Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

Too thorough, if you ask me, but since no one did, that’s apparently neither
here nor there.”
Wallace felt his eyes bulge. “My what?”
The Manager threw the folder up into the air. It hung suspended briefly
before it winked out of existence. “Job interviews,” he said. “All this damn
paperwork, but death is a business, so I suppose it’s a necessity. Who would
have thought this would turn into an office job?” He shuddered. “No matter.
Congratulations, Wallace. You’re hired.” He grinned sharply. “On a
temporary basis, of course, one whose terms will be negotiated should this
move on to a more permanent position.”
“For what?”
The Manager reached up and plucked a flower from his hair, the vine
snapping. The petals were yellow and pink and orange. He held it out to
Wallace, palm toward the ceiling. The leaf on the crystal doorknob above
them fluttered as if caught in a breeze. The flower floated above his hand as
it bloomed brilliantly. “Having the Husks brought here will be a bigger job
than you think. The others will need the help. As per your résumé, you
certainly seem qualified, and though I would have preferred someone a little
less … you, a résumé such as this doesn’t lie. Open your mouth, Wallace.”
“What?” Wallace asked, rearing back. “Why?”
The Manager grumbled under his breath before saying, “Do it before I
change my mind. If you knew what I was risking here, you’d open your damn
mouth.”
Wallace opened his mouth.
The Manager puffed his cheeks, blowing a stream of air against the flower
above his palm. It grew bigger as it floated toward Wallace. The petals
brushed against his lips. They tickled his nose. They folded into his mouth,
pressing down on his tongue. They tasted sweet, like honey in tea. He gasped
and coughed as the flower filled his mouth. He bit down, trying to hold it
back to no avail. The flower slid down his throat.
He fell to the floor on his hands and knees, head bowed as he gagged.
He felt it the moment the flower hit his chest and bloomed.
It pulsed once.
Twice.
Three times.
Again and again and again.