Free Dumfries by Ian Todd

it intuition, bit he knew fine well that The Scowler wisnae a Catholic.  He jist didnae come across as wan, somehow.  Johnboy hid tried tae clock the name card oan the cell door, efter the screws pulled it shut during the porridge run, bit it wis too far away fur him tae see.  The doon side wis that the cards oan the doors didnae highlight anywan’s length ae sentence, so he wisnae too sure whit his neighbour wis in fur. He felt himsel tense and the adrenalin start up, as he heard the footsteps and the jangling ae keys in the corridor as cell doors wur opened and loudly banged shut a second or so later efter the YO inside decided whether he wis gaun tae the service or no.
      “Church?”
      “Aye.”
      “Right, staun in the corridor and keep yer trap shut,” the screw wid say as he banged the door shut loudly before moving oan tae the next wan.
      He wis relieved tae hear the cell door diagonally across fae him open before his.
      “Church?”
      “Aye.”
      “Right, line up in the corridor and don’t move until Ah say so,” the screw growled, before the rasping key in Johnboy’s door allowed it tae be yanked open.
      Johnboy’s hackles wur up and he aboot bolted oot the door in tae the corridor before the screw hid time tae get his key oot ae the lock.  Any fear or reservations aboot The Scowler’s intentions, hid been replaced wae resolve tae get the basturt first, before he came fur Johnboy or Silent.  This could be a matter ae life and death, Johnboy kept telling himsel in silent mantra as he stood in the corridor.
      “Whit’s yer hurry, Taylor? Keen tae ask fur furgiveness?” The screw sneered, before moving oan tae the next cell.
      He wis sure The Scowler hid gied him another dirty look before Johnboy hid managed tae shuffle and squeeze his body in tae his place in the queue, making doubly sure that there wur enough bodies between him and The Scowler.  He wis still wracking that brain ae his, trying tae remember if any ae The Mankys hid mentioned hivving a run-in wae a big basturt that matched the muscle-bound bear’s description.  It wis an impossible task, so Johnboy jist hid tae go oan the basis that it wid either be him or The Scowler that wid be ending up wae a sore face, as wan ae the screws yelled at everywan tae keep the noise doon.  Johnboy took the opportunity tae take in his surroundings.  It wis the first time he’d been oot ae his cell since his arrival a few days earlier, apart fae tae empty his piss pot.  He noted that there wur five YOs behind him, plus the screw who’d opened everywan up.  He peered o’er the shoulder in front ae him and coonted another eleven heids plus a further two screws.  He wis still swithering whether tae make a move oan The Scowler in the corridor, when everywan wis suddenly ordered tae move aff in single file.  He’d also clocked the back ae Silent’s heid, two in front, which wis fine.  It meant Silent could deal wae the screws up front, leaving jist the wan screw, as well as The Scowler himsel, tae be dealt wae at Johnboy’s end.  Johnboy followed the line, as they snaked alang the corridors, mentally preparing himsel tae get tore right in at the first sign ae any threat.  He didnae think there wis much point in letting something fester, he kept telling himsel.  That wis how people ended up losing their beauty sleep at night, or worse, their lives.  If there wis wan thing he’d learned early oan fae Tony, Joe and Paul when he wis a snapper, it wis that there wisnae any point in wandering through life, worrying aboot whit wis gonnae happen next, when the happening wis usually unfolding there in front ae ye.  Furget any chit-chat or fannying aboot.  If there wis a threat, real or imagined, jist get in there first, making sure the first hit coonted.  Johnboy hid spent a fair bit ae time weighing up the situation, so wisnae convinced that he wis imagining things.  The Scowler, whoever he wis, hid been taking an unhealthy