His body still reeled with the pain from the horrendous beating he had received from the Delvicchio brothers. But he had to ignore the agony he felt with every breath and step he took. He made his way along the prison corridor towards Raquel and Jackson's cell, taking care not to be seen.

It was recreation period in the cellblock and most inmates, including Jackson and Raquel, were outside. Spider had seen them go out into the courtyard.

When he got to the open door, he hung back a little, and peered in cautiously, one eye swollen shut and his pale face bloated, bruised, grazed and smeared with sweat.

He found the cell deserted and went on in, closing the door behind him, moving directly to the bathroom cabinet which was hung above the hand basin. He slid open one of the mirror panels that revealed the cabinet and its shelves. From one of the shelves he took a soap dish, which he opened, and extracted the bar of soap from it. His split lips formed a gruesome smile filled with tainted and broken teeth, as from a pocket Spider produced two razor blades.

They were new and sharp, and had cost him five dollars and a blowjob. But he considered it a sound investment.

He wondered if Bubba would find the boy so pretty once the blades had done their job? He doubted it, just as he doubted Bubba would ever get out of prison, for Spider was going to attend to the escape plans next.

With the skill of the streetwise, Spider speedily rigged the bar of soap with the razor blades, returning it to its place in the cabinet.

He could hardly wait until the next morning when Jackson took his shower. In his mind, Spider could picture the youth's blood running down the drain and hear his agonised cries. It would be a wonderfully sweet moment, made even sweeter once Spider had seen the governor of the prison and informed him of Bubba’s plans to escape, thus making his revenge complete.

He left the cell as he'd found it, creeping down the corridor silently, his eyes shifting from side to side like a nervous cat, until he came upon one of the prison officers just outside the metal work shop.

Spider told himself he had to force himself to do it, and at last approached the guard.

"I want to see the Gov.," he said with apparent confidence.

"What about?" he asked Spider, sounding bored.

"It's personal," he replied.

"Afraid you can't see him today. He's busy," was the reply.

'Too busy, I guess, to here about an escape then, eh?" Spider said slyly, and the officer frowned and looked at him speculatively.

"Bubba and the Delvicchio brothers have got something set for a couple of weeks' time. It's real well organised. Now do I get to see the governor, or what?" He asked, a cocky edge creeping into his voice.

The prison officer regarded him silently as if, Spider thought to himself, he was weighing up the value of the information and what it might mean to his career if he took Spider to the governor. Then, with apparent reluctance, the guard shook his head.

"It'll have to wait 'til morning. The Governor's interstate. I'll make sure you see him first thing in the morning, " he told him.

Spider signaled that would do with a nervous nod and shrug of his shoulders. The officer dismissed him.

The grey uniformed man watched, with speculative eyes as Spider scuttled off along the corridor, until he was no longer in sight. The guard proceeded on his rounds, taking a slight detour.

He went to Bubba’s cell and knocked on the door. Bubba’s voice came from beyond it, telling him to enter.

The guard went on in, finding the middle aged crime boss laying on his bunk like a modem day Nero, minus only the fiddle and the laurel in his hair.

Bubba regarded the guard curiously. "What is it?" he asked him.

The officer repeated the conversation he'd had with Spider. When he'd concluded, he waited in silence for Bubba’s reaction. But the fat man said nothing for a long time.

"I’ll take care of this," Bubba finally said in a cold, flat tone.

The guard nodded once and then went to leave the cell, glad that he was not the Spider.