The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 053 and COUNTING… It was no good in Manchester anymore
Overview
Richards abandons Manchester after intuition, fear, and the fallout from Laughlin’s death convince Richards that the hotel is no longer safe. Richards changes disguises, retrieves the car, and heads toward Bradley’s Portland contact, shifting the chase into a new phase.
The chapter raises the pressure by showing Richards acting before the Hunters visibly close in, relying on instinct and improvisation rather than certainty. A passing police patrol underscores how close exposure may be, even when Richards temporarily escapes notice.
Summary
On Tuesday morning, Ben Richards decides Manchester is no longer safe. The news of Laughlin’s brutal death, Richards’s nightmare about Bradley, and a growing sense of premonition make Richards feel that every minute in the hotel increases the chance of capture.
Richards leaves the hotel still posing as Father Ogden Grassner. Richards tells the contemptuous day clerk that he is taking a day off and going to a picture show, then exits without attracting serious suspicion.
Two blocks away, Richards buys a large roll of bandage and cheap aluminum crutches, then takes a taxi to the U-Park-It where Richards left his car. Richards sees no obvious stakeout, retrieves the car, and accepts that if roadblocks expose Richards, crashing through may be the only option.
After charging the car on Manchester’s northern outskirts, Richards leaves the main routes and stops on a dirt turnaround. Richards discards the Grassner glasses and wraps bandage around Richards’s head, shifting the disguise from blind clergyman to injured traveler, with the crutches ready beside Richards.
Richards continues north toward Portsmouth and then Route 95, consulting Bradley’s note for the Portland address: 94 State Street, The Blue Door, guests Elton and Virginia Parrakis. A police air-and-ground patrol briefly brackets Richards in traffic but passes without incident, leaving Richards with a sick, reluctant sense of relief.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsFugitive Runner who abandons Manchester, changes disguise, and drives toward Portland.
- Day clerkHotel clerk who lightly questions Richards while Richards leaves as Father Grassner.
- BradleyAbsent ally whose note directs Richards to a Portland address and contacts.
- Parking boyU-Park-It attendant who barely notices Richards retrieving the car.
- Air jockeyService worker who charges Richards’s car and avoids looking closely at Richards.