The Three Little Men

Wolfgang approached the house, weapon in his hand. The building was small and rough, and not very well planned. Nails stuck out of the wood at odd angles and all bent, and the beams were broken and warped, and the foundations well-spent. The roof was just weeds, a mixture of clover and stover, all woven together, over and over.

Bang, bang, bang! Wolfgang threw his fist on the door. He drew a deep breath and then said with a roar,

“Little man, little man, open this door! I’m here to get her so that we suffer no more!”

The first little man who was hiding inside, said in a small voice, “I see you have tried. However, you fool, she’s not here anymore! You’ll never find her, after all, this is war!”

“Wrong answer.”

With a cock of his weapon and a squeeze of the trigger, Wolfgang kicked at the door with strength and with vigour. The weapon went off, firing into the room, and the little man inside was met with his doom.

The smouldering corpse lay still in the middle, stinking and wet, soaked in sweat and in piddle. And it was obvious to see in the small single room, that she was not here, in the dank and the gloom. After examining the man’s phone, and the most recent text, Wolfgang kicked down the house and then moved onto the next.

The second house was built a bit better, it was made of metal and jewels by a well-known trendsetter. But the door was still wood, flimsy and weak, and as Wolfgang approached, he started to speak.

“Little man, little man, your door will not hold! Give her to me now, do as I’ve told!”

The second little man sounded more confident than the first. He simply said back, “Wolfgang, come get me! I’m waiting! Do your worst!”

And so with a mighty big kick from his mighty big boot, Wolfgang kicked in the door and began to shoot. The second little man fired back as he hid, as Wolfgang dove behind a table, stopping with a skid. Splinters flew everywhere as clang, clang, clang filled the air, the bullets hitting the metal of the second man’s lair. A brief reprieve as they both had to reload, gave the opportunity for his opponent to speak and to goad.

“You’ll never win, and you’ll never see her again! You’ll never take down the PIGs and our fifty-year reign! There’s a reason we’re on top – we’re brutal and mean, and that’s why you’re helpless to stop us and our queen!”

Without a response, Wolfgang stood up, and stroked his weapon fondly, like a kid with a pup. He knew where the man cowered, all weak and afraid – as he shot back at Wolfgang, his bullets had strayed. They had started near the couch over by the side, but were now coming from the new place the second man had found to hide. Behind the bathroom door came the click of the reload, but Wolfgang was faster now that he was in kill-mode. In a few small steps he was face to face with his foe, and in a brief moment, before the second man could know, Wolfgang pressed his weapon against his enemy’s head, and milliseconds later, his enemy was dead. She was not here either, the second man hadn’t lied, and so he burned the house down before continuing the search for his bride.

The third and final house was made of brick and of steel, and as he approached, Wolfgang could feel, this house belonged to the gang leader, Spence, and hence, the construction had spared absolutely no expense. As he banged on the door as he'd done twice before, he raised his voice loud and said with a roar,

“Little man, little man, your fortress will not save you! Your debt towards me, and your death have both come due! So give her to me now and I can make it quick, otherwise I will tear down this building, brick by red brick.”

And muffled inside by the thickened walls, came the response, in short and sharp calls. “She may be in here, but she’s ours now, boy. Bringing you here was all her ploy. She doesn’t love you anymore, she came here of free will. I know you know that, yet here you are still. Let go of the past, and save your own life, because I will never give up my love and my wife!”

And just like before, Wolfgang kicked at the door. He kicked and he kicked until he couldn’t kick anymore. The door was too strong, the steel was too thick, as he took a step back, his brain began to tick. There must be a way into this reinforced house, to kill the third man and reclaim his spouse.

Smoke filled his nostrils as he continued to think, and then his eyes wandered up to the source of the stink. A chimney stuck out of the roof on one side, shortened and open, and surprisingly wide. With ease he pulled himself onto the roof, and then climbed in the chimney, hoping his clothes were flameproof. The lower he went, the hotter it got, and when he reached the bottom, out of the fireplace he shot. With weapon drawn he fired at the third man, who dove to one side – all part of the plan. Taking cover himself, he went to reload, but before he could fire, his enemy’s firing slowed. Amidst the gunfire, a special shot rang, and the case hit the floor with a loud clatter and clang. Wolfgang looked up and there she stood, with her own gun smoking, her aim had been good. The third man had been betrayed by his partner and love, and as life left his eyes, she pushed him aside with a shove. She then turned to Wolfgang, a look in her eye, and raised her weapon, trying hard not to cry.

“The PIGs are mine now, and you have a choice to make. Follow me as your leader or your life I will take.”

Wolfgang stared at the love of his life, and her gun, to him, just looked like a knife. She’d taken his gang that had been taken from him, by man number three, who’s eyes had grown dim. She loved him no more, it was obvious to see, and even though his eyes showed his plea, he knew there was no mercy waiting for him - he already knew the ending, and the ending was grim. With tears in her eyes, she shook her head, and pulled her trigger firmly, shooting Wolfgang quite dead. And as she left the fortress behind, she knew the whole city was hers in kind. Though she’d once loved him, he got in the way of power and glory and her takeover day. She was the leader now, in charge of the gang, the feared, the respected, the powerful, the Fang.