The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 008 and COUNTING… The effort ripped open the wound in
Overview
Richards completes his violent takeover of the jet by killing Donahue, Friedman, Holloway, and Duninger, leaving himself alone with Amelia and the automatic pilot. The discovery of a tiny mesh in Donahue’s nostril hints at hidden surveillance or control, reinforcing the Network’s invasive reach.
Though badly wounded and physically failing, Richards successfully deceives the radio contact and confirms that the aircraft can continue flying on automatic pilot. The chapter pushes Richards from grief and despair into a final, deliberate act of control.
Summary
Richards’s blow with the coffee pot tears open the wound in his side again, but the pot does not break. Donahue collapses silently over the map table, bleeding heavily, while a radio voice continues trying to contact Flight C-one-niner-eight-four.
Richards searches Donahue’s jacket and finds the gun. Before letting Donahue’s head fall, Richards notices a tiny glittering mesh inside Donahue’s nostril, suggesting a hidden device or implant. The sight, along with the bloody coffee pot, triggers another flash of Cathy’s image in Richards’s mind.
When Friedman calls for Donahue to answer the radio, Richards limps into the passage and shoots Friedman without warning. Holloway reacts from the pilot’s compartment and tries to shut the door, but Richards shoots Holloway in the belly. Duninger, terrified and unable to resist, begs Richards not to shoot; Richards kills Duninger as well.
After the cockpit falls silent, Richards vomits from pain and strain, worsening his wound. He moves to the controls, aware of the complicated instruments but also aware that the automatic pilot is still operating the jet.
Richards answers the radio calmly, pretending everything is normal. When the caller accepts the brief exchange and drops back into static, Richards understands that the plane remains under automatic control. With the crew dead and the flight still moving, Richards goes back to finish his plan.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsWounded fugitive who kills the flight crew, deceives radio control, and continues his final plan.
- DonahueFlight crewman killed by Richards; his body yields a gun and a tiny nasal mesh.
- FriedmanCrewman calling for Donahue to answer radio contact; Richards shoots him immediately.
- HollowayPilot who tries to close the cockpit door before Richards shoots him.
- DuningerTerrified cockpit crewman who begs for mercy before Richards kills him.
- Cathy RichardsRichards’s dead daughter, appearing as a painful memory that intensifies his grief.
- Unidentified radio voiceGround contact seeking flight acknowledgment and accepting Richards’s false reassurance.