The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 026 and COUNTING… The FASTEN SEAT BELTS/NO SMOKING sig
Overview
Richards successfully gets the hijacked plane into takeoff, moving his desperate escape beyond the airfield and into a more uncertain phase. McCone withdraws, Amelia remains terrified beside Richards, and Holloway complies from the cockpit.
The chapter shifts Richards from bluffing for leverage to confronting the reality of flight and the unknown destination ahead. His fear and Amelia’s panic make the escape feel less triumphant than desperate and unstable.
Summary
As the plane prepares for takeoff, the seat-belt sign flashes on and the aircraft begins a slow turn. Ben Richards, who has flown only once before and knows jets mostly from media and books, is unsettled by the size and movement of the aircraft beneath him.
Richards calls Amelia Williams forward because the plane is taking off. Richards tells McCone that McCone may move around the plane as long as McCone does not interfere with the crew. McCone retreats from first class into the next section, leaving Richards and Amelia together.
Richards asks Amelia for the window seat, and Amelia buckles Richards’s seat belt so Richards can keep a hand in his pocket and maintain the threat of his supposed explosive. When Amelia begins to speak as if to admit something, Richards covers Amelia’s mouth and silently warns her not to continue.
The jet taxis to the runway, and Holloway announces over the intercom that they are taking off. The plane accelerates violently, terrifying Richards despite Richards’s attempt to control the situation.
As the aircraft races down the runway, Amelia grips Richards’s shoulder in fear, and Richards realizes Amelia may never have flown before either. Richards repeats, “We’re going,” while Amelia asks where; Richards does not answer, but begins to understand the direction his escape is taking.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsHijacker and fugitive who forces takeoff while struggling with fear and uncertainty.
- Amelia WilliamsTerrified hostage who sits beside Richards and appears equally frightened by flying.
- McConeNetwork representative who withdraws into another section after Richards warns him off.
- HollowayPilot who complies with Richards and announces the plane’s takeoff.