"The Night Flier" is a horror short story by American author Stephen King, first published in 1988 as part of the anthology "Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Horror," edited by Douglas E. Winter. The story was later collected in King's own 1993 anthology "Nightmares & Dreamscapes." It is a taut, atmospheric tale that blends supernatural horror with the gritty world of tabloid journalism.
The story follows Richard Dees, a cynical and morally bankrupt reporter for a sensationalist tabloid called Inside View, who investigates a series of gruesome murders occurring at small rural airports. The killer, known as the Night Flier, is a mysterious pilot who travels in a Cessna Skymaster and leaves his victims drained of blood. Dees, driven by ambition and a desire for a career-defining story, pursues the killer across the Eastern United States, only to discover that the Night Flier is not a delusional human but a genuine vampire. The story is notable for its grim tone, its exploration of journalistic ethics, and its connection to King's broader fictional universe, as Dees previously appeared in King's novel "The Dead Zone."
