Subah ka waqt tha.
Sunlight dheere dheere broken buildings par gir rahi thi.
Sab kuch shaant lag raha tha.
Par woh sirf bahar se tha.
Andar hi ander...
👉 sab kuch hil chuka tha.
Aarav khada tha.
Same jagah.
Par uski feeling...
👉 different.
Kabir seedha uske paas aaya or usne usse pucha....
👉 "Bhai tu theek hai na?"
Aarav ne halka sa smile kiya...
👉 "Haan… main theek hoon."
Simple answer.
Par Zoya ne turant notice kiya...
👉 Uski tone alag thi.
Meera ne dheere se uska haath pakda...
👉 "Tu wapas aa gaya…"
Uski aankhon mein relief thi.
Aarav ne sir hilaya...
👉 "Haan…"
Par uske andar...
👉 ek aur awaaz.
👉 "Sach bol raha hai?"
Aarav ne aankhon ko thoda tight kiya.
👉 "Chup."
***
Udhar control Room main...
Sab wapas base par aa gaye the.
Kabir system check kar raha tha.
👉 "Signal ab stable hai…"
👉 "Par weird bhi."
Meera ne usse pucha..
👉 "Weird kaise?"
Kabir ne usse answer dete hue kaha...
👉 "Jaise do signals ek saath aa rahe ho…"
Silence.
Zoya ne seedha Aarav ko dekha.
👉 "Explain."
Aarav thoda sa ruk gaya.
👉 "Shayad… after-effect hai."
Zoya ne kaha...
👉 "Shayad?"
👉 "Ya tu kuch hide kar raha hai?"
Room silent.
Kabir ne Zoya ko kaha...
👉 "Arre chill kar na…"
👉 "Woh abhi abhi wapas aaya hai.
Zoya ne kaha...
👉 "Exactly."
👉 "Isliye mujhe jaana hai…"
👉 "Woh kya leke aaya hai."
Ye sunte hi...
Aarav ka expression serious ho gaya.
Or usne kaha...
👉 "Trust nahi hai mujh par?"
Zoya ne kaha...
👉 "Trust hai."
👉 "Par doubt bhi hai."
Silence heavy ho gya.
Meera ne softly bola...
👉 "Please… fight mat karo."
***
Aarav wahan se chala gya.
Raat ho chuki thi.
Sab so chuke the.
Aarav akela khada tha.
Window ke paas.
City lights ko dekhte hue.
Uska reflection glass mein...
👉 normal.
Par andar...
👉 storm.
👉 "Tu kitna control karega…?"
Aarav ne aankhein band ki...
👉 "Jitna zaroori hai."
Awaaz aai..
👉 "Tu jhoot bol raha hai."
Achanak...
👉 uski body freeze ho gayi.
Jaise kisi ne control le liya ho.
Uski aankhon ka color change ho gaya.
Dark shade.
👉 "Control… interesting concept hai."
Aarav struggle kar rha tha.
👉 "Nahi… abhi nahi…"
Internal Clash
Andar...
👉 ek battlefield.
Light side...
👉 Aarav.
Dark side...
👉 Collapse.
Collapse hasa...
👉 "Tumne mujhe accept kiya hai…"
👉 "Ab main bhi tumhe use karunga."
Aarav ne kaha....
👉 "Main tujhe control karunga."
Collapse ne usse jawab diya...
👉 "Tum try kar sakte ho."
Suddenly...
👉 energy surge.
Aarav ka body real world mein shake hone laga.
Window crack.
Room distort.
Aarav ne full force lagaya or kaha...
👉 "STOP!"
Ek blast.
Sab silent.
Aarav neeche gir gaya.
Heavy breathing.
👉 "Main… control mein hoon…"
Awaaz dheere se bola..
👉 "Filhaal."
***
Next Day
Kabir energetic tha.
👉 "Aaj normal training karte hain!"
Meera thodi relaxed thi.
👉 "Haan… sab normal hona chahiye…"
Zoya still serious thi.
👉 "Normal ab possible nahi hai."
Tabhi wahan aarav aaya.
Usne sabko dekhke smile ki or kaha...
👉 "Chalo shuru karein."
Training start ho gyi thi.
Sab normal lag raha tha.
Par ek moment...
👉 Aarav ka focus slip ho rha tha.
Ek attack...
👉 zyada powerful.
Kabir peeche throw ho gaya.
👉 "Oye! Control!"
Aarav turant ruk gaya...
👉 "Sorry…"
Par uske andar..
👉 ek laugh.
👉 "Mazaa aaya."
Aarav freeze ek second ke liye.
Zoya ne notice kiya.
👉 "Yeh normal nahi hai…"
***
Evening ho chuki thi.
Zoya secretly system check karti hai.
👉 "Dual signal confirm…"
👉 "Aur second signal…"
Pause.
👉 "Human nahi hai."
Uski aankhon mein shock.
Meera peeche se aati hai or kehti hai..
👉 "Kya mila?"
Zoya dheere se bolti hai...
👉 "Aarav…"
👉 "Akele wapas nahi aaya."
Silence.
Meera ka saans ruk gaya...
Usne kaha...
👉 "Matlab…?"
Zoya ne kaha...
👉 "Uske andar… koi aur bhi hai."
***
Raat ho chuki thi.
Aarav akela rooftop pe khada hua tha.
Sky dark.
Wind slow.
Usne apni aankhein band ki.
👉 "Tu kya chahta hai…"
Ander se awaaz aai...
👉 "Freedom."
Aarav...
👉 "Aur uske badle?"
👉 "Control."
Silence.
Aarav ne apni aankhein kholi.
👉 "Main deal nahi karunga."
Awaaz halki si hasi or usne kaha...
👉 "Tu already kar chuka hai."
Achanak...
👉 Aarav ke haath par dark energy spread hone lagi.
Slowly.
Jaise woh usse absorb kar rahi ho.
Aarav ne rokne ki koshish ki...
👉 "Nahi…"
Par...
👉 woh ruk nahi rahi thi.
Uski aankhon ka color phir change hua.
Half normal.
Half dark.
Aur us moment...
👉 uske face par ek smile.
Par woh smile...
👉 Aarav ki nahi thi.
👉 "Let's see… kitni der tak tu control mein rehta hai."
Camera zoom out.
City silent.
Par danger...
👉 ab andar grow kar raha tha.
To Be Continued…