The coughing began once Neera was behind closed doors, and it intensified, sending her to the ground. It started at night a few days ago, and it was getting worse, odd since the worst of the cold rainy days were behind them. She heaved in a lungful of air, steadying herself, and trying to recall the nightmares that had plagued her in her sleep.
She had been seeing him, the cloaked figure, and he had been simply standing, waiting, and she could always hear the wails that followed him, the pain and agony in them lurking in the darkness behind him. He seemed to want to taunt her, scare her, but he never said anything or did anything.
She didn't know if it coincided with the coughs, but it started around the same time, and no medicine seemed to work.
