Miss America beauty pageant. 

“My wife loves her vegan diet. But I hate it.” A chuckle escaped from Jay as he spoke his mind to Cathy. He covered his mouth after realizing that he spoke out loud. Jay knew there’d be trouble later when he looked at the hidden disgust in his wife’s stare. 

“I thought you enjoyed being a vegan?” Naomi sounded heartbroken after her husband blurted out the truth. She could see that her husband wanted to kick himself. Naomi wasn’t sure if Jay wanted to kick himself for lying to her the whole time, or if he wanted to kick himself for revealing the truth and failing to stick to his lie. 

“Baby, I do like your vegan diet. I just don’t like some vegan food,” Jay explained, trying to get himself out of the doghouse while putting his hands up defensively. He watched as his wife squinted at him while folding her arms. If she didn’t have a slight smirk on her face, Jay would’ve interpreted his wife’s look as a murderous stare.

“Are you sure about that, Baby? Because last night you told me you liked all vegan food.” Naomi grilled her husband gently. 

Jay watched as his wife looked away from him, rolling her eyes after he muttered to her… "I said that?"  

Cathy went silent for a minute, enjoying the couple’s affectionate banter. She thought Jay and Naomi were the most adorable interracial couple she had ever seen. Cathy wanted to indulge her neighbors some more, but she clenched her jaw when her eyes met the eyes of a stern-looking woman who stood a few feet away. The stern-looking woman was Cathy’s boss, Diane Barclay. 

Diane was the town’s head councilwoman and everyone had to obey her orders. The town’s people referred to her as Lady Barclay. She had a fairly sweet personality. But if you crossed her the wrong way, she would bite you faster than a cobra. Lady Barclay was a small woman with an elegantly beautiful face and well-decorated silver hair that touched her shoulders. The wrinkles in her face intensified her beauty. Sometimes she’d wear neutral-colored businesswoman pantsuits. But tonight she wore a sapphire blue evening gown that hugged her delicate physique. 

Cathy knew she had to get moving when she saw Lady Barclay glaring at her while pointing down at her glittery wristwatch. Cathy quickly noticed how all the women in the living room were glaring at her. One young woman scowled at Cathy while making a slashing motion across her throat using her thumb. 

“Is everything okay?” Naomi asked when she saw that something had captured Cathy’s attention.

“Yes Darling, I’m fine,” Cathy replied. She brought a smile back to her face while placing her nervous eyes on Naomi. Cathy fixed her lips to say something else to Naomi, but her mouth froze when she saw Lady Barclay approaching. 

“What seems to be the problem?” Lady Barclay greeted Naomi and Jay with abrupt rudeness and a peculiar choice of words. 

Naomi gave Lady Barclay an icy stare. She immediately felt repulsed by Lady Barclay’s presence. Naomi recognized Lady Barclay as one of the many women who kept burning a stare at her and her husband.

“I’m sorry, let me introduce myself.” Lady Barclay knew she got off on the wrong foot when she saw the icy stare Naomi gave her. “My name is Diane Barclay. I’m the head councilwoman.” Lady Barclay presented her hand to Naomi and her husband. “It always feels good when we receive new citizens in our town.” Lady Barclay forced her smile on Naomi. “I’m sorry, Honey. I didn’t get your name and your husband’s name.” Lady Barclay waited patiently for Naomi to reply, hoping that her rude introduction didn’t upset Naomi too much. 

“My name is Naomi Rose and this is my husband Jay,” Naomi answered the woman dryly. She didn’t even make eye contact with Lady Barclay when she answered her. 

Lady Barclay projected a soft, nervous laugh. “It’s so nice to meet the two of you!” Lady Barclay’s voice warmed the air. “Would you folks like some refreshments? We have wonderful hors d’oeuvres. I think you’ll love our bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers!” Lady Barclay tried to bring a smile back to Naomi’s face, but her act of enthusiasm wasn’t working on the young woman or her husband.

“I don’t eat meat.” Naomi maintained her dry tone of voice.

Cathy could see a tension building between Naomi and her boss. The plump woman interjected herself, hoping her delightful personality would liven things up again. “We have a surprise for you!” Cathy exclaimed to Naomi through her bubbly demeanor. “It’s something we do for every woman who moves into our town,” Cathy continued. “It’s a group for women only, but the men still benefit from their wives joining the group. The surprise isn’t joining the group. It’s the prize you’ll receive for joining,” Cathy spoke smoother than ever and she did her best to please her boss.

Naomi’s irritated expression changed into a look of confusion and wonder. She wanted to ask more questions, but Cathy was talking too fast.

“I’m sorry, Sweetie, but we need to borrow your wife for one minute,” Lady Barclay told Naomi’s husband. She attempted to take Naomi by the hand and she watched as Cathy attempted to do the same.

“We’ll bring her right back, my darling!” Cathy added. “Help yourself to our bacon wrap poppers and our other appetizers. You can also make yourself comfortable in our men’s guestroom.” Cathy directed Jay’s eyes to a side room that was ten feet away. Jay looked through the crowd of women to see men walking in and out of the room. Jay finally noticed that all the men at the party had left their wives and were going into the guestroom. He felt a little disturbed when he saw only women in the living room, and they were whispering amongst each other with their eyes on him and his wife. 

Jay watched as Cathy and Lady Barclay whisked his wife away before he could say anything else. He gave his wife a confused smile after she blew him a kiss while being dragged away. Jay blew a kiss back at his wife. He jumped when another husband startled him by giving him a friendly slap on his back.

“Don’t worry, they’ll bring her back.” The man chuckled as he continued to pat Jay on his back. “They did that to my wife when we first moved here,” the man explained to Jay, and his double chin would jiggle every time he laughed.

“Where are they taking her?” Jay asked the man with a bewildered furrow in his brow. He waited for the man to answer and he smiled a little when the man gave him a sheepish look, like a guilty little boy who was trying to hide a cookie.

The man only gave Jay his best answer. “Well, the rule is… I’m not supposed to talk about it.” The answer was unsatisfying, but it was the best reply the husband could give Jay.

🔫🔫🔫

A massive metal cage stood in front of Naomi. The young woman’s eyes fell on a diamond silver Mercedes sedan parked beside the metal cage with its headlights on. A yellow bow decorated the luxury car’s hood. Naomi felt like she was a contestant on a dark game show. 

“So let me explain what’s going to happen!” Lady Barclay lost her sweet tone and her voice sounded colder than the dead of winter. She stood a few feet away from Naomi with her hands behind her back.

“What is this?” Naomi looked around at Cathy. Her nerves tightened when she saw a crowd of women surrounding her and Cathy. It was the same group of women who were giving her ugly stares at the party. 

“The Queensbrawl Bloodsport is a fight club tournament that we hold every time a wife moves into our town!” Lady Barclay’s voice filled the night air. 

“Is this a joke?” An incredulous smirk developed across Naomi’s full lips. 

“No, Honey!” Lady Barclay answered Naomi with a deadpan expression on her face.

Naomi kept giggling while allowing Cathy to guide her toward the metal cage. In the blink of an eye, Naomi found herself inside the cage with another woman who looked like she ate glass for breakfast. The other woman was pretty, but she looked edgy in a slight masculine way and she donned the same 1950s era housewife dress, like the other women. 

“You’ll be fighting Mrs. Rhonda Draven!” Lady Barclay introduced the other woman to Naomi. “If you win the fight, you’ll get a check for 2.5 million dollars along with a brand new Mercedes-AMG S63.” Lady Barclay waved her hand over the car. “You’ll also be a respected wife in our town.”

Naomi couldn’t stop giggling at the ridiculous situation she was in. “What’ll happen if I lose the fight?” Naomi had her hands on her hips while waiting for Lady Barclay’s answer. The woman’s spine stiffened when Lady Barclay pulled a semi-automatic pistol from behind her back. Naomi got her answer when her eyes locked on to Lady Barclay’s fully loaded Glock 19. That’s when serious darkness hovered over Naomi. She watched as Lady Barclay cocked her loaded handgun while giving her a penetrating stare.

“Let the game begin!” Lady Barclay smirked at Naomi before raising her gun at the night sky and firing. 

Before Naomi could brace herself, a fist kissed her face, sending her tumbling to the cage’s floor. The punch rattled Naomi’s slender nose and blood exited from her left nostril.

“What the fu—” Naomi didn’t have time to finish her sentence after she felt Rhonda’s high heel shoe ram into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

“Get up, Bitch,” Rhonda hissed down at Naomi after stumping on the young woman’s stomach a second time. She fixed her pompadour hair while expecting Naomi to remain on the floor. Rhonda looked shocked after Naomi tripped her, knocking her flat on her back. 

Naomi caught her breath and she pounced on Rhonda, punching the woman in her face and chest. Naomi embraced the deafening roar coming from the all-female crowd. She used the women’s rowdy cheers to drive her. Within seconds, Naomi took on a pit bull's nature. She threw her fear of dying out the window and she only felt high-powered adrenaline racing through her shapely body. Naomi knew she wouldn’t die, even when Rhonda got the upper hand.

Rhonda struck Naomi in the face with her forehead. She hopped to her feet only to get kicked in her stomach by a platform stiletto heel. Rhonda tried to catch her balance and she screamed in frustration after getting knocked back down on her butt. Rhonda couldn’t believe that Naomi was on top of her again, driving a fist into her face.

Naomi released a war cry before slamming her fist into Rhonda’s face a second time, sending Rhonda into a temporary blackout. After six minutes, the fight was over. Naomi laid on her knees, catching her breath. She wiped the blood from her nose while staring up at Lady Barclay who was towering over her, feeling shocked over how fast the fight ended.

Lady Barclay felt cheated and she wanted to shoot Naomi anyway, even though she won the fight. The head councilwoman did something foolish. She put her gun to Naomi’s forehead, but before she could pull the trigger, Naomi shifted her head away from the gun while putting two bullets in Lady Barclay’s chest.

The councilwoman watched as Naomi snatched her gun away from her after shooting her with a gun she had concealed beneath her dress. Before she died, she saw that Naomi was an undercover cop. She saw her badge hidden in a secret pocket on her dress.

“I killed the suspect. She tried to kill me,” Naomi spoke into a device clipped to her dress. “She was a serial killer Bitch who killed babies. She deserved to die.” Naomi stood over Lady Barclay's body. “My husband is at the house. Arrest the other men, but don’t arrest my husband,” Naomi giggled, speaking to the police captain in a joking manner. “My husband doesn’t know that I’m working undercover,” Naomi continued. “I can’t believe we’re arresting all these murderous women,” Naomi shook her head. She heard the SWAT team's helicopters and the squad cars swarming in to arrest the other women serial killers, including Cathy. The undercover cop kept her gun aimed at Cathy, who stood frozen in front of Naomi with her hands up, feeling betrayed and devastated.