Chapter 9: To Escape a Trap
Joseph leaped to the side, dodging the woman who lunged at him. She was agile and swift, her movements comparable to a rabid dog ready to pounce on anything she saw. The prince hurried towards the door, his only thought to escape her. She was mad, and if he didn't leave quickly, she would bite his face off.
"The No-Faced God will haunt you!" the woman screamed. "He will find you, and He will appear in your dreams. If He sees you again, He will make sure He has your body."
Joseph's heart pounded as he narrowly escaped the woman. He dashed down the dimly lit hallway, which seemed twice as eerie as before. As he rushed toward the elevator, the woman's cackle echoed through the hallway, sending shivers down his spine. Just as he was about to enter the elevator, he saw a man with blazing red eyes. He looked as deranged as the woman, his body twitching rapidly.
"I didn't come here to die," Joseph said to himself. He bolted to the stairwell, barely dodging the man who jumped at him. "Are these even people?"
His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart sinking as he heard the screams closing in. When he arrived at the stairs, he stumbled back, greeted by five more pairs of those same red eyes.
For a moment, he felt helpless. He was surrounded by people who seemed to have lost their minds. It was a horror scene straight from a movie. Joseph wanted to use his powers but was afraid of hurting them.
He was cornered. If he didn't act soon, he would be killed.
With no other choice, the prince raised his hand and pointed it at the people in the stairwell. His palm ignited with bright white energy. Taking a deep breath, he fired a beam of white light.
"Purifying Glory!" Joseph yelled as the room was swallowed by the bright light. The barely lit hallway burst into brightness as the power engulfed them.
It took Joseph a couple of seconds to recover. When he did, he jumped from his current floor down to the ground, where more people awaited him. He was confused, afraid, and angry. What could have happened here to make these people mad?
Shoving the thoughts away, Joseph burst into the street, lungs burning, expecting to find some relief in the open air. Instead, he was greeted by a cold, unnatural silence.
The street was empty. No cars, no pedestrians. The only things that remained were the empty buildings, lifelessly bathed in flickering lamplight.
"Hello?" Joseph yelled, glancing around in hopes of seeing someone, anyone. He was desperate and tired. Part of him wished he hadn't come to find Elayne and had just stayed inside the palace. But another part of him was relieved by his decision.
Now that he knew something had happened here, he could report it to Regal, and everyone could be saved. The only hurdle was his escape.
As he frantically looked around for help, a figure stood in the middle of the street just a few meters away. His lips parted, ready to scream for help, when the figure jerked suddenly.
The man took a step forward, his wild eyes glimmering under the streetlights. He had the same red eyes as the people inside the building. The man screeched, jerking his head in different directions as if calling out for something.
Joseph didn't hesitate to back away, turning around and sprinting as fast as he could. More and more people appeared, all wearing the same twisted grins and horrifyingly crazed expressions.
Using as much energy as he could, Joseph ran, his footsteps echoing in the empty streets. He didn't know where he was going or if he had made the right turns. The only thing he was sure of was that if he could escape the street, he would be safe.
A few moments passed, and the road was still just as far away from the main street. Joseph was out of breath, his energy drained from running.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears, and horror painted his face when he saw the signage on the street. His morale plummeted as he muttered the words, "Mulberry Street."
He was right where he started.
Elayne's building was still in front of him, the crowd of crazed people standing in front of the main door. They glared at him, wearing the same empty yet horrifying expressions.
"What in the hell is happening here?" Joseph said to himself, lost in all that was happening. As much as he wanted to use his powers, he knew it would come with a cost.
"You're in a maze."
Joseph heard a voice whisper. He snapped his head in different directions, trying to figure out where the voice came from. It was futile when he realized that nobody was around him.
He was alone in the middle of the street, surrounded by mad people. There seemed to be no escape from this disaster. He had tried to run, but it had led him back to where he started.
The prince waited for the people to attack him, finally willing to put up a fight. He wasn't going to use his powers to kill them, but what he would do would be enough to hurt them and maybe wake them from their delirium.
Time seemed to freeze for several minutes. Those who had lunged at the first person they saw stood still, not even moving a single step or making a single uncontrolled jerk.
"It's really fun to toy with your food before you eat it," a voice cackled from above the building.
Joseph looked up to see a woman standing there, her hands on her hips, a wide grin plastered on her face. She giggled before jumping off the roof and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Prince Joseph of Nevancier," the woman said. "Hellmess was mad that you killed him. Oh, I mean King Regal did, but it was because of you. So he blames you."
Joseph clenched his fist, glaring at the woman who seemed to know something about him. She was referring to someone Regal had killed because of him, and the first thing that came to his mind was the auction host.
"I didn't do anything," Joseph said. "And why did you lock me here? I can smell your scent on the barrier that was put up to prevent me from leaving."
"Oh, you noticed that?" the woman gasped with an obviously fake expression. "Of course, you did. You're gifted with eyes that can see through people, after all. But why fake your panic? You could've killed these people the moment you saw them."
"People?" Joseph smirked, swiping his hand in front of him. A beam of white energy passed beside the woman's face, causing her to flinch in shock. "Those aren't humans anymore."
The beam struck one of the crazed people behind the woman, piercing through her head to expose black-spotted flesh inside. The woman gritted her teeth and distanced herself from Joseph.
"Let me tell you something about myself, kid," Joseph grinned, his face stretching into a menacing look. "You and your puppets don't scare me."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Peltivierre
Peltivierre Hello! I feel like the readers really need to know Joseph more. He's no Mr. Nice-Guy that's very demure, very cutesy, very mindful. He's gonna be borderline psychotic but tamed. I do hope you're enjoying your day. Take care out there, y'all! I'll see you on the next one.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone