The Green land

<p>Not the dry fake cough she used to skip school but a real one-sharp stubborn buried deep in her chest like something had taken root overnight. He rolled off the tattered sofa bed the springs groaning beneath him like old bones and planted his feet on the cold cracked linoleum floor. A shiver gripped his legs instantly. The heater hadn't worked in weeks and the wind outside howled like a wounded animal clawing at the building with icy fingers rattling loose boards like it was searching for a way in.</p><p></p>