Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

CHAPTER
3
Wallace was screaming when they landed on a paved road in the middle of a
forest. The air was cold, but even as he continued to yell, no breath cloud
formed in front of him. It didn’t make sense. How could he be cold when he
was dead? Was he actually breathing, or … No. No. Focus. Focus on the
here. Focus on the now. One thing at a time.
“Are you done?” Mei asked him.
He realized he was still screaming. He snapped his mouth closed, pain
bright as he bit into his tongue. Which, of course, set him off again, because
how the hell could he feel pain?
“No,” he muttered, backing away from Mei, thoughts jumbled in an
infinite knot. “You can’t just—”
And then he was hit by a car.
Wait.
He should have been hit by a car. The car approached, the headlights
bright. He managed to bring up his hands in time to block his face, only to
have the car go through him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the driver’s
face pass inches from his own. He didn’t feel any of it.
The car continued down the road, the taillights flashing once before it
rounded a corner and disappeared entirely.
He was frozen, hands extended in front of him, one leg raised, thigh
pressed against his stomach.
Mei laughed loudly. “Oh, man. You should see the look on your face. Oh
my god, it’s awesome.”
He gradually lowered his leg, half-convinced he’d fall right through the
ground. He didn’t. It was solid beneath his feet. He couldn’t stop shaking.
“How. What. Why. What. What?”