10 Best Non-Horror Stephen King Stories You Must Read

Another Bachman book.

Barton George Dawes' life has crumbled. After his young son died, his marriage fell apart, and his wife left the family home. Now the local government wants to demolish that home to make way for a new motorway. The last thing Dawes' has that is a reminder of his previously happy life, the house his son Charlie grew up in, turned into miles of concrete.

After learning of this development, Dawes hits the self-destruct button. He quits his job, dealing a blow to the finances of the laundry company where he works before he does, refuses to accept the money the government offers him for his home, and purchases guns and ammo before making a deal with a gangster to purchase some explosives...

He sounds like a very spiteful man. But despite all this, Dawes remains a sympathetic character, which is testament to King's characterisation. It's revealed that Dawes still talks to his dead son in his head (a little like the relationship depicted in Blaze.) This is a man who was living the American dream, white picket fence and all. Yet he was robbed of that life for no good reason.

In the end, Dawes dies in a gun fight with the police who have come to forcibly remove him from his home. The real kicker? The motorway project is cancelled for reasons unrelated to Dawes' actions.