A noise outside caught his attention, and he went to the window to see what was going on. It sounded like a scrap, an argument. It was common enough to witness spats between teenagers, or worse, proper fights between rival gangs. But they rarely happened on the estate; they were usually carried out in previously arranged remote areas on the coast or down in Barrow-in-Furness. Members came in a steady stream from the villages and towns of the north of England: directionless boys, misunderstood and forgotten.

The closest rival gang was in Barrow. They were simply known by their family name, the Rawlinsons, and had terrorised the streets of the town for decades. Five of them were languishing at Her Majesty’s pleasure for drugs and weapons offences. They carried on the business from inside the penal system, and word had it that they quickly became the top dogs there too. As a result of the incarcerations, though, the Rawlinsons had gone quiet, leaving the Cotton brothers, Jason and Adam, to strengthen their links to main players in Glasgow and Manchester.

Surprisingly, it was the brothers who were causing the fuss outside, along with Tyrone Fenton, a harmless enough kid who was Jackson’s long-time buddy, and a few hangers-on. Tyrone was a good person, he just made bad decisions. It looked like they were arguing over a girl.

Jackson rolled his eyes: this wasn’t going to end well. He was about to walk away from the window when Jason Cotton slapped the girl in question and she staggered backwards. He closed the curtains, but he could still see through the gap. He knew the girl. She lived in a flat in Wordsworth Towers. He watched as Jason Cotton tried to give Tyrone something, but Tyrone just shook his head. He appeared terrified and Jackson wanted to do something for his friend, but instead, he continued to watch helplessly as Jason Cotton shoved Tyrone and the lad fell backwards. Meanwhile the girl was held as Jason thrust his fist into her time and time again. But Jackson soon realised that it wasn’t just his fist.

He watched the girl fall, and the men, including Tyrone, run away.