Rise of Shade: Book 1 - Slade's Downfall

Slade Johnson was the most notorious serial killer. For twenty long years, he managed to avoid being charged for any murder simply because he sold his services as a serial killer by marketing himself as a contract killer.

But make no mistake, Slade was a serial killer by nature; for each one of his contract kills were the exact same in how they were carried out. I apologize for giving you such gory details like these up front, but to understand Slade, you must hear them.

Each one of Slade's victims were cut open through their stomach, but they did not die immediatly from this. As they laid bleeding on the floor, Slade would use his signature katanas to pain the walls, floors, and cealings with the victim's own blood. And just as the victims was about to die, Slade would finish decorating the scene by using some blood to paint an upside down triangle with an S in the middle of it.

So yes, the victims die of bloodloss, but Slade makes sure they see him perfom this one act of painting the room as they lay bleeding. It's a despairing thing for the victim to go through, and it's just as despairing for those that find these crime scenes.

You might be wondering, if the victims were killed all in the same manner, then why wasn't Slade ever brought to justice?

Simple: A loophole in the law. Most planets have a loophole where contract killers are to be classified as murder weapons, not the actual murderer so long as a contract is signed that would absolve the contract killer as taking responsibility for the murder. It's how Slade was able to get away for so long.

But then, by a miracle, a planet called "Alternate Earth" removed their statue of limitations, and that meant that Slade could be tried for the murder of his own parents. The difference between their murder and Slade's victims is that the scene was not dressed. Therefor, one could argue that this killing was Slade's first. Every Serial Killer has a pattern they stick to; with Slade, it was painting the room with the victim's blood. Therefor, the arguement could be made that Slade murdered his own parents before he began life as a contract killer.

And what's more, it was assured that enough evidence was discovered to confirm Slade's Guilt. And when Slade if found guilty of these murders, Slade's immunity from selling his services as a contract killer for his subsequent crimes no longer holds water. It'll make all his future crimes be allowed to be tried on Slade. Needless to say, if this were chess, Slade was in danger of suffering checkmate.

And it's on that note that the real story begins...