Jaise hi unn teeno ne vo jagah dekhi toh vo usko dekhte reh gye..
Uss jagah ke ander bhi ek dusri jagah thi...
Vo puri ek building jaisi lg rhi thi.
Aarav ne apni jacket thodi aur tight pakdi aur saamne dekhte hue dheere se bola, "Yeh… yahi jagah hai."
Unke saamne ek purana, aadha toot chuka structure khada tha. Deewar par wahi symbol bana tha jo Aarav ne apne phone par dekha tha—same lines, same pattern.
Kabir ne torch upar uthayi. "Bhai, yeh place toh clearly abandoned lag raha hai… par phir bhi kuch ajeeb hai yahan."
Meera ne bina hesitation ke aage kadam badhaya. "Hum itna aage aa chuke hain. Ab wapas mudne ka koi sense nahi hai."
Aarav ek second ke liye ruk gaya. Uska dil tez dhadak raha tha.
"Ya phir… humein wapas chale jaana chahiye," usne dheere se kaha.
Meera ne uski taraf mudkar dekha. "Dar lag raha hai?"
Aarav ne jawab nahi diya.
Kabir halka sa hansa, "Honestly? Mujhe bhi thoda lag raha hai."
Meera ne ek deep breath li aur boli, "Perfect. Matlab hum sahi jagah par hain."
Usne saamne ke broken entrance ko push kiya. Darwaza ek tez awaaz ke saath khula—creeeak…
Andar pura andhera tha.
"Chalo," Meera ne seedha andar kadam rakha.
Aarav aur Kabir ne ek doosre ki taraf dekha… phir chupchaap uske peeche chal diye.
Andar ki hawa aur bhi thandi thi.
Unke footsteps ki awaaz khaali corridor mein goonj rahi thi. Har kadam ke saath lag raha tha jaise yeh jagah zinda ho… aur unhe dekh rahi ho.
Kabir ne dheere se bola, "Yeh normal building nahi hai. Structure dekho… yeh modern bhi nahi hai, aur purana bhi nahi."
Deewar par rusted metal panels lage hue the. Kuch jagah wires bahar nikle hue the, aur kuch screens tooti hui latak rahi thi.
Aarav ne ek screen ko haath lagaya. Jaise hi usne touch kiya—
Flicker.
Screen ek second ke liye ON hui… phir band.
Aarav turant peeche hat gaya. "Tumne dekha?"
Meera ne torch us taraf ghumaayi. "Haan… yeh system abhi bhi active hai."
"Impossible," Kabir ne kaha, "Itna purana system… bina power ke kaise chal raha hai?"
Ek achanak si thandi hawa unke paas se guzri.
Aarav ka dil ek second ke liye ruk gaya.
"Guys… tumhe feel hua?" usne dheere se poocha.
Meera ne sir hilaya. "Haan. Yeh hawa nahi thi… yeh kuch aur tha."
Woh log aage badhte gaye.
Corridor dheere dheere narrow hota ja raha tha. End par ek bada sa metal door dikh raha tha.
Door ke upar wahi symbol bana tha.
"Yeh hi hai," Aarav ne halki si awaaz mein kaha.
Kabir ne door ko dhakka diya.
Pehle kuch nahi hua.
Phir—
CLICK.
Door dheere dheere khulne laga.
Andar jo tha… usne teeno ko ek saath rok diya.
Room ke andar dozens of screens lagi hui thi.
Sab band thi.
Ek second ke liye sab kuch bilkul still tha.
Phir—
Flicker.
Ek screen ON hui.
Phir dusri.
Phir teesri.
Aur phir ek ke baad ek… saari screens ON ho gayi.
Aarav ne shock mein dheere se kaha, "Yeh… kya hai?"
Screens par random images chal rahi thi—
Ek aadmi ro raha tha.
Ek aurat cheekh rahi thi.
Kahin fire thi… kahin log bhaag rahe the.
"Yeh videos hain?" Kabir ne poocha.
Meera ne dhyaan se dekha… phir dheere se boli,
"Nahi… yeh videos nahi hain."
"Yeh… yaadein hain."
Aarav ka dimaag blank ho gaya.
"Yaadein?" usne repeat kiya.
Jaise hi usne yeh bola—
Sab screens ek saath glitch hui.
Aur phir…
👉 "Tumhe yahan nahi aana chahiye tha…"
Is baar awaaz clear thi.
Aur sabne suni.
Kabir ka chehra safed pad gaya. "Tumne bhi suna?"
Meera ne slowly sir hilaya. "Haan…"
Aarav ka dil zor zor se dhadak raha tha.
"Yeh wahi awaaz hai…" usne fasa hua sa bola.
Room ki lights suddenly red ho gayi.
ALERT… ALERT…
Ek mechanical awaaz goonjne lagi.
Kabir chillaya, "Yeh system activate ho gaya hai!"
Meera ne turant bola, "Humein yahan se nikalna hoga—ABHI!"
Door jisse woh aaye the… band ho chuka tha.
"Great!" Kabir ne panic mein kaha.
"Side dekh!" Meera ne chillate hue bola.
Unhe ek aur exit dikhayi diya.
Aarav sabse pehle bhaaga.
Unke footsteps tez ho gaye. Har jagah red lights flash ho rahi thi. Alarms aur tez ho gaye.
Jaise hi woh corridor mein daude—
Deewar ke andar se kuch mechanical awaazein aayi.
"Yeh place safe nahi hai!" Kabir almost chilla raha tha.
"Run!" Meera ne fir se kaha.
Aarav bina peeche dekhe bhaag raha tha.
Usse bas ek hi cheez feel ho rahi thi—
👉 Jaise koi unhe dekh raha ho.
Jaise koi… unka wait kar raha ho.
Finally unhe entrance dikh gaya.
Teeno bahar daude aur zameen par gir gaye, tez saans lete hue.
Kuch seconds tak koi kuch nahi bola.
Sirf unki saansen aur dil ki dhadkanein sunai de rahi thi.
Kabir ne sabse pehle silence toda.
"Yeh… normal nahi hai… bilkul bhi nahi."
Meera ne seedha kaha, "Yeh sirf beginning hai."
Aarav chup tha.
Uska dimaag abhi bhi us room mein atka hua tha.
"Yaadein…" usne dheere se bola.
Tabhi—
Uska phone vibrate hua.
Teeno ki nazar ek saath uski screen par gayi.
Aarav ne dheere se phone uthaya.
Screen par ek single message flash ho raha tha—
👉 "Welcome to The Archive."
Aarav ka haath halka sa kaanp gaya.
Usne dheere se kaha—
"Yeh… khatam nahi hua."
"Yeh toh abhi shuru hua hai."