Ussi waqt corridor ke end par heels ki soft, measured awaaz aayi. Dono ne ek saath sar uthaya. Dr. Meera Kapoor wahan khadi thi—dark dupatta neatly draped, expression bilkul unreadable, jaise andhera bhi unke saamne discipline mein khada ho. Unhone un dono ko ek brief, assessing nazar se dekha aur phir staircase ki taraf dekha.
“Yahan kya dhoondh rahe ho?” unki awaaz calm thi, lekin us calm mein ek edge tha.
Kabir ne slip ko half-fold karke pocket mein daala. “Kunal ka trail,” usne seedha jawab diya. “CCTV se kuch mila nahi. Ab yeh side stairwell.”
Dr. Kapoor ne ek pal ke liye us locked door ko dekha, phir corridor ke dusre kone ki taraf. “Maintenance routes sirf maintenance ke liye nahi hote,” unhone kaha. “Old admin block mein back passages hain. Kuch stairs records mein nahi, lekin campus map mein hamesha rehte hain.”
Rohan ne turant poocha, “Aapko pata hai kaunsi taraf?”
Dr. Kapoor ki nazar us par thami, phir Kabir par. “Mujhe campus ka har shortcut pata hai,” unhone evenly kaha..
Old seminar hall ke peeche wali stairwell ka darwaza aadha khula tha, aur uske through roof tak jaati patli concrete steps par hawa seedhi chadh rahi thi. Neeche campus ki galiyon se neon ka rang upar tak chipak aaya tha—canteen ke sign ka pink, hostel gate ki blue blink, aur parking lot ki peeli sodium light. Arjun ne ek second ke liye ruk kar apna phone lock kiya. No messages. No missed calls. Bas ek naya forward hua audio, jo usne abhi play nahi kiya tha.
Roof ka darwaza dhakka dete hi cold wind uske face se takraayi. Wahan already kuch log the—party-adjacent crowd, jinko party ka matlab actually noise aur visible presence hota tha. Plastic cups, cigarette ki smell, aur kisi junior ka overconfident laughter. Seminar hall ki chhat ke edge par khadi Sanya sabse alag lag rahi thi. She wasn’t dressed to impress; she was dressed to move. Black jacket, hair tied back, phone in one hand, eyes alert. Drama se zyada kaam ki baat uske chehre par likhi thi.
Arjun ne uske paas aate hi halka sa smile kiya. “You actually came.”
Sanya ne ek baar usko dekha, phir roof ke dusre kone ki taraf nazar ghuma di, jaise pehle scene ko scan kar rahi ho. “I said I would.”
“Usually people say that and disappear.”
“Usually people are busy creating suspense.” Uska tone dry tha, but not cold. “You’re late.”
Arjun ne shoulders upar kiye. “Campus ka mood hi late chal raha tha. And the rumor mill is extra active tonight.”
Sanya ne almost smile kiya. “About Room 69?”
Woh number hawa mein ek chhota sa joke ban ke tair gaya. Arjun ne hansi rok li. “That room has become a whole department now.”
Sanya ne seedha point pe aakar bola, “Kunal ke naam ka ek aur version mila hai.”
Arjun ka expression immediately change hua. “From where?”
“Old seminar block ke maintenance log ke through.” She tapped her phone screen and turned it slightly. “Bas ek line. ‘69 ke upar wala floor. Midnight. Don’t bring everyone.’”
Arjun ne screen dekhi, phir roof ke edge ke paas khade ek shadow ko. “Someone wants us looking at the old block.”
“Or wants us not looking there,” Sanya said.
Wind tez ho gayi. Neeche se ek bike ki horn aayi, aur kisi ne rooftop par laugh kiya, bahut door, bahut careless. Arjun ne apne jaw ko set kiya. “Naina ko bhi yeh message mila?”
Sanya ki aankhon mein ek brief flicker aaya, practical aur measured. “Mujhe nahi pata. But tonight I’m here, not Naina.”
Arjun ne uski taraf dekha. Statement simple tha, but clean. No excuses, no pretending. “Right.”
Ek beat ka silence. Saamne city lights blink kar rahi thi, aur pichhe kisi ne music ka volume thoda aur badha diya. Sanya ne apni jacket ki sleeve adjust ki. “You look like you’re carrying five theories and one bad decision.”
“Only five?”
“Maybe six.”
Arjun hansa, phir uske face par seriousness aa gayi. “I’m not carrying last week forward into tonight.”
Sanya ne usko directly dekha. “Good. Tonight is tonight.”
Usne ek step paas aakar uske haath se phone liya, screen par note ko ek baar aur padhte hue..
Sports corridor raat ke barah ke baad aur bhi lamba lagta hai. Neon tube lights aadhi-jali si, floor par basketball court ki faded lines aur trophy case ke glass par apni hi parchai. Hawa mein gym polish, damp grass aur old cement ki thandi smell ghuli hui thi. Room 69 ke chaaron boys corridor ke end par khade the, jaise kisi ne unke beech invisible chalk line kheench di ho.
Kabir ne phone ko dheere se palat kar dekha. “Ek aur unknown call?”
Rohan ne apne glasses ko seedha kiya, voice low rakhi. “Number same nahi hai. Extension change hua hai. Matlab ya to campus ke andar se route hua, ya koi system ko use kar raha hai.”
Arjun ki usual easy smile aaj poori tarah nahi thi, bas corner par ek tension. “Bas itna hi bol ki kisi ka drama chal raha hai.”
Imran ne kuch nahi kaha. Woh corridor ke dusre end ki taraf dekh raha tha, jahan emergency exit ka green sign halki roshni mein pulse kar raha tha. Uski silence mein bhi alertness thi.
Phone phir vibrate hua.
Sab ek saath freeze ho gaye.
Kabir ne call receive karne se pehle ek second Arjun ko dekha, jaise permission nahi, bas confirmation maang raha ho. Arjun ne chin uthayi. Kabir ne speaker on kar diya.
Pehle static aaya. Phir ek bahut hi distorted, khurduri si awaaz, jaise kisi ne phone ko kapde ke andar dabaa diya ho.
“Rooom… sixty… nine…”
Rohan ka face safed sa ho gaya. “Kunal?”
Awaaz ne answer nahi diya. Sirf ek halki saans ki crackle aur phir, “Basement… nahi… wrong… corridor…”
Line cut.
Ek pal ke liye corridor aur bhi khaali lagne laga, jaise campus ne khud unki baat sun li ho. Arjun ne aas-paas dekha. “Basement? Wrong corridor? Yeh kya maze bana rakha hai?”
“Campus maze hi hai,” Kabir ne irritate hoke kaha, “bas ab koi uske andar humein ghuma raha hai.”
Rohan already apne phone par notes khol chuka tha. “Room 69 ka mention deliberate hai. Kunal ka naam nahi liya, but voice close enough thi to trigger karne ke liye. He wants us to react.”
Imran ne finally bol diya, awaz halki, almost flat. “Ya chahta hai ki hum alag-alag jaaen.”
Arjun ne ek short breath chhoda, then his tone sharpened. “Fine. Toh hum unko wahi denge jo woh expect nahi kar rahe.”
Kabir ne eyebrow uthayi. “Divide and verify?”
“Exactly.” Arjun ne corridor ke left wing ki taraf point kiya. “Main dean block ke security desk aur library side check karta hoon. Agar koi route hai, wahin se aaya hoga.”
Rohan ne turant apna phone aur torch nikala. “Main old records aur CCTVs ka loop dekhne ki koshish karta hoon. Agar extension trace hua hai, main call log se pattern pakad lunga.”
Kabir ne apne knuckles crack kiye, eyes already hunting. “Main sports complex ke back passage aur basement access dekhunga. Jo bhi ‘wrong corridor’ hai, uski actual entry mujhe chahiye.”