Yve wasn't prepared for her body to be lunged around like a rag doll. Her body couldn't come into action with Aksel's sudden movement and therefore did not perceive the steps that lay ahead and were the only obstruction to her from leading to safety.
Her foot struck the brick layering making her wince in pain as she lost her balance and went tumbling back a few steps and back on the road, thanks to the weight of her bag pulling her down. These actions took place in around a fraction of a second and by the time Aksel could turn back to get her again he saw her body being hit by the swarm of fireflies bolting through the road like a train.
'Fuck!'
He could only curse as he felt his body freeze at the possible outcome of this situation. He didn't even want to think about the fact that Yve might not survive this. His hand that was gripping the door handle tightened around it but he couldn't bring himself to go into the fiery yellow stream of light just to be possibly devoured by them.
He wanted to help her, his knife in his other hand was ready to pierce, slash and kill but he was practical enough to know that he was only inviting death if he jumped in to try and save her now. He had to find some other way!
He was about to turn around and go into the house to look for a possible weapon that could be used better when suddenly a glowing light came hurtling towards him and splattered on the door right beside his head.
The icky goo of the insect's body that smattered on his face irked him but he couldn't bring his eye away from the scene as he saw a few more insects fly away from their monotonous stream in different directions. He narrowed his eyes to the particular spot from where this seemed to be occurring and suddenly Yve emerged through the throng of lighted menace as she rotated her staff in front of her like the perpendicular wings of a helicopter clearing a path for herself to walk.
She annoyedly stepped forward on the side pavement and out of the stream of insects, looking unscathed and quickly stumbling down to help her Aksel felt her hit him with her staff as she said, "Look at the mess you put me through!"
Her hand was covered in the slimy bodily fluids and shaking it off she bent down to wipe it on the dried grass patch just outside the gate of the home.
"Are you okay?" Aksel asked worriedly looking at her and giving him a glare that clearly told him to shut up the two walked inside the house.
Aksel moved towards the window after the door closed behind them while Yve moved through the house to find something to clean herself with.
He reckoned that it was better to let her cool off before approaching her again.
The glowing flash of light zoomed past the street right through the spot where the two had been standing.
The yellow flare looked like a fire swirl as it then changed its path and shot right up for the sky. There the insects again changed their directions and flew in a curve looking like a shooting star dancing around.
"They seem to be playing or dancing," Yve muttered coming back after washing her hands from the supply water available in the basin. By now it was more than obvious that the fireflies weren't there to harm them but were prettily buzzing around in a fluid movement in the sky.
It was the prettiest thing the two had seen as the twinkling streak of light continued to draw patterns in the black canvas of the night. The shimmery and glittering insects, now further up looked completely harmless and blissful in such a manner that Aksel had lost his chain of thoughts for a moment.
Coming back to reality he turned to look at his friend and instantly apologized, "I am sorry I shouldn't have pulled you like that, and that I didn't come to save you."
Yve looked at the black-haired, one-eyed guy who couldn't look her in her eyes as he apologized. It was funny to see another new side of him and patting him on the back she said, "It was practical and logical for you to stay on the side. I would have done that too. If the insects would have actually been harmful then we both would have both died for nothing."
This reply of hers came as a relief to Aksel.
In a world where living had itself become so difficult anything that would help in their survival was a justified measure.
Aksel was happy that this incident hadn't ruined their friendship and gathering himself now that his brain was working in overdrive again he asked, "Do you think if we capture two of them then they could be made into good lamps?"
His solar-powered lamps were, of course, good but what would happen if because for some reason it didn't work or they couldn't charge it? These natural insects would work better than them and would provide better lighting as well.
"That could work out but even if we catch them we need an appropriate vessel to store them and also it should be something easy to carry around," Yve replied back turning around to look at the house.
To their misfortune, the house was completely empty. There wasn't a single piece of furniture in it or even carpets to cover the ground. They should have expected this much, for they would never be able to find something in a house for the Debilis.
"Luck really isn't on our side, is it?" Aksel mumbled laughing to himself as the two stepped outside of the house again.
They had already wasted a lot of time and they couldn't afford to waste anymore. They were sure that the exit was close enough for these other living things to be visible but they had still not crossed it yet and that posed a danger to them.
"It would have been cruel to capture them either way," Yve reassured him when she noticed his downcast expression. She had misunderstood his stress for something else and smiling at her the two took notice of the swirling insects in the sky now at a distance further away from them and following it they walked in that direction.
Now that the insects were gone they were once again bathed in darkness and switching on their lamps they followed the insects to the way out towards the exit, or what they believed it to be.
"I don't know if you remember or not but I think I read it somewhere that the fireflies were a lot smaller in size around a thousand years ago," Aksel said looking at his partner to somewhat explain why he had run away from these monstrous-sized insects before.
"Yeah, I think they were meant to be harmless and pretty creatures then and I guess besides their size they are pretty much the same now," Yve replied staring up at the insects that were again zooming in their direction, a few feet above their head.
The buzz increased and they were forced to close their ears when the comet-like swarm of insects passed over them. It was amazing to think how much things had changed in the span of a mere thousand years for these creatures to be so huge now.
They continued to walk for another fifteen minutes when at last they saw a single lamp-post flickering in a distance and a fence-like structure with a gate visible under its dim light. Hope flashed within them at this sight but it also meant that they had to be more careful now.
Switching off their lights the two took out their weapons and grabbed hold of them tightly ready to attack if need be as they slowly and carefully walked closer to the light source.
It was eerily silent without the fireflies and their footsteps though soft seemed to intensify with every step they took forward. Their heart thudded against their chest, the sound resounding in their ears. The buildings had come to an end. There were no more shadows there to protect them and they decided to wait for a few minutes by the last building to check for any kind of movements.
When around ten minutes passed and there was nothing Yve grew impatient and decided to go near the metallic gate.
"What are you doing?" Aksel asked stopping her and huffing she said, "I can't wait anymore, looks like they don't have any security at all."
"But isn't that weird? They must have something!"
To stop her from taking the main entrance he started looking around for something else when he saw the insects returning and sweeping down they zoomed through the wire mesh and to the other side without a single scathe.
"Did you see that?" he gawked as he looked at Yve and running towards the wired mesh the two looked at it carefully. To them, it looked like a normal rusty wired boundary encasing the city, and picking up a stick from nearby, Aksel wished that luck was on his side as he swiped at the fence.
"It's a hologram!" he whispered and before he knew what he was doing he had his one arm out and on the other side of the abstract boundary.
Their escape could have been this simple was still a little hard for him to register but nothing else mattered as long as they could get away and slipping through the wires the two ran off on the other side and possibly to a better and free world.