Eternal Malediction (RE)

The walk back from London was quiet at first. The mood hung low, heavy from the encounter with the boy and his mother and the dooming atmosphere London held. Even Tanaka wasn’t kicking stones anymore. Mira stayed close to the kids. Lys walked with her head slightly lowered. Kieran kept his eyes on the pavement, replaying the moment over and over.

Roy walked ahead, as he came upon a fruit shop, to see if they had any mangoes.

Then... A shout echoed behind them. Not a scream. Not panic. Just... loud.

Then another shout. Then footsteps. Fast ones.

Roy leaned back slightly, brow furrowing as he held a ripe mango.

Kieran looked back.

Mira froze.

Tanaka squinted. ”Huh?”

From behind them, down the long pavement, a group of people suddenly came sprinting around the corner. Men and women alike ran, loud footsteps a whole crowd barrelling forward like they were late for the last bus on Earth.

They weren’t screaming. They weren’t panicking. They were just... running.

As the group caught up to Roy, who was standing outside of the shop now watching what was coming straight toward them.

Tanaka’s eyes widened. ”Oh hell no.”

Roy blinked. ”What—”

Tanaka pointed at the incoming crowd. ”One thing I learned growing up from the hood was—” He paused dramatically. ”—if you see people running at you?”

Everyone looked at him.

Tanaka inhaled sharply. ”YOU RUN TOO!”

And he took off.

Full sprint. Arms pumping. Legs flying. Top speed of a perfectly average man.

”Tanaka?!” Mira shouted.

But it was too late. He was already gone, with the wind too behind his back.

Roy blinked once, processing.

Then he muttered, ”He’s not wrong,” and started running too.

”Wait—Roy?!” Kieran shouted, but Roy was already sprinting.

Rin screamed joyfully, ”LAST ONE IS A SORE LOSER!” and bolted after them.

Mella shrieked and chased Rin.

Mira panicked and sprinted after the kids.

Lys didn’t even hesitate — she grabbed the bags and ran.

Kieran stood there for half a second, staring at the incoming crowd, then he muttered under his breath, ”Oh, for fuck’s sake! ”YOU’RE NOT EVEN FROM THE HOOD?!” and sprinted after everyone.

The entire group dashed down the pavement, legs flailing, bags bouncing, fireworks rattling inside Tanaka’s arms. Roy ran with surprising speed. Mira ran like she was being chased by a dog. Lys ran silently but fast. Kieran ran with the posture of someone who hated every second of this.

They all looked back, and the mob was getting closer to them.

They didn’t question it.

They just ran.

Kieran, now understanding what was at stake, started out performing all of them by passing all of them and finally catching up to Tanaka and eventually overtaking him.

They reached the field, the one they told the others they’d use for the campfire, and stumbled into the grass, huffing and puffing, collapsing onto the ground or bending over with hands on their knees.

Tanaka dropped The Bomb and wheezed, ”I... told you... rule number one... RUN FIRST... ask questions later...”

Roy was bent over, hands on his knees, laughing breathlessly. ”You’re insane.”

Kieran collapsed onto the grass. ”I hate everything.”

Mira flopped down beside Mella. ”Why... why did we run...?”

Rin and Mella were giggling uncontrollably. ”That was fun!”

Lys sat down slowly, catching her breath, her expression somewhere between exhausted and amused.

Roy finally looked back toward the road.

The crowd?

They had turned at the intersection before the field.

Not a single one had followed them.

They weren’t chasing anyone. They weren’t panicking. They weren’t even running towards them.

Roy stared for a moment, and then he started laughing.

Kieran looked up. ”What’s funny?”

Roy pointed weakly. ”They... weren’t even coming this way...”

Tanaka burst out laughing. ”BRO, WE RAN FOR NO REASON!”

Mira covered her face, laughing. ”We looked so stupid!”

Rin rolled in the grass. ”We ran so fast!”

Mella giggled. ”Kieran ran the fastest!”

Kieran groaned. ”I can’t believe we followed him...”

Roy wiped his eyes, still laughing. ”I can.”

The mood, heavy, suffocating, weighed down by the city, finally cracked.

They laughed. All of them. Hard.

The kind of laughter that comes after fear, after tension, after sadness. The kind that feels like breathing again.