Rohan seedha file rack ki taraf gaya. Uski fingers ne index tabs ko fast, practiced motion mein scan kiya. “Yahan attendance, yahan internal memos… aur yeh dekh,” usne murmur kiya.
Kabir uske shoulder ke over jhanka. Ek bundle ke top sheet par neat handwriting mein dates aur class codes the. Kabir ki eyes ek line par atak gayi. “Wait.”
Arjun ne phone camera ready kiya. “Kya hua?”
Kabir ne sheet ko thoda aur seedha kiya. “Kunal.”
Room ke andar ki hawa ek second ke liye aur bhi cold lagne lagi.
Sheet par Kunal ka naam present mark kiya gaya tha, us din ki date ke saamne, jab officially uski attendance absent honi chahiye thi. Neeche initials aur aisa stamp tha jo recent lag raha tha—too clean, too deliberate. Jaise kisi ne record ko sirf update nahi kiya, balki story badli ho.
Rohan ka face tight ho gaya. “Yeh galat hai.”
Arjun ne bina time waste kiye multiple photos le liye—close-up, date line, initials, top corner stamp. “Proof chahiye tha na? Ab hai.”
Kabir ne ek sheet alag nikaali aur usko fold karke apni jeans pocket mein daal diya. “Original trace safe rahega..
Girls’ hostel ke boundary lane mein raat ka rang aur gehra ho gaya tha. Streetlight ka peela sa pool wet concrete par phail raha tha, aur upar se baarish shuru ho chuki thi—thin, cold lines, jaise kisi ne aasman se silai kheenchi ho. Campus ka baaki hissa chup tha, sirf kahin door guard ki whistle aur canteen ke shutter ke saath halki si dhadkan jaisi awaz aa rahi thi.
Imran ne apna hood thoda aur neeche kiya aur boundary wall ke paas ruk gaya. Woh jagah campus ke map par shayad ek seedha sa kona thi, par un dono ke liye itni kaafi thi ke koi unhe casually dekh kar bhi notice na kare, aur notice kar le tab bhi samajh na paaye. Mehak already wahan thi—shadow aur light ke beech, dupatta ko ek shoulder se sambhale, baalon mein baarish ki boondain phas rahi thi.
“Late ho gaye,” usne dheere se kaha.
Imran ne ek saans chhodi, half-smile ke saath. “Room 69 mein log bolte kam hain, drama zyada hota hai. Aaj nikalne mein time lag gaya.”
Mehak ki aankhon mein ek unreadable warmth aayi—na poori muskurahat, na poora concern. Bas woh nazar jo kah deti thi ki woh zyada poochhe bina bhi samajh sakti hai. “Kunal wala mess phir se?”
Naam sunte hi Imran ke shoulders mein ek halki si tension aayi. “Haan. Same story, different noise. Kabhi lagta hai campus poora usi missing shadow ke around ghoom raha hai.”
Mehak ne wall ki taraf ek nazar daali, jaise khud bhi kisi purane darr ko dekh rahi ho. “Missing log kabhi-kabhi missing nahi hote,” usne bahut soft tone mein kaha. “Bas kisi aur jagah se dekh rahe hote hain.”
Imran ne uski taraf dekha. Baarish ki patli lines un dono ke beech ek curtain ki tarah gir rahi thi. “Aaj mujhe bas ek minute chahiye tha,” usne sach bol diya, bina fancy banaye. “Woh room, woh log, woh sawal—sab ek saath heavy lag raha tha.”
“Tabhi yahan aaye?” Mehak ne poocha.
“Tabhi yahan aaya.” Is baar uski voice mein halka sa relief tha. “Yahan noise kam hai.”
Mehak ne chhota sa exhale kiya, jaise uski honesty par ek silent approval ho. “Phir theek kiya. Kabhi kabhi silence mein hi aadmi ko apni heartbeat sunai deti hai.”
Imran hansa, bas itna hi ki tension ka edge thoda pighal jaaye. “Tum philosophy bhi karti ho?”
“Campus mein survive karne ke liye karni padti hai,” she said. “Warna log sirf attendance aur rumours mein jeena sikha dete hain.”
Dono ki hasi bahut halki thi, par usmein ek aisi familiarity thi jo bina shor ke seedha andar utar jaaye. Baarish tez hone lagi. Wall ke us paar girls’ hostel ki kuch windows andhere mein band thi; kisi room se distant kettle ki seeti jaisi awaz aayi, phir sab phir se shaant.
Mehak ne apna dupatta thoda adjust kiya aur ek step aur paas aayi, bas itna ki rain ke beech unki baat aur unka saans lena alag na lage..
Room 69 mein aadhi raat ke baad ka waqt alag hi lagta tha. Fan ki ghurr-ghurr aur corridor ke door se aati halki footsteps ki awaaz ke beech, charon boys ek hi table ke around jhuk kar baithe the, jaise room nahi, koi chhota sa war-room ho. Light off thi; bas study lamp ka peela gola unke chehron par pad raha tha, aur baaki sab andhere mein ghul gaya tha.
Arjun ne photocopied timetable ko beech mein slide kiya. “Dekho,” usne dheere se bola, “classes, lab shift, library duty, hostel rounds… sab kuch kisi order mein joda gaya hai. Random nahi hai.”
Rohan ne apni spectacles ko thoda adjust kiya aur altered attendance sheet ko uthaya. Uski ungli margin ke neeche ruk gayi. “Yahan names ki jo line hai, woh normal attendance pattern se match hi nahi kar rahi. Kisi ne manually move kiya hai entries ko. Aur yeh ink… fresh lag rahi hai. Matlab file recent access hui hai.”
Kabir chair ke pichhle pair par bas do inch ke liye lean hua, phir seedha ho gaya. Uski awaaz low thi, par usmein woh usual sarcasm nahi tha. “Campus ke bahar ka banda hota toh itna clean kaam nahi karta. Service-lane route bhi dekho. Mess ke peeche wali path, maintenance gate, old seminar block—sab ek hi loop mein aa raha hai. Jo bhi hai, andar ka aadmi hai. Ya phir kisi ko yahan ki har chhoti movement ka pata hai.”
Imran, jo ab tak chup tha, ne timetable ke corner par bane symbol ko stare kiya. Uski aankhon mein woh quiet intensity thi jo tab aati thi jab woh kisi cheez ko zyada der tak ignore nahi kar pata tha. “Yeh mark,” usne finally kaha, “main pehle bhi kahin dekh chuka hoon. Notice board par nahi. Kisi file par bhi nahi. Par yeh campus ke kisi internal code jaisa lag raha hai.”
Arjun ne ek lambi saans li. “Toh outsider theory ab weak ho gayi.” Usne table par finger tap ki. “Koi campus access wala hi iske beech mein hai. Staff, admin, ya koi jo permission ke bina bhi andar-baahar ho sakta hai.”
Kabir ki jaw tight ho gayi. “Phir next move simple hai. Kal evening stakeout. Main service-lane ke paas rehunga. Rohan, tu timings note kar. Imran, tu dekhna kaun kis side se aata-jaata hai. Arjun, tu front angle sambhaal. Agar koi Kunal ke naam pe move kar raha hai, toh hum usko quietly pakdenge.”
“Quietly,” Arjun repeated, aur usne head shake kiya. “Par ek cheez clear hai—abhi kisi ko kuch nahi batana. Na hostel group mein, na class mein, na kisi senior ko. Wrong alert gaya toh jo bhi move kar raha hai, woh gayab ho jayega. Aur humein bas rumors milenge, proof nahi.”
Rohan ne timetable ko fold karte hue ek baar room number ki plate ki taraf dekha. “Room 69 mein rehke bhi,” usne murmur kiya, “hum pehli baar 69 ka joke nahi kar rahe. That’s how serious this is.”