The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 027 and COUNTING… They came up the stairs with a full
Overview
Amelia and McCone board the plane just before the deadline, fulfilling Richards’s demand and forcing the standoff into a sealed aircraft. McCone tries to reassert control by claiming the Network still has advantages, but his refusal to attack shows that Richards’s bluff still has power.
Amelia’s collapse exposes the human cost of Richards’s desperate strategy, while the closing door and removal of the stairs mark a point of no return. The confrontation shifts from airport negotiation to airborne captivity.
Summary
McCone and Amelia reach the aircraft with forty-five seconds left. Amelia is breathless and terrified, while McCone appears controlled on the surface but openly hates Richards.
McCone tells Richards that Richards has not won and that the Network still has trump cards to play. Richards calmly greets Amelia, and Amelia breaks down weeping, overwhelmed by fear and hopelessness. Richards notices his dried blood on Amelia’s blouse and feels a limited pity for her.
Captain Holloway contacts Richards over the intercom to ask whether they are cleared to proceed. Richards confirms, and Holloway orders the stairs removed and the plane sealed, while warning Richards not to get nervous with the object Richards has been using as a threat.
McCone tries to unsettle Richards by saying Richards revealed weakness when Richards demanded Amelia. Richards turns the accusation back on McCone, suggesting that if McCone truly believes the bluff is exposed, McCone should attack before takeoff. McCone snarls but does not move.
The plane’s engines build, the boarding door closes, and the stairs are pulled away. Richards realizes that everyone aboard is now trapped together in the next stage of the confrontation.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsMaintains control of the hijacked plane through bluff, calculation, and pressure on McCone.
- McConeBoards with Amelia, threatens Richards, but hesitates when challenged to attack.
- Amelia WilliamsTerrified hostage whose arrival satisfies Richards’s demand and triggers an emotional collapse.
- Captain HollowayConfirms clearance with Richards and orders the aircraft stairs removed and door sealed.