The Unnamed | The Unnamed Duology Book 1

27: the Final Race

27: the Final Race

Painful silence falls upon the room as Daniel wakes up. Rose has left.

He bolts upright, afraid something had happened to her while he was asleep. There's no sign of her at all as he uncovers himself and steps onto the cool, wooden floor. He opens the door and looks out, the hall silent as can be.

"Runner Rose?" Daniel calls quietly out into the hallway. Silence once again greets his ears.

He looks up and down the long hall. All the doors are still closed tight, including Blaise's.

Daniel steps out onto the blue carpet of the hallway, calling quietly for her again. He makes it all the way to the stairs before he's startled by the sound of footsteps coming up them. He ducks behind the wall next to them, hoping whoever it was didn't see him.

The steps finally reach the top of the stairs. Daniel holds his breath as the figure slips past him in the dim lighting of the hallway.

And he recognizes who it is.

"Runner Rose," he whispers. She jumps around, clearly startled, as her hands fly out in front of her. Last night had set everyone's nerves on edge, apparently hers too.

She sighs. "Don't do that, Runner Daniel." Rose shakes her head and motions for him to follow her. He does so and she opens the door to the room they had braved together.

Once he's inside, she shuts the door, crosses her arms, and leans against the frame, chewing on her cheek.

"So, I talked to One. That's why I was gone. Sorry I didn't wake you, I had to do this alone. She's in the Elite Leader's building, and her new name is Harley the Leader. But that doesn't matter." Rose swallows the saliva in her mouth and looks down at her fingers as they move strangely. "I told her about last night. This has never happened before, and she thinks everything going on is because of you. Elite Runner Blaise is paranoid. He hasn't been an Elite for that long and then here you come to take it away."

The Runner nods as he sits down on the edge of the bed, waiting to hear what's going on.

"She still wants Elite Runner Blaise dead. And then you know that if you don't beat him you're dead. So good luck with that."

"Any news? Anything happening that we didn't know about?" Daniel asks, trying to change the subject. He knows the stakes for today, he doesn't need to be reminded, especially when people are lining up to kill him if he doesn't win the race. Just like Rachel last year.

Rose nods a bit. "We have more Unnamed in the last stretch off the Competitions than we thought we would. If someone doesn't make it to being an Elite this year, then we have no chance for the years after this. But we'll have someone. You'll make it into being an Elite."

The words startle Daniel. "Why the sudden change of heart?" He asks before he can stop himself. "I mean, I thought you hated me.

She shrugs. "It's not that I hated you, exactly. I thought you were a spy, is all. I was just covering all my bases. But as the days went on, I realized you weren't. If you were you wouldn't care as much as you do, especially when Runner Jim..." She trails off and looks down at the floor, biting on both her cheeks for a moment. Her eyes close as she rests her head against the door and open as she looks out into the room. "There were so many opportunities you could get away and go tell someone, but you didn't. I know you're not now. It's why I took the bullet for you, and why I stayed up all night to make sure you were okay. Well, that, and because you're the Unnamed's ticket into Elitehood." A smile cracks on her face for a moment. "But enough sappy stuff. I wanna stretch."

Daniel smiles at her as she walks to the other side of the room where she can get ready for the race. He catches himself genuinely smiling and turns back around, shoving the feelings away.

+ + +

Blaise the Elite Runner came just a bit later than sunrise, making the last three Runners stand out in the hall. He had said there were more than he thought there would be, throwing a confused glare at Daniel.

They made their way to the track, where they all warmed up. Blaise disappeared for a while.

The Directors that film the Competition finally show up, as well as the Leader that announces what's going on in the Runner's Category. But this time it's the Elite Leader, not one of the Titled. He gives a slight nod to Daniel, reminding him of their deal. Beat Blaise the Elite Runner.

They're told to line up, Blaise coming through and radiating power. No questions are asked about the two missing Runners, and they won't be asked until after the race, when everyone gets interviewed.

Blaise lines up in between Daniel and Rose, a smirk on face.

"See you at the finish line, Runner Daniel," he says.

Bang!

They all run.

The girl Daniel doesn't know sprints ahead of both him and Rose. He looks over at Rose, worry in her eyes. This is the race where the Unnamed will either be in power or will be lost forever.

Daniel pushes forward, coming side-by-side with the girl. She looks at him and pedals faster, not giving up so easily. But Daniel can see the strain as she does this and he smiles.

He still has a lot of power he's holding back.

Blaise is way ahead of the Runners, probably just as cocky as before when Daniel had been practicing and beat him.

But this isn't practice.

This is the real thing.

He pulls ahead, leaving the two girls in the dust. It's almost like he has tunnel vision as his feet pound on the ground and he nears Blaise. In less than a minute, he's right behind him, letting him take on the pressure from the wind. Blaise is doing all the work.

Suddenly, Blaise stops, making the Runner bump into him and fall to the ground. The Elite laughs and begins to run again.

Daniel grimaces as the girls come closer, Rose in front. He gets up quickly, losing ground by the second.

Before he knows it, he sees the finish line. Blaise is still a ways away, and Daniel starts to feel the dread of losing.

"Run!" He hears Rose shout. Is it to him? "Go!"

His cleats beat the ground and his arms swing like crazy as he gains on Blaise. The Elite notices this and starts to pedal faster, but Daniel still gains on him.

He's right behind him as the finish line approaches.

And then he's in front.

Daniel passes it.

And then Rose passes it.

And then Blaise.

Daniel looks at Rose, confused, and she shrugs. "I doubted you," she laughs. "If you weren't going to make it, I was. Good job, Runner."

Daniel laughs, pure adrenaline rushing through him. He had beaten the Elite. He had gotten first.

Blaise glares at him, his chest heaving.

"Good race?" Daniel says, not expecting it to come out as a question.

"Die," Blaise hisses as he moves closer to him and one of his huge fists connects with the side of Daniel's head.

Daniel falls to the ground, dizzy and disoriented. He feels another blow to his head. Another. Another.

The weight he didn't realize was placed on him is lifted, the pounding stopping as his vision fails him.

Daniel the Elite Runner, he hears himself think as he drifts into unconsciousness. I did it.