The Notebook: Minori

The Mad Ventriloquist thought a lot about his last conversation with David, and about the slender man, and all the deaths and crazy people he had been looking at. He sort of wondered how he had gotten into such a huge mess. But he went to the apartment anyway, if only to tell Minori not to go.

She was in the parking lot already when he arrived, wearing baggy pants to cover up the fact that her leg still wasn't perfect. She waved to The Mad Ventriloquist. He felt very guilty for a minute. It felt wrong, for some reason. It felt horrible.

He told her about the deal with David, and why they couldn't go into the apartment. She got really mad at him. The Mad Ventriloquist should have expected that. He tried to talk to her, tried to tell her how they would be safe, how nothing could bother them, how he didn't want her to die.

"So, you expect me to just let him continue? He killed my sister Ronan. I'm not the kind of person who becomes best friends with the person who slaughters my family." She said, then realized it was kind of a low blow and softened a bit. Just a bit though. "Why did you even think I would agree to this?" she asked.

"Because you're a survivor." I said, "Like David and me. You'll keep going, no matter what the cost. We're really not that different, Minori." Minori laughed. It was a bitter laugh, though. Not the actually happy kind. "I get that so much." she said, "How much I'm like you. Have you ever thought for one minute that maybe you're like me?"

The Mad Ventriloquist stopped. He wasn't sure how to answer that. Minori was strong, and brave, and full of unshakeable morals. The Mad Ventriloquist was nothing like that. But there was always that hope there. That thought that he could do something. That he didn't have to be the bad guy. That's when he realized that he didn't want to be the bad guy. It was a really weird moment.

"You need to stop believing in David so much. He's a monster." Minori began, and didn't even let The Mad Ventriloquist interrupt  "He brings you down. I know you like him, but you have to look at what he does to you. It's sick." The Mad Ventriloquist yelled at her for a few minutes about that and she yelled back and there was lots of yelling and it lasted a long time because neither one really wanted it to end.

"I'm going in there, I have to." Minori said finally. She knew they couldn't stay and yell at each other forever. The Mad Ventriloquist tried to stop her. He believed David when he said she wouldn't come out. The Mad Ventriloquist didn't want Minori to die.

"Just don't forget me, ok?" she asked.

"Don't talk like we'll never see each other again." The Mad Ventriloquist answered. She shook her head and laughed. "Even if I get out of here, we'll be on different sides won't we?"

He hugged her, one last time. Then he waited outside for her. He waited for several hours, just knowing that she was going to come back. Six hours later, she did.

Except her face was blank. Her eyes were empty. She walked right past The Mad Ventriloquist, didn't seem to recognize anything.

She was gone.