Cody chose to check his phone first. Gently, he picked up his phone from his desk. The screen showed missed call notifications from Mary, three times. Mary was his aunt, the one who had taken care of him and his younger sibling since they were little. She had even stepped back from her responsibilities after Cody got a job and could take care of himself.

Fear immediately struck Cody. He dialed Mary's number, but there was no answer. He tried again, once, twice, until four times, yet still no response. Panic started to overwhelm him. "Why isn't she picking up?" Cody muttered anxiously.

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Cody tried to calm himself down. Maybe Mary was busy or asleep. However, negative thoughts started to creep in. "What if something happened to her? What if my sister is in trouble, and Mary can't help?" Cody kept imagining the worst-case scenarios.

After a while, Cody tried to focus on finding a more logical explanation. Perhaps her phone was off, or Mary was on her way somewhere. However, before he could find a satisfying answer, a loud thudding sound echoed outside his office door.