Georgio gritted his teeth at the inference and made his move. Suddenly the air was split by the sound of a fire alarm going off. Looking up, Georgio smelt a faint whiff of burning. Sadie jumped from her seat.

‘Oh fuck it, me pie’s on its way out!’

She rushed from the room, and everyone settled down once more as the noise of the alarm clanged through the Wing.

‘Turn that fucking thing off, we’re trying to concentrate! ’

Leroy bellowed, his voice loud and harsh, but the alarm bell kept ringing. Then a denser smell permeated the room just as Sadie started screaming. Everyone was catapulted from their chairs in record time and the corridor was suddenly filled with men.

Georgio realised for the first time that no screws were to be seen anywhere. Black billowing smoke was coming from the cell block. Before they got down there all the men knew what had happened.

Timmy was burning like a Guy Fawkes dummy, lying on his bunk, not a movement from him. The stench of rubber was strong and another smell was evident. Georgio’s nose twitched as he tried to remember where he had smelt it before. Then his mind was taken over by what was on Timmy’s face. Someone had shoved a rubber mask over it, and the rubber was burning into the skin. Sadie was still screaming, out of control; Ricky slapped her face sharply to stop the noise.

The corridor was quiet now, apart from the crackling sounds from Timmy’s body as it was engulfed in flames. Even the fire bell had stopped. His hands were on fire and twitching. Georgio realised that he was still alive but paralysed somehow.

Running to the doors, he banged on them hard, shouting: ‘Get in here and bring the fucking fire extinguishers! He’s still alive! He’s still alive!’

After what seemed an age, four screws came through the doors in riot gear, looking weirdly out of place. All the men stared at them in wonderment. They were armed.

‘Move back to your cells now! Come on, we don’t want no trouble from you.’

The men looked at the screws then at each other.

‘Timmy’s burning, for fuck’s sake, you’ve got to get the medics.’

‘The sooner you get back in your cells, the sooner we’ll fetch the medics. Now MOVE!’ The last word was practically screamed at them and the men obeyed without thinking.

The last Georgio saw before he returned to his cell was Timmy’s hands and feet, burning. Sadie was bundled into the cell behind him.

Benjamin Dawes was calling out: ‘Oi, turn off Sadie’s rhubarb pie, won’t you, Mr Jackson? Don’t let that get burnt and all.’

Georgio slumped down on the bottom bunk and put his head in his hands. He had to get out of this place.

He had to get out.