Base ke andar sab normal dikh raha tha.
Par sirf dikh raha tha.
Reality kuch aur hi thi.
Kabir baar baar same baat pooch raha tha,
👉 "Bhai exactly hua kya tha wahan?"
Par Aarav har baar bas ek hi answer deta..
👉 "Kuch nahi."
Aur shayad wahi sabse dangerous cheez thi.
Kyuki Aarav jhoot bol raha tha.
Usne kisi ko nahi bataya ki Origin ab uske andar hai.
Na Meera ko.
Na Kabir ko.
Na Zoya ko.
Kyuki usse khud nahi samajh aa raha tha ki actually hua kya hai.
Woh sirf itna jaanta tha..
andar ab silence nahi raha.
Pehle sirf Collapse tha.
Ab…
kuch aur bhi tha.
Aur woh cheez disturbingly calm thi.
Raat ko Aarav apne room mein akela baitha tha. Lights off thi. Sirf window se aati halki blue light room mein spread ho rahi thi.
Usne aankhein band ki.
Instantly..
darkness.
Aur phir..
awaaz.
👉 "Tu darr raha hai."
Collapse.
Aarav ne dheere se jawab diya, "Main cautious hoon."
👉 "Difference?" Collapse hasa.
Aarav irritate ho gaya. "Chup reh."
Silence.
Phir..
ek aur awaaz.
Calm.
Deep.
👉"Violence unnecessary hai."
Aarav ka body freeze ho gaya.
Origin.
Uski presence alag thi.
Woh force nahi karta tha.
Woh bas… exist karta tha.
Aarav ne dheere se poocha, "Tu chahta kya hai?"
Origin ne instantly jawab nahi diya.
👉 "Observation."
👉 "Bas?"
👉 "Abhi ke liye."
Collapse irritate ho gaya. "Mujhe iska tone pasand nahi h."
Origin calmly bola, "Tumhara opinion irrelevant hai."
Aur bas us ek line ke saath..
andar pressure build ho gaya.
Aarav ne suddenly apna sir pakad liya.
Pain.
Sharp.
Jaise do alag forces ek dusre ko push kar rahi ho.
👉 "STOP!"
Room ke andar lights flicker hone lagi.
Walls crack.
Energy leak hone lagi.
Aarav heavy breathing ke saath bed se neeche gir gaya.
Aur ussi waqt..
door khula.
Or wahan meera khadi thi.
Usne usse bulaya..
👉 "Aarav?!"
Woh turant uske paas aayi.
Or boli..
👉 "Aarav kya hua?!"
Aarav ne quickly control lene ki koshish ki. "N-nothing…"
Par uski aankhon mein flicker clearly visible tha.
Darkness.
Aur uske beech..
ek ajeeb golden glow.
Meera ka expression change ho gaya.
👉 "Yeh… pehle nahi tha…"
Aarav chup.
Meera uske saamne baith gayi. "Please mujhse jhoot mat bol."
Silence.
Aarav ne finally aankhein neeche kar li.
👉 "Things are getting worse…"
Meera ka saans slow ho gaya. "Kitna worse?"
Aarav jawab dene hi wala tha..
andar se Collapse hasa.
👉 "Bol de. Dekhte hain woh kitna trust karti hai."
Origin silent tha.
Observe kar raha tha.
Aarav ne finally dheere se kaha..
👉 "Mere andar ab sirf ek cheez nahi hai."
Meera freeze.
👉 "Matlab?"
Aarav ne aankhein band ki.
👉 "Collapse ab akela nahi hai."
Silence.
Room heavy.
Meera dheere se peeche hati.
👉 "Aur kya hai?"
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
Aur uski aankhon mein woh golden flicker phir se aaya.
👉 "Origin."
Ek second ke liye Meera kuch bol hi nahi payi.
Usne woh naam pehle sirf threat ki tarah suna tha.
Par ab..
woh Aarav ke andar tha.
👉 "Yeh possible kaise hai…?"
Aarav ne weak smile di.
👉 "Pata hota toh shayad problem kam hoti."
Meera ne uska haath pakda.
👉 "Tu alone nahi hai."
Andar..
Collapse ne sarcastically kaha, "Cute."
Origin chup raha.
Par uski presence suddenly stronger feel hui.
Aarav ka expression tighten ho gaya.
👉 "Kya hua?" Meera ne turant poocha.
Aarav slowly khada hua.
👉 "Something's wrong…"
Base ke andar alarms suddenly activate ho gaye.
Red lights flash.
Kabir ki awaaz speakers se aayi..
👉 "GUYS CONTROL ROOM ABHI!"
Aarav aur Meera turant bahar nikle.
Control room chaos mein tha.
Screens blink kar rahi thi.
Zoya rapidly systems operate kar rahi thi.
Kabir tension mein idhar udhar dekh raha tha.
👉 "Finally!" Kabir bola. "Yeh dekh!"
Main screen par city ka map tha.
Aur us map par..
multiple dark signals appear ho rahe the.
Ek nahi.
Do nahi.
Dozens.
Zoya ne serious tone mein kaha, "Residue alone nahi tha…"
Kabir ne dheere se bola, "Yeh log poore city mein spread ho rahe hain…"
Meera ka face pale ho gaya.
👉 "Matlab invasion?"
👉 "Maybe worse," Zoya ne calmly jawab diya.
Aarav screen ko dekh raha tha.
Aur andar..
Origin suddenly spoke.
👉 "They're early."
Aarav freeze.
👉 "Kya?"
Origin calmly bola..
👉 "Yeh phase abhi start nahi hona tha."
Collapse irritate ho gaya. "Tumhari planning weak hai."
Origin ne ignore kiya.
Aarav ne dheere se poocha, "Yeh sab kya hai?"
Silence.
Phir..
Origin ne ek line boli..
👉 "Fragments are gathering."
Aarav ka heart fast beat karne laga.
👉 "Kyuuun?"
Origin ka answer simple tha.
👉 "Kyuki unhe feel ho gaya hai…"
Pause.
👉 "…main wapas aa gaya hoon."
Silence.
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
Matlab..
yeh invasion uski wajah se tha.
Ya technically…
Origin ki wajah se.
Zoya ne suddenly Aarav ko notice kiya.
👉 "Tu theek hai?"
Aarav ne turant normal act kiya. "Haan."
Par Zoya convinced nahi hui.
Kabir ne screen ki taraf point kiya.
👉 "Guys… ek aur problem."
Sabne dekha.
Ek signal rapidly move kar raha tha.
Baaki sabse faster.
Aur seedha..
unke base ki taraf.
Room silent.
Kabir ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Woh… yahan aa raha hai."
Aarav ke andar..
Collapse excited tha.
Origin calm.
Aur Aarav…
sirf ek cheez feel kar raha tha.
Darr.
Kyuki jo aa raha tha…
woh normal Fragment nahi tha.
Uski energy..
alag thi.
Zyada familiar.
Aur disturbingly…
human.
Base ke bahar..
dark street par ek figure rukta hai.
Black hoodie.
Face shadow mein.
Woh dheere se base ki building ko dekhta hai.
Phir..
smile karta hai.
👉 "Aakhir mil hi gaye…"
Usne dheere se kaha.
Aur jab woh light ke neeche aaya..
Aarav ka saans andar hi ruk gaya.
Kyuki…
woh chehra…
exactly uske jaisa tha...
To be continued...