“We was all right before you and your buddy come in.”
“Was you ever locked in the tank, Shortboy?” a third inmate said.
“He can’t keep nobody in there a week.”
“Shit he can’t.”
“Tell them about it, Shortboy.”
“It’s just like he says,” Shortboy said. He was a short, thick-bodied man, with a square build and a big nose and close-set eyes. “The stink seeps into your guts and they don’t send the trusties in to clean the crappers and them goddamn flies is all over the place and you think you’ll puke when they hand you the food through the slot in the door. About six months ago there was an old man in here. He used to walk around in his drawers all the time, and there was something wrong with one of his legs. It was red and swole up like rubber. One time the door was open and the old guy forgot and stepped across the deadline. Leander pushed him down on the concrete, and he got all skinned up. We wrote what happened on a piece of paper and everybody signed it. One of the guys took it to a newspaper when he got out. Soon as the paper come out Leander threw us in the tank for nine days. Nine fucking days, crowded up together like a bunch of pigs. We even set fire to them Bibles to get rid of the stink. There wasn’t none of us fit to piss on when we come out of there.”
“It ain’t right to lock everybody up for what one guy does,” a man said. “He ought to put LeBlanc in the hole and let us be.”
“You got no rights in here,” another said.
Avery and LeBlanc were over by the window. Avery had his plate and cup on the sill. He was standing. LeBlanc sat on the floor against the wall with his knees pulled up before him. His black hair hung in his face.
“We don’t have a lot of friends here,” Avery said.
“I don’t give a damn for that. Bunch of white trash.”
“Listen. If Leander locks us all in the tank, you and me aren’t going to be worth twenty-five cents.”
“I got some people to pay back. It’s them that’s got to be on the lookout.”
“There’re thirty of them. They’ll get started, and there won’t be any way to stop them.”
“I ain’t afraid of no white trash.”
“That isn’t it,” Avery said. “You’ve got to learn how to live in here if you’re going to make it.”
“I ain’t got to learn nothing.”
“Eat some breakfast.”
“I don’t want none.”
“Suit yourself.”
“You’re good people, kid, but you ain’t got to watch out for me. I seen more stuff than you could think about.”
“I was trying to keep you from getting your throat cut.”
“I didn’t know about you back in the marsh, but you’re good people. There ain’t many people worth anything.”
“Don’t start any more fights in here, and we’ll be all right.”
“I got to even everything up.”
“You’ll go back to the hole.”
“Screw it.”
“Don’t get us into more trouble.”
LeBlanc stood up and jerked his shirt out of his trousers.
“You see this scar on my belly?” he said. “A Jap bayonet done that. Look at my back. That’s what a army M.P. done. I got a lot of paying back to do