The Rec Room
"It's an absolute travesty, is what it is." Harvey motioned up to the small television screen mounted high on the wall of the recreation room.
Joker rolled his eyes. "You're just miffed cause the guy's five years younger than ya, Harv. C'mon admit it."
On the screen the candidate for District Attorney of Gotham was working the media beautifully. His hair greased back, his smooth smile; Harvey could recognize a snake when he saw one. And this one was slippery. Cutting through the voters like warm butter. It made him sick. His coin flip quickened as he frowned at the tube.
"You act like I've expired."
"To the people of Gotham, you kinda have, Harv." Joker smiled, far wider than should be humanly possible.
"Do we have to watch the news?" Crane sighed. He curled his legs up onto the couch and yawned. "I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of excellent horror shows we could be enjoying."
"Come on, Spooky. You don't expect those stuffy ol' guards to understand our love of bloodshed, do ya?"
"Well it sure as hell would be better than watching this rubbish. Who of us is even capable of voting anyway?"
"Quiet!" Harvey roared, "The polls are opening tonight and I want to see who's going to win."
"Oh, you know who that'll be, Harv. Good ole Mr. Sleazy up there. Looks like he's got some good buddies in the mob. Hmph."
"Looks like you must have missed one, Joker," Crane drawled.
"Goddamit can't you two shut up?"
"Hey!" The guard on the opposite side of the plexiglass banged against it, his voice muffled. "Keep it down in there! Or it's back to your cells."
"Yeah Harv," Joker whispered, barely containing the laughter. "You're so goddamn noisy. This is a place o' healing, ya know. Have some respect!"
In a moment, Harvey was on his feet and moving toward the clown. Joker simply smiled, his crooked grin looking almost normal.
"Excellent!" Crane dove for the control. In an instant he'd typed in the horror channel, and in response an ear-splitting shriek reverberated off the white washed walls. Apparently a rerun of Halloween was on.
Harvey winced, looking over his shoulder as he tried to decide which idiot to pummel. Joker started laughing, nearly falling out of the chair as he doubled over. Jamie Lee Curtis must have really been pouring her heart out, because the shrieks kept coming and Crane kept bumping up the volume.
In a matter of moments, all of the other crazies within the recreation room started screaming with her, their cries prompting others down the hall to start screaming. And soon the entire ward was filled with the horrified cries of the inmates.
Crane wiped a tear out of his eye, "Isn't it beautiful."
"Damn you, Crane." Harvey grumbled as the guards and orderlies quickly moved the three troublesome inmates out of the room.
"Oh Spooky! That never gets old!" Joker gasped before falling into another fit of laughter.