A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Eight: Part Four

I couldn’t hear myself think with all the teeth chattered noises I was making.

It was cold. It was dark. And I could have sworn that something grabbed my leg a few seconds ago.

“H-Hinata?” I stuttered, barely opening my mouth against the cold breeze.

“What?”

“Are we there yet?”

“Nope.”

I clutched my shoulders and my stiff legs began to wobble.

“Are we there yet?” I repeated, feeling my fingers go numb.

“Nope.”

This was endless! When was this frosty walk going to end?

“H-How long have we been walking?”

Hinata flexed his arm towards his sight. He peered at the thin watch that clung against his wrist.

“In about a minute, we would have walked a total of one and a half minutes.”

My teeth began to chatter. I peered at the cars zooming by. It must have been nice to have a car with a heater. Those cars mocked me, and I cringed.

I turned my gaze around. The glowing lights behind me had vanished. We were enveloped in complete darkness.

Darn those rich people, I silently growled, aiming my gaze back towards Hinata. It fascinated me how he was able to walk so calmly.

It was around this time that an orange speck of light caught my eye.

It floated in mid-air, looping against the wind in an angular path. This seemed like a hallucination, yet it was not.

I recognized the dim buzzing chirp that emanated from this tiny speck, and I figured out what it was.

“Firefly,” I murmured, trailing my gaze after the small creature. I involuntarily stopped pacing in the course I followed and I took small steps after the firefly.

I watched the firefly twirl through the air. It was relaxing with the firefly’s glow brightening the darkness, even if it was only about an inch worth of light.

As fast as it had appeared, it vanished. The speck floated out of sight, leaving me alone in the darkness. The bitterly cold win returned into mind.

I let out a hushed sigh. “Hinata, are we there yet?”

No response.

I whipped my gaze towards my previous path. The figure that had lurked before me was no longer there.

“Hinata?”

I hopped back onto my path and jogged down the asphalt. “Hinata?” I whispered, glancing from my left to my right.

My whispers molded into firm calls.

“Hinata!”

But this time, a voice answered me. But it did not belong to Hinata’s.

“Who’s there?”

I felt my pulse beat against my ears. A trail of light swung just an inch away from my feet.

“Who’s there?” the voice firmly whispered, and the light began to zigzag around my feet. “Come out this instant!”

It took me an extra second to figure out what was going on, but I caught up.

I had been cornered by a cop.

I made a rapid dash down the trail I had been following. My footsteps screeched against the asphalt.

“Hey!” the voice exclaimed, and distant footsteps followed mine. “Get back here!”

Well this was typical. Being chased down a dark freeway by a cop had now been added to my mental list of adventures.

I predicted the drill. I would get caught and arrested, and I’d have to live in a moldy jail cell with fellow criminals. I’d be forced to eat nutritious but not-so-delicious jail food. I’ll never be able to see Amanatsu or the others ever again!

These thoughts would have been correct if I hadn’t heard my name hissed by a familiar voice.

“Hotaru!”

I paused my running and peered from my left to my right. I heard the distant footsteps behind me grow louder and louder.

“Hotaru! Over here!”

I spotted a dim silhouette peer from the opposite side of the freeway’s railings.

Hinata whipped a hand out towards me. “Get over here, you dummy!”

Without any further hesitation, I took a hold of his hand and he pulled me over the railings.