Chapter 1

Backstreet mental asylum,

Golden high road,

North India 701,

Jammu.

"For whom this letter is?"

The receptionist on the table no. 4 was inquisitive about the letter just arrived. It had no name written on it, marvelling where it came from and who sent it.

"Hello Doctor, our asylum has received an unknown letter with no name of the sender and no name of the receiver," the receptionist dialled to the main doctor of the asylum.

"Did you check the address properly, is it ours?" inquired the doctor.

"Yeah doctor I did check it 3 times before dialling you up, but there's no clue about it."

"Ok, I'll come downstairs and have a look at it," he hung up.

"Is it again for her? If it is again for her then who is sending her letters from past five years? Who is she and what does she hold?" the doctor's mind was flooding with numerous questions. While going downstairs he reminisced about the letters previously received.

You are here for something,

You are here for living,

You are the price of your own life,

You have to understand.

- Your dear XYZ.

~~~

Give some time you will overcome it.

I know you will.

- Your dear XYZ.

~~~

Went through a lot, now it's the time, yes it has arrived my dear. Pray! He's there to listen to all.

- Your dear XYZ.

~~~

"What is all the predicament about."?

"Doctor I don't know, you yourself have a look," replied the baffled receptionist.

The doctor opens the letter, mystified.

I hope you live well, remember you have to be strong, you have vitality. Have the strength to live alone.

- your dear XYZ.

~~~

It's enough, I have to ask her about this. Who the damn is sending these messages? No name, Nothing, absolutely clueless. Does the sender even know that she cannot read, her mental condition is not right, she is in trauma, then why?" the doctor flinched by the mysterious sender.

"Doctor, calm down, we have been receiving such nameless letters for a long time. And by the way, every time we get it, how do you know these letters are for her only?"

"Because when I received the very first letter from this sender it had her name on it. And it said;

Dear Shalmali,

I am writing this to you so that you will remember that you are not alone. I am there for you every time. Don't lose hope, better time's gonna come. Love you always. I'll keep writing to you once a month. Be brave.

Please if anybody receives this letter at the backstreet asylum, hand it over to shalmali, the girl with raven hair, height 5 ft 2, Pigmented skin. Don't know the word no. , but hope you recognise her. I have not met her for months, only knew that she's here. I don't know what caused her to get into the asylum, but I can't visit her. I will keep writing once every month. I am not supposed to write my name and will not write her name too from next time. Please understand.

- XYZ.

~~~

"Where's she"?

"She is here, doctor," a nurse replied.

A beautiful lady with almond eyes, eyebrows that defines embodiment, bow-shaped lips and raven hair descending her hips, a dreamy body and a short figure, clear skin, her core of the eyes searched for something, something that she didn't know but something she wanted desperately. She was sitting in a knitted posture scowling at the ceiling of the ward, blankly.

"Hey, how are you feeling today?"

"Who are you?" She frowned, frightened and tightened her posture.

"I am your friend," the doctor elucidated.

"Go away, I know you will kill me," her lips shivered and her eyeballs moved fast in fear.

"Nobody will harm you here, trust me"

"I don't."

"Ok, then will you trust this letter?"

She yanked the letter from the doctor's hand and opened it messily, shaky hands and clicky teeth, she was scared.

"Hehe..hehe... hahaha..haha.." she burst out into laughter out of nowhere.

"Doctor, what's wrong with her ? Does she have a flare-up, should we give her an injection and calm her down?" Asked the nurse, astonished by her laugh.

"No one will do nothing, just leave her alone and she will be fine,"he commanded.

"But sir.."

"I said leave."

The staff complied with what the doctor said and they left her alone. Her laugh echoed the entire asylum. The laugh was devilish and innocent at the same time. Don't know what in that letter made her so happy or was she just swinging along with her mood.

~~~

She was not only having a mental condition where her brain did not function properly but also mood swings, suicidal thoughts and was a complete amnesiac. She did not know where she came from, not about her past, her past before these five years. The same doctor bought her in this asylum five years back when she was spotted on the street eating a banana and spitting it right away after each bite, he asked her everything, she didn't remember a thing. He understood her condition. But what is her past? Why did such a beautiful girl have to go through such a wrecked life? Was it destiny or was it something else?

~~

As the night time arose, the whole asylum was in silence. So silent that one could hear the wind blowing. The asylum was a four-storey building, constructed on the outskirts of the city. It was situated on a hill surrounded by innumerable trees. The reason to locate it in such a place was that the cacophony of the patients would create turmoil if situated in the city, so to maintain the peace it was built here. There was a huge fence made up of iron which circled the asylum's periphery. A big board hung at the left of the front fence comprising the asylum's name. The topmost storey of it had an open terrace.

A hostel was built inside the area of the asylum where the doctors used to stay because some doctors were available 24×7.

Shalmali was lying in her bed, tired of the heavy workout she did today. Her hands were still tied up. The thickness of the ropes made cuts on her skin leading to the oozing of the blood.

~~~

"Excuse me, where is ward no. 44?" A man asked the receptionist. It was not the same receptionist from the morning, they had several shifts for each person, she was a different one. She raised her head up to see the person who was inquiring, leaving the work she was doing on her computer. Upon lifting her head up, what she saw was mesmerising. A handsome man was in front of her. She went totally blank for a few moments seeing his hazel eyes, a straight nose and his perfect pink lips. His looks were handsomeness personified. A stack of beaded bracelets was in his left hand. A scar on his right cheek. And his body defined that of a fighter. Where his muscles were not seen due to his brown leather jacket that was covering his arms. He wore blue jeans. A locket hanging down his neck that just added to his overflowing beauty. He had a brooding face and had an aggressively sexy look. The tattoo below his ear added charm, it was a flying dove.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where ward no. 44 is?" he asked again, flapping his hand in front of the receptionist's eyes which were in awe of his beauty. His voice was an epitome of how a baritone voice should be.

Getting her senses back she replied, "yes sir but first tell me your name and your relationship with the patient."

"I am his older brother. My name is Dev," he replied intensively.

"It's on the second floor, take a right and there you reach. It's the first ward."

"Ok."

He even didn't say thank you to her. He was a typical rude-y. He hurried to see where the ward was.

"Oh! How handsome, my heart," she positioned her hand on her heart and was crushing over him. She started doing her work again, where she saw that she didn't take his sign, phone no. and residential address. The columns in her register were blank.

"Huh! How is this possible? Is it because I got distracted?" She questioned herself.

"Let it be, I'll fill these when he will check out. But I should remember that time too because he is utterly good looking," a smile graced her lips.

~~~

"Quietly go and untie her," Said the doctor who moved toward the ward to have a check on shalmali.

"Her skin is ripped due to the ropes, so untie them gently and then lock the door and come," warned the doctor carefully to the ward boy. He bobbed. The doctor leaves.

"She is such a relief when she is sleeping, otherwise she is a havoc," sighed the ward boy. He carefully unties her carrying the fear in his mind.

"Hey lord save me, please don't let her wake up until I am in this ward," he prays.

After untying her, taking slow footsteps he exits the ward safely. Shalmali, not aware of her surroundings, is still asleep.

"Hey Ramesh, come here," called another ward boy for Ramesh, who just exited shalmali's ward.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just come."

"Yeah let me lock this ward first," he starts to lock it.

"Just leave it and come here, do it afterwards.", Said another ward-boy, dragging Ramesh from there.

Ramesh thought that he completely locked the ward, but he left it unlocked, due to his hastiness.

Dev walked in the corridors of the floor scanning for the ward. His steps were large and fast. Finally, he came across his desired ward, he just had to take right and he will reach. He read the ward directions displayed on the blue board that hung at the wall of the floor near the staircase.

While moving fast and taking long steps, he almost ran. While running, his hand shoved the flowerpot that was placed on the table outside shalmali's ward and the flowerpot broke into pieces on the floor creating a slamming noise.

Dev never once glanced at the mess he had made and continued running. Hearing the noise, shalmali's peaceful sleep was broken and she opened her eyes. She was calm after getting good sleep, seeing herself free from the heavy ropes she was happy. She left a moan due to the pain the ropes had given her. Due to the heavy wind, the door of her ward remained slightly freed, which was left unlocked too. She goes near it taking her heavy legs which gave pain due to the ripped skin. She opens it entirely and goes out of the ward.

She sees the corridor is all vacant and quiet and begins to walk, a small piece of the flowerpot pricks into her feet and she moans. She continues walking and sees the door open of another ward. It is the same ward in which Dev has entered. Glancing back to see if no one is coming she carefully walks towards that ward and pushes the door slightly open and peeks in. She has never been out of that ward ever in these five years. She is fearful.

A man is lying on the bed, asleep, and Dev is standing in front of him. Dev takes the knife in his hand which is placed in the bowl of fruits beside the bed and slits the man's throat. Shalmali's eyes widen as she sees this and she is afraid to her core. Her legs start shivering. She is screaming but the voice does not come out from her mouth. Being completely petrified she runs away from there all the way down to the ground floor where the receptionist is there. She gets all the way out of the asylum's building. The Watchmen there was not present and the receptionist was taking a nap. Barefooted she comes near the main gate crying and jiggling, she tries to escape, but couldn't, because of her mental condition she didn't know that there is a knob she needs to open first and then she could escape through the gate. She pushes it, but it doesn't open. Her scream was not coming out and the gate was not opening—made her cry, she sat down near the gate crying helplessly, poorly wanting to run off.