Hawa bilkul shaant thi.
Rooftop par khade sab log ek hi direction mein dekh rahe the..
👉 Aarav.
Woh wapas aa chuka tha.
Par…
👉 kya woh waise hi wapas aaya tha?
Aarav seedha khada tha.
Uski body bilkul still thi.
Jaise koi statue ho.
Uski aankhein dheere dheere open hui.
Aur us moment..
👉 sabko ek ajeeb sa feel hua.
Meera ek step aage badhi.
Uski awaaz halki si kaamp rahi thi..
👉 "Aarav…?"
Koi response nahi.
Kabir ne awkward smile ke saath bola..
👉 "Bhai… welcome back?"
Still silence.
Aarav ne dheere se apna sir thoda tilt kiya.
Jaise woh unhe dekh nahi…
👉 analyze kar raha ho.
Zoya ka expression turant change ho gaya.
👉 "Something's off…"
Aarav ne finally move kiya.
Ek step aage.
Aur usne seedha Meera ki taraf dekha.
👉 "Tum theek ho."
Uski awaaz calm thi.
Bilkul flat.
Meera thoda confuse ho gayi..
👉 "Haan… par tu.."
Aarav ne uski baat cut kar di..
👉 "Heart rate normal. Stress elevated. Manageable."
Silence.
Kabir ne dheere se bola...
👉 "Yeh… kya bol raha hai?"
Meera peeche hati.
Uske face par confusion clear tha.
👉 "Aarav… tu theek hai na?"
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
👉 "Main functional hoon."
Silence.
Kabir ne Zoya ki taraf dekha..
👉 "Yeh toh robot jaisa bol raha hai…"
Zoya ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Yeh woh nahi hai jo pehle tha…"
Aarav ne turant react kiya.
👉 "Correction."
Sab uski taraf dekhne lage..
Or usne kaha..
👉 "Main Aarav hoon."
Uski awaaz same thi.
Par usme emotion nahi tha.
👉 "Bas… updated."
Silence.
Meera ke aankhon mein halka sa darr aa gaya.
👉 "Mujhe yeh pasand nahi aa raha…"
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
Ek second ke liye..
👉 uski aankhon mein kuch flicker hua.
Jaise koi emotion wapas aane ki koshish kar raha ho.
Par phir..
👉 woh vanish ho gaya.
👉 "Adaptation phase hai."
Zoya ne seedha poocha..
👉 "Observer ne kya kiya tumhare saath?"
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
👉 "Usne kuch nahi kiya."
👉 "Maine choose kiya."
Silence.
Kabir ne dheere se bola..
👉 "Kya choose kiya?"
Aarav ne seedha jawab diya..
👉 "Merge."
Room freeze ho gaya.
Meera almost whisper mein boli..
👉 "Matlab…?"
Aarav ne calm tone mein kaha..
👉 "Main system ka part hoon."
Silence.
Kabir peeche hata..
👉 "Yeh… acha nahi lag raha…"
Zoya ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Aur control?"
Aarav ne uski aankhon mein dekha..
👉 "Shared."
Kuch der baad.. Control Room
Sab andar aa chuke the.
Kabir screens ON kar raha tha.
👉 "Chalo check karte hain kya change hua hai…"
Aarav ek side khada tha.
Woh screens ko nahi dekh raha tha.
👉 woh directly system feel kar raha tha.
Zoya ne notice kiya.
👉 "Tumhe dekhne ki zaroorat nahi hai… right?"
Aarav ne dheere se sir hilaya..
👉 "Data direct hai."
Kabir ruk gaya.
👉 "Matlab… tu bina system ke sab dekh sakta hai?"
👉 "System ke through."
Kabir ne nervous laugh ki..
👉 "Same thing hi hua na…"
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
👉 "Nahi."
Silence.
Suddenly...
👉 screens flicker hui.
Kabir chillaya..
👉 "Again?!"
Meera ne poocha..
👉 "Kya hua?"
Kabir ne zoom kiya..
👉 "Ek aur glitch…"
Zoya ne turant Aarav ki taraf dekha...
👉 "Tum feel kar rahe ho?"
Aarav ne aankhein band ki.
👉 "Haan…"
Silence.
Phir...
👉 "Par yeh normal glitch nahi hai."
Sab tense ho gaye.
👉 "Matlab?"
Aarav ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Yeh… alive hai."
Room freeze.
Kabir ne shock mein bola...
👉 "Glitch… alive kaise ho sakta hai?!"
Aarav ne aankhein kholi.
👉 "Kyuki yeh system ka part nahi…"
👉 "Yeh system ka reaction hai."
Zoya ka expression serious ho gaya...
👉 "Self-defense…"
Aarav ne sir hilaya...
👉 "Exactly."
City... ek abandoned area
Woh log wahan pahunch gaye.
Jagah bilkul khaali thi.
Par hawa heavy thi.
Aur beech mein..
👉 ek dark distortion khada tha.
Par is baar...
👉 woh static nahi tha.
👉 woh move kar raha tha.
Slowly… breathe jaisa.
Meera ne dheere se kaha...
👉 "Yeh… scary hai…"
Kabir peeche hata...
👉 "Mujhe yeh pasand nahi aa raha…"
Zoya ne Aarav ki taraf dekha...
👉 "Tum handle kar sakte ho?"
Aarav ne us distortion ko dekha.
Uski aankhon mein woh cold shine wapas aa gayi.
👉 "Try karta hoon."
Woh aage badha.
Jaise hi woh paas gaya...
👉 distortion react karne laga.
Jaise woh Aarav ko feel kar raha ho.
Achanak...
👉 woh shape change karne laga.
Aur ek second mein...
👉 woh Aarav ke saamne aa gaya.
Meera chillayi...
👉 "Aarav!"
Par Aarav hila nahi.
Woh us distortion ke saamne khada tha.
Face to face.
👉 "Tum kya ho?" Aarav ne dheere se poocha.
Silence.
Phir...
👉 distortion ne move kiya.
Aur...
👉 usne attack kiya.
Fast.
Aarav ne turant react kiya.
👉 usne haath uthaya.
Aur...
👉 attack mid-air freeze ho gaya.
Kabir shock mein...
👉 "Yeh toh… insane hai…"
Aarav ne dheere se kaha...
👉 "Stop."
Distortion ruk gaya.
Par...
👉 completely nahi.
Woh struggle kar raha tha.
Jaise woh resist kar raha ho.
Aarav ka saans heavy ho gaya.
👉 "Yeh… strong hai…"
Zoya ne dheere se kaha...
👉 "Yeh system ka opposite force ho sakta hai…"
Silence.
Aarav ne focus kiya.
👉 "Disperse."
Ek second ke liye...
👉 distortion hilne laga.
Phir...
👉 woh explode ho gaya.
Dark particles hawa mein phail gaye.
Aur vanish ho gaye.
Silence.
Kabir ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Ho gaya…?"
Aarav chup tha.
Uski aankhein narrow ho gayi.
👉 "Nahi…"
Sab uski taraf dekhne lage..
👉 "Yeh khatam nahi hua…"
Silence.
👉 "Yeh start hai."
Meera ka dil dhadakne laga...
👉 "Matlab aur aayenge…?"
Aarav ne dheere se sir hilaya...
👉 "Haan…"
👉 "Aur zyada strong."
Zoya ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "System evolve ho raha hai…"
Kabir ne nervous tone mein bola...
👉 "Aur hum?"
Aarav ne seedha jawab diya...
👉 "Hume bhi hona padega."
Silence.
Par andar hi andar...
👉 ek aur cheez change ho chuki thi.
Aarav ke andar.
👉 woh ab sirf protect nahi kar raha tha…
👉 woh control bhi kar raha tha.
Aur shayad...
👉 dheere dheere woh us control ko enjoy bhi karne laga tha.
Aapko kya lagta h... Kya aarav jyada der tk isko control kar payega.
Comment krke jarur bataye.