Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

“I can move chairs. I can break light bulbs. And I wasn’t half as angry as
he is. You really want to take that chance?”
She sighed. “Hugo knows what he’s doing. He won’t let that happen.”
Hugo stood behind the counter, a forced smile on his face. He greeted
each customer as if they were a long-lost friend, but there was something off
about it, though most didn’t seem to notice. At best, the gaggle of elderly
women told him that he needed to take better care of himself. “Get some
rest,” they scolded him. “You look exhausted.”
“I will,” Hugo said, glancing at Alan who tried to overturn a table with no
success.
It wasn’t until Alan started toward Nelson that Wallace went out into the
tea shop for the first time that morning.
“Hey,” he said. “Hey, Alan.”
Alan whirled around, eyes blazing. “What? What the hell do you want?”
He didn’t know. He’d only wanted to keep Alan away from Nelson. He
didn’t think Alan could hurt him, not really, but he didn’t want to take that
chance. Hugo started toward them, but Wallace shook his head, begging
silently for Hugo to stay back. He couldn’t stand the thought of Hugo putting
himself in harm’s way, not again.
Wallace turned back to Alan. “Knock it off.”
That startled Alan, some of his rage fading slightly. “What?”
“Knock it off,” Wallace repeated firmly. “I don’t know what you think
you’re doing, but is it really helping your situation?”
“What the hell do you know?” Alan started to turn away.
“I’m like you,” he said quickly, though it felt like a lie. “I’m dead, so I
know what I’m talking about.” He didn’t believe that for a moment, but if
Alan believed, then so be it.
Alan stopped and narrowed his eyes as he glanced back. “Then help me
do something about it. I don’t know what that was last night, but we can’t be
trapped here. I want to go home. I have a life. I have to—”
“You have two options. You can either stay right here, in this house. Or
you can let Hugo take you upstairs and go through the door.”
“Seems to me there’s a third option. Figure out how to get out of here.
Keep moving until I’m free of all of this.”
Wallace hesitated. Then, “No one here wants to hurt you. They never
have. That’s not what this is about. It’s a way station. A stop along the path