Looking at his little Mimi, Vincent Stone felt a pang of heartache.
Little Mimi was his first Pokémon. On his tenth birthday, he had asked his father, Joseph Stone, for a Mimikyu as his Pokémon.
Without hesitation, his father had gotten him a Mimikyu descended from a Totem Pokémon.
This level of Pokémon could be considered at least a 3V Pokémon, inherently stronger than its peers.
But for some reason, Little Mimi's voice was much hoarser and more unpleasant compared to a normal Mimikyu's.
If a normal Mimikyu's voice could be compared to that of a first-rate singer, his Little Mimi's voice sounded like someone who couldn't carry a tune even at karaoke.
This made Little Mimi dislike interacting with others, relying heavily on Vincent instead.
Having Little Mimi star in a horror movie was also for this reason. Vincent knew that Ghost-type Pokémon could gain satisfaction by frightening others, so he thought of letting Mimikyu take the lead in a film, hoping it might help change its somewhat shy nature.
Mimikyu deftly climbed onto Vincent's head, cautiously eyeing the unfamiliar people below.
They carried a very fragrant scent.
It made Mimikyu feel a little restless.
"What a thrilling story!" A balding man suddenly slammed the table, instantly drawing screams from everyone in the meeting room.
They had all been reading the script and had reached the later parts when, completely immersed, one of them abruptly pounded the table, nearly scaring them out of their wits.
What amused Vincent, however, was that one of the girls, after screaming, immediately covered her mouth. The others around her did the same, but none as quickly as her.
Vincent smirked. It seemed the portrayal of Mary Shaw was quite fitting.
In Dead Silence, Mary Shaw didn't appear too frequently, with most of her scenes concentrated in the latter half. The early parts focused more on the male lead and the doll as the main characters, with them providing most of the scares. Mary Shaw's appearance came much later.
"Don't be so nervous. Mary Shaw won't jump out of the script." Vincent shrugged, comforting his startled employees.
His confidence grew stronger. If even these professionals could be frightened by the written script, the final film would likely leave audiences too terrified to scream in theaters.
How much fear value could he harvest then?
That was something truly worth anticipating.
"Boss, about the script's ending, I noticed you seemed to have a second ending?" Jin couldn't help but ask. While reading the script, he had noticed traces of revisions near the ending, suggesting his new boss had intended to write more.
But ultimately, he had given up.
"Yes, there is a second ending." Vincent lifted Little Mimi off his head and gently rubbed its head.
Dead Silence was undoubtedly a well-known horror film in its original world, a classic by James Wan that no horror fan would miss. But in truth, the film had two versions.
Just like how some classic movies had multiple endings—such as I Am Legend, which had different conclusions, or Justice League, which had nearly two entirely different versions depending on the editing director—Dead Silence was the same.
"The version you've read now is the first ending. The male lead returns home, discovers his father is actually a puppet, and realizes his stepmother is Mary Shaw's perfect puppet. He lets out a final scream and dies." Vincent slowly stroked Little Mimi's head as it excitedly watched the people before it.
The scent on them was growing stronger.
But no one in the room spoke, partly because Vincent was the boss, and partly because they also wanted to hear what the second ending was.
"The second ending goes like this: the male lead returns home, finds his father is a puppet, and is knocked unconscious by his stepmother." Vincent continued.
In truth, the second ending of Dead Silence was more unique compared to the first.
The stepmother, after being slapped by the male lead's father and falling down the stairs, possibly suffered a miscarriage, which filled her with hatred for her husband. She then dug up the doll that had been sent away earlier and became possessed by Mary Shaw.
The stepmother held a peculiar affection for the male lead.
Not romantic love, but the longing of a childless mother who could no longer conceive, desperate to have a child. So she posed for a photo with her puppet husband, the male lead, and his deceased wife.
"...During the photo, the male lead is screaming, his wife's mouth stuffed with a cucumber. When the photo is developed, the male lead's expression has gone blank." Vincent went on.
"Finally, the stepmother tells the pale-faced male lead the story of Mary Shaw and how to deal with her. She then puts a finger to her lips, and the film ends." Vincent finished. The employees exchanged glances.
Compared to the first ending, this one seemed to lack some visceral impact.
But Jin had a different perspective.
"So, in the end, the male lead was also turned into a puppet like his father?" Jin couldn't help but ask.
"Correct." Vincent nodded. The second ending filled in some plot holes, making the conclusion more thought-provoking. Though the male lead appeared alive, he had actually become a human puppet like his father.
Jin nodded. That was what he had thought. If the male lead had survived, it would have diminished the eerie, lingering horror. But this version inevitably lacked the shock value of the stepmother being the puppet all along, with the male lead helplessly manipulated by Mary Shaw.
"Alright, now that you've read the script, do you have any suggestions for filming Dead Silence?" Vincent clapped his hands. A written script was just that—a script. Only when turned into a film would it truly deliver its terrifying potential.
Vincent also needed this movie to complete his initial mission and obtain his golden finger.
"For this film... Boss, what's your budget?" the balding man asked cautiously, rubbing his hands.
Vincent scratched his head. Though he loved watching movies, that didn't mean he had ever made one.
"Is the money in this card enough?" Vincent pulled out the bank card his father had given him.
(End of Chapter)