Rohan ne envelope ka flap khola. Andar ek photocopied timetable tha, thoda crumpled, edges par copier ki safed streaks. Uske beech ek class red pen se circle ki gayi thi. Circle itna tight tha ki lag raha tha kisi ne gusse mein ya urgency mein mark kiya ho.
Imran ne paper ko apni side se dekha. “Ye timetable hamare department ka nahi lagta.”
“Exactly,” Rohan bola, glasses ko thoda upar karte hue. “Aur yeh class… campus ke edge wali building mein hai.”
Kabir ne timetable ko Rohan ke haath se le liya aur line by line scan kiya. “Old service lane ke paas?”
Rohan ne nod kiya. “Haan. Wahi raasta jo dark hote hi almost dead ho jaata hai. Wahan teachers bhi unnecessarily nahi jaate.”
Arjun ki smile ab thodi thin ho gayi. “Kunal ka route yaad hai?” usne poocha. “Woh last semester kabhi kabhi us side se aata tha, especially jab late lab hoti thi.”
Imran ne bina drama ke, bas quietly, kaha, “Aur woh missing hone se pehle bhi us area ke baare mein kuch bola tha. Main sure nahi hoon, but…”
“Usne bola tha wahan lights kam hain,” Rohan ne jaldi se complete kiya. “Aur shortcut ke naam pe log galat jagah chale jaate hain.”
Kabir ne paper ko naak ke paas le jaakar ek second ke liye sniff kiya. Uske brows slightly crease hue. “Yeh paper pe antiseptic ki smell hai.”
Arjun ne uski taraf dekha. “Antiseptic?”
“Haan. Not perfume, not detergent. Something clinic-type.” Kabir ne timetable ko wapas unfold kiya. “Student prank mein aisa smell kaun use karega?”
Tabhi corridor ke end se warden ka heavy, familiar step sunaai diya. Warden, ek haath mein torch aur doosre mein keys ka bunch hilate hue, unke paas aaya aur paper ko ek glance diya.
“Phir koi joke?” usne thakā hua sa bolkar dismissively kaha. “Tum log har cheez mein mystery dhoondh lete ho..
Canteen terrace par shaam ka dhuan-thanda sa light tha, neeche ground floor se plates ki khanak, boys’ hostel ki shouting, aur kahin se loud laughter upar tak chadh aati thi. Upar terrace pe hawa tez thi, lekin uske saath ek ajeeb sa pressure bhi tha, jaise campus ka har corner kuchh kehna chahta ho aur phir ruk jaata ho. Room 69 ka naam aise hi thoda mazaak, thoda badnami ban chuka tha, aur aaj usi mazaak ke beech kuchh zyada hi khamoshi baithi thi.
Arjun ne apna chai ka cup uthaya aur halka sa grin diya. “Dekho, campus life ka funda simple hai. Neeche duniya chal rahi hai, upar hum log tea pe theory bana rahe hain. Phir bhi attendance kam hi rehti hai.”
Rohan ne bina muskuraye spoon cup mein ghumaya. “Attendance kam isliye rehti hai kyunki log theory se zyada kaam ki cheezon pe focus karte hain.”
Kabir ne chair ko back se tikaya. “Aur kuchh log bas room number ke chakkar mein famous hote hain.”
Imran ne uski taraf ek short look diya, phir chai se steam hata ke cup pakda. Uska mood hamesha ki tarah quiet tha, lekin aaj us khamoshi mein ek thakan bhi thi. Kunal ka naam jab bhi kisi thread mein aa jata, poori table ka atmosphere change ho jaata, aur aaj woh change already hawa mein tha.
Tabhi staircase ke paas se heels ki halki aahat aayi. Naina apne senior friends ke saath terrace par aayi, haath mein paper cup, face par woh normal college-wali ease jo sirf un logon mein hoti hai jinke liye campus abhi bhi campus hi hota hai, haunted map nahi. Uski friends kisi event ki baat kar rahi thi, koi fest, koi seminar, koi random assignment. Zindagi ka ordinary noise. Arjun ne unhe dekhte hi apni tone aur halka kar di.
“Arre, Naina. Tum log bhi upar aa gaye? Fresh air ya gossip filter?”
Naina ne uski taraf dekha, ek chhota sa smile, bilkul simple, bilkul clean. Na complaint, na nostalgia. Bas ek look jo sab kuchh samjha deta tha. Jaise dono ko pata ho ki pehle kuchh tha, ab nahi hai, aur isko awkward banane ki koi zarurat nahi. “Fresh air,” usne kaha. “Aur neeche ka noise unbearable tha.”
Arjun ne nod kiya, smile same rakhi. “Fair. Terrace ka subscription better hai.”
Uske senior friends hans diye aur aage badh gaye. Naina ne ruk kar Arjun ko ek second aur dekha, phir uski smile aur soft ho gayi—na drama, na promise, bas ek silently accepted conclusion. Phir woh bhi group ke saath chali gayi, aur Arjun ne cup ko dekhte hue bas itna kaha, “Normal life ka bhi apna schedule hota hai.”
Kabir ne seat se hi bola, “Haan. Aur hum log uske beech extras hain.”
Imran ne finally apna phone nikala. Screen pe ek missed call tha—unknown number. Usne eyebrow slightly raise ki aur call back karne se pehle side mein chal diya, terrace ke kone tak, jahan railing ke paas hawa aur tez thi. Rohan ne usko dekha, phir Arjun se dheere bola, “Kunal ke baad ab unknown numbers bhi serious lagne lage hain.”.
Old seminar block ka corridor shaam ke baad aur bhi zyada khaali lag raha tha. Tube lights mein se ek do flicker kar rahi thi, jaise building khud bhi decide nahi kar paa rahi ho ki aaj jaage ya so jaaye. Footsteps ka sound lamba khinch kar echo ban raha tha, aur har turn pe lagta tha kisi ne peeche se bulaya.
Arjun ne apne phone ki screen ko ek baar tap karke brightness kam ki. “Timetable route yahi hai,” usne dheere se kaha, jaise deewar bhi sun rahi ho. “Last circle yahin khatam hota hai.”
Rohan apne backpack ko shoulder par adjust karta hua aage aaya. “Agar records mein kuch gadbad hai, toh usually side office ya store room mein milta hai. Main bas itna bol raha hoon ki campus log files ko zyada romantic bana dete hain. Missing pages, wrong dates, aur end mein sab bolte hain ‘system issue’.”
Kabir ne ek side glance diya. “Tu har cheez ko lecture bana deta hai.”
“Research habit,” Rohan ne turant jawab diya.
Imran chup-chaap unke saath chal raha tha, bas kabhi kabhi corridor ke end ko dekhta, jaise andhere mein koi shape confirm kar raha ho. Usne kuch nahi bola, par uski khamoshi hi enough thi. Room 69 ke boys mein se har koi alag tarah se tense hota tha; Imran ka tension hamesha sabse quiet hota tha.
Old seminar block ke kone mein ek side door tha, jiska latch half-open tha. Arjun ne pehle ruk kar dekha, phir Kabir ki taraf ishara kiya. “Tum logon ne bola tha ajnabi cheezein yahin milengi.”
Kabir ne door ko halkasa push kiya. Hinge ne ek short, dry sa squeak diya. “Ajnabi nahi. Suspicious.”
Andar ek chhota sa room tha—storage aur faculty files ka mixed mess. Ek taraf broken projector stands, dusri taraf cardboard boxes, aur beech mein ek metal rack jahan purane registers aur attendance bundles stacked the. Dust ki smell aur stale paper ki smell mix ho kar ek ajeeb sa heavy atmosphere bana rahi thi.