Wrath Of God

Chapter 15: 'Dismantled'

After I had bandaged him up I took out a syringe and injected him with a sedative that would knock him out for at least half an hour. That would give me enough time to get things ready. I stretched my arms and grunted then bent down to pick him up.
I slung him over my shoulder and moved to the basement. The basement had been converted into somewhat of a work station. I had told Alison it was my 'man room' and she knew never to enter. It was my sanctuary, a place where I could gather my thoughts and be at peace. It was also the place where I planned my kills, practiced my katas and occasionally where I doctored wounds sustained from a dangerous job.
Today the sanctuary would be used for a different reason. The basement was already soundproof, I had seen to that years ago. I have no shame in admitting that I screamed like hell the first few times I removed a bullet from my leg or my shoulder.
I covered the floors and tables and chairs with long sheets of plastic sheeting.
I didn't want to clean up more blood. I already had to buy a new rug. I put a chair down in the middle of the room and put a table of odds and ends close by. Satisfied with my work I went to fetch the gunman from the stairs where I had left him. I put him in the chair and tied him down securely. I was ready, I now just had to wait for him to be ready as well.

I was sitting in a chair opposite him playing with a knife, feeling the cold steel as I rang my finger along the blade. His eyes started to open and he murmured softly as he started to regain consciousness. He squinted and tried to focus his sight, things were still a little blurry for him. He started struggling as he saw me and me and my knife and remembered what had happened and where he was. He tried screaming but the tape over his mouth prevented any sounds from coming out. I didn't want to hear his feeble screams, not yet, not before I said what I wanted to say and definitely not before I gave him a proper reason to scream. He stared at me with a look that was both defiant and scared at the same time. I had searched him when I brought him down here. He had no identification, no phone, nothing. Not even labels in his clothes. He was a man without an identity.

He was from The Firm, a textbook low level hit man trained by the book.
It truly was insulting. He believed that he was strong, that he could take whatever I would give. He knew he wasn't going to live much longer and whoever hired him had promised him something or done something because this man's defiant stare told me that he was going to try his hardest to take what he knew to his grave.
I smiled, this truly was going to be fun. I shifted my chair closer to him and spoke to him like a teacher to a small child, 'I believe you and I got off on the wrong foot earlier and I'd like a chance for us to start again. Let begin by introducing ourselves to each other. My name is Kyle Palmer, I'm guessing you know that already. Whoever hired you probably gave you my name and you found my address and came to get me.
What they didn't tell you though was the name I am more commonly known by.
I am Za'aphiel, I am the wrath of God. I am the saving angel, savior of the innocent and punisher of the wicked.'
His eyes grew wide with fear, he had heard the name, he knew who Za'aphiel was.
He worked for the firm and therefore knew the stories, knew that Za'aphiel was the best. I smiled and continued, 'now you were in my house uninvited and you had a gun so I'm sure you can understand my reaction and why I shot you.
You wanted to kill me, that makes you one of the wicked and the wicked get punished for their sinful ways. So now you have a choice to make. Unfortunately I am going to kill you. You don't try kill Za'aphiel and live to tell the story.
You are going to die, but since I am the angel and I believe in redemption, I am going to give you a chance at redemption. You can tell me the name of the person who sent you and I will kill you quick and you will feel no pain at all.
Or you can be stupid and not tell me who sent you and I will make you beg to be killed, I will make you pray for death. The choice is yours. I strongly suggest you choose the first option, although I would be quite pleased if you do choose the second option.
I am feeling particularly creative today. Like I said, you are going to die so resistance is futile.' I stood up turned and threw the knife across the room with deadly force.