Red hair

They fled into an abandoned parking lot, surrounded by dilapidated car husks and overgrown weeds. The woman struggled to keep up, gasping for breath. She stumbled, falling to the ground, a bloody gash on her knee. "I can't run anymore!" she cried in terror.

Alex turned, seeing the three Sound Thieves closing in, now just ten meters away. Decisively, he crouched down, helped her up, and said, "Don't give up. I'll help you!"

But the third Sound Thief was faster. With a sweep of its long claws, it struck the woman's calf. She screamed, collapsing to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. Alex swung the hammer, striking the monster's head with a dull thud, but to no avail.

The first one pounced, and he was forced to retreat, watching helplessly as the woman was dragged away. She reached out, struggling, and cried, "Help me!" Her voice was a heart-wrenching plea that was cut short as the second creature's long claws pierced her chest. Blood sprayed out, staining the ground crimson.

The three Sound Thieves surrounded her, the first sinking its teeth into her arm, the bone-snapping crack eerily audible. Flesh was torn away, revealing the white bone beneath. The second creature used its claws to rip open her abdomen, spilling her entrails onto the ground, a mess of viscera and gore, filling the air with the sickening stench of blood and rot.

The third bent down to devour her face, teeth crushing her cheekbones, emitting a horrifying crunching sound. Her eyeball was forced from its socket, rolling onto the ground. Alex covered his mouth, fighting the urge to vomit, retreating quietly as the monsters feasted.

He heard the low growl of a Sound Thief behind him, saliva dripping onto the ground, sizzling as it landed. He ran into a narrow alley, his heart pounding, one thought consuming him: Don't stop. But the alley ended at a high wall. It was a dead end. He turned to face his pursuers.

The three Sound Thieves blocked the alley entrance, their reddish-gray skin glistening in the fog, their mouths dripping blood, the woman's voice echoing from their throats: "Help me! Help me!" The sound was like needles piercing his eardrums, laced with a bloody tremor.

Alex gripped the hammer, backing against the wall, prepared to fight to the death. Just as the first Sound Thief lunged, a flash of red darted from the fog, moving with lightning speed. It was a red-haired woman, about his age, dressed in black leather, wielding a scalpel, the blade glinting in the mist. With a cartwheel, she dodged the claw attack, plunging the scalpel precisely into the creature's occiput.

The Sound Thief let out an ear-piercing shriek, its body convulsing, the reddish-gray head splitting open, revealing an empty cranial cavity, with only a fist-sized stone tumbling out. The stone was oddly shaped, its surface covered in intricate grooves, resembling some kind of ancient rune. The first creature fell, its blood pooling on the ground, the stench even more intense.

The second and third turned toward her, but she showed no fear, her movements possessing an unnatural agility. She executed a backflip, landing on a car husk, and threw the scalpel, striking the second creature's occiput.

The blade sank in, and the monster crashed down, another stone rolling out. She landed in a half-crouch, dodging the third's sweeping claws, and with a backhand motion, drove the scalpel into its occiput. The third stone hit the ground, and all three Sound Thieves were dead. Each of her movements was like a dance, the angles of her joints bending beyond what seemed humanly possible, as if her body had no limitations.

Alex stared, panting, "Who are you?" The red-haired woman rose, flicking the blood off the scalpel. "Scarlett. Don't ask too many questions," she said quietly. She bent down to collect the three stones, stuffing them into a pouch on her belt. She glanced at him. "You got lucky. Too bad that girl wasn't so fortunate."

Alex whispered, "Do they have a weakness?" Scarlett scoffed, pointing to the Sound Thief's occiput. "Here. Soft. There's just a stone inside. Break it, and they die. Attacking head-on won't do anything." She paused, adding, "If you want to know more, go to 'The Cryptid Society' website. Find me, if you can."

Alex started to ask, "Can I..." But Scarlett had already turned. Her red hair flashed in the fog as she leaped onto the wall, moving with feline grace, disappearing into the mist. He stood there, stunned, whispering, "Scarlett?"

As the fog began to dissipate, Alex found himself standing at the alley entrance, still clutching the hammer, a few drops of blood staining his hand. He took a deep breath, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked back to the dormitory.

Along the way, the gruesome scene of the woman being torn apart replayed in his mind, causing a pang of grief. "I tried..." he whispered. His compassion had driven him to risk his life to save her, but the harsh reality had shown him that courage alone was not enough.

Back in his dormitory, the sky was beginning to lighten. He tossed the hammer back into the toolbox, adding new information to the clue board: "Sound Thief Weakness: Soft Occiput, Stone Inside, Requires Precise Strike." He also wrote down "Scarlett: Red Hair, Scalpel, Supernatural Agility," "Cryptid Society," and "Bizarre Runes."

He stared at the board, whispering, "She knows more... I have to find her."