Crime Never Sleeps
(Two Weeks Later)
"HELLPPPP!!!" a young woman screamed, her voice laced with nothing but sheer terror, echoing through the dimly lit alley. An older man, standing at 5'6", with low-cut hair that framed his face, approached her menacingly.
A noticeable scar etched across his right cheek gave him an intimidating appearance and a cruel sneer played upon his lips, suggesting he took delight in her panic.
He seized her with a brutal grip, shoving her down against the unforgiving, cold concrete floor. She writhed beneath his weight, her limbs flailing in desperation as she kicked wildly, hoping to inflict even the slightest damage upon him, to retaliate against the overwhelming force that pinned her down.
His fist slammed into her face with merciless force, the impact staining his knuckles with a crimson splatter of her blood. Another vicious punch followed, and another, each one landing with precision and calculated cruelty, until the woman's features were distorted by a latticework of bruises and her skin was slick with blood.
Though her body went limp, her eyes, cloudy with pain and shock, remained open, frozen in a helpless stare – a testament to her battered but unbroken consciousness. Still, she lay there, paralyzed by fear and agony, unable to muster even the slightest resistance against her attacker's relentless assault.
A smirk curled at the corners of the man's lips, a sinister expression that deepened the shadows on his face. With a predatory grace, he slid his hands beneath the hem of her dress, fingers brushing against her skin with a chilling intent. He moved forcefully, his grip tightening around the fabric of her panties as if claiming ownership with every constricting pull.
His eyes gleamed with a feral light as he yanked them down, the sound of ripping fabric echoing through the air like a death knell. Unzipping his pants with a jerky motion, he freed himself from their restraint, his breathing quickening in anticipation.
Meanwhile, tears pooled at the woman's battered visage, her mascara-stained cheeks glistening in the dim light as her anguished gaze remained fixed on her tormentor, her pupils constricted in a silent scream.
Her vacant expression remained frozen, a haunting mask of despair, as the man pulled her closer, edging closer to her slit with an unnerving deliberation. Her eyes, however, told a different story, for they reflected a figure, tall and imposing, looming behind the man, its presence eerily silent and its gaze intensely fixed on hers, as if attempting to convey a message that only she could decipher.
"h—h—help." It was but a whisper, barely escaping her trembling lips, yet it managed to pierce the heavy silence that enveloped the alley.
The man paused, his cruel laughter echoing in the dim light, mocking her feeble attempt at pleading for assistance. He was on the verge of penetrating her defenses when a sickening splat rang through the air, sharp and sudden, cutting through the tension.
In an instant, his head was violently severed from his body, the gruesome act executed with a precision that left no room for doubt. Blood sprayed in a grotesque arc, painting the walls around them, as his lifeless form crumpled to the ground, leaving behind a chilling stillness that hung in the air like a dark omen.
The woman remained motionless on the ground, her dress torn, her panties discarded nearby, and her face bruised and battered, blood trickling down.
The figure stepped toward her, its appearance that of an overgrown lizard with muscles that throbbed every so often, like a living embodiment of primordial power. Scales glistened in the dim light, casting an eerie sheen over the carnage that lay scattered around them. As it drew closer, the air grew thick with an earthy scent, heavy and damp.
Its arms, corded with sinew and muscle, lifted her into its grasp, cradling her with a gentleness that seemed at odds with its fearsome visage. Keeping her steady, it held her close, and she paid no mind, didn't resist or protest, her body limp and exhausted.
For a moment, she hung there, suspended in a state of shock, before she fell into a state of unconsciousness, her mind retreating from the horrors that surrounded her.
Coiling its legs inward before jumping onto a nearby building, bounding across one after the other, it swiftly arrived at the nearest hospital, where it gently laid the woman on the ground, her form still limp and vulnerable.
"HOLY SHIT!!" a panicked scream pierced the air, but the creature paid no heed, its focus solely on its task. As it turned to make its exit, it faintly caught a few urgent words that echoed in the chaos behind it.
"TAKE HER IN, CHECK HER PULSE AND GET THE DAMN POLICE ON THE PHONE!!" The urgency of the call to action was palpable, but the creature, coiling its powerful legs, blasted off with a surge of energy, rocketing itself onto the rooftop. The city sprawled below, a patchwork of lights and shadows, as it prepared to vanish into the night.