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80INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1954)

Floyd rushes in with Andy and Red at his heels. They find Jigger and Snooze trying to calm Brooks, who has Heywood in a chokehold and a knife to his throat. Heywood is terrified.

JIGGER

C'mon, Brooksie, why don't you just

calm the fuck down, okay?

BROOKS

Goddamn miserable puke-eatin' sons

of whores!

He kicks a table over. Tax files explode through the air.

RED

What the hell's going on?

SNOOZE

You tell me, man. One second he was

fine, then out came the knife. I

better get the guards.

RED

No. We'll handle this. Ain't that

right, Brooks? Just settle down and

we'll talk about it, okay?

BROOKS

Nothing left to talk about! It's

all talked out! Nothing left now

but to cut his fuckin' throat!

RED

Why? What's Heywood done to you?

BROOKS

That's what they want! It's the

price I gotta pay!

Andy steps forward, rivets Brooks with a gaze. Softly:

ANDY

Brooks, you're not going to hurt

Heywood, we all know that. Even

Heywood knows it, right Heywood?

HEYWOOD

(nods, terrified)

Sure. I know that. Sure.

ANDY

Why? Ask anyone, they'll tell you.

Brooks Hatlen is a reasonable man.

RED

(cuing nods all around)

Yeah, that's right. That's what

everybody says.

ANDY

You're not fooling anybody, so just

put the damn knife down and stop

scaring the shit out of people.

BROOKS