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Neha Bansal ne Gurgaon ke ek high-rise tech park mein apni nayi naukri join ki. Recruitment firm ke is 14th floor office mein sab kuch smooth tha — modern setup, supportive colleagues aur ek breathtaking view of the city skyline. Par ek cheez ne turant uska dhyaan khinch liya.
Building mein teen lifts thi. Par ek lift, corner wali, kabhi basement tak nahi jaati thi — bas ground floor tak rukti thi aur uske niche ke kisi bhi button pe dabaane par blink karti rehti thi, jaise keh rahi ho ‘allowed nahi’. Receptionist se puchha, usne casually bola, “Ignore karo. Woh basement use nahi hota years se. Archive room tha… lockdown ke baad bandh ho gaya.”
Par Neha ko ajeeb laga. Har din, jab woh subah office aati ya shaam ko nikalti, woh lift hamesha chalti dikhai deti thi. Darwaza khulta toh andar andhera hota — koi nahi, na light. Ek din, shaam ko late ho gaya tha. 10:30 baje tak woh ek report finish kar rahi thi. Tabhi head ka WhatsApp message aaya — “Kal se naye intern aa rahe hain, basement storage se onboarding packets le aana.”
Neha hansi, “Woh basement jo use hi nahi hota?” Reply aaya, “Use karta hun jab zarurat ho. Key card drawer mein hai.”
Neha ne key card uthayi, lift ke paas aayi. Corner lift ke button par basement (B) ka option abhi bhi blink karta tha. Card swipe kiya… aur first time basement ka button dab jaata hai. Lift neeche jaati hai — aur ek ajeeb se vibration feel hoti hai, jaise lift sirf neeche nahi ja rahi thi, balki kuch aur dimension mein ja rahi thi.
Basement door khulta hai. Aage ek lambe corridor ka dull white lighting mein scene tha. Purani metal racks dust se bhar chuki thi. Ek side mein ek glass window tha — jisme agar dekho toh apna reflection nahi dikhai deta tha. Uske beech mein ek purani painting latki hui thi — ek aadmi jiska chehra jala hua tha, lekin aankhen bilkul zinda lag rahi thi.
Woh onboarding packets dhoondhne lagi. Par har doosra step lene pe lights blink karti thi, aur peeche se lagta, koi uske kadam se kadam milata aa raha hai. Turning back, there was nobody. Par painting ka chehra ab thoda zyada turned lag raha tha. Jaise usne pehli baar Neha ko notice kiya ho.
Ek box mil gaya. Neha ne mobile nikala ek photo lene ke liye, taaki HR group mein bhej sake. Par photo mein… ek aadmi dikh raha tha, uske peeche. Burnt face. Red tie. Covered in ash. September 13, 2017 — box pe likha tha. Us din ka naam suna suna lagta tha.
Lift ke buzzer ne disturb kiya. Wapis jaane lagi, par ab corridor badla hua lag raha tha. Jaise racks ghisak ke jagah badal chuki thi. Aur wo glass window mein ab uska reflection tha hi nahi. Balki uss burnt aadmi ka reflection dikh raha tha — aur usne aankh maar di.
Lift door automatically khul gaya. Neha bhagi andar. Button dabaya ‘G’. Lift chali, par display pe kuch aur hi likha tha — “B3”.
Par building mein toh sirf ek basement tha?
Lift ruki. Darwaza khula. Samne wahi office floor — wahi desks, lekin sab kuch upside down tha. Ceiling per chairs latak rahi thi. Log bina chehre ke chal rahe the. Neha cheekhi, par koi aawaz nahi nikli. Uske phone ki screen flicker karne lagi, aur usme sirf ek line likhi thi —
“Tum September 13, 2017 tak wapas le jaayi gayi ho.”
Tab usse yaad aaya. Usne kabhi ek unofficial article padha tha — us company ka ek recruiter, Sameer Kaul, ne khud ko archive room mein jala diya tha jab uski file galti se delete ho gayi thi. System mein uski identity erase ho gayi thi. Koi record nahi, koi photo nahi… koi yaad nahi.
Ab Neha ka naam bhi HR database se gayab ho chuka tha. Kal subah, naye intern onboarding ke liye basement jaayenge… aur elevator fir se ‘B’ button blink karega — kisi aur ke liye, jo naye aaye hain… aur bhool chuke hain ki “jitni floors dikhti hain, utni hoti nahi.”
