When I think about it…..when I freeze time in my mind and project back to just one image…. what I see is Gemma Rox sitting on the floor, dazed and hurt, her hands tied behind her back.
Tied by whom?
By me! It remains one of my best memories, unchanged by what happened afterwards.
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Gemma Rox vs. Marie B? Yes, it’s all happened before. We’ve fought. We’ve battled tooth and nail.
And she won.
Gemma and I fought a one-on-one encounter in a gymnasium. Wearing shorts and t-shirts, we tangled in front of a bunch of people. The rules said it was to be strictly a wrestling match, with punching not permitted. Typically, Gemma ignored the rules and did what she wanted. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to duke it out with Gemma Rox, I tried to wrestle her…..and for quite a while, I was succeeding. I frustrated her with technical wrestling tactics, never allowing her to break free and brawl with me. I stayed behind her, controlling her movements and wearing her down. I even had the temerity to smile at her inadequate efforts to get loose. Gemma hated that. She was frustrated. I was winning.
Then, once I believed she was too tired to go any further, she broke free and punched me to unconsciousness. I never saw her celebration on the gym floor, but people told me later it was quite a display.
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Now, here we are again. In our best dresses, shoes off, emotions ratcheted to the highest degree.
“I’ve been looking for you, Marie.” snarled Gemma, her eyes focused on me as we stood facing each other in this dirty room. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited. I’ve been out of town for months and months, thinking only of the time I would catch you alone.”
I stared at Gemma. At 5’3, she’s not tall, but at 4’11, I’m a lot smaller. I watch her muscles rippling as she stands before me, flexing and posturing…..every fiber of her being telling me she intends to pound me into the ground. Even at 90 pounds, I’ve tangled with much larger girls and sometimes wound up victorious, but none of them were Gemma Rox. She’s boxed professionally, she’s engaged in all types of fighting competitions against some of the toughest women in the world. What possible chance do I have against her…..by myself?
As if sensing my thoughts, she said: “You don’t have your friend Kayla to protect you this time, do you, Marie?”
“I don’t need
anyone to beat you down, Gemma.” I growled, trying to sound more confident than I felt. It didn’t work on Gemma Rox; her eyes twinkled as she replied:
“Your voice tells me something different, Marie.” She smiled viciously, her eyes impaling me to the spot.
Am I afraid of Gemma?
Hell yes, I’m afraid. What chance do I have? What can I offer against a legitimate tough girl whose sole ambition is to beat me within an inch of my life? She’s too big for me, she’s too tough, she’s too well-versed in all types of fighting. Plus, as she informed me, she’s been waiting for this opportunity, obviously having followed me here for the purpose of beating me up. Unlike last time, this is no controlled wrestling match; this is a catfight.
Shit, yes, I’m afraid.
Yet, there’s no one to get me out of this but myself. Casting my eyes around the dirty room, I take stock of my surroundings, noticing a piece of rope on the floor. I’d love to tie up Gemma and beat her senseless, but see no way to make that wish a reality. How would I ever incapacitate her long enough to get the rope around her hands?
At this point, I looked for a possible avenue of escape. There was a door, but Gemma was standing right in front of it, blocking the way. Realizing I had no choice, I set my body in fighting posture, rising on my toes and flexing my arms. In response, Gemma smiled and assumed a similar stance, moving slowly to her left.
As she slid sideways, my eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing: a straight path to the door! Without delaying another moment, I burst forward, heading for the exit.
As I reached the door, I thought I had it made, only to be caught by the back collar of my dress by Gemma, who had obviously orchestrated the whole thing; she knew I had been looking at the door and initiated the fight by having me bolt toward it.
I tried to claw my way out, grasping the door jamb with both hands, but Gemma was too strong and hauled me back toward her, forcing me to let go. I stumbled backward under her pressure, landing on my butt, reverse-somersaulting and winding up in a heap in the middle of the room. Her strength was incredible. Laughing insolently, Gemma closed and locked the door…..then stood, facing me as I looked up at her from my sitting position. I got up as quickly as possible to be ready for her charge.
As she came at me, I assumed a defensive posture, trying to anticipate her moves so I could counter. She launched a flurry of punches at my face. I dodged most of them, moving my head from side-to-side and using my arms to deflect the rest. She paused; a look of consternation appearing on her face as everything she threw missed the target. Seeing the look, I burst forward to take advantage of the lull, only to be met by a stiff left jab that landed high on my forehead. It hurt; she was too adept at boxing for my tactic to have worked.
Gemma laughed as I staggered backward; obviously, she had again set me up. I back-wheeled, trying to stay out of reach until my head cleared, but Gemma was having none of it. Stalking toward me, she grabbed my shoulders and thrust me backward. Again, I landed on my backside, breaking my fall partially by using my hands. As she approached, I kicked with my right leg and caught her coming in with a good shot to the stomach. She let out a slight “
OOF” and stumbled over me. Before she could pin me down, I used my speed to whirl from beneath her. Standing quickly, I aimed a kick at her head. It was a solid shot that caught her on the temple. My foot stung from the impact and I was sure I had done damage, but as I moved in, preparing to attack again, she simply rose to her feet, showing no ill effects.
Still, I charged Gemma in hope of knocking her back down before she could fully recover….. only to have her catch me coming in. She grabbed the sides of my head with both hands and lifted me bodily from the floor. Laughing wildly, she thrust me back and forth while refusing to let my feet touch the ground. When she tired of that, Gemma again tossed me, my body flying through the air and landing on the cold floor with a solid thump. It stung.
I scrambled to my feet as I saw Gemma stalking forward again, but it wasn’t as easy to get up; she had hurt me. I shook my head from the dizziness borne of being suspended in the air, my head squeezed between her powerful hands. Her strength was frightening.
As we squared off again, I figured she’d use punches to try and subdue me, but when I extended my arms forward to block, she grasped my right arm and yanked downward, pulling me to the ground again…..the last place I want to be in a fight with Gemma Rox. She attempted to knee me in the head and I just barely avoided it. I looked to rise and get out of her way but she was too quick and grabbed me again…..this time, by the throat.
Without preamble, she yanked me viciously upward. This time, her hands formed a noose around my neck as my entire body left the floor and hung suspended in the air. No matter how little I weigh, her power was amazing as she held me aloft, her fingers digging into my neck, choking me. Apparently, she meant to waste no more time in this fight; Gemma intended to finish me off now.
I struggled desperately; strangulation adding to my efforts. My feet kicked wildly in the air as I dangled; I tried to pry her hands apart with my own, but she was far too strong. My strength was being sapped along with my hope….. and I started to panic.
Fortunately, panic is what saved me as my body whipping through the air produced what had to be called a lucky shot. My left knee pistoned forward and caught Gemma squarely on the bridge of her nose. She let out a gasp and was forced to release me. I fell to the ground and tried to find Gemma beyond the spots that danced before my eyes. Realizing how close I was to having been strangled, I scurried away from Gemma, trying to keep her in front of me so I’d know where she was. Fortunately, the shot from my knee hurt her more than I could have hoped; she stood before me, slightly bent forward at the waist and trying to recover from the direct hit. If only I had my full faculties about me, I could have used her hesitation to launch my own offensive, but I was in worse shape than she and was able only to avoid Gemma, keeping her in my sight until I was in good enough shape to resume the attack.
Her head clearing, Gemma looked at me balefully as she straightened her body. I was thinking clearly again and knew that while most opponents would approach cautiously after the shot she had just taken, that quality didn’t exist within Gemma Rox. If anything, she would throw everything she had in an effort to show her opponent that it was she dictating the action, not me.
A germ of an idea formed in my head as Gemma started her frontal assault, looking to overwhelm me. I stepped backward, allowing a look of fear to show in my eyes. I cowered, putting my hands up feebly in front of my face…..a gesture of submission.
Gemma saw it and rushed at me, all abandon gone, a wicked smile on her face. She reared back her right fist, ready to pulverize me as soon as she was close enough. Seeing the opening, I stood my ground and drew back my left hand. Swinging my fist, I timed it perfectly, putting all my strength, all my hopes, dreams and fears into my one shot at surviving this fight…..and it connected!
Gemma’s running start only added to the impact of the greatest punch I had ever thrown in my life. She ran right into it and my bony fist blasted into her jaw with awesome effect. No, I’m not strong, but Gemma added mountains of power to my punch by accommodating me with her blind rush. She never saw it coming, and even if she had, I doubt she would have believed I had it in me.
POW!***********************************
My initial thought was that my arm had fallen off. A leaden pain in my left hand made me think the bones in my fist had been crushed. I felt the jolt all the way to my shoulder; it was that direct a shot. It landed in the perfect place on her jaw and dropped Gemma to the floor like a rock. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have hoped for anything this effective……this devastating.
Gemma sat on her backside, eyes glassy and unfocused, head moving slowly from side to side. Her eyes were open, but seeing nothing. She wasn’t unconscious, but she wasn’t conscious, either. Her arms were extended forward, her hands clasping and unclasping as if trying to find something to grab onto. Her legs were thrust in front of her, shaking convulsively as her heels dragged along the floor, trying to find purchase. Her rear end lifted off the ground a couple of times as if she was trying to find a way to stand up…..but her legs weren’t cooperating. All her circuits were scrambled and her body wouldn’t obey whatever commands her mind was giving.
This was my chance; the greatest chance I would ever have. Reaching for the rope on the floor, I moved to Gemma as quickly as I could, not wanting her to have the chance to clear her mind, intending to tie her hands behind her with the rope.
It was easier than I could have imagined. She was completely unresisting as I positioned myself behind and wrenched her arms behind her, one at a time. Her limbs were as pliable as paper; she wasn’t even trying to stop me from what I was doing …..in fact, at this moment I doubt she knew I was in the room with her.
I firmly bound her hands with the rope and tightened it as best I could. Giving one last yank to satisfy myself her arms her completely immobilized, I stood up and moved in front of her.
Gemma sat on the floor, her hands and feet slightly twitching as her brain tried to re-establish control over the rest of her body. Her eyes were clearing now and as I stood above her, I couldn’t help laughing aloud.
The great Gemma Rox, huh? I wondered how great she would feel when she fully came to her senses. It was no longer a question of who was going to win this fight. For pete’s sake, you can’t defeat an enemy when your arms are bound uselessly behind you, right? Of course, right! I had earned myself a surefire victory…..there was no possible way to lose!
This was the watershed moment of my life. At my small size, I’ve never had the luxury of totally relaxing during a fight. Now, not only was I in superior position, but it was against Gemma Rox, a girl I never truly believed I could defeat. In fact, up until my “punch for the ages” I figured I had no chance in this fight.
I enjoyed my moment, standing calmly and happily, watching Gemma as she came back to herself. There was no hurry; I wanted her fully conscious…..totally aware of where she was and who was beating her…..before I bludgeoned her into humiliating defeat. I happily thought of all the things I was going to do to her.
Even as I waited, Gemma’s eyes snapped back into focus and she saw me. Taking stock of her situation as she felt her arms bound securely behind her, the look of sudden dismay on her pretty face caused me to burst out laughing.
“Gemma!” I cried. “The shoe’s on the other foot now, huh? How does it feel, knowing you’re about to be completely demolished? Do you want to give up? Do you want to say “uncle” so I won’t destroy you? It won’t do any good even if you do! I intend to torture you…..until I feel like stopping!”
Completely conscious now, Gemma eyed me with hatred…..and more than a little fear. She rose to her feet, awkwardly because she couldn’t use her hands…..and set her body in pugnacious fashion, as if inviting me to have at her. She had heart; there was no denying that……but her situation was hopeless.
I watched Gemma walk slowly toward me; I figured to be calling the shots on how the rest of this fight was to go and that she would be wise to stay away from me as best she could. But even as I thought this, I knew that Gemma was a fighter and nothing was going to make her back away from a confrontation….not even having the use of her arms taken away from her.
As I watched her approach, I hastily reminded myself that even at her severe disadvantage, she still had full use of her legs. Although not known as a fighter adept at using her lower body to attack, I’d be wise not to get careless. Resolving to be mindful of this, I stalked forward to meet her.
Waiting to see what Gemma would do, I wasn’t surprised that when she got within a yard of me, she kicked out with her right foot, aiming for my stomach…..but she was off-balance from not being able to use her arms and she missed as I easily side-stepped. As she lurched awkwardly to the side, I launched three rapid-fire punches at her head, landing two on her cheek and glancing one off her neck. They weren’t particularly hard shots, but since I figured my victory was already assured, I would be patient and make sure she didn’t land any kicks.
My punches didn’t hurt her; Gemma was too tough for that….but harder punches would be coming at her, let me assure you. She burst forward quickly, sending her right knee hurtling up toward my chin. Again, the movement threw her slightly off balance and the knee failed to connect. As she came forward, I thrust my hands against her shoulders and pushed as hard as I could. Normally, the push would have caused her to merely step back a pace or two, but the unfamiliar feeling of having her arms tied behind her caused her to stumble under my push, trying to keep her balance as she staggered backward, but failing.
Gemma landed on her butt, staring at me with a degree of discouragement…..or so I thought. I took the look as a sign to attack while she was down. I burst forward, getting ready to ram a knee into her face, but as I approached, she juked her head slightly to the side, avoiding my knee…..and as my body sailed into hers, she head-butted me squarely in the stomach.
Earlier, Gemma running into my punch as I was delivering it caused the effect of the blow to be magnified. Now, that same concept worked against me as my forward rush added impetus to her headbutt, causing the wind to be knocked out of me as my body rammed into hers. I fell backward, temporarily out of breath. Lying on my back, I saw her pivot to her knees, looking to throw herself on top of me. Fortunately, my years of gymnastics training had left me in good aerobic shape…..good enough to raise my foot and slam it into her face as she rushed in. Gemma fell back, and without her hands to break the fall, landed flat on her back, where I bounced to my feet and mounted her. My legs and upper body pinned her to the ground as I threw punch after punch at her face. Had her arms been free, she could have punched back and easily forced me off her. Without them, there was nothing to stop me and my blows rained down on her face, causing her to cry out in pain.
Feeling invincible, I moved my body higher up on hers so I could trap her head between my thighs and have her at my complete mercy. For a few seconds, she was……but Gemma then bucked her lower body upward, tossing me off her as if I weighed 10 pounds instead of 90. I fell forward, barely catching myself with my hands before my face could hit the floor. Instantly, Gemma was on me; as I lie on my stomach, she climbed on top of me, using her entire body to grind mine into the ground. She outweighs me by only 25 pounds, but no one knows how to use their body like Gemma Rox; she pinioned her weight back and forth to keep me immobile, meanwhile pounding my hips and thighs with her knees. The blows hurt and I struggled to turn on my back so I could use my arms to force her off me.
Finally, I did, but she had done damage…..and I couldn’t freakin’ believe it! I figured this whole fight belonged to me after her arms were tied behind her and was stunned to see that Gemma had no intention of losing to me…..arms or no arms.
Now free, I figured to get to my feet quicker than her, but the pain she had caused slowed me down a bit, and we both rose at the same moment. Gemma wasted no time driving her entire body at me, forcing me against the wall and using her size advantage to keep me pinned there. I tried to position my arms to punch her in the face but she kept the pressure on, not allowing me to gain any leverage. I tried using my knees to bang her body but she was doing it to me, instead. Her powerful knees thudded against my legs and stomach, causing me to cry out in pain. As I tried to move along the wall to get away, she followed me, banging home knees and hurting me badly.
Finally, she took a step back, but before I could move to escape, she lifted her foot and slammed me in the chest, knocking me to the hard floor. She came forward, looking to stomp me into submission. Fortunately, I was able to roll away from her and get to my feet. Keeping my distance, I was breathing hard as I stared at her.
This was unbelievable! I don’t care if my opponent is bigger than me; I can’t possibly lose a fight when she doesn’t have the use of her arms while I have full use of mine, can I?
Well, can I?
*****************************************
From that point on, we launched an outright war. With Gemma’s arms of no use to her, I slammed punch after punch to her head and body; she reeled from the hard shots, yet kept coming forward. I kicked at her stomach and thighs, driving home the blows as best I could, but still couldn’t keep her off me. I entwined my legs with hers a couple of times while hanging onto her upper body, knocking her down but unable to keep her there as she twisted and turned her upper body to throw me off. She couldn’t prevent me from landing all the offense in my arsenal, but that offense wasn’t enough to stop her.
I figured she eventually had to wear down from the pain I was inflicting. Yet, as we battled, I was astonished to find it was
my energy that was flagging. All the punishment I was delivering was causing me to grow tired….even as it failed to stop Gemma. She must have been weary too, but you wouldn’t know it from the furious way she kept fighting.
Badly winded now, I was backed up against the metal springs of what used to be a bed as Gemma stood in front of me, kicking with her legs and swinging her upper body from side-to-side, pummeling me with her shoulders, whipping my body back and forth against the metal springs behind. She was decimating me. As she battered away, her fury seemed to increase. Gemma knew she had me defeated but wouldn’t relent until I was down and out. Even with her arms tied behind her back, she kept ramming me into the bedsprings with her upper body, over and over.
Her gasps indicated how tired she was from the effort, yet her will was stronger than mine and I no longer had the strength to keep her off me, arms or no arms. As she continued to deliver punishment, I finally crumpled to the ground, unable to handle the pressure she was applying, unable to handle the pain. I was finished. I couldn’t take any more.
I lay on my stomach on the hard concrete floor, sobbing in the agony and humiliation of having been beaten by an opponent who was operating under a serious handicap, one that should have allowed me to easily defeat her.
You’ve heard the expression: “
I can beat you with both arms tied behind my back?” Usually, it’s a mindless boast, right?
Today, I had been humbled by a woman who had proved it with a practical demonstration.
At that moment, I wished Gemma would finish me off for good, knowing I would never be able to live this down. When she tells the people on the Catfight Board what happened…..as she surely will..…I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to face them again.
I turned on my back meekly, wondering what else Gemma might have in store for me. Whatever it was, I would be forced to accept it; I had no choice left. No dignity to preserve.
As I gazed resignedly up at my conqueror, she was standing right above me. I saw her foot raised, poised to stomp down and pulverize me…..and beyond that, I saw her face smiling evilly down at me, ready for the kill.
The bottom of her foot rocketed viciously toward my face and…….
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I’m awake now. I have no idea how long I was unconscious. I remember everything that happened before she knocked me out…..and I’ve relayed all that to you.
I can only guess what happened afterwards, but I do know this; Gemma is gone….. and I’m now lying on my stomach, hog-tied with the same rope I used to tie her up before…….totally helpless and alone in a dark room, too distant for anyone to hear my cries for help……and too ashamed and humiliated to call for it, anyway.
I’ll
never live this down.
