Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune
believe in. That’s your faith. That’s your order.”“What would you have me do?” she demanded. She leaned on the railingnext to him. “We can’t stop death. No one can. It’s not something to beconquered. Everyone dies, Wallace. You. Nelson. Alan. Me. Hugo. All of us.Nothing lasts forever.”“Bullshit,” Wallace snapped, suddenly enraged. “The Manager could havestopped it if he wanted to. He could have told you what was going to happento Alan. He could have warned you, and you could have—”“Never,” Mei said, sounding shocked. “We don’t interfere with death. Wecan’t.”“Why not?”“Because it’s always there. No matter what you do, no matter what kindof life you live, good or bad or somewhere in between, it’s always going tobe waiting for you. From the moment you’re born, you’re dying.”He sighed tiredly. “You have to know how bleak that sounds.”“I do,” she said. “Because it’s the truth. Would you rather have me lie toyou?”“No. I just … what’s the point, then? To all of this? To any of it? If nothingwe do matters, then why should we try at all?” He was spiraling, he knew.Rattled and spiraling. His skin was like ice, and it had nothing to do with theair around him. He clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering.“Because it’s your life,” Nelson said, coming to the other side of him. “Itis what you make of it. No, it’s not always fair. No, it’s not always good. Itburns and tears, and there are times when it crushes you beyond recognition.Some people fight against it. Others … can’t, though I don’t think they can beblamed for that. Giving up is easy. Picking yourself up isn’t. But we have tobelieve if we do, we can take another step. We can—”“Move on?” Wallace retorted. “Because you haven’t. You’re still here, sodon’t you try to spin the same bullshit. You can say all you want, but you’re ahypocrite with the best of them.”“And that’s the difference between you and me,” Nelson said. “Because Inever claimed not to be.”Wallace deflated. “Dammit,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’msorry. You didn’t deserve it. Neither of you do. I…” He looked at Mei. “I’mproud of you. I’ve never said that before, and that’s on me, but I am. I can’timagine doing what you do, the toll it must take on you. And dealing with
people like him.” He swallowed thickly. “Like me…” He shook his head. “Ineed a moment, okay?”He left them behind, thoughts swirling in a massive storm.He walked up and down the rows of the garden, letting his fingers passgently over the tops of the plants, careful to avoid the delicate leaves. Hestared beyond, into the forest. He wondered how far he could get before hisskin began to flake. What would it feel like to give in? To let himself driftaway? It should have scared him more than it did. From what he’d seen, itwas empty and dark, a hollow husk of a life once lived.And yet he still thought about it. Thought about finding a way to rip thehook from his chest, and rising, rising, rising up through the clouds into thestars. Or running, running until he could run no longer. It was fleeting, this,because if he did just that, he could become lost, turning into the one thingHugo feared most. A Husk. What would that do to him, seeing Wallace deadeyedand vacant? The guilt would consume him, and Wallace couldn’t dothat. Not now. Not ever.Hugo was important. Not because he was a ferryman, but because he wasHugo.Wallace started to turn back toward the deck, another apology on the tip ofhis tongue. He froze when he heard a sigh, a long, breathy sound like windthrough dead leaves. The shadows around him grew thicker as if sentient, thestars fading until there was only black.Movement, off to his right.Wallace looked over, spine turning into a block of ice.Cameron stood among the tea plants. Only a few feet away. Dressed ashe’d been before. Dirty pants. Scuffed sneakers. Shirtless, his skin sickly andgray. Mouth open, tongue thick, teeth black.Wallace didn’t have time to react, didn’t have time to make a sound.Cameron rushed forward, hands outstretched like claws. He grabbedWallace’s arm, and everything that made Wallace who he was whited out asfingers dug in, the skin leathery and cold.Wallace whispered, “No, please, no,” as Mei screamed for Hugo.Cameron leaned forward, face inches from Wallace’s, his eyes pools ofinky black. He bared his teeth, a low growl crawling from his throat.The dark colors of the world at night began to bleed around Wallace,melting like wax. He thought about pulling away, but it was a distant, almost
- Page 149 and 150: “I mean, there’s always a plea
- Page 151 and 152: came here looking more alive than s
- Page 153 and 154: Nothing.“All the time you—would
- Page 155 and 156: Desdemona gasped, pulling her hands
- Page 157 and 158: “A,” Desdemona said as the plan
- Page 159 and 160: followers, and I command you to—
- Page 161 and 162: CHAPTER12That night, Wallace follow
- Page 163 and 164: “Then why didn’t you put a stop
- Page 165 and 166: “It’s not always like this,”
- Page 167 and 168: Wallace closed his eyes. Nancy was
- Page 169 and 170: “A guardian of the doors,” Hugo
- Page 171 and 172: “What does that mean?”“I can
- Page 173 and 174: green door at the end. He walked th
- Page 175 and 176: window looked out into a familiar k
- Page 177 and 178: CHAPTER13At the beginning of his tw
- Page 179 and 180: Hugo shrugged. It was infuriating.
- Page 181 and 182: everything I’m saying right now?
- Page 183 and 184: The tea shop was busy all day. Sinc
- Page 185 and 186: “What will it take?” Wallace as
- Page 187 and 188: Watch.”Wallace stood next to him
- Page 189 and 190: some … some let it become all the
- Page 191 and 192: “Obviously,” Nelson said. He re
- Page 193 and 194: Wallace bit back a retort. They wer
- Page 195 and 196: but my legs didn’t work. My arms
- Page 197 and 198: “Yes,” Hugo said.“I was murde
- Page 199: behind clouds. The tea plants looke
- Page 203 and 204: him and he waited, waited, waited f
- Page 205 and 206: CHAPTER15Alan tried to leave.He did
- Page 207 and 208: we’re all traveling on.”Alan sh
- Page 209 and 210: we can do it after—”“Oh, hey,
- Page 211 and 212: come. “Any specific reason?”“
- Page 213 and 214: Wallace blinked. “Oh, uh. Practic
- Page 215 and 216: “How did it go?”Hugo started to
- Page 217 and 218: CHAPTER16“Are you sure about this
- Page 219 and 220: down at his tea, muttering under hi
- Page 221 and 222: “Yes,” Wallace said. “And whe
- Page 223 and 224: The tables jumped again as Alan too
- Page 225 and 226: He hated how much he focused on it,
- Page 227 and 228: “He does,” Hugo said. He looked
- Page 229 and 230: “Or I know my limits,” Wallace
- Page 231 and 232: age. He was coldly handsome, though
- Page 233 and 234: were here in February. Speaking of,
- Page 235 and 236: him. He turned to see Alan stepping
- Page 237 and 238: Alan rose slowly to his feet, point
- Page 239 and 240: CHAPTER17It was bigger than any sta
- Page 241 and 242: The boy nodded at Wallace before lo
- Page 243 and 244: instead of solid. “In fact, an ar
- Page 245 and 246: full well he wasn’t in his right
- Page 247 and 248: dies. Death is cleansing. The pain
- Page 249 and 250: Sure, the bureaucracy of it all can
believe in. That’s your faith. That’s your order.”
“What would you have me do?” she demanded. She leaned on the railing
next to him. “We can’t stop death. No one can. It’s not something to be
conquered. Everyone dies, Wallace. You. Nelson. Alan. Me. Hugo. All of us.
Nothing lasts forever.”
“Bullshit,” Wallace snapped, suddenly enraged. “The Manager could have
stopped it if he wanted to. He could have told you what was going to happen
to Alan. He could have warned you, and you could have—”
“Never,” Mei said, sounding shocked. “We don’t interfere with death. We
can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s always there. No matter what you do, no matter what kind
of life you live, good or bad or somewhere in between, it’s always going to
be waiting for you. From the moment you’re born, you’re dying.”
He sighed tiredly. “You have to know how bleak that sounds.”
“I do,” she said. “Because it’s the truth. Would you rather have me lie to
you?”
“No. I just … what’s the point, then? To all of this? To any of it? If nothing
we do matters, then why should we try at all?” He was spiraling, he knew.
Rattled and spiraling. His skin was like ice, and it had nothing to do with the
air around him. He clenched his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering.
“Because it’s your life,” Nelson said, coming to the other side of him. “It
is what you make of it. No, it’s not always fair. No, it’s not always good. It
burns and tears, and there are times when it crushes you beyond recognition.
Some people fight against it. Others … can’t, though I don’t think they can be
blamed for that. Giving up is easy. Picking yourself up isn’t. But we have to
believe if we do, we can take another step. We can—”
“Move on?” Wallace retorted. “Because you haven’t. You’re still here, so
don’t you try to spin the same bullshit. You can say all you want, but you’re a
hypocrite with the best of them.”
“And that’s the difference between you and me,” Nelson said. “Because I
never claimed not to be.”
Wallace deflated. “Dammit,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m
sorry. You didn’t deserve it. Neither of you do. I…” He looked at Mei. “I’m
proud of you. I’ve never said that before, and that’s on me, but I am. I can’t
imagine doing what you do, the toll it must take on you. And dealing with
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