Later

Adult Jamie considers a question he never asked himself at the time: Why did the demon attach itself to him? He thinks it was simply because he was different. He also thinks that at this point, the Ritual of Chüd had already begun.

Young Jamie is still afraid of Therriault, but is almost ready to turn the tables. One day, he is on his way downstairs, preoccupied with thoughts of a touch football game and a girl he likes. He looks up and sees Therriault grinning at him in an enclosed hallway. Adult Jamie remembers thinking of something Professor Burkett told him—that there are many ways of initiating a ritual contest, and that the details don’t truly matter. The important thing is to grab hold of the demon and hold on.

Young Jamie throws himself at Therriault. He feels the world vibrate, shaking his teeth and eyeballs. He also feel something inside Therriault, something terrible that screams at him to let go. The overhead lights shake, and the walls seem to crawl. Unable to get away, Therriault wraps his arms around Jamie, making it hard to breathe, and tells Jamie that if he lets go, he’ll also let go—but Jamie refuses. As the contest continues, Jamie is able to see a hideous light inside Therriault, something truly alien.

After a timeless struggle, the deadlight promises that if Jamie lets go, it will never return—but Professor Burkett warned Jamie to never bargain with a demon. Therriault fades, which means the deadlight is losing its grip on the world. The deadlight finally asks Jamie what he wants. Jamie orders the deadlight to stop haunting him, and to answer his call should he need it in the future (this order being derived from an old song, “Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad”). The demon resists, but eventually submits. Jamie releases it, and it flees.

Jamie realizes that holding the deadlight made it weaker, but letting it go has made it stronger than ever. He knows this strength must’ve come from him, but he doesn’t feel any weaker. In fact, he feels invigorated in a way he’s never felt before.

Returning home after a touch football game, Jamie finds the building elevator out of order; a power surge blew out every circuit breaker in the building. Jamie realizes the power surge must have been caused by his encounter with the deadlight.

At home, Jamie asks Tia if he’s old enough for a girlfriend. She laughs and tells him “no”—that he can have a girlfriend when he’s 25. Jamie toys with the idea that when he’s 25, he might call on the deadlight to do something ridiculous.

The next day, Tia proposes a visit to Professor Burkett’s home to fetch the casserole dish they left with him. When Jamie and Tia enter, the professor gives Jamie a questioning look, and the boy responds with a nod, signifying that he did the ritual. While Tia is in the kitchen washing the casserole dish, the professor asks Jamie what happened. Jamie describes the encounter, including the fact that the deadlight must answer his call.

Jamie realizes that in spite of everything, Professor Burkett still doesn’t fully believe him. Adult Jamie understands this, as the professor’s instinct is to rationalize the irrational. As Jamie and Tia leave, Tia mentions the power outage that affected only their building. In a replay of their earlier exchange, Professor Burkett gives Jamie a questioning look, and Jamie answers with a nod.

That night, Jamie receives an email from Professor Burkett. After doing more research, the professor now fully believes Jamie. He warns Jamie to never become complacent in his power over the deadlight. He advises Jamie to leave the demon alone, and adds that he would like to hear the whole story sometime. Jamie writes back, and they agree to meet on Wednesday. However, they never do, because Professor Burkett dies beforehand.

On Tuesday, Jamie receives a message from Professor Burkett, saying he has to fly to Florida to say goodbye to a dying friend, adding that all his appointments will have to be rescheduled after his return.

Professor Burkett has a heart attack on the plane. Tia makes arrangements for his funeral, and is outraged that his daughter in Seattle doesn’t plan to attend. The professor doesn’t attend his own funeral, but Jamie sees him at the cemetery and gives him a wave.

After returning from the funeral, Jamie plans to see Professor Burkett again. Before he leaves, Tia asks if Professor Burkett was present at the funeral and how he looked. Jamie tells her that the professor was at the cemetery, wearing his brown suit.

Jamie walks to Professor Burkett’s building. He sees Professor Burkett sitting on the steps and sits beside him. The professor’s voice is fading, and Jamie asks if dying hurt. The professor replies that it did, but it was over quickly. Jamie then asks if there’s anything he can do for him. Professor Burkett replies that the only thing he wants is for Jamie to never summon the deadlight. According to his research, the deadlight is a walk-in, an alien entity that can destroy the soul.

Jamie promises to never summon the deadlight, and asks how the entity possessed Therriault in the first place—but Professor Burkett doesn’t know. Before they part forever, Jamie asks why the professor’s daughter never visits.