The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 048 and COUNTING… The car would only run on five of it
Overview
Richards escapes the immediate Portland pursuit with the help of the mortally wounded Elton Parrakis, who guides him to an abandoned mall construction site. Parrakis then chooses to drive the wrecked air car away as a decoy, giving Richards a chance to hide despite Richards’s serious injuries.
The chapter shifts Richards from desperate flight by vehicle to isolated survival on foot, while Parrakis’s sacrifice partly redeems the betrayal that exposed Richards. Richards is left wounded, without crutches, and alone in a vast industrial ruin.
Summary
Richards drives the badly damaged air car north from Portland with Elton Parrakis bleeding beside him. The car can barely run, and Richards is injured from the pursuit, with a broken ankle, a broken nose, and blood on his hands from Parrakis’s wounds.
Parrakis, apparently dying after the crash, apologizes for his mother’s betrayal and directs Richards away from the sirens onto back roads. Richards reflects bitterly on the police he has killed, the bounty money that may go to Sheila, and whether Cathy’s medicine and milk will be bought with blood money.
Parrakis leads Richards to the abandoned Super Pine Tree Mall construction site, a vast maze of unfinished buildings, rusted steel, foundations, scrub growth, and deserted roads. The place offers Richards a hiding place as the police search elsewhere.
Parrakis insists on taking the driver’s seat so he can act as a decoy. Though Richards refuses at first, Parrakis begs to be allowed to do something before dying, and Richards helps the wounded man into position.
Parrakis drives the damaged air car away erratically, drawing off with the failing engine while Richards remains behind. After realizing he left his disguise crutches in the car, Richards turns from the road and limps into the dark construction-site wilderness.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsInjured fugitive who follows Elton’s directions and hides in the abandoned mall site.
- Elton ParrakisMortally wounded helper who guides Richards to safety and drives away as a decoy.