Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

The Manager nodded. “The job will be bigger than you can handle. If
you’re going to see to the Husks, then you’ll need another Reaper to assist
you. Wallace already understands how it works. Everyone knows it’s
cheaper to keep the employees you have rather than hiring someone new.
Wallace, hold out your hand.”
Wallace looked at Hugo, who nodded. He held out his hand.
“Mei,” the Manager said. “You know what to do.”
“Damn right,” Mei said. “Wallace, watch me, okay?” She lifted her own
hand, fingers flexing. She brought up her other hand and tapped a familiar
pattern into her palm. A light pulsed briefly in her hand.
Wallace let go of Hugo, though he was loath to do so. He tapped the same
pattern onto his own hand.
At first nothing happened.
He frowned. “Maybe I did it wr—”
The room shuddered and shook. His skin vibrated. Gooseflesh prickled
along the back of his neck. His hands trembled. The air around him expanded
as if it lay on the surface of a soap bubble. The bubble popped.
Wallace looked up.
The colors of the fourth floor were sharper. He could see the grains in the
walls, the finite cracks in the floor. He reached for Hugo, and his hand went
right through him. He panicked until the Manager said, “You can change back,
like Mei. Repeat the pattern, and you’ll be amongst the living once more. It’s
part of being a Reaper. This will allow you to interact with those who’ve
passed.” He made a face. “With the Husks, unfortunate creatures that they
are.”
Apollo approached him slowly, nostrils flaring. He craned his neck until
his snout pressed against Wallace’s hand. His tail started wagging furiously
as he licked Wallace’s fingers.
“Yes,” Wallace said with a grimace. “I’m happy to feel you too.”
And then Nelson was on him, hugging him almost as hard as his grandson
had. “I knew it,” Nelson whispered. “I knew we’d find a way.”
Wallace hugged him back. “Did you?”
Nelson scoffed as he pulled away. “Of course I did. I never doubted it,
even for a second.”
“Switch back,” the Manager said.