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Ravi ek software engineer tha jo Gurgaon shift hua tha naye job ke chakkar mein. Usne Shabnam Apartment mein ek 2BHK flat liya 5th floor pe — ek purani magar shaant residential building. Building kaafi purani thi, lekin lift nayi lagayi gayi thi pichle mahine. Sab kuch normal lag raha tha, until ek din kuch ajeeb hua.
Subah office jaate waqt jab ravi ne lift mein kadam rakha, usne ek button dekha jisme likha tha “-1”. Pehli baar socha ki shayad basement parking ka hoga. Lekin -1 ke button ka design thoda alag tha. Woh thoda rubb-off lag raha tha… jaise hastily paste kiya gaya ho. Ravi ne reception pe pucha, unhone bola basement parking to hai hi nahi building mein. Sirf ground se 6th floor tak hi flats hain.
Agli subah curiosity mein, Ravi ne -1 dabaya. Lift thodi der hilti rahi… phir neeche jaane lagi. LCD display pe floor numbers blink karte karte ruk gaye. Aankh phad phad se gayi jab lift andar se andhera ho gaya. Jab lights waapas aayi, toh door khul gaya — lekin saamne koi floor nahi tha.
Lift ka darwaza ek patle corridor pe khula, jisme peela bulb jaltay jaltay bujh gaya. Ravi ne kadam rakha. Badiya-asambhav si shanti thi. Deewar pe purane naam likhe the chalk se… “Raju 2003”, “Nandita 1999”, “Help me 2012”. Ek kone mein ek stool rakha tha — aur us par dhool se bhara ek aadmi ka nakli mask pada tha, jisme aankhon ke jagah ched nahi the.
Ravi peeche mud gaya, lekin lift band ho chuki thi. Darwaza ab kuch aur hi tha — lakdi ka, ghaas se bhara hua, aur thoda sa dar crack lag raha tha. Pehle wala steel lift door gayab ho chuka tha. Aur phir usne suna — ek khurachnee ki awaaz, jaisi deewar ke andar kuch ghus raha ho…
Kisi tarah woh wapas bhaaga, corridor se door tak gaya, magar har modh pe wahi stool, wahi mask… sab repeat ho raha tha. Jaise maze mein ghoom raha ho. 15 minute baad jab finally lift ka asli darwaza mila, -1 button blink kar raha tha. Jab wapas fifth floor aaya, toh samay 2 ghante aage chala gaya tha.
Raat mein Ravi ne uss floor ka Google pe kuch search kiya. Shabnam Apartment ke history mein mention tha ek illegal basement floor jo emergency pandemic ward ke liye banwaya gaya tha 1998 mein — lekin ek gas leak mein pura basement bund ho gaya. 5 log mare the… unki bodies kabhi nahi mili.
Agli din se jab bhi Ravi lift mein jata, -1 ka button blink karta rehta. Ek din jab neighbour ki 9 saal ki beti lift mein chadh rahi thi, Ravi momentarily -1 button dab gaya — by accident.
Lift wapas nahi aayi.
Bachchi agle din third floor ke ek ghar ke bathroom mein mili — aankhen nahi thi. Sirf ek note tha: “You showed her the button.”
Ab Ravi ghar nahi jaata. Office mein hi sota hai. Par jab bhi aankh band karta hai, woh corridor, woh mask, woh awaaz… har baar ek kadam aur kareeb hota hai.
Aur har subah… uske phone pe ek photo milti hai.
Lift ke andar ki.
Jo usse phone se li gayi hoti hai. Par usne to phone kab ka band kar diya tha.
