The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 074 and COUNTING… He left his room at 5:00 P.M. and we
Overview
Richards successfully leaves the Brant while making it appear that John G. Springer is still staying there, buying himself time against the Hunters. His escape to the Boston bus is nearly undone by panic when a security cop runs toward the line, though the pursuit is only of a purse snatcher.
The false alarm exposes how close Richards feels to being caught and pushes him toward a more violent survival strategy. By the time the bus heads north, Richards has decided he needs a gun in Boston.
Summary
At 5:00 P.M., Ben Richards leaves his room at the Brant and goes to the lobby under the false identity John G. Springer. To preserve the illusion that Springer remains at the hotel, Richards cheerfully pays the desk clerk for two additional days, claiming that business clients are keeping him there.
Richards returns upstairs, hangs the DO NOT DISTURB sign on his door, and exits through the fire stairs without being seen. With the rain stopped but Manhattan still oppressive and foul-smelling, Richards drops the limp that helped his disguise and walks quickly to the Port Authority Electric Bus terminal.
At the terminal, Richards buys a Boston ticket from a bearded vendor, leaving himself with under three thousand New Dollars. While waiting among crowds that include Vol-Army men, Richards hides behind a magazine and tries to avoid drawing attention until the bus boards.
As Richards lines up for the bus, a security cop shouts and runs toward the crowd. Richards freezes, believing the Hunters or police have found him and that he will be killed in the terminal, but the cop is actually chasing a purse snatcher. The scare leaves Richards shaking and sharply aware that the next pursuit may truly be for him.
Richards boards the bus and rides north into the dark. The incident hardens his sense of danger and convinces him that he must obtain a gun in Boston, recalling Laughlin's earlier determination to take some of his pursuers with him before being captured.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsFugitive contestant who deceives the hotel, flees to Boston, and decides he needs a gun.
- Desk clerkHotel employee fooled by Richards into believing John G. Springer will stay longer.
- Security copTerminal officer whose chase of a purse snatcher briefly terrifies Richards.
- Purse snatcherUnidentified thief whose flight causes Richards to believe he has been discovered.
- LaughlinRemembered contestant whose defiant words influence Richards's thoughts about armed resistance.