The early morning sunlight shines on Lin Xia's face through the gaps in the mottled curtains. She habitually reached for the cell phone on the bedside table, ready to turn off the alarm clock, but found silence in the room.
Usually at this time, there would always be the sound of bustling traffic outside the window, the shouts of the owner of the breakfast shop downstairs, and the sounds of children playing in the school not far away. But today, everything was eerily quiet. Lin Xia frowned, sat up, and opened the curtains.
