How on Earth Did We Get Here?

Adrian and Lilith sprinted through the small town's narrow, winding streets, their breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. 

The sound of an angry mob echoed behind them, the clatter of boots, shouts, and curses growing louder by the second. The town's residents, with pitchforks and torches in hand, were hot on their heels, their faces twisted with rage.

"Why do I feel like this is entirely your fault?" Adrian shouted over the chaos, his eyes darting around for an escape route.

Lilith, her usual playful smirk replaced by a look of genuine alarm, glanced back at the approaching mob. "Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know they'd react like this?" she retorted, her voice breathless from the exertion.

A particularly loud voice from the crowd bellowed, "There they are! Get them!" spurring the mob into an even more frenzied pursuit.

Adrian ducked as a rock whizzed past his head, barely missing him. "We need to get out of here, now!" he urged.