The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 058 and COUNTING… “We almost got it at that first road
Overview
Bradley confirms that Richards narrowly survived the police roadblock and then lays out the next escape tactic. Richards is to hide in plain sight under the alias Ogden Grassner, disguised as a nearly blind priest staying at the Winthrop House.
The chapter shifts Richards from desperate concealment to active impersonation, showing how Bradley’s network continues to improvise against the Network’s manhunt. The new disguise offers temporary safety but also depends on Richards performing convincingly while wounded and exhausted.
Summary
After escaping the roadblocks, Bradley tells Ben Richards how close the first checkpoint came to exposing them: a policeman almost opened the trunk where Richards had been hidden. Richards says little while trying to restore feeling to his numb arm, which still aches from the cramped concealment.
Bradley asks how Richards feels, but when Richards asks Bradley to retrieve his wallet because Richards cannot properly use his arm, Bradley postpones it. Bradley instead explains the next part of the plan that Bradley and Rich arranged for Richards.
Bradley tells Richards that a room is reserved at the Winthrop House on Winthrop Street under the name Ogden Grassner. Richards worries he will be recognized immediately, but Bradley gives Richards a box containing thick blue-tinted glasses, a priest’s robe, a rosary, a Bible, and a purple stole.
Bradley explains that Richards will disguise himself as a nearly blind priest visiting Manchester for a Council of Churches meeting on drug abuse. The disguise gives Richards a new identity and cover story, though Richards undercuts the tension by hesitating over whether to wear his pants beneath the robe, making Bradley laugh.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsFugitive Runner recovering from hiding in the trunk and preparing a priest disguise.
- BradleyRichards’s helper; explains the escape plan, alias, hotel, and disguise.
- RichBradley’s associate, mentioned as helping arrange Richards’s next cover.