The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 009 and COUNTING… Richards walked back down the narrow
Overview
Richards briefly retreats into the jet's galley, where ordinary comforts and a memory of Sheila pierce his numbness and make him silently grieve. The moment of mourning immediately turns into action when Richards uses the coffee pot as a weapon against Donahue, signaling a renewed escalation in his fight for control of the plane.
Summary
Richards leaves the cockpit area and walks back through the narrow corridor. Friedman, the communications man, and Donahue do not look up as Richards passes, leaving Richards briefly unchallenged inside the aircraft.
Richards enters the galley, where the smell of fresh coffee and the orderly luxury of the plane stand in sharp contrast to his grief and desperation. He pours a cup, notices the stocked freezers and liquor cabinet, and thinks about how easily a man could get drunk there.
The Silex coffee pot triggers a memory of Sheila, who had always wanted one because she believed it would last. That memory breaks through Richards's controlled focus, and Richards silently weeps while drinking coffee in the pristine galley.
After finishing the coffee, Richards carefully dumps the remaining coffee from the Silex, wipes his eyes, and carries the heavy glass pot back into the corridor. Richards enters Donahue's compartment and offers him coffee; when Donahue curtly refuses without looking up, Richards strikes Donahue on the head with the pot as hard as he can.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsGrieves silently over Sheila, then attacks Donahue with a heavy coffee pot.
- DonahueCrewman in a compartment; refuses coffee and is struck by Richards.
- FriedmanCommunications man who remains focused and does not look up as Richards passes.