Chapter 40 – Death Knocks (Part 3)
Ten minutes later.
The three of them arrived in front of a house.
"Do you sense anything?" Gideon Black asked, watching Alex closely.
Alex lifted his head at the question. Flashes of imagery darted through his mind, and his expression grew grim.
Seeing the look on Alex's face, Gideon understood instantly.
To him, the roof of Tod's house was shrouded in a dark haze.
From the windows seeped tendrils of black matter—withered, ominous, and dangerous.
It was the stench of death.
Beside him, Alex bolted to the door.
Bang! Bang!
He pounded on it hard.
"Tod! Mr. Jerry!"
But inside the house, Tod's father, Jerry Waggner, was sprawled on the sofa, snoring away, oblivious to the knocking.
Gideon handed the sacred relic to Emma, instructing her to place it nearby, while he scanned the surroundings.
"Judging from the wear on the house, it shouldn't collapse anytime soon."
"The lawnmower's plug is still in? Careless."
"These gardening tools… best throw them farther away."
Once he had eliminated the external hazards, the front door finally opened.
"Alex? What are you doing here at this hour?"
Jerry Waggner rubbed his face and glanced at his watch.
"It's the middle of the night."
"Mr. Waggner, is Tod home? He might be in danger!" Alex's voice was tight with urgency.
Jerry frowned, his gaze shifting to the man behind Alex. Suspicion flickered in his eyes.
"He's already asleep. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Alex quickly relayed Gideon's deduction.
But Jerry's face darkened.
"Alex! I've already lost one son today—don't joke about things like this!"
"And you!" He jabbed a finger at Gideon.
"Whatever nonsense you've been feeding this kid, stop it now, or I'm calling the police!"
He moved to shut the door.
But Gideon blocked it, meeting Jerry's gaze head-on.
"Mr. Waggner, I know this sounds far-fetched. But… are you really willing to gamble on the 'what if'?"
"If Tod is fine, you'll just have lost some sleep. But if something does happen… are you ready to lose two sons in a single day?"
Gideon's eyes bore into him.
Jerry swallowed.
For a moment, clarity seemed to break through the fog in his mind.
"…Why am I so resistant to this?" he muttered, a trace of confusion flashing across his eyes.
Gideon narrowed his own eyes—he could see faint black wisps curling off the man's body.
"…Alright. I'll get Tod."
Jerry called out several times into the house, but there was no answer. Instead, Tod's mother, Linda Waggner, was roused by the noise.
This was odd. Tod was usually a light sleeper.
Alex didn't wait any longer—he darted past Jerry and rushed into the house.
Gideon made no move to stop him.
In American horror logic, situations like this were when rescuers were most likely to end up in a body bag.
But from what he remembered of the original events, death always followed the strict order.
If it wasn't your turn, you couldn't even manage to kill yourself.
In other words—"When Death calls for you at midnight, you won't live to see the morning."
The Waggners quickly followed Alex inside.
Gideon trailed behind, taking the time to eliminate any hazards he spotted along the way before carefully heading upstairs.
Inside the Bathroom
When Alex rushed in, Tod was already on the brink of death in the bathtub.
A clothesline had looped around his neck, his face turning a deathly shade of blue. At his feet lay a spilled bottle of shampoo, the soapy water making the tub dangerously slick. Tod's legs flailed helplessly—he couldn't get any traction to lift himself up.
Alex grabbed him and hauled him upright, and Tod finally managed to gasp for breath.
"Oh my God!"
Mrs. Linda Waggner let out a terrified cry and ran to the tub, fumbling to free her son from the rope. Jerry stood frozen in place, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
The priest was telling the truth...
The thought slammed into him, and he remembered how he'd tried to drive them away just minutes earlier. If not for the priest's warning, he would have lost his only remaining son.
Cold sweat broke out across Jerry's back as dread washed over him.
Just then, Gideon arrived at the bathroom—and immediately sensed something was wrong.
The floor, the window frame, beneath the toilet… traces of black substance clung everywhere.
"Looks like a leaking toilet pipe caused the floor to get slick, making Tod slip and get tangled in the clothesline, falling into the tub…"
Using Ethereal Sight, Gideon quickly reconstructed the chain of events.
"But…"
The floor was bone dry, and the pipes showed no sign of leakage. His brow furrowed. This had to be Death covering its tracks.
Cunning…
He silently resolved to keep his guard up—at maximum.
Calling Emma over, he handed her a vial of holy water and directed her where to pour it.
The moment the liquid touched the black residue, it sizzled faintly before vanishing, purified.
"So it works… and no backlash against the user."
Seeing Emma unharmed, Gideon finally relaxed a fraction.
After helping Tod out of the tub, Jerry approached, looking awkward, unsure how to begin.
Finally, he took a deep breath.
"Father… I'm sorry. I misjudged you earlier. If you hadn't warned me… I don't even want to think about it."
Gideon waved it off. Jerry had likely been influenced by the black substance; it wasn't worth holding against him.
Now that Tod was safe, there should be a brief window before the next target's turn came.
Which meant…
He signaled Alex, and the two set off for Ms. Lewton's house. Jerry even lent them his car.
---
A Few Minutes Later
They knocked on Lewton's door, and she appeared quickly. Her hair was messy, and faint tear tracks lined her face—still raw from the pain of the plane crash tragedy.
Alex explained why they'd come.
Her brows drew together in fear. Then she spotted the priest behind him—and her expression morphed into outright terror.
Without another word, she turned and shut the door.
"Please… just go. Don't come here again," she said through the wood, her voice breaking.
After the night she'd had, this was too much to bear.
Gideon patted Alex's shoulder, gesturing for him to let him handle it. There had been no black residue outside her house—meaning Death hadn't made its move yet.
Using Psychological Counseling, he soothed her panic until she finally opened the door again.
Handing the holy relic to Emma, he conducted his usual hazard sweep before stepping inside. If the danger hadn't begun, they had time to prepare.
"Knife block right at the edge of the counter—too easy to knock over."
"High-proof alcohol… dangerously flammable."
"Computer's plugged in—better unplug that."
He moved swiftly through the house, picking up sharp objects, unplugging appliances, and planting relics near anything fixed in place.
Lewton could only watch in bafflement, not understanding this priest's methods.
Emma leaned against the wall, silently reevaluating. She raised the difficulty of killing Gideon in her mind by several notches—and swore that when she mastered exorcism, her plan against him would leave no room for error.
After some time, Gideon finished the preparations. He signaled Alex, and they left, ready to wait for the "accident" to arrive.
Across the street, the three of them crouched in the bushes.
Time dragged on, and nothing happened.
Emma's irritation grew—this was not dignified behavior for a lady.
And the mosquitoes!
Scratching at her arm, she bit back a groan. She was about ready to lose it.
Reaching out, she tugged on Gideon's black robe, hinting for him to shield her.
The infuriating priest didn't move—only pressed a finger to his lips, urging silence.
Just as Emma was about to stand up, a hand yanked her back down.
Gideon's face had gone deadly serious.
In his vision, thick black tendrils of substance were beginning to seep from the roof of Lewton's house.