"If you say so," I said, feigning indifference. It was best not to commit to something that would go south in microsecond, which I suspected would happen with Jacob's escape plan.

"Let's go over it one more time," he said excitedly. "At 2100 tomorrow, I'm going to shank Billy in the kitchen. The guards will come running to take me away to solitary, like they did the last thirteen times."

"You don't have anything to shank with," I said, annoyed at his overly dramatic air. "All we're allowed are sporks made of recycled corn, or whatever this shit is." I gestured with mine, to make the point clear.

"Whatever!" he said impatiently. "They'll still take me away. And once they do, I'll get out through the hole I've been digging in there for the past four years. Once I'm out, I'll circle back around and unlock the gates, and let the rest of us out. That's where you come in."

I sighed. He wasn't the slightest b