Iamakash
Akash Parida에 의해Raat ke 1 baje the. Highway ke dono taraf sirf andhera tha, aur beech me ek purani white Scorpio dhire-dhire crawl kar rahi thi. Steering par tha Raghav, aur uske paas seat pe uska chhota bhai Aman.
“Bhai, police report kar dete, yeh sab galat ho raha hai,” Aman ne dheere se bola.
Raghav ne ek lambe saans ke saath kaha, “Ab late ho gaya, Aman… ab sirf ek kaam bacha hai — evidence mita dena.”
Gadi ke peeche ek iron trunk rakha tha — band, lekin andar se kuch halki si thap-thap ki awaaz aa rahi thi. Aman ka gala sookh gaya.
“Bhai… uske andar—”
“Chup,” Raghav ne brakes dabate hue kaha, “yahaan se raste mudte hain. Forest patch aata hai — perfect jagah hai sab dafnane ke liye.”
Aman ka dil zor-zor se dhadak raha tha. Har baar jab wo peeche dekhta, trunk halki si move karta.
Gadi ruk gayi. Dono bhai headlights off kar ke jungle ke beech ghus gaye. Thand aur sannata itna gehra tha ki saans ki awaaz bhi dar lag rahi thi.
Raghav ne spade uthayi aur mitti khodna shuru kiya. Aman ne torch uthayi — uski roshni trunk par padi. Ab wo clearly move kar raha tha.
“Bhai… agar wo zinda hai to?”
Raghav thoda muskuraaya — “To ab zyada der nahi rahega.”
Aman ke haath kaanp rahe the. Usne trunk kholne ki himmat ki.
Andar ek aadmi tha — muh band, aankhein khuli, lekin zinda.
Aman peeche hatt gaya — “Yeh toh inspector Mehta hai!”
Raghav ke chehre par koi expression nahi tha.
“Wahi aadmi jisse tum phone pe mil rahe the na, Aman?”
Aman ka dil ruk gaya. “Bhai, main… main toh bas—”
“Bas? Mujhe dhoka dene wale the?”
Raghav ne pistol nikali. Jungle me hawa bhi rukh gayi.
“Main sab jaanta hoon, Aman. Tune Mehta ko bola tha mujhe surrender karwaane. Lekin ab sirf ek body dafn hogi — aur wo inspector ki nahi.”
Aman peeche hatega hi tha ki Mehta achanak trunk se nikla — uske haath azad the!
Ek bullet chali. Phir doosri.
Sab kuch ek second me khatam ho gaya.
Jungle me sirf ek aadmi zinda bacha tha — inspector Mehta.
Usne flashlight uthayi, aur Raghav ki body ke paas se Aman ka ID card nikala.
Camera zoom out hota hai — aur pata chalta hai, zinda Aman nahi, Raghav hai.
Inspector Mehta ne muskuraya —
“Perfect. Dual identity ka case close. Tum dono ek hi aadmi the, Raghav — split personality ke saath.”
Raghav hawa me dekhte hue chup ho gaya. Uske chehre pe ek ajeeb sukoon tha.
Headlights dobara jalti hain, aur Scorpio wapas highway pe nikal padti hai —
ek seat khaali, ek seat par Aman ka bhool gaya chehra.
