swivelled on to me. They all stood there, slack- jawed, poised like wankers, clutching their provisions to their chests, ready for the all off. Still, I donât suppose anybody fancied being last through that gate.
About now Ray should have told us that Dave and the PO had gone through the gate and that the gate was open and that now was the time to go charging out of the TV room. But he didnât. Instead Ray said: âTheyâve gone through but heâs locked it. The bloody bastardâs locked it.â Ray turned round to face into the room. Nobody had moved. The poses were still struck as if nobody had grasped the significance of his words. Ray struck a pose himself, chest forward, arms supplicant, knees knocked, arse stuck out and said again in a kind of low shriek:
âThe bastardâs locked it.â
Everybody melted and a few characters sank down into chairs, trying not to look too relieved. Everybody was looking at everybody else.
âWe canât call it off now,â Terry said.
Nobody replied. Walter began to pace up and down in the middle of the room.
âCome on,â Walter said, âwhat are we fucking about for? This is no good. Weâve got to get into that office.â
He was having a bout of resolution tremens. Iâd seen this kind of thing before, back in the old days: red face, wild staring eyes, clutching fingers, the words coming out all wrong because his mouth was stiff with frustration. But again nobody said anything.
âWeâllgetinthatoffice,â said Walter.
He looked as if he was about to dash out and grapple the gate off its hinges.
âLeave it out, Walter,â I said, âyouâll nouse it.â I appealed to Walterâs cousin. âDennis, for fuckâs sake calm him down, will you?â
Dennis took a grip of Walter and said:
âWally. For fuckâs sake.â
Walter carried on gurgling out words until I cut him short by saying:
âLook. The gateâs locked. So somebodyâs got to come out of Georgeâs cell and claim the PO on the way back.â
Georgeâs cell was the one nearest the gate.
âI mean,â I said, âDave canât do it, can he?â
Dave was about eight stone nothing. Everybody knew that Dave couldnât pull it. But nobody volunteered to take Daveâs place. Before the situation became too embarrassing Ray turned back to the door. Everybody focused on Rayâs back.
âTheyâre coming out,â Ray said. âHeâs locked it.â I listened to the footstep sounds clanging across the landing. âThe POâs staying at the gate. I think Daveâs going to have a listen.â
The footsteps got closer. Dave passed by the doorway on the other side of the landing.
âIâm just going to test it, Ray,â Dave said.
For formâs sake, Ray said: âMake sure you get it right, then. Iâm sick and tired of you fucking that wireless up.â
Dave went into his cell. Ray said: âThe gateâs still unlocked. The POâs standing by for Daveâs OK.â
There was only a minute or so to decide what to do. Everybody could feel it slipping away from them. It was out of the question to try and rush the PO as he and Dave were going in or out: we were about fifteen yards from the gate and we would have to bundle across the catwalk to get at him. It was just no go: screws get very quick at sticking keys in locks. Basically it was all down to what Iâd suggested earlier: one of us had to cop for the PO. Walter knew it, and he also knew who it had to be to do the copping.
âBilly,â he said, âyou do it, will you? Youâve got the sense. Someone else is bound to fuck it up.â
Iâd known it would be down to me all along but I let Walter think his appeal to my vanity had tipped the balance; the more Walter felt he had me, the better it would be for me later on when I screwed him.
âAll
Shantel Tessier
Jake Needham
M. S. Parker
Sparkle Hayter
Roberta Latow
C.J. Newt
Dustin Mcwilliams
Alistair MacLean
Kim Thompson
C.L. Richards