Tarek went sailing through the air a couple of feet off the ground and slammed a solid kick into the back of Oluwafeme’s head; the Nigerian fell forward and slammed into the courtyard wall. Karim, on the other hand, had lunged onto Erik’s back and was now hanging from his shoulders, a deadweight, clinging like a koala to a eucalyptus tree, digging his fingertips into Erik’s eyes. The fair-haired man with the scar on his face writhed frantically, trying to toss him off, unsuccessfully. Omar had let himself slide to the ground, his mouth full of blood and snot. The Professor let fly with a kick at Karim, who was clinging to Erik’s back, and hit Karim in the kidneys. The young man yelled out in pain but kept his fingers firmly planted in the Viking look-alike’s eyes, as Erik tried to free himself from this wildcat that had landed on his back. In the meantime, the Nigerian, shaking his head, had stumbled back up on his feet. Warily, Tarek was waiting for him. Oluwafeme charged at him. Tarek tried to hold him at bay with what rudiments of karate he’d been able to pick up in a flea-bitten gymnasium back in Hammamet. But he was unable to do anything more than to annoy the giant Nigerian boxer. The other inmates of the house of detention stood watching the brawl that was now raging between the three Tunisians and the Professor’s gang, but no one dreamed of interfering. The younger convicts broke off their soccer match; the older ones interrupted their game of cards. Aziz stepped away from the group that was milling around and chatting next to the woodworking shed and hurried over to help his fellow Tunisians. He ran straight toward Erik, who still had Karim fiercely wrapped around his back. In the meantime, Oluwafeme, former boxer that he was, had punched Tarek in the face and knocked him headlong to the ground. Omar, his face bloodied and his eyes swollen almost completely shut, was still trying to get back on his feet, but the Professor slammed his foot down on the young man’s neck, pinning him down to the ground. With a jerk to one side, Erik finally managed to get Karim off his back, and now he darted toward him and seized him by the throat. He started squeezing, bringing greater and greater pressure to bear. Karim’s eyes were already bulging out, and he clearly was unable to breathe. But just then Aziz waded into the fray, smashing his fist into Erik’s head, right behind his ear; Erik released his grip, dropping Karim to the ground, where he coughed his heart out, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs. Aziz shouted, trying to work up his courage, and then launched himself straight at the fair-haired scarface. He was windmilling his fists with all his strength and fear. Those punches, however, weren’t finding their mark. Aziz was a shopkeeper, and brawls weren’t exactly his forte, which Erik understood very well. He hung back and bided his time, until he finally let loose with a seemingly endless series of punches that ravaged Aziz’s face. Jets of blood and saliva sailed through the air in all directions. At that point, the other convicts decided that the time had come to weigh in. They all surged forward to bring a halt to the massacre. From the main gate, at last, two correctional officers hurried up to put down the brawl. There were shouts and fists and kicks continued to fly. A third correctional officer, Federico Tolotta, standing guard in Wing 3, came rushing over at a dead run, in spite of his enormous bulk. He bent down to pick up the bunch of keys to the armored doors from the ground, clenched them in his fist, and hit the Nigerian hard with them in the back of the head, causing him to stagger. More armed guards swarmed into the courtyard. They took custody of Oluwafeme, Erik, and Agostino, a.k.a. the Professor, swinging their billy clubs freely. The brawl subsided. Omar and Aziz were beaten black and blue. Karim had gotten off with some difficulty breathing but nothing much more, whereas Tarek, after the punch from Oluwafeme, had gotten back to his feet and, aside from the jaw that creaked every time he bit down, seemed to be in reasonably good shape.