Curious Adventurer

'Paul'

She entered the box-shaped building. She was greeted by a noisome stench, it smelt strong like random chemicals spilt over; it worried her because it gave her a headache, she forgot to pack her mask which made her slightly more nervous. The building looked dirtier than she had ancipitated, but the inside was extremely dark the only light that helped her see was the sunlight, she took out her flashlight and left the door open to make sure that she had somewhere to run to if she was greeted by danger.

Right after the door, sightings of many other doors and doors in front of each other are right there. Pennie slowly walks towards the hall by the end, she looks through the doors but refuse to come in, she saw a lot of medical supplies that are so dirty it's so obvious that they are abandoned.

The doors all passed she saw stairs by the end, there were two of them, one at the left going down, one on her right going up. She sees some sunlight coming from the right one, but again to her left seems like the choice she wants to pick.

She chooses left, again. But when she got there, there was another door. She tried opening it but it was locked. She knew the place was abandoned but it took her sometime to convince herself that it was alright to kick it down.

Once she decided to and was getting ready to do so, the door opens slightly. She knew she wanted to scream and run out as fast as she could but she fell down and landed on the stairs. It hurt her foot and her right hand were now holding it; she also bruised and most probably broke her elbow which she landed on. She saw the eye by the slight open of the door. There was a person. She opened the door a bit more by her other foot. Seeing the person inside scared her but the one inside was more scared of the one outside.

Today was enough of feeling the repetition of events; deja vu, they call it. It was events feeling like it was repeating. It was all about repetition. But this occurrence felt like she was staring at the mirror. She wasn't seeing herself; neither was she imagining the person in front of her to be herself.

She was seeing her twin, the same thing happened in her dream, but the occurrence is quite different. This random being is just like Pennie. Just like her dream. There features are just the same, he looked exactly like how he did in her dream. Four eyes were as wide as each other. Two minds probably filled with questions.

"Who are you?" Said Pennie, taking seconds more than usual to say. The person refused to speak, making her question herself more. Pennie started to think she was going crazy, probably from the chemical smell that gave her a headache, but she was too aware to be crazy.

She remembered that this little boy in front of her needed help, he wasn't saying anything but she knew that he was terrified and that he wouldn't be terrified of seeing other people if he was raised right; most especially that no normal child would grow up or even spend some night sleeping or living in an abandoned building.

She decided that first she will go to him slowly, making sure that he didn't feel like he was in danger and making sure she is safe; and that he didn't have anything with him to hurt her. She started calling her 'Paul'. Just for him to know that she was talking to him and show some comfort to herself that someone, like her, was scared.

She was not only scared, she was also filled with regret. She knew she shouldn't have gone here and she is nothing but gloomy feelings. As much as she wants to think and regret more about her decisions, she needed to take care of herself and the person, who weirdly looks exactly like her, she had found.

After that, she decided to explain to him the way to get out of the building. After resting for a while her foot didn't hurt anymore but now climbing up the stairs, she felt it again, almost worse than how it felt like right after actually falling.

'Paul' was already up the stairs. He looked back at Pennie with a look of confusion, as if he didn't know what's next to do.

"Don't wait for me, go right." Pennie says, hoping 'Paul' would get to his senses.

The sound of a door opening scared the pair. It was the door which Pennie used to enter the building.

"Hey, little boy." It was a man, but he had a sweet voice to him when he said it, he caressed 'Paul's' hair, like he was his own son. Which he possibly wasn't, evidently, by their features. He wearing a white coat and wearing glasses, he was quite tall, and had short hair. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties.

"Hello, little girl." He said to Pennie. Pennie was almost speechless, not knowing what question to ask; not even knowing if she still has the ability to ask.

"Come here," The man said. "did you hurt your foot?" The man went down the stairs and carried her. He seemed like a nice persom, but it did make her wonder how he treats 'Paul.' It was only now how she realized how clean 'Paul' was. He was too clean to be considered neglected; but compared to how he acts, his cleanliness doesn't matter one bit. He was too scared to be seeing a human; the setting of which he lives in is enough to be said neglect.