Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

  McDonald gave himself a cursory examination of the gunshot wound to his thigh. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. There was blood, but it wasn’t flowing freely. He took off his shirt, fashioning a temporary dressing for his leg. He picked up sirens in the distant, working their way towards the restaurant. He punched a number in his cell and hit send.

  “It’s me,” said McDonald, when the call was answered. “I might need some stitches,” he added with a chuckle. “I caught a round in the left thigh.” He listened for a minute or so. “No, it’s not bad, a through and through. The bleeding’s already begun to slow. I’ve got a field dressing on it that should do for now.”

  McDonald listened another minute. “Negative. No one comes to the kill zone, unless they have a serious death wish. I’ll shoot first and identify later.”

  After a short pause he responded. “Yes, I have both targets.”

  “The cops are heading this way. I’ll fill you in later.” Without further ado, McDonald ended the call.

  The car was all but invisible behind the building with the black BMW tucked in the shadows under the fire escape.

  McDonald glanced at the south east corner and saw a shadow moving in the shadows. A red laser dot appeared and disappeared quickly. His look-out was in place. Seconds later a Chicago patrol car shot by on Halstead, heading south. McDonald waited five minutes. One more cop car had blown by seconds after the first, but nothing since then. Satisfied that would be it for now, he went to work.

  Chapter Two

  Tao moaned as he was pulled from the car. He got another shot of Etorphine for his efforts. That would keep him out for another hour. If the dosages worked as planned, both men would regain consciousness with minutes of each other.

  At 6’2 and 190 pounds, McDonald was in excellent shape. His daily regimen of weights and flexibility had paid off over the years. He was stronger than he appeared and very agile. McDonald took Tao up the stairs first, draping both in a black sheet to blend into the shadows. He took the Chinaman into the back room on the third floor, securing his hands and feet with zip-cuffs.

  Getting O’Brien up was a bit more of a challenge. The Irishman outweighed him by a good 30 pounds. He used a fireman’s carry to get him up the stairs, banging O’Brien’s head off the rail twice which made McDonald grin. Once on the third floor, he dumped O’Brien next to Tao.

  McDonald bound O’Brien’s hands and feet and went to work hanging pulleys from the 3” water main running just below the 9’ ceiling. He had two lengths of 3/8” steel chain with clevis hooks on both ends. He wrapped one end around their ankles with a second wrap between and hooked the clevis. The other end went through the pulley. Once he had their heads roughly 2 feet off the floor, McDonald hooked the other clevis and went into the next room to change.

  *****

  Tao came around about 5 minutes after O’Brien. His reaction was more subdued. Perhaps it was because of Tao’s age, or his approach to life and death. Regardless, he didn’t struggle as he looked around the room.

  McDonald, his hair cut, and the beard gone, entered the room. He had the cigar in one hand and a K-bar in the other. Pulling the door shut behind him, he turned on a battery-operated LED lantern in the windowless room.

  McDonald approached Tao first. “I’m certain you’re aware shouting for help will be of no use. I took the liberty of sound-proofing the room. I am going remove your gag so you can speak. Please, rest assured if you become unruly, I will not hesitate to silence you. Nod if you understand.”

  Tao nodded with as much dignity as he could manage. The ball gag came off with a slip of the knife. “Thank you,” said Tao, surprisingly. “The gag was most uncomfortable.”

  McDonald didn’t answer, turning to O’Brien. “Mr. O’Brien, I believe you’ll be somewhat more inclined to scream than Mr. Tao. The same rule applies. If you raise your voice above a conversational tone, you won’t like the results.”

  McDonald paused for a moment, evaluating the Irishman, “I see fear in your eyes, Sean, and it is well justified. The question is, do you want to die immediately, or would you like to see if there is a way out of this alive?”

  O’Brien stared at McDonald with a mixture of fear, anger, frustration and confusion. He slowly nodded his head in agreement to the terms. As soon as the ball gag was removed, O’Brien asked angrily, “Who in the fuck are you?”

  McDonald smiled. “My name is irrelevant; however, my presence is anything but. If you want to call me something, you can call me sir.”

  O’Brien snorted in derision, “Sir? Why the fuck would I call a worthless piece of shit like you sir?”

  McDonald set the knife and cigar down – a bone-chilling smile on his face. When he straightened back up, he went to work on O’Brien.

  Tao, watching from his precarious position, was certain that O’Brien got hit 6 or 7 times in less than five seconds. Every punch found a vulnerable spot. McDonald hit him in the nose, stomach, kidneys and both sides of the head. The result was an unconscious O’Brien, blood running from his broken nose to the floor below.

  “Impressive,” said Tao, “although I am not inclined to call you, sir, either. It is not a question of respect, but more so a matter of courtesy. Since I am going to die tonight, I wish to know the name of the man that will send me to my ancestors.” Tao smiled, “Yes, I know that I am going to die, despite your deceptive offer of hope to Mr. O’Brien. I also wish to know the reason why we have been destined to die at your hand.”

  McDonald stood with his arms folded, a wisp of smoke rising from the cigar he’d retrieved. “Mr. Tao, I admire your calmness in light of your impending death. It is honorable, serving your ancestors well. As for my name, knowing it will make no difference considering what’s to come. It’s Lazarus, although I have associates who jokingly refer to me as a chameleon; given my talent for changing my appearance. It was me after all, who met with you under the guise of McDonald.”

  Tao nodded with understanding. “I never would have made the connection. Now that you have cut your hair, removed the beard and blue contacts, I am beginning to understand what they mean. You are very much like a chameleon. I will choose to die thinking of you as THE Chameleon, a name, not a description. It fits you well.” Tao sighed, “May I ask how I am to die?”

  Lazarus, eyes dark as coal, responded. “Most likely you will die slowly. You have a debt to pay. A life for a life and I is here to collect it.”

  “And as for Mr. O’Brien?” asked Tao.

  “The same, I am collecting two lives for one. If not for you, he wouldn’t be here. If not for him, you wouldn’t be here. It is because of you both that a young Japanese girl had her life destroyed. She is now in my care. She will remain there, free to live however she may choose.”

  Tao looked puzzled. “This girl, she is your child?”

  “Not at all,” Lazarus replied. “I met her for the first-time last December.”

  “Then I don’t understand your desire for vengeance,” said Tao. “If she isn’t your family, what difference does it make to you concerning the life of one worthless girl?”

  It was Tao’s turn to taste Lazarus’ rage. Without comment, Lazarus slapped and back-handed Tao 4 times in rapid succession. He then leaned in close, whispering in Tao’s ear, “Her life matters to me,” said Lazarus, as calmly as though they were discussing their favorite flowers. “Yours, however, does not.”

  Anger flashed in Tao’s eyes at the humiliation of being slapped like a woman. His voice carried an edge as he spoke again. “You know who I am.”

  Lazarus laughed, “Of course I do. You are the infamous, Tao; the soon to be former head of Chicago’s largest Chinese Tong.” He continued with his cold smile, “That’s why you’re here. You’re responsible for anything that happens in your Tong. It doesn’t matter to me whether you knew this girl or not. You’re responsible for your men getting her addicted to heroin, abusing and forcing her into prostitution. Then, as if her life wasn’t bad enough, you sold her t
o this pitiful excuse of a human being hanging next to you.” Lazarus moved closer, drawing on his cigar. “She spent two years being routinely beaten and raped by this worthless piece of shit.” Lazarus nodded in O’Brien’s direction, “All for twenty-five thousand dollars.”

  O’Brien moaned as he began to come around. Lazarus lifted his head to look him in the eyes. “Will I have to repeat myself?” he asked with a look that sent chills up O’Brien’s spine. “No,” O’Brien replied. He then flinched, “I mean no, sir.”

  “That’s a good boy, Sean,” said Lazarus. “Now, let’s get you up to speed with Mr. Tao as to why you are both here tonight.”

  Lazarus took three pictures from his pocket. The first was a photo of the oriental girl at the age of 13, when she lived in a convent on the south side of Chicago. In the second photo, she was 15, shortly before she was sold to O’Brien. The third was taken last December, after Lazarus removed her from O’Brien’s house.

  Recognition was slow to come to O’Brien, understandably so with the beating he had just taken. “You stole my girl?” he stated as much as asked. “I always thought she just ran away.” He added almost wistfully, “She was a damn good little f...” catching himself as Lazarus pulled back his right arm. O’Brien flinched and closed his eyes. “Sorry, sir,” he said. “I thought she escaped on her own.”

  O’Brien looked at Lazarus from the corner of his eye. “I suppose you’re going to beat me and teach me a lesson?” Even as he spoke, O’Brien realized that would be the least of what was to come. He could see death in those black pits disguised as eyes.

  “Something along those lines,” whispered Lazarus as he looked into O’Brien’s eyes.

  Lazarus turned his attention back to Tao. “Will I need to gag you while I teach Mr. O’Brien his lesson?”

  Tao shook his head. “I am not a woman like this pathetic creature. Gag him if you want to silence someone,” he stated rather than asked. “I have no desire that the last sounds I hear in this world be O’Brien, crying for mercy when there is none to be found.”

  Lazarus bowed, bringing a smile to the China-man's face. “Even now you show me respect, Chameleon. It will be an honor to die by your hand.” Tao added with as much dignity he could, “If you are able to find it within you, may my death be swift and clean?”

  Lazarus studied Tao for almost a minute before turning away without comment. He had no intentions of letting Tao off easy. In Lazarus’ mind, it wouldn’t be justice if Tao didn’t suffer for his sins as O’Brien would.

  Chapter Three

  Lazarus left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

  Tao went about quietly preparing himself for death while O’Brien began to complain, keeping his voice low. “This isn’t right,” he whined. “That girl can’t mean that much to him. She’s just one of hundreds; fuck that, thousands of girls that pass through the parlors.”

  Tao looked at him with unveiled contempt. “You are a fool, Sean. This is all because of you. How did this man, this Chameleon find her?”

  “Chameleon?” asked O’Brien, confused by the reference. He shook his head and answered, “He must have been at the party I threw for her 16th birthday. She was so beautiful. I wanted to show her off so people could see what I owned.”

  Tao smiled sadly. “So, it was your ego that drove you. You are even more of a fool than I imagined.”

  O’Brien whined again, “But she was so beautiful. You don’t keep something that magnificent a secret. The only people I invited were from the Club. I knew they would understand my pride in her.”

  “Apparently,” said Tao thoughtfully, “this man doesn’t agree with your assumption. He is not like the others. He is sadistic, yes. I have seen that in his eyes and in his actions. However, he is not a Dominant. He is a killer, a killer of men. Yet I see in him compassion for the lost and abused. It is a strange combination, one I have never seen.”

  “So, he has to kill us because that little bitch got what she deserved?” O’Brien asked incredulously.

  “No, he doesn’t have to kill us you fool, he wants to. That is the difference between him and me. I kill out of necessity, or for business. This Chameleon is going to kill us out of a sense of honor. It is something not only rare, but admirable.”

  “You admire this fucking freak?”

  “No,” replied Tao. “I respect him. He is a man of conviction and purpose. This man spent seven months in disguise in order to get me alone. He has patience beyond any man I have ever met. Why? I don’t know. I am certain it is something he developed over the span of many years.”

  “Fuck all that, and fuck you too, Tao, you stupid fucking chink,” O’Brien responded, spitting at Tao for emphasis.

  Tao smiled darkly. “At least I will have the pleasure of watching you die first. I am quite certain that it will be slow and extremely painful. You have no honor. You are prideful and arrogant; most of all you are simply stupid. For that alone you deserve what you are getting.”

  Lazarus had been standing behind the doorway listening to the conversation. He decided then and there Tao wouldn’t suffer in death. It wasn’t that Lazarus didn’t want him to suffer, it was a matter of respect for the way Tao embraced death. O’Brien would be another matter entirely.

  Lazarus walked into the room wearing a Tyvek suit and booties, carrying a 32” hand-forged Japanese Katana and a coiled bullwhip. He also wore a face shield, obviously expecting a lot of blood to be let. Tao nodded as he entered. To his surprise, Lazarus walked over and bowed deeply.

  “Mr. Tao,” said Lazarus respectfully, holding his bow. “You have honored yourself and your ancestors by accepting your fate graciously. I am granting your wish. You will not suffer in death. Your passing will be swift and clean.”

  Tao looked Lazarus in the eyes. “I don’t deserve your kindness, Chameleon, but I will accept it with as much grace as possible, under the given circumstances.”

  Lazarus then turned to O’Brien and smiled. “Sean, my man, it’s time for you to pay the piper as the Irish say.”

  O’Brien screamed something unintelligible and spit at Lazarus. With speed and fluidity of motion that amazed Tao, Lazarus dropped the bullwhip; slicing off O’Brien’s right ear with the Katana as the Irishman swung on the chain. His scream was deafening in the small room. Then, in a continuation of the first strike, Lazarus spun on his heel and brought the sword down again, removing the left ear as cleanly as the right. O’Brien screamed again and passed out. While he hung there, Lazarus cleaned the blade on the unconscious man’s shirt, laying it aside while retrieving the whip, slowly uncoiling it.

  Tao noticed the thin piece of steel at the end. This would not be quick for O’Brien. Despite himself, Tao smiled.

  For the next hour and a half Lazarus shredded O’Brien with the whip. First, he shredded his clothes, and then his flesh. From time to time the torment would stop. Lazarus used smelling salts to bring O’Brien back around, only to whip him back under. Slowly and relentlessly, Lazarus peeled away O’Brien’s flesh in thin strips, the flow of blood increasing until it practically poured down over his head.

  Tao marveled at the precision Lazarus used with the whip. He was seeing near perfection in the art of death. This man, this Chameleon, was as cold as the ice on Lake Michigan in the winter. He showed no emotion, methodically going about the business of destroying O’Brien, skinning him alive.

  The whipping stopped as quickly as it had started. Lazarus brought O’Brien back one last time, squatting down to look him in the eyes. “Do you have any last words?” Lazarus asked, as politely and as sincerely as one could imagine.

  O’Brien focused as best as he could on the man before him and said something that neither of the other two men could hear.

  “I’m sorry, Sean, I couldn’t make that out,” said Lazarus casually.

  O’Brien took a deep breath and repeated, “I said, I should have killed that little bitch long ago.”

  Nodding his head, Lazarus retrieved the Katana and st
raightened up. “Perhaps you should have, Sean,” he whispered as he slid the sword slowly into the man’s stomach. O’Brien screamed in agony as the blade sliced upward until it reached his crotch. In one continuous motion Lazarus pulled the sword out, spun around and cut off O’Brien’s head. It bounced off the now blood-soaked linoleum and rolled up to Lazarus’ feet. He stared at the severed head for a moment with a grim satisfied smile on his face before kicking it into a corner.

  “It is time, Mr. Tao,” said Lazarus; no malice in his voice.

  To Tao’s surprise, the man he called the Chameleon unhooked the chain and lowered him slowly to the floor, pushing his body to the side so he wouldn’t land on his head. After cutting the zip-cuffs, Lazarus offered Tao his hand, helping him to his feet. The old man would have collapsed but for the steady grip around his waist.

  “Thank you,” Tao murmured through the pain. Lazarus nodded and held Tao for almost 10 minutes until he regained the use of his legs.

  Without a word, Tao knelt on the blood-soaked floor. He closed his eyes, bowing his head in prayer. Five minutes passed before he looked up at Lazarus. He was standing to Tao’s left and slightly behind him: Katana at the ready in a ceremonial two hand grip. Tao nodded and closed his eyes. The last sound he heard was the whistling of the blade slicing through the air and then … nothing.

  Lazarus lowered Tao’s still kneeling body to the ground, placing the head on his chest, reuniting them in death. He walked to the next room, returning with two pieces of parchment covered in Chinese characters. Lazarus nailed one to each of the two dead men’s heads. “My apologies, Mr. Tao, but this is necessary,” he said as he drove a nail into Tao’s forehead. “It’s important my message not be misunderstood.”

  Fifteen minutes later the Tyvek materials were in the trash bag with the drop cloth, and Lazarus was out on the fire escape. He looked to the front corner and was greeted by a flash of the laser. Descending the stairs quickly, Lazarus got into O’Brien’s car and drove around the building, picking up his lookout before heading east on 21st Street.