`Good boy,’ the big guy said. `You paid the tax.’
Hubble was trembling.
`Now come here, white boy,’ said his tormentor.
Hubble shuffled nearer.
`Closer, white boy,’ the big man said.
Hubble shuffled nearer. Until he was a foot away. He was shaking.
`On your knees, white boy,’ said the big guy. Hubble knelt.
`Unzip me, whitey,’ he said.
Hubble did nothing. Filled with panic.
`Unzip me, white boy,’ the big guy said again. `With your teeth.’
Hubble gave a gasp of fear and revulsion and jumped back. He scuttled backwards to the rear of the cell. Tried to hide behind the john. He was
practically hugging the pan.
Time to intervene. Not for Hubble. I felt nothing for him. But I had to intervene for myself. Hubble’s abject performance would taint me. We would be seen as a pair. Hubble’s surrender would disqualify us both. In the status game.
`Come back, white boy, don’t you like me?’ the big guy called to Hubble.
I took a long silent breath. Swung my feet over the side of the bunk and landed lightly in front of the big man. He stared at me. I stared back, calmly.
`You’re in my house, fat boy,’ I said. `But I’m going to give you a choice.’
`Choice of what?’ said the big guy. Blankly. Surprised.
`A choice of exit strategies, fat boy,’ I said. `Say what?’ he said.
`What I mean is this,’ I said. `You’re going to leave. That’s for sure. Your choice is about how you leave. Either you can walk out of here by yourself, or these other fat boys behind you are going to carry you out in a bucket.’
`Oh yeah?’ he said.
`For sure,’ I said. `I’m going to count to three,
OK, so you better choose real quick, right?’
He glared at me.
`One,’ I counted. No response.
`Two,’ I counted. No response.
Then I cheated. Instead of counting three I headbutted him full in the face. Came off the back foot with a thrust up the legs and whipped my head forward and smashed it into his nose. It was beautifully done. The forehead is a perfect arch in all planes and very strong. The skull at the front is very thick. I have a ridge up there like concrete. The human head is very heavy. All kinds of neck muscles and back muscles balance it. It’s like getting hit in the face with a bowling ball. It’s always a surprise. People expect punching or kicking. A headbutt is always unexpected. It comes out of the blue.
It must have caved his whole face in. I guess I pulped his nose and smashed both his cheekbones. Jarred his little brain around real good. His legs crumpled and he hit the floor like a puppet with the strings cut. Like an ox in the slaughterhouse. His skull cracked on the concrete floor.
I stared around the knot of men. They were busy reassessing my status.
`Who’s next?’ I said. `But this is like Vegas now, it’s double or quits. This guy is going to the hospital, maybe six weeks in a metal mask. So the next guy gets twelve weeks in the hospital, you understand that? Couple of smashed elbows, right? So who’s next?’
There was no reply. I pointed at the guy in sunglasses.
`Give me the sweater, fat boy,’ I said.
He bent and picked up the sweater. Passed it to me. Leaned over and held it out. Didn’t want to get
too close. I took the sweater and tossed it onto Hubble’s bunk.
`Give me the eyeglasses,’ I said.
He bent and swept up the twisted gold wreckage. Handed it to me. I tossed it back at him.
`They’re broken, fat boy,’ I said. `Give me yours.’
There was a long pause. He looked at me. I looked at him. Without blinking. He took off his sunglasses and handed them to me. I put them in my pocket.
`Now get this carcass out of here,’ I said.
The bunch of men in their orange uniforms and their red bandannas straightened out the slack limbs and dragged the big man away. I crawled back up into my bunk. I was shaking with adrenalin-rush. My stomach was churning and I was panting. My circulation had just about shut down. I felt terrible. But not as bad as I would have felt if I hadn’t done it. They’d have finished with Hubble by then and started in on me.