The Midnight Slasher

For several years now, on the midnight of every month's end, a killer stalks the streets of New Orleans. One that strikes in the dark, within the most hidden corners of the city. He or she has never been caught. Not that police haven't tried to catch this mysterious killer, only they seem to slip the sights of Detectives alike. Whoever this stranger is, they are skilled and resourceful, someone who knows the law system a little too well, in order to escape it so easily. Many speculate it is a rogue police officer, taking up the role of a vigilante, as the killer only murders drug dealers, con artists and sometimes other killers. They are clearly someone who believes in a certain sense of lethal justice. They always use sharp blades, presumably because this is a silent weapon that is quick to slaughter. Only a small handful of survivors have faced this so-called 'Midnight Slasher' and lived to tell the tale. The following are three known encounters with this mysterious, deadly stranger.

James Clint remembers his long and lonely walk home one night after making the biggest drug deal in his criminal career, he had just sold several tonnes of cocaine and was heading home with way over ten thousand dollars. It was the best night of his life, that was until the Midnight Slasher targeted him. As James ventured down the darkest alleyways of the city, far from the rustle and bustle of crowds and street performers playing saxophone and guitar. Far from the jazz clubs and rock bars that sang until the morning arrived. He was in a place where nobody but him could be found, graffiti plastered the brick walls all around him, the darkness and grit of this part of town really matched the person James had become. He first heard the Midnight Slasher before seeing them, footsteps followed behind James in the blackness behind him.

"Whose there!" James flicked out his switchblade, "see, I ain't afraid to use this if I have ta!" He called out and stared into the dark, James couldn't make out Midnight's shape, standing still as a statue just several feet away from him, "must be seeing shit..."

Then the footsteps escalated into running! Before James could react, he was stabbed in the stomach and fell to the blood soaked ground, grunting and screaming in pain, a good Samaritan nearby overhead and answered his prayers.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" The woman's voice called.

"You got lucky this time..." Midnight's voice grumbled, it was deep and cough-like, almost like the killer was hiding their true vocals behind a fake tough guy voice. James saw the outline of the Midnight Slasher, as they ran away back into darkness, he saw that they wore all black, with a hood up covering their face. James collapsed right there and awoke hours later in the hospital, his drug money had been robbed off of him however, perhaps taken by the Midnight Slasher or the woman who saved him, although the latter seems far less likely. It's possible the Midnight Slasher targets his victims based on wealth, that maybe they're just a bent cop looking for an easy payday, taking out the trash while they are at it too. James didn't see a whole lot of this killer, as his encounter was short and frantic!

Catalina Johnson was a known criminal in New Orleans, a real foxy lady, one who used her good looks and perfect body to entice men and rob them blind. She had destroyed marriages just for fun, by seducing the husband and taking his wallet or fancy sports car. She ripped off the rich, but didn't give anything back to the poor. Compared to Midnight's other targets, her crimes seem petty and miniscule in comparison. The fact they targeted her, suggests that maybe Midnight is a he, another man who got burnt by this sexy seductress and wanted revenge. Or perhaps Midnight was a wife who sought revenge however, after Catalina destroyed her marriage. Either theory has merit, but considering how deep and growling James described Midnight's voice, it is more likely that Midnight is a male, not female. Catalina's story involves a voice calling to her from a four-door car, that of a man's, who dangled a big, thick stack of dollar bills out of his car window. The car had black out windows and was painted in a very dark, grey matte colour, almost like this was some kind of undercover detective car, further suggesting Midnight has some sort of law enforcement background or history. Catalina wasn't an escort, but she often pretended to be, just to rob men of money and escape (mostly) unharmed. So she took the bait, approaching the white hand holding the cash, standing out against the black vehicle. However, as she got too close, the window rolled down and the figure behind the window revealed themselves, in an all black balaclava that covered their face, it was the Midnight Slasher! They quickly raced up a sharp knife in their other hand and slit Catalina's throat before driving away in a fit of frantic terror, almost knocking over a few bins on the side of the road. Catalina clutched her throat tightly, then stumbled onto the ground, someone across the road had seen what happened and called an ambulance. Just like James, Catalina also awoke in the hospital, to live to tell this tale.

The last horror story to feature the Midnight Slasher comes from Bill Jones, a man who killed his own wife in 1989. He was sentenced to twenty years in jail, because the judges ruled the murder as self-defence, as there was evidence of shared abuse between the couple who physically fought each other often, as they were both full of cuts and bruises. Many believed Bill was the one who initiated the abuse, but some witnesses claimed that his wife, Sandra, often hit him in front of guests and that he was a gentle soul. So, due to conflicting stories and witness statements, Bill was let off with a reduced sentence. A year after his release in 2010, Bill was a free man, walking home late one night after a few too many drinks at the local bar where he lived. Apparently, the man got very loose tongued during this drinking session and revealed to his closest friends, that the whole story was a lie. That he paid people thousands of dollars to lie in court and now, twenty years later he was free, escaping a well deserved death sentence. The pig of a man laughed and mocked his dead wife, he even joked about how weak and pathetic she was. Perhaps Midnight overheard him say all of this in that bar, as Bill waddled home, friends of his saw an all black hooded figure follow Bill down a dark alleyway. By this point in time; the Midnight Slasher had become a New Orleans legend, so many knew what was up. They raced after the hooded killer, yelling and warning Bill of what was to come. Bill turned and saw the mad killer up close! He said Midnight was in fact a man, one that appeared to be in his late forties with a grey beard and short white hair. Yet, he was extremely well built and athletic for such an older man. Midnight charged at him with his blade and Bill seemingly sobered up immediately and ducked out of the way, the blade narrowly missing his stomach. Whole crowds of people were gathering behind Midnight, some even took photos on their phones. The killer pulled the black balaclava that was under his chin over his face, hiding it like a mask again, before fleeing away into the darkness. Whether or not you believe Bill deserved death, the fact he is the only survivor of Midnight to not get injured is a miracle in of itself. Bill Jones might've gotten away with his crimes, but Midnight was someone who never forgets. To this day, Bill is afraid of walking the streets of New Orleans alone, just in case karma awaits to punish him for all his sins.

Not much else is known about the Midnight Slasher, other than the three survival stories of James, Catalina and Bill. Midnight has managed to kill every other target he has had. His kill count is estimated to be in the hundreds (approximately 106 deaths by his hands). To this very day, the Midnight Slasher still stalks the city, preying on those who he believes deserve death. Midnight Slasher is the lethal vigilante, a man who is yet to be identified. Although, he must be almost 60 by this point in time, so perhaps there are multiple Midnight Slashers?