After the obvious lie, Allen knew he had to regain the trust of the DC public.
Allen stepped forward and turned to face Victoria with a bright smile. "I know it may not seem like it, but I assure you that Arkham is a wonderful place!"
"AHHHHH!"
While everyone had their opinions about Allen, a prisoner came running out in desperation, seemingly seeking help. But as soon as he noticed Allen's presence, he stopped abruptly, terrified.
Allen looked at the prisoner angrily. "What are you doing here?" Allen muttered, his tone was dark, causing the prisoner to be scared.
"No! Don't come near me, monster!"
"A prisoner?!" Victoria stepped back, frightened, as expected, and so did the cameraman, thinking there was another prison break.
Allen noticed this and immediately apologized. "No, no, no, wait, don't be scared... this is normal!" Allen stepped forward almost like a ghost and grabbed the terrified prisoner's shoulder. "I firmly believe exercise is important, so prisoners run through the interior halls."
"Ah!" Realizing he had the most terrifying person in the prison gripping his shoulder, the prisoner wanted to scream, but Allen covered his mouth with his hand, staring at him with eyes that said, 'If you speak, I'll rip your jaw off...'
The prisoner nodded quickly in response to the threat, and Allen let him speak. "Hiii... I mean, yes! I'm exercising!!" He shouted, scared, feeling as if he had a knife in his throat. "Definitely not trying to escape from this hell!!"
'Talks too much!' thought Allen, then laughed. "Ha ha ha, what a funny joke he makes..."
"Mr. Walker, isn't this dangerous?" Victoria looked at the prisoner nervously. "I understand that a prisoner isn't a threat to you, but what about the Arkham staff?"
Allen nodded at the question and gave a thumbs-up. "No need to worry, I fired them all..."
"Huh?!" Victoria, along with all the viewers from both worlds, were in shock.
"Well, almost all..." Allen said, remembering the "twins," Harleen and Harley, who were still working.
"Really?! But how do you plan to treat the patients?" Victoria frowned. This place was not only a prison but also a psychiatric hospital; they needed doctors and nurses to deal with the most unstable criminals.
Allen smiled confidently and waved his hand. "Don't worry, I've hired the most qualified people for the job." Allen adjusted his glasses mysteriously.
All the viewers were confused. Allen assumed the position today, so how could he hire so many people?
In that moment filled with questions, the sound of metal clashing against metal was heard, capturing everyone's attention.
Allen remained smiling, Victoria confused, Pamela serious and professional, while the prisoner was scared, so much so that he began to tremble. But Allen didn't let him go.
"No! Don't come near me!!"
The prisoner felt his legs weaken and fell backward, then retreated to the ground until he hit the wall.
Allen coughed drawing attention to himself "For the prisoners, Arkham had become a resort, a place where they came to spend time and then leave," Allen said sadly, while everyone paid attention. "They forgot the fear of being captured! So mix that with a famous Barney's saying: bad kids are taken by Krampus!"
Everyone took Allen's words until he said the last part because his viewers knew which Barney Allen was referring to.
"Boss, I don't think Barney said that," Ivy said, her tone emotionless but seemingly amused underneath. She was starting to get used to Allen's random behavior.
"Really?! Well, someone said it, right?" Allen shrugged. "The point is!... I hired new staff, and they will be responsible for reminding them why they don't want to come to Arkham."
Victoria wasn't entirely convinced, but she was curious to see the kind of prison guards Allen got. Fortunately or unfortunately, she wouldn't have to wait long.
"Ho Ho Ho," said a deep, terrifying voice.
The lights in the hallway flickered, then went out momentarily. The air turned cold, so much so that Victoria saw her breath. Everyone looked at the hallway to the right, where the prisoner came from, and there, instinctively, the cameraman pointed. In the background, a red light illuminated a figure.
There stood a creature, enormous in size, with horns and dressed in tattered, old Santa Claus clothes.
"Ho Ho Ho," said the humanoid creature, whose face couldn't be seen due to the unnatural shadow covering it.
Its heavy footsteps echoed ominously against the floor, while its twisted horns rose toward the ceiling in a grotesque and menacing silhouette. Its presence emanated a cold that penetrated the soul and made the bones of those who crossed its path tremble.
Rusty chains twisted around its body, emitting a metallic sound. With bloodshot eyes and a sinister smile revealing teeth as sharp as knives.
That was Krampus, the legend born as the antithesis of Santa Claus, and its eerie gaze fixed on the prisoner at Allen's feet.
"...ah...h"
The prisoner lost his breath, his heart pounding, his breath becoming shallow as he desperately tried to find a way out of this living nightmare. But his legs wouldn't respond.
Scared, Victoria clung to Allen's arm, and the viewers, mostly, felt like turning off the live stream in Marvel's case and the television in DC's case.
Everyone had heard of the Krampus legend after a movie was made about it, and then video games with its theme, but seeing it live gave them a feeling of inhuman terror. Not because it was powerful; there were characters like that in abundance, and they were used to it. The fear was different; one glance from that thing was enough to know it would grant you the most cruel and terrifying death imaginable.
Allen grabbed the prisoner by the neck and effortlessly threw him towards Krampus. People watched as the monster twisted its neck and looked at the prisoner, then grabbed him and stuffed him into its sack with stains of dried blood. They could see the look of despair on the helpless man's face before he entered that sack.
Everyone fell silent except Allen; his neck was sore. "Hey, bastard! How the hell do you let prisoners escape?!"
People held their breath at Allen's shout; he just yelled at the infernal creature as if it were the errand boy who made a mistake. However, to everyone's surprise and fear, Krampus nodded.
"I'm sorry..." said the monster with a voice that seemed to come from hell, its terrifying words and voice not matching.
Allen sighed irritably. "Just do your job, or I'll replace you with Sirenhead!"
Krampus nodded, the lights flickered for a moment, and when it got dark, Krampus disappeared, taking the prisoner with him, who knows where.
...
After a while, Victoria looked at the man she was holding onto with many doubts in her mind but not knowing what to ask. "Allen?"
Allen noticed the questioning look from the beautiful Victoria and gave a reassuring smile. "As I was saying, I hired many adorable types to be the jailers of this place."
"You hired a monster as a jailer?!" she said incredulously. Victoria felt like her common sense was being shattered with every passing second; she felt like maybe it was a mistake to come here.
'In fact there were several... but I can't tell...' thought Allen.
Allen grew nervous noticing Vicki showing signs of wanting to escape, but he wouldn't allow it.
"Haha, no, of course, he's not a monster, he's just cosplaying!" Allen joked with a face as hard as a neutron star.
"..."
No one believed him. Allen felt he needed to try harder, so he postponed the cafeteria and led them to the CCTV room, where the prison cameras were located.
Allen stepped forward and introduced a man well known to everyone. "This is the camera operator, Jason Voorhees!" Allen patted the shoulder of a big man wearing a hockey mask and holding a machete. "And as you can see, he's a completely normal guy."
*Breathing* Breathing* Breathing*
Jason just stood there, breathing heavily over and over, eerily. At the same time, people heard heavy breathing, characteristic of when Jason appeared.
*He he he he*
Allen felt a drop of sweat trickle down his forehead, but being ever the professional, he didn't flinch. "Oh, I forgot, he doesn't speak!" Allen added, denying reality in the most blatant way possible.
"..."
Once again, no one believed him, so Allen took them to another place. He led them to the corridor that divided the block of female prisoners and male prisoners to show that there was nothing to fear.
In this corridor, there were no security points, just a well, a classic well made of rocks that completely clashed with the surroundings.
Allen took a step forward and coughed, calling someone. Slowly, a pale hand emerged from the well, followed by a creepy girl. Her skin was pale and ghostly, her gaze was terrifying, only showing her eyes, and her presence made the cameraman want to run.
Allen smiled. "Don't worry... she may be as scary as a rabid puma, but she's as harmless as a rabbit... a very terrifying one." Allen coughed. "She's Sadako, I think, she's not very talkative, so I don't know her real name. She's the prison guard in charge of the female criminal block." Allen took Sadako's hand and introduced her. "I hope you all get along~"
"..." Sadako silently looked at Allen's hand and then his face, while her own face was covered by her hair.
"She has the habit of coming out of screens like the original, but don't worry, she's adorable and just cosplaying..." Allen said confidently while patting Sadako's head, making people wonder if Allen had something wrong in his head; it was obvious that she was the real deal and not a cosplay!
Allen clapped. "Enough wasting time, let's go to the cafeteria!"
Allen led the group, not noticing that Sadako remained staring at him until he disappeared.
...
The cafeteria was once the place where prisoners ate due to the citizens; it wasn't high-quality or abundant food, but it was enough for one person, and that was already too much considering the reason they were there. However, Allen noticed something strange, so he decided to intervene.
Everyone stood at the entrance, witnessing a scene straight out of the Saw movie.
A hundred inmates were seated in chairs lined up one after the other, while a machine injected a white gelatinous mass directly into their mouths through a tube.
Victoria looked at Allen with all the questions in the world. "Allen?"
Allen adjusted his tie and presented the place. "Upon inspecting the prisoners, I noticed that many inmates showed signs of malnutrition, while others had gained considerable weight, which made no sense." Allen shook his head, his tone pained and sad. "It's unacceptable for the stronger inmates to steal food from the weaker ones!"
"Ahhhh!" a prisoner screamed as a tube was inserted into his mouth and down his throat, releasing more of the unpleasant white slime. His eyes were red, and he seemed to want to vomit, but the viscous mass prevented him and forced him to swallow his vomit.
"In this way, everyone receives equal parts of their nutrients," Allen said confidently, with a kind look.
"I see..." Victoria responded, shivering down her spine. She saw how many prisoners had tears in their eyes and begged for help, while a tube inserted a white mass into their mouths.
People watching this at home covered the eyes of their more sensitive family and friends. Even Allen's viewers felt chills.
How did Allen do this in such a short time? Allen didn't need to be present to do something like this, within this domain he could do almost anything.
"Auhhgh!"
A prisoner looked with pitiful eyes at Victoria crying for help, she felt sorry and was about to intervene, but a screen descended in front of the inmate and showed how he killed an elderly couple in cold blood with a hammer.
The same thing happened with the other inmates who watched in HD 4k the crimes they committed as more nasty mass was introduced.
All kinds of horrible crimes of which the Rapists, Murderers, and Cannibals stood out.
===
Gilgamesh – The cruelty is quite grand in these mongrels, how unpleasant... they are not worthy of being humans, you can use them as labor...
TheEmperor – Kill them... there's no need for them to exist, every person must sacrifice themselves for the sole good of humanity, every human being needs to give their life, soul, and death to me the emperor or they will be doomed...
Gilgamesh – Oh, that way of thinking does not displease me but... to call yourself an emperor before this King is a bit arrogant, isn't it?
TheEmperor – I recall my time as Gilgamesh, naive and hopeful to give humanity a bright future... but it was naive; they showed me that only I could stand above them...
Gilgamesh – What did you say, mongrel?! That you were me?! Hahaha, you say amusing things... but mind your tongue...
– Hey, what's wrong with these two?! -_-
– Don't look them in the eyes; they're the kind of people you shouldn't mess with.
Artoria – He won't do that...
Gilgamesh – Oh, well, it was to be expected. I only need a second to see the kind of person this albino mongrel is...
TheEmperor – A weak child...
Artoria – Weak? Allen?... I see, that's how you see him... well, if it were my former self, I would have thought the same...
Gilgamesh – Are you saying this King is wrong?
Artoria – No, both of their ways are the most practical, more efficient, and depending on the era, the correct one. No one wants to deal with a bunch of incurably insane people... kill them? use them? it's what a competent King would do...
TheEmperor – ...
Artoria – And that's why Allen is not a King; he's a clown heh~
Gilgamesh – ...
===
By this point, people didn't feel as much pity for the prisoners anymore. Allen smiled seeing this, but there were still people among the spectators who called him a demon, although they were few.
Allen knew well how to manipulate public opinion, torturing prisoners caused empathy in people, but if they were shown the kind of horrible things they did, most people would become apathetic.
Allen noticed that everyone felt uncomfortable, so he applauded. "I know this may seem exaggerated, but it's only for the most dangerous and cruel prisoners in the blocks. In general, inmates accused of minor crimes such as theft or drug trafficking have a different system."
Allen gave a mocking look to the screen with smiling eyes. "Don't worry, it'll be fun to watch..."
Allen only wished that no executioner appeared; the jailers were responsible for keeping the prisoners in their cells, but that was it. The ones who applied punishments were the executioners, and with the example of Bueno Exellente, everyone knew the kind of people they would be.
===
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