A decent into madness

Selina entered the psychiatric hospital's visiting room, her eyes carefully scanning the area for security personnel and the doctor with the keys. As she assessed her surroundings, a doctor approached her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Doctor Amber, calm the patients down. The fire alarm was a false alarm," the doctor instructed, clearly stressed.

Selina nodded, maintaining the facade. "I want to take them outside for some fresh air. That will help calm them down. So, where are the keys?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment but eventually conceded. "Umm... okay, you're right," he said, handing her the keys. "Give them back when you're done."

"I will," Selina assured him, taking the keys with a hidden sense of triumph.

"Keep your guard up, Doctor Amber," the doctor added before excusing himself and leaving Selina alone with the patients.

As soon as he was out of sight, Selina's composed expression shifted into one of pure delight. "This is so interesting... heaven sent the keys to me," she muttered to herself, stifling a laugh as she exited the room, leaving the patients behind without a second thought.

Meanwhile, in the hospital's laboratory, a group of doctors discussed the mysterious circumstances surrounding Doctor Laura's death. Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Doctor 5, who appeared flustered and anxious.

"Guys, something happened," Doctor 4 announced. "Miss Richard asked me to help her escape. She's crazy—she killed Doctor Laura and took my uniform!"

The room fell silent as the other doctors processed the shocking news. Doctor 2 was the first to react. "What? Sound the alarm and inform security to shut all the building doors immediately!"

But before the alarm could be triggered, Doctor 5 blurted out, "Wait, did you say Miss Richard? I... I gave her the keys... she... Oh my God."

Doctor 4's eyes widened in disbelief. "You gave the keys to Miss Richard?"

Doctor 5's face paled as the gravity of his mistake sank in. "We have to hurry before she escapes," he urged.

"Let's go!" Doctor 2 commanded, and the group of doctors dashed out of the room, determined to prevent Selina's escape.

Selina, now exhilarated by her successful breakout, found herself standing in front of an abandoned building. The taste of freedom was sweet on her tongue, and she couldn't help but shout out, "Free at last! In your face, Daddy! Your plan to keep me there forever FAILED!"

Back at Frances's house, the kitchen was filled with the comforting aroma of a home-cooked meal. Frances was preparing lunch for the family when Richard walked in, his face a mask of concern and anger.

"What's up with you? Why the worried face?" Frances asked, glancing up from her cooking.

Richard's voice was tight with frustration. "Why did you go there? You're lucky you're alive and still in one piece."

Frances stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, her eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? Are you aware you're talking about your daughter?"

Richard didn't back down. "Your daughter has gone cuckoo. She's crazy."

Fury flashed in Frances's eyes as she snapped, "Not another word against my daughter, Richard! How dare you utter such hurtful words about your own flesh and blood?"

"The truth is bitter, honey, but our daughter needs help," Richard insisted, his tone softening slightly.

Frances could hardly believe what she was hearing. She turned back to her task, finishing the last of the lunch preparations. "Prepare something for yourself because I'm taking this food to Selina, our daughter," she added, grabbing the food flask and storming out of the kitchen, leaving Richard standing there, bewildered.

"Frances... Fra—" Richard called after her, but she was already gone. He groaned, sinking into a chair. "Ugh, it's always about that crazy girl."

At the abandoned building, Selina was settling in, trying to clean up the space when her phone rang. She answered, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Hi Jake, guess what? I'm out of hell."

"Where are you, Selina?" Jake's voice was urgent, filled with concern.

"Why?" Selina asked, her tone light.

"Why? Don't you trust me?" Jake's voice held a note of hurt.

Selina's smile faded slightly. "I trusted my father once, and look what happened. I know you want to help me, Jake, but I can't disclose my secret headquarters to anyone."

"Selina, the police are searching for you," Jake warned, his tone serious.

Selina's expression didn't waver as she feigned network issues. "Hello? Sorry, I can't hear you." Without waiting for a response, she hung up and returned to her cleaning.

"I can't disclose my secret headquarters to anyone. I can't even trust myself," she muttered to herself. Then, a glint of determination crossed her eyes as she began to plan. "Hmm... let's see, the list of things I need," she said, her voice dripping with malevolence. An evil laugh escaped her lips as she envisioned her next steps.

Frances arrived at the psychiatric hospital, anxiety evident in every step she took as she paced the room. "Where is my daughter? Someone bring me my daughter! What kind of a place is this? You don't know how to take care of patients," she shouted, her voice rising in desperation.

The doctors tried to calm her down, but it was no use. Frances was beside herself with worry. Just then, Anne entered the room, her face etched with concern.

"Auntie, I rushed here immediately I heard the news. Where is Selina?" Anne asked, hurrying over to Frances.

"She ran away," Frances sobbed, her voice thick with emotion. She turned on the doctors, her grief and anger boiling over. "She ran away because clearly, the doctors here are incompetent! If anything happens to my daughter, if... I can't even think of that. I won't be able to live without my love."

Anne, seeing the state Frances was in, quickly moved to comfort her, wrapping her arms around her in a protective embrace. "Oh no, don't worry, Auntie. Everything is going to be fine. We will find Selina," she said, trying to offer some reassurance.

But Frances shook her head, her mind racing with fear. "You don't get it, Anne. S-S-Selina... she... I think she murdered Doctor Laura. The doctors said she was responsible for the doctor's death."

Anne was stunned into silence, the shock of Frances's words leaving her momentarily speechless. "What? No, no, they must be mistaken. Why would they assume that? Was she found with a weapon?" she finally managed to ask, her voice trembling.

Frances couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Anne, I said I think she did it. Selina grinned at me the last time I visited her. She told me to forget about helping her get out of this place. I knew something was off."

"Auntie, are you sure? Selina doesn't grin, she smiles," Anne said, trying to rationalize the situation.

"I know, I am her mother," Frances replied, her voice cracking with emotion. "I told Doctor Laura about it, but she totally ignored me. She almost called security on me."

Frances continued to pour out her heart to Anne when her phone rang. She quickly wiped away her tears and answered the call. "Hello?"

On the other end of the line, Selina paused for a moment after hearing her mother's sad voice. She decided to comfort her, at least for now. "Why are you crying, Mom? You cry too much," Selina said, her voice filled with a strange blend of affection and detachment.

"S-S-Selina? My love, where are you? Are you okay? Love, what is this? Why are you doing this? Please tell me where you are?" Frances pleaded, her voice trembling with worry.

"I was walking out of my apartment when I saw you. I'm close to you, Mother," Selina replied, her tone playful yet unsettling.

"Love, we need to talk," Frances said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Sure, Mother, I'm listening," Selina said casually.

Frances, bracing herself for the worst, took a deep breath before asking, "What did you do? What happened here? Why, and how did you escape?"

"I want to be honest with you, Mother, but are you sure you want to hear the truth? It hurts a lot," Selina said, her tone dropping to a whisper.

"Brief me, love," Frances urged, her heart pounding.

"Yes, I murdered Laura. She was a pain in the neck, Mother. I disguised myself as a doctor and darted off. I didn't want to spend another minute in that hell of a place," Selina confessed, her voice devoid of any remorse.

Frances was stunned, unable to believe her daughter's words. She burst into tears, the reality of the situation hitting her like a freight train. "Why? Why did you do it? Where did I go wrong?"

"Uh uh, don't blame yourself, Mother, because it's not your fault. None of it is your fault. I chose this path because I am tired of everyone and everything. Anyways, how is my sweet daddy?" she asked, her tone cold.

Frances, struggling to keep her composure, responded, "Love, this isn't you. You are not my daughter."

Selina's face remained emotionless. "Correct, mother. The old Selina died. Hmm... let me say... ugh, I can't remember. I'll get back to you when I recall the age your daughter died. My name is Selina, but I am not Selina."

Anne, trying to maintain her calm, said, "Selina, we can talk about this."

Selina gasped theatrically. "Oh, the cat dragged you in already? What should I call you, my best friend? How are you? Are you married yet?"

Anne responded earnestly, "Selina, I was your best friend, I am your best friend, and I'll always be your best friend. The reason we sent you here was because of your health. We love you."

Selina sneered. "Oh, cut the crap, Anne. I am saner than you and your parents combined. I am not crazy, and you know that, but you insisted on bringing me to hell. I'll forgive you for it after serving you a dish, it's cold though." She laughed evilly.

Anne, not backing down, said, "I am not scared of you nor your threats. I am here for my best friend and her mother. I want to help you."

Selina replied sharply, "Have you tried helping yourself? Don't you remember the saying? Charity begins at home, Anne. Help yourself, your parents, your friend, Mia, before trying to help me. I wasn't crazy back then, and I am not crazy now, but I will show you all how crazy really looks like."

Frances, tears streaming down her face, asked, "Are you threatening us, love? We are here to help you."

Selina responded, "I am not threatening you guys, mom. I don't threaten; I act. You don't have to worry about your daughter; she is alive, call it rebirth."

Frances, her voice breaking, begged, "Love, please tell me how come? Why are you doing this?"

Selina's voice was filled with cold determination. "Revenge."

Frances was shocked. "Revenge?"

Selina confirmed, "Yeah. I have the list of people who played a part in my torture, but I am going to settle the scores with every single one of them. Doctor Laura has been eliminated."

Frances, horrified, said, "You are sick, Selina. How dare you open your mouth and utter such despicable words? What is wrong with you? Tell me, who is your next target?"

Selina's voice was chillingly calm. "Anne."

Frances and Anne were stunned. "What?" Frances gasped.

Selina, realizing she had frightened them, burst into laughter. "You guys are so gullible. Anne, I thought you said you weren't scared of me and my threats. Mom, sorry but I can't tell you that."

Anne, trying to reason, said, "You can stop now before it's too late, Selina."

Selina's tone turned menacing. "It's too late, Anne. I have become a bloodthirsty monster, and no one can stop me."

Frances, sobbing uncontrollably, pleaded, "You are not a monster, love, and it's not too late to stop. You made a mistake; it's a mistake."

Selina's voice was firm. "No it's not, mom. This is not a mistake; it was destined to happen. Take care of yourself, mom, Anne, goodbye."

She ended the call, leaving Frances crying and Anne deep in thought. Anne tried to comfort her aunt, "Auntie, don't cry; we can get to Selina. I'll track her phone number."

Later, at an abandoned building, Selina extracted the SIM card from her phone and destroyed it. As she tossed the broken pieces aside, she murmured to herself, "I see what you are trying to do, Anne, but I am smarter than that. I need to get out of here and find a place to live. Ugh, money—I guess I have to steal from my sweet daddy. That won't be enough, so I'll also rob the bank. Oh, Mr. Joe is rich too. Man, I'll be a multi-trillionaire."

She burst into hysterical laughter, savoring her own twisted plans.

Back at Frances's house, Richard was furiously yelling at the doctors after hearing about Selina's escape. Helen walked in, trying to calm his nerves. "You all are incompetent fools. You can't handle a girl!" Richard fumed.

Helen tried to soothe him. "Don't stress yourself too much, Rich. Look on the bright side; you won some billions."

Richard, still agitated, hung up angrily and slumped into a chair. "We paid them for nothing. Well, you're right. I should look on the bright side and celebrate my victory."

Helen smiled, agreeing. "Exactly my point!"

Richard nodded and said, "Two glasses of whiskey, then."

Helen left the room to fetch the whiskey, while Richard contemplated how to handle the remaining payments to the doctors.