Chapter 2:

The funeral was quick and silent. No son, no daughter-in-law. Just me, her other family members, and the detective guy. I never allowed him to approach me. Not a good idea. It makes me an easy target for suspicion. But I don't care. I got a crazy lunatic to take care of.

"Al–leena!" I dodge as my mother lunges for my throat. I turn and stab her arm with a needle. I inject the medicine and watch her collapse on the sofa. I fall back and pull my knees up against my chest. I take a deep breath and throw my head back to calm my panting. She seems to be getting crazier. How the hell do I deal with her if she gets worse?

"Alina....Alina?" I sit up as my mother mutters. Her head lulls towards me. She rolls off the couch and looks at me. She smiles.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"It was fun, wasn't it?" She laughs like a drunk woman. "Your screams. Your pleas. They..." Her eyes close as she falls asleep. I stare at her. She still remembers? I thought she forgot what she—

My phone rings. I dig around for it and quickly answer without checking who it is. Probably a huge mistake considering my condition right now.

"Alina Clay, we—" I immediately hang up and throw my phone across the room. It shatters against the wall. I watch it fall on the ground. Well, there goes one bill. There's a knock on the door. I groan and look out the peep hole in the door. I curse and open the door. The head detective stumbles back as I step out and slam the door behind me.

"What do you want?" I grumble.

"You're—You're bleeding." He says, pointing as his cheek.

"I thought you could take the sight of the blood, detective. What the hell do you want?" The detective clears his throat and for the first time since we've met, he looks away uncomfortably.

"Miss Tisha. You were put in her will." I shake my head.

"I was only her bodyguard. Why would she..."I glare at the head detective. "You could've just called."

"I did." Shit.

"Anything else I'm supposed to care about?" The head detective reaches into his shirt pocket and takes out a card. He holds it out towards me.

"Call me if you need help finding a job."

"Why are you suddenly helping me?" He shrugs.

"Evidence and your defense was left by Miss Tisha. You're innocent and inherited some of her belongings. Take it as an apology, I guess." I take the card and examine it. Mr. John Banks. Fancy?

"Thanks...I guess." I mutter. Mr. Banks smiles and nods.

"I know your probably won't even call. But It's always better to try than not at all." I sigh and stuff the card in my back pocket. I reach up and wipe the blood dripping down my face with my sleeve. I know it smears, but I honest don't really care. I have to go in and check on my mother.

"How's she doing?" Mr. Banks suddenly asks. My guard instantly goes up.

"That's none of your business. Don't come near my house unless there's some sort of emergency or you have a warrant." We start hearing crashing noises inside. I curse under my breath and swing the door up. Something slams against me. I pull my arms up and stopping my mother from biting my face off with her nearly nonexistent teeth.

"Mom! It's me!" I yell. She stops biting the hell out of my arm and laughs. She turns and starts cackling. She turns back towards me.

"Is he going to make you scream and cry? Is he going to have fun like I did?" She asks excitedly. I grab both of her arms and have her pinned down instantly. Without hurting her, I pick her up as she begins to struggle. I drag her into the house and pin her against the couch as I reach into the drawer in the little nightstand next to the couch. I take out a syringe and stab her leg as she kicks the side of my head. Ignoring the headache, I inject her. She becomes limp and starts to snore. I pull away and scramble back. My body hurts from the impact of the ground, her kicks, and fists. Her nails had dug into my skin, making me bleed in several places. God...my arm hurts.

"Alina?" Mr. Banks stares at me from the door way. I struggle back to my feet and limp towards him.

"Don't come again." I mutter and slam the door shut. I collapse back onto the floor. How the hell did this get so bad? I groan quietly as I smell iron. Nose bleed.

Mr. Banks stands outside, staring up at the apartment complex. He might be wrong about her. She might not be able to handle him. Mr. Banks reaches into his pocket as his phone vibrates. A deep voice greets him. He's never seen him. The two used two converse in darkness or the man wore a mask or hood that hid his face. Mr. Banks only knows that this man is plagued and is a good friend.

"She took the card. But I think she might be a bit broken. Even more than we thought, that is."

"Broken?" There's a pause. "How badly?"

"Her own mother kept rambling about something. The doll didn't even react at first as her own mother hurt her. But as soon as her mother started mentioning something about the doll's crying and screaming, she reacted quickly." There's another pause.

"Crying and screaming... Keep an eye out for a call. As soon as she agrees, we'll proceed with the rest of the plan."

"What if the plan fails again?" Mr. Banks blurts out. There's a longer pause.

"Let's pray it doesn't." Mr. Banks looks at his phone. He always hangs up like that. Mr. Banks looks up at Alina's window. How long has she been in this mess? And what did her mother mean? What could be so bad that such a young and talented bodyguard fear? Her eyes—

Mr. Banks shakes his head. That look in her eyes was what startled him the most. That look isn't something he sees everyday. Not his first time. But something about it bothers him. She's afraid, angry, and something else. Mr Banks sighs. What does he know about a woman in her late twenties?

She's not his problem. Frankly, he doesn't know why that friend of his is so interested in her. How the hell does that guy even get information about her? It was pretty hard for Mr. Banks himself to find anything about her. She's so closed off and discreet that it even unsettles him. But it's not his problem.

With a sigh, Mr. Banks walks into the night and leaves in his undercover vehicle. He probably won't be sleeping well tonight.