Long Lost and Forgotten (Part 1)

    I slowly stepped through the threshold. The door had already been open, only just barely holding onto its hinges. I clutched the bag that I had slung over my shoulder as I carefully walked in, looking around the building making sure it was safe. 
    Places like this were popular for squatters, homeless people, and even just curious locals. So, I had to be careful, just in case I might find somebody that I wouldn't want to run into. I've also heard rumors about a fugitive criminal around this part of town ever since I got here earlier this week. That was the main thing going through my mind. I could easily produce a random paranoid story about what that criminal could possibly do to me if I ran into him. And to be honest, I wanted my mind to relax with my paranoia, but it didn't seem like it would anytime soon.
    About five feet in, I stopped and let my eyes wander the room. The roof was high, going above the three stories of rotting floors. There was a few rundown escalators at the corners of this main hall and two in the middle. There was stores going along the sides, all of them varying. I could even spot an old Disney store towards the other side. I laughed quietly at the sudden memory of going into those in my childhood each time my family would go to the mall. 
    I pulled my satchel over into the front of me and unzipped it, pulling out my camera. I focused it towards the Disney store on the other side, taking a few steps forward as I did. The sign was falling down over the entrance, the wires of the lights inside of it blocked my shot slightly. I moved to the side, hoping to distantly see the leftover things inside the store. 
    "Georgia...?" I heard the nervous voice of  from outside the door right behind me. I jumped, almost dropping the camera. I quickly turned around to glare at him. 
    “Didn’t I tell you to wait a couple minutes until I was sure the place was safe?! And you’re supposed to be keeping watch…” I growled at him.
    He was standing in the doorway, one hand on the half-fallen glass door, the other clutching the folded tripod. “…Sorry. I thought I saw somebody moving around nearby and I panicked…” he muttered. He let go of the door and just nervously tapped the poles of the tripod with his fingertips.
    I found it ironic on how he was supposed to be the strong and brave man in all of our escapades. But he was always more scared and jumpy than I ever was when we were in places like this. Yet, every time I tell him I’m going to go to another, he always insists on coming with, and I never argue it.
    I bit my bottom lip, trying not to laugh at this, but it was obvious I was smiling to him.
    After a moment, I turned back to the Disney store and finally got the picture that I wanted. Richard stepped up behind me and looked over my shoulder at the camera screen.
    “…That’s a keeper…” he muttered.
    “I’d say it is,” I said, getting out of the camera’s gallery. But, just as I was about to do that, I noticed something in the picture. In the entrance of the store there was what looked like a moving figure walking through the dimly lit shelves. I stared at it for a second and then quickly did what I meant to do. It’s probably just an old standee or doll that’s sitting there. Nothing bad. Not like it could be anybody or anything dangerous. I thought, trying to convince myself. I didn’t bring it up to Richard, because if I did it was likely that we wouldn’t get any further with our adventure.
    “…So, where to now…?” Richard asked, trying to seem as calm as he could.
    “Probably upstairs,” I said, pointing towards the upstairs walkways. “…Or… We could head down and try to find the basement and boiler room,” I added the last bit mischievously, while punching him in the arm.
    It took him a second to answer. “…L-let’s go... up,” he stuttered.
    I laughed quietly, knowing that I had made him uneasy again with the idea of even going downstairs.
    We walked across the main corridor, carefully avoiding large puddles from the leaking roof, slowly rotting holes in the broken tile that led right down into the basement, and even broken and ravaged signs and manikins from the stores around.
    “…Ugh. I hate how people just come in and destroy stuff…” I muttered as I stepped over a fallen standee. “…Damn. This would’ve been beautiful if it was left as it was…”
    Richard grunted in agreement as he moved a clump of still connected brick out of the way with his foot.
    “…It disappoints me…” I said, just barely keeping myself from tripping over a missing tile.
    “And you say this as you keep going as if it’s perfectly fine,” Richard pointed out.
    “Yeah,” I stopped and turned to him, standing on the edge of the cracked fountain that was in the middle of the corridor. “Only because of two reasons; one: to make this two day trip to come here worth it. And two: Because I know that most vandals are never smart enough to go further inside because of the supposed dangers and fears of what could be in here.” I then dramatically stepped off the cracked marble and continued walking, turning around and trying to get a photo of the fountain before continuing.
    “…I guess that makes sense…” Richard said. I noticed him nervously glance into one of the stores.
    We had come here from about a state away because of things that my friends with similar interests have told me good things about this city. That is if you would still count this as a city. Only about ten people still lived in this area, and the nearest hotel that we were staying was actually about forty miles away. About twenty-five years ago this place was taken off the map when people began moving out of here because of an unknown disease. After a while, and multiple deaths, they forced the healthy to leave town after being examined thoroughly for the disease. Even the ones with small signs of infection were forced to separate from their families and stay within the town’s limits. The town was closed off from the public for a long time to make sure the disease didn’t go anywhere. The ones who are still here are just the few survivors when they quarantined. Now, nobody has gone back to their homes from before this epidemic, only because of their fears of the disease coming back. And they still don’t know what that disease was, or how it should be cured. It was almost like a modern day plague. Good thing it only stayed within this city. And now, it has actually been proven that it is safe to come here without the disease spreading to you. But, that didn’t help how this city is just a ghost town now.
    We headed up the escalator in the back corner, careful to not step in just the right way and cause it to collapse. Electrical wiring stuck out from underneath the steps and railing. The control panel at the top on the small post beside it had been broken into and most of the wires ripped out.
    “Look at this,” I beckoned to Richard, telling him to hurry up, and pointed at the control panel.
    As he stepped up the final bit, he glanced at the panel. “…I’d say either vandals or somebody needed those wires for something stupid they were doing…” he muttered. “…Why would it be important?”
    “…I don’t know… It just stood out a bit…” I said quietly.
    “Okay then…” he said with a slight shrug. He then tapped my arm and pointed out towards the fountain downstairs. “Make sure to get something from up here.”
    “Already on it,” I said, turning the camera back on. I moved towards the railing that surrounded the upper floor. I leaned my elbows on it, trying to get the right angle I wanted.
    Suddenly, I heard the sound of wood and stone rubbing and cracking. I didn’t bother to be alerted by the sound, I just finally captured the right picture, right before I felt Richard grab my waist and pull me backwards. Abruptly, the entire top of the railing snapped off at one side and collapsed down to the bottom floor.
    I stood there for a moment, a bit fazed by what just happened. “…What even…?” I murmured. I looked over the edge of the floor and saw the railing down at the lower floor, hallway broken through the rotted tile and only barely staying above. I then saw a movement down there, like a person running from one store to the next.  I swatted at Richard’s hands. “You can let go of me now…” I muttered.
    “Oh. Right…” he said, quickly taking his hands off of me as I took a couple steps forward and glanced over the edge. “…Sorry. I just saw it cracking…”
    “Nah… Thank you for doing that…” I said, stopping a few inches from the remains of the railing. I didn’t say much to him, I was focusing on this motion.
    “What is it?” he asked after a second.
    I held up my index finger too him, shushing him. After I couldn’t spot that motion again, I took a few steps back and maneuvered him towards the far side of the floor towards the wall.  “I thought I saw somebody down there… But I can’t be too sure…” I whispered.
    I noticed him tense up and stop entirely. “…There was somebody…?” he stuttered.
    “Only I think I saw somebody,” I said, pushing him, trying to get him to keep moving, but he stayed planted to where he was. “Now let’s keep going…” I growled under my breath after a moment.
    He quickly grabbed ahold of me, pulling me against him, and stepped back towards where I had been, glancing over the edge. “…What if you did see someone? And what if they’re someone that we wouldn’t want to run into…?” he asked almost silently.
    “It’s probably just this harmless kid if there is somebody…” I said, trying to pull away from his nervous hug. But his arms were too tight around me, I couldn’t budge at all. A minute later, I just gave up.
    “…I swear… If there’s somebody in here…” he muttered, trailing off.
    “I’m pretty sure it was my mind playing tricks on me or something,” I said monotonously.
    “Hmm…. If you say so…” he let go of me slowly while stepping away from the edge. “I am not getting caught in here with this stranger… Just hell no…”
    I knew he wouldn’t relax now. I should not have brought it up, but I actually saw that. So, I guess it could be good to bring up a little awareness. It was good to be cautious in this situation.
    I reached my hand into my satchel as I watched Richard pick back up the tripod that he had accidentally dropped when he pulled me off the railing. I ran my hand along the bottom where I had made a small and secret pocket. I made sure that I had my small handgun in there. I’ve always taken that with me to places like this, even if I got caught, not only would I be charged with trespassing as normal, but a third degree felony just for having a weapon. But, when you’re somebody like me, just a smaller woman in her twenties’, you need a weapon for your own sake. I couldn’t have any risks.
    I wasn’t going to pull it out until I need it, because not only would it be worse if we got caught, but not even Richard knows I have it with me every time. It might relax him to a point if I said something, but being the person he is, he would probably panic more about getting caught.