“Wohi toh problem hai,” Arjun ne phone lock karte hue kaha. “Jo bhi uske saath hua, ab hide karna mushkil hota ja raha hai.”
Bahar ek tez hawa window se takrayi. Board par latki marker ki cap halka sa hil gayi. Dono ne ek dusre ko dekha—bina bolke bhi samajh gaye ki baat sirf clues ki nahi, campus ke andar kisi hidden route ki thi. Aisa route jahan se koi aata-jata ho, bina notice hue.
Kabir ne room ke corner ki taraf ishara kiya, jahan old maintenance map ka ek faded print frame mein laga tha. “Archive corridor. Purana section. Mostly unused. Agar koi movement map kar raha hai, toh wahan se link mil sakta hai.”
Arjun ne ek chhoti saans li. “After hours?”
“After hours,” Kabir ne kaha. “Aaj raat ya kal se pehle..
Room 69 mein raat aur gehri ho gayi thi. Fan ka purana sa click-click, click-click, jaise har second ko tod raha ho, aur bahar baarish ki awaz dheere-dheere tez hoti ja rahi thi. Corridor ki tube light kabhi jalti, kabhi halki si jhilmilati, aur kamre ke andar sab kuch aadha-adhura, jaise kisi ne sach ko bhi dim light par chhod diya ho.
Arjun window ke paas khada tha, ek haath pocket mein, doosre se curtain ko thoda sa hata kar bahar dekh raha tha. Hostel ke ground floor par paani jama ho chuka tha. Door kahin se kisi gate ka dhadakna sunaayi diya, phir phir se silence. Uske dimaag mein Kunal ka naam baar-baar aa raha tha, jaise woh missing nahi, balki room ke kisi andhere kone mein chhupa hua ho. Rohan ki notes, Kabir ka gussa, Imran ki khamoshi — sab kuch din bhar se usi ek missing thread ke around ghoom raha tha.
Tabhi door halki si khuli.
Naina andar aayi, hair damp the, aur uske shoulders par rain ki thandi si khushboo thi. Usne ek nazar room ke andar daali, phir Arjun ki taraf dekha. “Baaki sab gaye?” usne dheere se poocha.
“Ha,” Arjun ne bina mudhe jawab diya. “Kabir kisi se milne gaya, Rohan library ke paas tha, aur Imran… pata nahi.”
Naina ne ek halki si smile di, lekin uski aankhon mein bhi wohi tension thi jo corridor mein faili hui thi. “Tum abhi tak yahin ho?”
Arjun finally turn hua. “Tum aayi ho, toh ab hoon.”
Woh uske paas aa gayi, bed ke edge par baithte hue. Dono ke beech ek comfortable silence ban gaya. Baarish ki awaz aur fan ka clicking mix ho kar room ko aur bhi chhota, aur bhi private bana raha tha. Naina ne apna dupatta side mein rakha, phir casually apna T-shirt thoda upar kheench kar utar diya, jaise yeh koi badi baat hi na ho. Andar bra visible tha, aur uska poora posture relaxed, confident, bilkul unbothered.
Arjun ki nazar ek second ke liye ruk gayi, phir woh bhi jhooth bolne ki koshish nahi kar saka. “You know,” usne half-smile ke saath kaha, “mujhe tumhari curves kaafi pasand hain.”
Naina ne uski taraf dekha, na embarrassed, na shocked. Bas ek knowing sa expression. “Achha?” usne soft voice mein kaha. “Itna seedha bol dete ho?”
“Main seedha hi hoon,” Arjun ne kaha, lekin uski awaz mein wo usual charm se zyada honesty thi. “Kabhi-kabhi.”
Naina ne ek chhota sa laugh diya. “Kabhi-kabhi hi sahi. Campus mein itne log fake hote hain na, thoda real sunke achha lagta hai.”
Arjun ne chair ke back par haath rakha. “Real baat yeh hai ki kuch theek nahi lag raha. Kunal ka case aur weird hota ja raha hai.”
Naina ki smile dheere se fade ho gayi. “Mujhe bhi wahi lag raha hai,” usne kaha. “Aaj jo corridor mein notice board ke paas paper pada tha… uspar ink smudged thi..
Library ke pichhe wala archive corridor campus ka woh hissa tha jahan roshni bhi jaise permission leke aati thi. Deewar ke saath lagi purani file-cabinets ki line, aadhi jali bulbs, aur ek do broken switches—sab milkar aisa stale sa mahaul bana rahe the ki saans lene par bhi lagta tha dhool andar ja rahi hai.
“Yahan toh security bhi retired lagti hai,” Kabir ne dheere se kaha, wall ke paas ek cabinet ko halka sa dhakka dete hue.
“Retired nahi, haunted,” Rohan ne apni specs adjust ki. Uski awaaz low thi, par tension clear thi. “Aur please, koi bhi cheez bina gloves ke touch mat karo. Yahan pe fingerprints ka scene ho gaya toh hum hi phasenge.”
Arjun ne corridor ke end tak nazar daali. Uska usual charm wala expression bhi ab kam ho gaya tha; face pe sirf focus tha. “Kunal yahin se guzra hoga. Ya kisi ne use yahin tak laane ki koshish ki hogi.”
Imran, jo ab tak chup tha, squatted down near the floor. Dust thick thi, aur usmein ek fresh line saaf dikh rahi thi—jaise kisi ne abhi-abhi yahan se guzarte hue pair ghaseete hon. “Trail nayi hai,” usne bas itna kaha.
Rohan turant uske paas aaya. “Nayi ka matlab kitni nayi?”
Imran ne finger se side ki taraf ishara kiya. “Dekho. Dust par edge sharp hai. Purani layer disturb hui hai, par baad mein settle nahi hui. Someone came after hours. Repeatedly, maybe.”
Arjun ne corridor ki side windows ki taraf dekha, jahan kaanch ke piche andhera jam gaya tha. “Aur koi yahan aake kya karega? Old records, dead files… unless Kunal ke baare mein kuch yahin hota.”
Kabir ne ek locked cabinet ka handle pakda aur us par lage dhool ke pattern ko dekha. “Ya kisi ne yahan se kuch nikala ho.” Usne aur aage jhuk kar floor inspect kiya. “Wait.”
Sab ruk gaye.
Usne dust ke beech ek torn page uthaya—campus logbook ka hissa, corner se phata hua, edges pe grease aur mitti ka mix. Page par bas kuch lines bach gayi thi: dates, room references, aur ek handwriting jo jaldi-jaldi bhari gayi lag rahi thi.
Rohan ne uske shoulder ke paas se jhank kar padha. “Room numbers… aur ek entry repeated hai. Same time. Same corridor.”
“69?” Kabir ne ek dry sa half-smirk diya, phir turant serious ho gaya. “Funny. Ya phir warning.”
Arjun ne page uske haath se leke dhyaan se dekha. “Iska matlab koi yahan regular aata tha. After hours. And someone wanted the log incomplete.”
Imran ne corridor ke dusre end par ek broken switch ke neeche nazar tikayi. “Sun.”
Pehle kisi ne kuch nahi suna. Phir bahut door, metal ke kisi heavy piece ke floor par ghisne ki awaaz aayi—drag, drag—aur phir achanak silence.
Paanchon ki body ek saath tense ho gayi.
Rohan ka gala halka sa sookh gaya. “Woh… kisi trolley jaisi sound thi?”
Kabir ne bina bole apna weight shift kiya, jaise next second jump karne wala ho. Arjun ne haath uthakar sabko rukne ka ishara kiya..