Arjun ne ek pal ke liye nazar hata li. “Tum sab notice karti ho?”
“Sirf jab log jhooth bol rahe hote hain,” Naina ne kaha.
Is baar Arjun hansa nahi. Woh bas uske saamne khada raha, jaise koi invisible line cross karne se pehle ruk gaya ho. Phir Naina ne ek kadam aage aakar apni voice aur neeche kar
Common room mein shaam ka light dull tha, jaise hostel ki tube bhi Kunal ke waapas aane ki khabar sunke thak gayi ho. Fan ki ghurr-ghurr aur corridor se aati distant footsteps ke beech, Room 69 ke chaaron log ek ghise hue sofa aur do plastik chairs ke around baithe the. Table par chai ke do adhoore cups, ek notebook, aur Rohan ka khula phone pada tha, jismein usne Kunal ke statement ke points line by line note kiye the.
“Ek minute,” Rohan bola, screen ko thumb se scroll karte hue. “Usne bola pehle usko old medical store ke paas rakha gaya, phir hostel ke bahar wale shed mein. Lekin timings match nahi kar rahi.” Kabir ne ek halki si scoff di. “Aur yeh bhi yaad rakho, usne pehle bola tha ki usne do logon ki awaaz suni. Ab bol raha hai ek hi banda tha. Story ka shape change ho raha hai.”
Arjun ne pichhe ki taraf deewar se tika hua posture badla. Uska usually easy-going face ab zyada focused lag raha tha. “Matlab ya toh woh confuse hai,” usne kaha, “ya phir kisi ne usse pehle se hi bolne ke liye kuch points de rakhe the.”
Imran, jo ab tak chupchaap table ke corner par ungli se chai ki ring trace kar raha tha, dheere se bola, “Confuse aur controlled, dono alag cheezein hain. Agar kisi ne use move kiya tha, ek se zyada baar bhi ho sakta hai. Har jagah same route use nahi hua hoga.”
Rohan ne turant nod kiya. “Exactly. Aur ek aur contradiction hai. Kunal ne kaha tha ki usne ek hi din mein bahar ki light aur andar ki basement lamp dono dekhi. But hostel basement mein power cut tha us time. Agar woh sach bol raha hai, toh location wrong hai. Agar location right hai, toh timing wrong hai.”
Kabir ne table par ek pen tap kiya. “Ya dono wrong hain, because someone wanted us to chase the wrong version.” Uski awaaz mein woh usual impatience thi, lekin is baar uske andar concern zyada tha. “Koi game chal raha hai. Kunal sirf player nahi, pawn bhi ho sakta hai.”
Arjun ne notebook ko khola, aur pehle page par do lines underline ki. “Toh phir clear hai,” usne dheere se kaha. “Kunal ka milna end nahi hai. Yeh sirf ek break hai.”
Room mein ek pal ke liye silence aa gaya. Bahar courtyard se kisi junior ki hansi aayi, phir door band hone ki thap. Common room ka bulb ek baar flicker hua, jaise building khud bhi agree kar rahi ho ki kuch abhi bhi chhupa hua hai.
Rohan ne apne glasses adjust kiye. “Mujhe lagta hai
Dusk ke baad admin block ka side passage aur bhi lamba lagta tha, jaise building ne khud apni saans rok rakhi ho. Wall pe tube light ka aadha-bujha glow tha, neeche damp cement aur file-dust ki mixed si smell. Arjun ne apna pace casual rakha, par aankhon ne kaam shuru kar diya tha. Aage records room ke paas ek staffer khada tha—grey shirt, lanyard, ek folded register aur phone ka low-brightness screen. Woh aadmi campus ka regular face nahi lag raha tha. Zyada baar yahan aane wala bhi nahi, par kaafi baar aisa jaroor jo kisi ko yaad reh jaaye.
Arjun ne corner ke paas ruk kar apni nazar ek notice board par daali, jaise woh bas time dekh raha ho. Staffer ne phone ka speaker almost mute karke bola, “Gate log kal subah tak clean chahiye. Aur attendance ka backup bhi. Koi mismatch nahi hona chahiye.”
Dusri awaaz records room ke andar se aayi, thodi khurduri, thodi impatient. “Backup already moved hai. Jo bhi missing hai, uska naam file mein ab nahi milega.”
Arjun ki spine mein ek thandi si line utar gayi. Missing. File. Gate log. Yeh sirf paper work nahi tha. Yeh woh cheez thi jo kisi ki presence ko hawa mein ghula sakti thi.
Uske phone ne pant pocket mein vibrate kiya. Rohan ka text tha: *Dinner 8? Kabir bol raha hai mess ka rajma suspicious hai. Imran silent mode pe hai.* Do second baad Naina ka missed call flash hua, phir Sanya ka ek short ping: *Party plan kya hai ya sab library ke hostage ho?* Normal campus life ka yeh noisy stream Arjun ko ek aur hi duniya ka proof lag raha tha. Sab log apne-apne kaam mein the, aur idhar koi system ke andar se cheezein saaf kar raha tha.
Woh thoda aur paas sarak gaya, bas enough to catch the next line. “Phone access ka record bhi,” staffer ne kaha. “Last week ke entries dekh liye? Jo number tha, woh ab active nahi dikhna chahiye.”
“Phir Kunal ka naam kis kis file mein reh gaya?” andar se awaaz aayi.
Arjun ka focus ek second ke liye freeze ho gaya. Kunal. Missing ex-student. Naam phir se. Same thread, same nervous hands.
Arjun
Raat ka terrace campus ke baaki hisson se alag hi lag raha tha—upar thandi hawa, neeche yellow-orange lights ki seedhi lines, aur beech mein woh ajeeb si khamoshi jo sirf tab hoti hai jab koi cheez bahut der se chupayi gayi ho. Arjun ne railing ke paas ruk kar neeche dekha. Hostel blocks, canteen ka band shutter, aur lawn ke farsh par pada light ka patch sab bilkul normal lag rahe the. Deceptively normal. Jaise campus ne khud apni saans rok rakhi ho.
“Yahan tak aane ke baad bhi lag raha hai koi dekh raha hai,” Rohan ne dheere se kaha, apne bag ko ek shoulder se doosre par shift karte hue.
Kabir ne ek short, dry huff diya. “Campus mein sab dekh raha hota hai. Bas pakda koi nahi jaata.”
Imran ne pocket se woh folded paper nikala jo unhein corridor ke locker ke andar mila tha. Uska corner thoda jal chuka tha, aur ink smudged thi, lekin phrase ab bhi padhne layak tha. “Route 69, gate ke bahar, 11:40. Blue van. Key under drain cap.”
Rohan ki aankhen turant line pe atak gayin. “Route 69? Seriously? Kisne message likha hai, prankster ne ya kisi ne jaan-boojh ke ye number use kiya hai?”
Kabir ne baal piche kiye. “Jisne bhi likha hai, woh mazaak nahi kar raha. Blue van campus ke service gate ke paas dekhi gayi thi teen din pehle bhi. Maine guard room ke logon ko baat karte suna tha.”
Arjun ne paper ko aur dhyaan se dekha. “Kunal zinda hai,” usne bas itna kaha.
Ek pal ke liye sab chup ho gaye. Relief tha, bilkul tha. Lekin woh relief safe nahi tha. Uske saath suspicion bhi tha—agar Kunal zinda tha, toh itne din se kahaan tha, aur kisne uska message chhupaya? Aur urgency bhi, kyunki koi na koi is information tak unse pehle pahunchna chahta tha.