Fight Card Presents: Iron Head & Other Stories Read online

  FIGHT CARD PRESENTS...

  IRON HEAD

  AND OTHER STORIES

  AN ANTHOLOGY FEATURING

  TEN ROUNDS OF

  TWO-FISTED

  FIGHT FICTION

  FIGHT CARD PRESENTS: IRON HEAD AND OTHER STORIES

  e-Book Edition – First Published January 2014

  "A Sergeant's Duty" Copyright © 2014 by Jack Badelaire­

  "King Crush" Copyright © 2014 by James Scott Bell

  "Fight Card & Community" Copyright © 2014 by Paul Bishop

  "Tom Sharkey & the Christmas Savages" Copyright © 2014 by Mark Finn

  "The Old Hand" Copyright © 2014 by Ed Greenwood

  "Bushwacked" Copyright © 2014 by James Hopwood

  "My Brother" Copyright © 2014 by Bowie V. Ibarra

  “Fight Card & the Fighter” Copyright © 2014 Jeremy L. C. Jones

  "Fight Night" Copyright © 2014 by Ryan McFadden­

  "No Way Out" Copyright © 2014 by Matthew Pizzolato

  "Iron Head" Copyright © 2014 by Jory Sherman

  "Go for Broke" Copyright © 2014 by Troy D. Smith

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, corporations, institutions and organizations mentioned in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if real, used fictitiously without any intent to describe actual conduct.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission from the publisher.

  Cover art by Carl Yonder. Cover design by Paul Bishop and Carl Yonder.

  Fight Card, Fight Card Now, Fight Card MMA, Fight Card Romance, Fight Card Luchadores, Fight Card Sherlock Holmes, Fight Card Presents, and the Fight Card logo © 2010 Paul Bishop and Mel Odom

  NOTE:

  100% of proceeds from this anthology,

  Iron Head and Other Stories,

  will go directly to an author-in-need

  or literary charity.

  CONTENTS

  FOREWORD ~ PAUL BISHOP

  INTRODUCTION ~ JEREMY L. C. JONES

  ROUND1: IRON HEAD ~ JORY SHERMAN

  ROUND 2: FIGHT NIGHT ~ RYAN MCFADDEN

  ROUND 3: SAILOR TOM SHARKEY ~ MARK FINN

  ROUND 4: GO FOR BROKE ~ TROY D. SMITH

  ROUND 5: THE OLD HAND ~ ED GREENWOOD

  ROUND 6: A SERGEANT'S DUTY ~ JACK BADELAIRE

  ROUND 7: KING CRUSH ~ JAMES SCOTT BELL

  ROUND 8: BUSHWHACKED ~ JAMES HOPWOOD

  ROUND 9: PUNCHER'S CHANCE ~ BOWIE V. IBARRA

  ROUND 10: NO WAY OUT ~ MATTHEW PIZZOLATO

  FIGHT CARD PRESENTS: IRON HEAD & OTHER STORIES

  FORWARD

  PAUL BISHOP

  FIGHT CARD AND COMMUNITY

  What is community? Is it simply a geographic area where people group together while leading separate lives? Is it a social network composed of friends who like or comment while committing nothing of themselves beyond a mouse click? Or is true community something stronger, something deeper, something going beyond the individual into compassion and caring for others in thought, effort, sacrifice, and service?

  When Mel Odom and I created the Fight Card mandate in 2010 (a series of monthly 25,000 word boxing novelettes ... short, sharp, hard-punching stories inspired by the fight pulps of the '30s and '40s), we had no idea we were creating a community. However, Fight Card quickly took on a life of its own.

  “Build it and they will come,” was the call to action in the iconic baseball novel Field Of Dreams by W.P. Kinsella, but the same creative magic took over Fight Card ... We built a virtual boxing ring to which fighters, writers, and readers have come.

  As of this writing, the Fight Card series has extended to thirty titles, with more in the battered and scarred editorial dressing room waiting for their chance to duke it out in publication. The Fight Card brand has extended to include Fight Card MMA, Fight Card Now, Fight Card Luchadores, Fight Card Sherlock Holmes, and even Fight Card Romance.

  Experienced authors and critically acclaimed newcomers have stepped into the Fight Card ring, going the distance again and again – each delivering a unique, fresh take on the familiar boxing tale of struggle and redemption. In the process, all of those involved – writers, readers, cover artists – have become a community – a caring community.

  Fight Card transformed from a publishing brand into a living, breathing, author cooperative ... each writer working off of his own Amazon platform for his/her own Fight Card entry, while being supported by the cooperative – covers, editorial, formatting, publicity, podcasts, etc. – but also supporting the cooperative by furnishing back their own talents in those and other areas.

  For me, Fight Card has become a true joy. Every day, I get to interact with writers, cover artists, and pulp aficionados from literally around the world. Figuring out the time change between California and Australia or Spain or Ireland still makes my head hurt.

  Plus I’m having a blast bringing these great stories to fruition by taking advantage of the ever-evolving e-book technology to reach an audience in a manner not possible through traditional legacy publishing. While Fight Card was on the cutting edge of both the New Pulp and the publishing revolution, but I also felt we could do more. Be more.

  Which brings us to this anthology. Part of a true community is giving back to others. Six months ago, Jeremy L.C. Jones asked me if I’d be interested in helping out an author-in-need by letting him do a quick turnaround writing a Fight Card book. I’d already been toying with the idea of doing a Fight Card anthology to benefit a literacy charity, but here Jeremy was opening a different sort of door.

  Author-in-need might sound redundant. Aren’t all authors in need – in need of new readers, more book sales, and a solid plot for their next book? But, this was different. This was need based on health problems, family financial problems – needs that would crush the creativity out of anyone, let alone an experience, revered, writer who, like so many of the rest of us, works the typewriter trapeze without a safety net.

  Jeremy and I put out feelers to our Fight Card community and the response was instantaneous. Without hesitation, a large number of writers – some already part of the Fight Card team, others independent fighters happy to come into the Fight Card fold – willingly offered to write fight stories for not only our initial author-in-need charity effort, but enough to fill a schedule for three other charity anthologies now scheduled for upcoming publication.

  Amazing.

  Words on paper are the life blood of a writer. Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” These writers were willing to bleed in order to give a transfusion to one of their own – and then continue to bleed to give a transfusion to literacy charities in support of that most precious of commodities ... readers.

  In Fight Card Presents: Ironhead And Other Stories, ten writers (Jory Sherman, Ryan McFadden, Mark Finn, Troy D. Smith, Ed Greenwood, Jack Badelaire, James Scott Bell, James Hopwood, Bowie V. Ibarra, and Matthew Pizzolato, along with cover artist Carl Yonder) take us into the squared circle against a plethora of dangerous, hard-hitting, and deadly opponents – all in the name of community.

  100% of the proceeds from these Fight Card anthologies goes directly to the designated author-in-need or chosen literary charity. There are no monies taken for administrative costs or any other incidentals.

  This is what community is all about. I am humbled to be a part of it – honored to work with not just the writers and artists represented in this volume, but also in the others
to come.

  In buying this anthology, you too are part of our community, part of something larger ... part of going the distance ... of not leaving those in need behind ...

  Keep punching!

  Paul Bishop

  Los Angeles

  January, 2014

  INTRODUCTION

  JEREMY L. C. JONES

  FIGHT CARD AND THE FIGHTER

  Jory Sherman is a fighter. He's been in the writing business all of his adult life. He's been a poet, a journalist, and a novelist. He’s penned short stories, radio scripts, and autobiographical essays. In his memoir, he never flinches or falters. He’s written horror, action-adventure, and westerns, both adult and traditional. His publication numbers are high. Short stories? Over 500. Novels? Well past 400.

  On top of all his own writing, Jory has helped out, directly and indirectly, more fellow writers than anyone knows.

  Jory Sherman is a fighter. If he’d been a boxer, he’d be at that part of his career now where he was fighting full time and training up-and-comers on the side. Yeah, he's been a rookie and champ, but he's never been a ham and egger and he darn sure isn’t a tomato can. Great footwork. Good with his hands. A master out wide and a genius in close. Endurance, stamina, and courage to spare. He’s a fighter. Always has been. Always will be.

  Within all of all his jobs and roles--writer, painter, teacher, husband, soldier, and these days, recreational fisherman--there's always been that one thing, that one truth: Jory Sherman is a fighter.

  And his fighting spirit--his fight--is rooted in belief--belief in himself, in his characters, in language, in storytelling.

  Lately, Jory's been sick. He also turned 81 in October of 2013. Every morning he wakes up and writes.

  "There is nothing to fear," he says in Master Course in Writing. "All that you need will be given to you through the magic process of writing."

  Writing is Jory Sherman’s equivalent of the sweet science.

  Jory Sherman is a fighter, though he doesn't box. He writes. And this anthology, ten rounds of two-fisted Fight Card action, is a testament to how inspiring a fighter Jory Sherman is.

  A boxer steps into the ring and tests himself. A writer puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Call it a fight or the drafting of a story or whatever you want. You put yourself to the test and you see who you are.

  If you're lucky—whether you’re a writer or a boxer--you are never fully alone. You have your trainer there, your team, your fans, your community. Someone like Jory Sherman to lend a hand.

  But what if you are Jory Sherman? What if you’re the guy who usually helps everyone else out? What do you do then?

  About six months ago, I asked Jory if he'd ever written or had any interest in writing fight fiction and he told me a few stories about going to boxing matches with his father as a child in Denver.

  One of these childhood adventures led to “Iron Head”. Jory wrote it fast, while juggling two novel deadlines and at least three trips to the VA Hospital per week.

  Once we had “Iron Head” in hand, Paul Bishop and I set about finding stories to accompany it. We needed at least four of equal length, roughly 6,000 words. Both of us sent out feelers, asking writers we knew if they’d be willing to donate a fight story to a Fight Card anthology. All proceeds, we said, would go to Jory.

  Response was beyond enthusiastic.

  "I love fight fiction!"

  "I've always wanted to try a boxing tale."

  "Anything for Jory.”

  We had a dozen commitments within 12 hours. Within a week we had enough commitments for more than two full anthologies. Eventually, we had a roster for four boxing anthologies and at least one Fight Card MMA anthology with plans to continue bi-monthly releases for as long as there is interest.

  Not all of the anthologies will benefit Jory Sherman. Some will benefit literacy programs, literary organizations, or other authors in need. Fight Card Presents: Iron Head & Other Stories is the first and it was borne out of the generosity that Jory Sherman inspired in others.

  As I said above, Jory has been ill lately--very ill. There have been some close calls. There have been near misses, emergencies, medications, and hours and hours of dialysis. The medical bills are excruciating. Crippling.

  But a fighter doesn’t give up, and Jory Sherman is a fighter.

  In one of my favorite scenes in this book, a character awakens from a coma and says, “I dreamed about how to defeat him.”

  He’s talking about the fighter who put him in that coma. That’s the way to do it: wake each day fighting. Never give up.

  I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Thank you for buying it and for helping out an author in need. I’d also like to thank the authors and the cover artist, all of whom have been exceedingly generous and a real joy to work with. Jack Badelaire, James Scott Bell, Mark Finn, Ed Greenwood, James Hopwood, Bowie V. Ibarra, Ryan McFadden, Matthew Pizzolato, Troy D. Smith, Carl Yonder, and, of course, Jory Sherman, it’s great to have you on the Fight Card team. And, Paul, many thanks for letting me train at your gym.

  Keep writing!

  Jeremy L. C. Jones

  Boiling Springs, SC

  ROUND 1: IRON HEAD

  JORY SHERMAN

  Donny Farrow knew he was losing the fight by the third round. The new Coliseum in Denver was packed to the rafters. More than 10,000 people were screaming for Eddie Bushwhacker Reynolds to kill Farrow.

  And Reynolds was fighting dirty.

  Every time Bushwhacker’s back was turned to the referee, Jamie Carson, Reynolds smashed a low blow into Donny’s groin.

  The crestfallen ohs of the raging crowd did not sway the referee, who did not see the illegal blows.

  The two heavyweights danced and drove their arms and gloved fists at each other like pistons. The two men were skin-clad machines gliding around the ring with murderous precision.

  At ringside, Donny’s girl, Adrienne Collins, covered her face with trembling hands. She peered between her fingers every so often when the roar of the crowd surged through the Coliseum. She had to know, she told herself, she had to know how Donny was doing under such brutal punishment, but each landed blow was a tug at her heart.

  Next to Adrienne sat Sister Luisa Ruiz and Donny’s manager, Felix Mendoza.

  Sister Luisa had once taught Adrienne at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage in the Sunnyside district on Federal in Denver. Both of Adrienne’s parents had been killed in an automobile accident and she had no other living relatives. She had learned Gregg shorthand at the Catholic school and now worked as a secretary at the Denver Dry Goods Co. Sister Luisa had gone on to teach English at Cathedral High School in Denver.

  Felix Mendoza had discovered Danny at the T’s K.O. Boxing Club. Donny was working as a box boy at the Denver Dry Goods Co. where he and Adrienne had met. His job was to stock the store racks and shelves, while Adrienne was a secretary to one of the buyers, Dale Norton.

  Now, in the ring, Donny’s dazzling footwork helped him avoid the pounding fists of Bushwhacker Reynolds. Donny’s legs were strong and firm. He and Mendoza had worked hard on the footwork, which was dazzling to watch as Reynolds stalked the younger Donny around the ring with sledgehammer fists cocked to deliver a knockout punch.

  Mendoza was worried as he watched his fighter take punches to his gut and chest. He knew Donny would be covered in bruises when the match was over. He had reluctantly put him up against Reynolds in the heavyweight division, wondering if his boy was ready for such a formidable opponent. Donny assured him that he was, that his footwork and boxing skills would overcome Reynolds’ ponderous stalking and crude approach to pugilism.

  Now, as he watched Donny evade the brutish Reynolds, Mendoza wondered if Donny could last ten rounds. It was only the 3rd round and he saw the weariness in his boy, the lowering of his guard as his arms grew heavy from throwing left jabs and straight rights to Reynolds’ head, missing most of the time.

  Reynolds bobbed and weave
d as he drove Donny into a neutral corner of the ring. His sloping shoulders resembled those of a powerful bull, and his jabs were relentless. Donny brought both arms up to shield his head and face from Bushwhacker’s probing jabs and his lightning right hand, equipped with massive knuckles even sixteen-ounce gloves could not fully cushion.

  Blood streamed down Donny’s face where Bushwhacker’s glancing blows had broken the skin. The crowd roared its bloodlust and Donny cringed inside at the insults he heard from loud-voiced individuals.

  “Kill him, Bushwhacker.”

  “Go down, you bum.”

  “Donny, you’re a loser.”

  He tried to shut out the words, but they resounded in his ears like the cruel shouts of his father. His father had yelled at him all the time and his insults had crushed him as mere physical blows could not.

  Bushwhacker was relentless. There was no corner of the ring where Donny could find relief or defend himself.

  When the bell ending the third round rang, Donny blindly limped to his corner and sat on the stool his trainer, Vinnie Spetaza, had set out for him. Tom Poston rubbed his bloody face with a damp towel. Donny spit out his mouthpiece and gasped for air.

  “You’re doin’ great, kid,” Vinnie said. “His jabs are slidin’ off your face and he’s missin’ with his right.”

  “No, he isn’t,” Donny sputtered as he rinsed his dry mouth out with water Poston gave him in a plastic cup.

  “When he dips his left shoulder, Donny, you watch out for his right,” Vinnie said. “It’s a dead giveaway.”

  “He’s fighting dirty,” Donny said. “My nuts feel like they’re mashed to a pulp.”

  “I know, I know,” Vinnie said. “I’ll talk to the ref. God knows I’ve yelled at him enough.”

  “I don’t know if I can last another round with Reynolds,” Donny said. “He hits real hard.”