The Darker Side Of The Run

3. THE ARRIVAL

Kathleen was in her car, waiting for Sara to arrive. She was still contemplating her decision of accepting the invitation. Kathleen tried to call Joshua for the sixth time, but he didn't answer. Frustrated and annoyed, she wondered what was wrong with him. She called him again, but he still didn't pick up.

Sara got into the car, she immediately noticed that something was bothering Kathleen. "What happened? Is everything okay?" Sara asked. Kathleen replied that Joshua wasn't picking up her calls and continued typing on her phone. "He was being so overprotective before, and now he won't even answer your calls," Sara said, sipping her coffee. "Can you please not talk for a few minutes?" Kathleen snapped, calling Joshua again.

Sara was taken aback by Kathleen's harsh tone. "Why are you angry at me?" she asked. Kathleen didn't respond, looking at her phone with no expression. "FINE... He doesn't care, so why am I getting so worked up?" Kathleen said, powering off her phone and starting the car.

During their drive to the destination mentioned on the card, Kathleen and Sara remained silent. Kathleen was lost in thought, pondering over Joshua's sudden change of behavior. Meanwhile, Sara was busy dreaming about buying her dream car with the prize money. She was confident that either she or Kathleen would win the tournament.

Sara broke the silence in the car and turned to Kathleen to ask, "Do you know how much the prize money is?" Kathleen, focused on the road, asked without any expression, "Was the prize mentioned on the card?" Embarrassed, Sara replied, "I don't remember there being any mention of prize money." To which Kathleen responded, still looking ahead, "Well, in that case, how am I supposed to know?"

Sara spoke up with annoyance in her voice and asked, "Why are you being like this to me now?"

Kathleen took a deep breath before responding, "Sara, I accepted this invite for you, and now Joshua is not even talking to me. Which tournament does not accept outsiders? What if something is seriously wrong ?"

Sara expressed her frustration, "Joshua, Joshua, Joshua! I'm tired of hearing his name again and again. Just yesterday, he was being overprotective, and now he isn't even answering your calls."

Kathleen replied with calmness "But he is my boyfriend, and I have to listen to him."

"Kathleen, it is just for one day, and we'll be back home after a few hours."
Sara's tone was also calm now as she looked at Kathleen for her response.

"Fine....." Kathleen replied and gave a race to the car.

After driving for approximately 30 minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. They had expected to find a running track, but instead, they were faced with an abandoned block of buildings.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Sara asked, looking around in confusion.

"I'm positive. This is the location mentioned on the card," Kathleen replied, taking out the card from her handbag to double-check the address.

"We're definitely at the right place, but...it's just an abandoned block," Kathleen continued, looking perplexed.

Sara spotted a group of people standing near a door and pointed them out to Kathleen. "Should we go and ask them?" she suggested.

"Good idea," Kathleen agreed, opening the car door.

Sara looked around at the dilapidated building and desolate surroundings. "Why would someone hold a tournament in a place like this?" she wondered aloud.

"I have no idea," Kathleen replied as they approached the people standing at the gate. "Excuse me, can you tell us where this tournament is taking place?" she asked, showing them the card.

"You're in the right place," the unknown person replied with a smile, opening the door for them.

"Thank you," Sara and Kathleen both replied hesitantly as they entered the building.

As they entered the building, the voices of random people filled their ears. Kathleen turned around when someone called out, "Hey, excuse me!" She pointed to herself and asked, "You're talking to me?" while scanning the area to check if the receptionist was calling someone else. "Yes, I'm calling you. You must be Kathleen!" replied the receptionist with a smile on her face.

Kathleen was confused and asked, "How do you know me?" The receptionist grinned and said, "Everyone knows you."

"Uhmm, yes. How can I help you?" asked Kathleen.

"Do you have your mobile phone with you?" the receptionist asked seriously.

"Yes, I do," replied Kathleen, digging through her handbag to find her phone.

"I need both of your mobiles," said the receptionist, looking at Sara.

"Mine too?" asked Sara, taking out her phone from her pocket and handing it to the receptionist.

"Wait, mine is powered off. Let me turn it on," said Kathleen, her hands shaking slightly with nerves. She turned on her mobile phone and saw that she had 3 missed calls from Joshua.

"Oh my! If you don't mind, can I call someone? It will only take a minute," Kathleen asked the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't. Now that you're here, you're not allowed to make calls until the tournament is over," replied the receptionist with a forced smile on her face. Kathleen checked her signal bar and saw that there were no signals either. "Damn it," she murmured to herself before handing her phone over to the receptionist.

The receptionist was busy doing something on her mobile phone while Sara was clinging to Kathleen's arm in nervousness. Suddenly, the receptionist gave them their phones back and said, "All done. Both of you, please go there," pointing to a door with a smirk on her face.

Kathleen thanked the receptionist and took her phone while Sara did the same. Both of them were nervous and had no idea what was going to happen next. Kathleen took a deep breath and opened the door, revealing a stunning hall with a big screen showing their names at numbers 28 and 29. They were amazed by the navy blue walls and golden curtains on it

As more participants joined the tournament, Kathleen and Sara started talking to them. When the number on the screen hit 100, a voice boomed through the speakers, echoing off the walls. "Welcome, runners, to the ultimate test of your abilities. Prepare yourselves for a challenge like no other."