The Running Man
by Stephen King
Contents
…Minus 066 and COUNTING… The boy, seven years old, black, smo
Overview
Richards escapes the sewer and is discovered by Stacey, a streetwise child who at first thinks he may be the devil. Instead of fleeing or betraying him, Stacey shelters Richards in a hidden lean-to and agrees to fetch his brother Bradley for money.
The chapter shifts Richards from isolated flight into reluctant dependence on strangers, especially the urban poor who share his hatred of the police. Stacey’s sick sister Cassie also echoes Richards’s own motive for entering the Games: desperate need for medical help.
Summary
After waiting until dark, Ben Richards emerges from a manhole into a poor urban street. A seven-year-old Black boy named Stacey sees the cover move and imagines a devil coming out of hell. When Richards runs toward the alley, Stacey panics and falls, and Richards grabs him before Stacey can cry out.
Richards silences Stacey and makes clear that shouting would endanger them both. Stacey realizes Richards is not the devil, and Richards asks for a quiet place to hide. Stacey leads Richards through alleys to a small lean-to made of scavenged boards and bricks, then lights it with a bulb connected to a stolen car battery.
Inside, Stacey boasts about stealing the battery and mentions Bradley, who has books and belongs to the Stabbers. Stacey fears Richards might kill him, but Richards says he is not killing little kids. Richards admits he is on the run and recognizes that he has no choice but to trust Stacey, despite Stacey being a child.
Stacey talks about his sister Cassie, who has cancer and screams often, explaining why he spends time in the hideout. Richards offers Stacey money to fetch Bradley alone. Stacey bargains for three New Dollars so he can buy medicine or supplies for Cassie, and Richards agrees, shaken by the reminder of a sick child.
Stacey refuses the idea of bringing police because he hates them, then leaves to get Bradley. Richards remains in the hideout, aware that his life is now in Stacey’s hands, but exhaustion overwhelms fear, so Richards turns off the light and dozes.
Who Appears
- Ben RichardsFugitive contestant emerging from the sewers; trusts Stacey to hide him and fetch help.
- StaceyStreetwise seven-year-old who finds Richards, shelters him, and bargains for money for Cassie.
- BradleyStacey’s older brother, connected to the Stabbers; Richards wants Stacey to bring him.
- CassieStacey’s cancer-stricken sister, whose suffering motivates Stacey’s demand for more money.