It would be a good long while before the occupants of the school had settled down. It was a long night of celebrating, especially on the monster girls' end. Their fathers would be incredibly proud of them, giving them the proper congratulations they so deserved. They also thanked their coaches, as well as the other humans for keeping them all company. Plenty of food was consumed, especially from a certain pair of beatnik foodies, and plenty of stories were shared between everyone. It would be hours before all of the fathers had to leave, allowing everyone else to go to bed as well.
Even though it had been a few hours since the carriage had left and everyone had gone off to bed, Sibella still laid restless in her coffin. As much as she hated to keep the whole conversation a secret from her friends, her (and by extension, her father's), explanation for their sudden, private meeting would be for him to make sure everything was going okay for her. Being slightly overprotective, he would naturally ask these sorts of questions, but that wouldn't be the main reason for their meeting, instead saving those for afterwards. Instead, he informed his daughter of the fact that one of his most prized, and powerful, possessions was missing from his personal library.
"I've already placed guards among every inch of the castle, both inside and out. Everyone is to keep an eye out in case they are to find it, or if whatever intruder who stole it comes back for something else," Dracula explained, looking quite grave, yet compose at the same time. Being the King of Monsters, he had to keep some air of professional regality to him, after all. "I have also sent out a few servants to go out and search the land for the book. If they are to find the book, they are to also bring the thief to me so that I may deal with them."
Sibella's face showed that she was listening intently to him. To him, it looked like she was quite concerned about this whole thing, her eyes wide as she made sure to pay attention. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty, though. She hid that emotion quite well as she asked her father some questions of her own. "Do you perhaps have any leads as to where the Demonologist's Bible has gone?"
"Unfortunately, no," The older vampire sighed darkly. "Whoever had the gall to steal such an item from me left no trace." If it was at all possible, his face got even more stern, almost worried. "What truly concerns me, though, is the fact that nothing else was missing. Just that book."
"What do you suppose the reason for that is, Father?" Sibella asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing good, I should think," He responded, looking to his daughter with a worried glint in his yellow eyes. "What's worse is that, ever since arriving here, I've had this... feeling. It is one that is not quite foreign to me, but yet I can not place my finger on what it is. All I know is, it is not good. A bad omen of things to come," Dracula prattled on slowly, his accent thick and dripping with intense dread.
"This is also why I wished to speak with you privately," He continued, looking at her once more. Sibella remained silent for the time being, although she had a rough idea as to what he would ask of her. "Whatever is going to happen will happen at this school. While I have not lost faith in Grimwood's ability to deter dark magic like this away, I fear this is much too powerful for her. What's more, there are mortals hanging around, and I have a feeling that it does not welcome them here. I wish for you to return back to the castle with me, back to safety," He implored, his worried gaze becoming slightly more visible, his frown making his distressed wrinkles on his face stand out a lot more.
The girl was at a loss for words, but her father was patient in waiting for her response. Was she worried? Of course. While she sometimes thought that her Father was a less-than-credible source for information, he wouldn't ever lie about something as severe as this. Besides, she and a few others had naturally felt this emotion as well. She still remembers talking to Winnie about a 'bad feeling' as well. On the other hand, though, she felt quite bad for making her father worry about this sort of thing. She felt as if taking the Demonologist's Bible from her Father's library was what was making him paranoid. With how her dreams had been, though, she figured it would help her try and solve her nightmare problem.
Unfortunately, that hadn't been the case, and by hiding it away behind a bookcase in the school's laboratory, the nightmares had stopped. She did notice that it had done nothing to make the incomprehensible feeling of dread go away, though. While she would've liked to have returned the book back to her Father and get by with a scolding from him, that feeling was undeniable. Book or no book, whatever was going to happen was inevitable. With the Demonologist's Bible by her side, hopefully it would provide some more information on whatever was going on. The monster attacks had to be connected in some way. They just had to be.
While it pained her to keep such serious secrets from her Father like this, and even more so to make him worry about her, she finally sighed and shook her head. "No, Father. I think it would be for the better if I remained here."
At this, Dracula's eyes widened, confusion evident on his face. "Remain here? My daughter, I sense something powerful. Much more so than of that witch you had to deal with all those years ago. I do not wish to lose you like I almost did..." He trailed off, his voice sounding a bit more desperate.
"Please do not worry, Father," She reassured, her voice as cool and composed as it ever was. "We are all much older, and a lot more capable. Not only that, but you remember we have Coach Shaggy and his friends here. They too have abilities that are useful in dealing with matters as this."
At this, Dracula's face seemed to sneer somewhat, her statement doing little to comfort him. "My dear, they are mere mortals. It does not matter how skillful they might be, they would never match up to that of a monster's abilities. Pure dumb luck will do little for them, I'm afraid." Sibella raised an eyebrow at him, not feeling that surprised at his skepticism. He always did have a sort of disdain or humankind, after all.
She still felt a need to defend them, however. She had grown quite fond of all of them. Shaggy and Scooby, naturally, as she had known them the most out of the human group. She knew that when push comes to shove, those two would defend them all with their lives. Velma was quite smart and knowledgeable, but also understanding. She would help out in any way she could and would do anything for an answer. Daphne was kind, yet assertive. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye. Fred was also quite smart, yet also very handy. The cheerleader, Googie, while easily frightened, was a great friend to her as well. She was very sweet, and she knew that she wouldn't give up easily. Even the detective, easily the most secretive and terrifying of the group, was incredibly savvy and observant. It was clear that he does not act as malicious as he looks. In their own way, the group of humans were just as capable of dealing with whatever was going on.
"You may be incorrect in that statement, Father," Sibella began, looking up to Dracula seriously. "I trust them all. We will find an answer to everything and we will stop it. Please trust me. Trust us."
It was now Dracula's turn to be lost for words. His mouth opened, as if to say something, but then closed. He gave a grimace as he stared into his daughter's eyes, heavily considering what she was saying. It was clear that Sibella wasn't going to back down from this, and trying to fight against her like this would ultimately prove fruitless. After gulping thickly, he let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head, breaking eye contact. "...I sure hope you know what you're getting into, my dear Sibella," He'd sigh out.
Back in the present, the vampire finally shut her eyes, shifting around to get a bit more comfortable in her wooden, yet intricately carved, coffin. "...I hope I do too, Father..." She'd whisper before letting herself drift off into slumber. Before she fully went to sleep, though, she would have one final conscious thought.
"I need to get that book."
_______________________________________________
"Remind me again why the Colonel wanted us to come out and set a trail of flags?" Said the voice of Grunt, getting up from his knee after placing in a small, yet noticeable, red flag. That is, it would be noticeable if the sun would come out a bit more.
"He wanted us to train the new Cadets by having them march in the bog," Tug answered, looking at the map he was holding to see where they would have to head to next.
"Doesn't he think it's dangerous, though?" Jamal asked, getting the attention from the other four in the group. "I mean, remember that one year? We got lost and almost got pulled into the quick sand."
"That's why he had us specifically lay out flags on the track," Baxter answered. "Not only will it keep us away from any hazards, but it'll make sure that everyone can walk the trail safely without incident."
"Let's go on up ahead," Tug said, starting to walk on the trail. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave."
"Affirmative. This place was never really that welcoming, was it?" Miguel stated, following Tug, along with everyone else. They all continued on the trail, setting flags every few yards. Since the trail wasn't too perilous, they wouldn't come across anything dangerous nor would they have to traverse over terrain that would prove to be too difficult for anyone.
Unfortunately for the group, as they reached a small opening in the woods, they all looked to each other, confusion evident on their faces. "Hey... is it me, or does it feel... weird here?" Jamal asked, looking around the treeline for anything.
"Affirmative. I feel it too..." Grunt replied, rubbing his arm.
"Y-you guys are just paranoid," Tug stated. There was no denying the look of unease that had crept onto his face, though. Despite the fact that they all had little to no idea what was going on, they knew something was wrong. That gut feeling, twisting and lurching around. They knew something bad was going to happen.
The group quickly formed closer together, keeping a wary eye out towards the treeline in five different directions. "Keep your guard up, men," Tug commanded, doing his best to not sound shaken. Not that the others could blame him, for all of them were fear stricken... somehow. As soon as their leader gave his order, though, the air all around them would erupt into what could best be described as a deafening, loud, inhuman roar.
None of them could help but throw their hands over their ears, struggling to stay on their feet as the roar echoed, making the ground beneath them rumble. They all also let out a few yells of fright or shock, barely able to keep their composure from what was happening. As they all tried to keep their ears from bleeding, all five of the Cadets would take notice of the fact that the air was also a lot warmer, almost as if a heat wave had suddenly dropped upon the area. The smell that followed wasn't pleasant, either. A strong waft of sulfur was abundant, almost suffocating.
Despite it feeling much longer, the roar continued on for a few seconds before becoming silent. The Cadets slowly removed their hands from their ears, trying to see if they could see the source. In one swift movement, all of them unsheathed their military swords from their scabbards, getting into a defense stance. The silence was almost as deafening as the roar itself, and all of them were quite thankful to have not lost their hearing from it. With how strong the scent of sulfur was, though, it was hard to keep focus.
"Show yourself..!" Tug commanded, now clearly frightened. "If this is a prank, the consequences will be dire, just so you know!" He continued on in a loud voice, perhaps thinking that this was all a prank from one of the other students at the military school, or perhaps even one of the girls from Grimwood's. After all, they did have a knack for scaring people. Regardless, all of them were hoping that it was a prank.
The crack of a twig quickly got all five facing in the direction of the source, making sure to remain steadfast, even in the face of potential danger. Their swords were pointed in the direction as well, keeping a close eye on the treeline.
Unfortunately for the five, what revealed itself would not be a student from either school. It was most certainly inhuman, though, and most definitely a monster. Perhaps even worse than that. It's skin was blood red, with long, curved horns and sharp claws, both of which were cracked and blackened with soot. It was hard to tell if this thing actually had eyes or not, as it's eye holes were sunken in and dark. Bright orange lights would burn through it's skull, though, in lieu of actual eyeballs. Instead of a mouth, it had a large, sharp beak, standing out at least half a foot. It's figure looked emaciated, ribs, pelvis, and other bones protruding it's skin. It's long, sharpened tail and old, bat-like wings made it look even more imposing. It was a horror to behold, especially with it's orange eyes burning into the five Cadets.
It barely moved closer, the horrid figure staring down the group before it for a few seconds. Finally, it would lift up a clawed finger, somehow growling out a question in a deep, scratchy voice. "...do these ones know of anything, Master?" The five Cadets turned to look at each other, confused. Was it talking to them?
Before they could even formulate anything relating to an answer, it curled it's claw inwards, shifting it's position into a much more offensive, threatening one. "...I see. Mortals of no use of information have no use of living. I shall take care of them." It would unfurl it's wings and let out another deafening screech, making the Cadets stumble and flinch, steeling their nerves in preparation for a fight.
"Come, my comrade... join me in the bloodshed!" It squawked. Just like that, it pushed itself forward, dashing towards the group at inhuman speed.
All they could do was fight back.
________________________________________
Everyone was quite thankful that the day following the Open House was another day off. Mystery Inc. and the five monster students were currently hanging around the table, helping themselves to a small variety of food that Miss Grimwood had laid out for everybody. While the ghouls ate the more monstrous morsels, the humans would stick to something more palatable. Loose conversation was prevalent throughout the table, however, ranging from stories about last night, questions about the investigation, or anything that the students were studying.
"So how difficult is it to rewrap yourself, if I may ask?" Daphne asked the smallest and youngest ghoul, Tanis.
"Well, it depends on what needs to be wrapped," She began casually. "If it's an arm or a leg, it barely takes any time, and I can usually use my own innate magic to help. It takes a little while longer with my head and my back though. If I need a full rewrapping, though, I'd definitely need some help and at least a couple of hours," the mummy girl answered.
"You do have a steady supply of bandages, though, right?" Daphne asked, tilting her head. "I'd hate to think that you'd run out and be left... uh, exposed."
At this, Tanis smiled gently and nodded. "Oh, don't worry, Miss Daphne, I almost never run out. My mummy-daddy always makes sure to keep me stocked up while I'm here."
Elsewhere at the table, a few of them had questions for the two gym coaches, who were indulging in their overstacked portions.
"So now that volleyball season is over, Shags, what's your current plan for your class?" Freddie asked his foodie friend.
"Hey, yeah! With volleyball out of the way, there's more room for other stuff, right?" Winnie asked in between bites of her meal.
At this, Shaggy managed to swallow his own large mouthful, thinking a bit before answer. "Huh... like, I'm not too sure, actually! We're definitely, like, going to stick to some outdoor activities, but once it gets too cold, I'd say we, like, stick to something indoors. I'm still working out all the details," He answered, scratching his chin fuzz some.
"Maybe some weights?" Elsa suggested, looking his way.
"Ooh, maybe more dance classes!" Phantasma exclaimed, giggling some. "We still have that tutu you wore that one time," She teased, causing a few others to snicker at this. Shaggy took this in stride, giving a small, embarrassed laugh.
"W-well, like, all of those are great suggestions! I'll take them into consideration next time we have a class," Shaggy said, Scooby nodding and barking in agreement.
Instead of partaking in this particular conversation, Googie decided to voice a slight convern of her's as she looked around the table. "...is the detective still working in the lab?" She'd ask Velma, who was sitting across from her.
The bookworm of Mystery Inc. nodded simply as she flipped the pages of her own book. "Yeah, he is. Guess it's a common thing for him to be so obsessive with his investigations," She answered logically. The cheerleader scratched her head, giving a slight nod, though her gaze would look quite disapproving.
"I mean, I guess it is pretty important. Still, I don't like the fact he hasn't slept in about a week, plus he barely eats anything. It's unhealthy," Googie sighed.
Velma looked up, also starting to look a bit concerned for their newest, creepy friend. "Yeah, you're right. After breakfast, I think I should head down and talk to him about it," She suggested, which Googie replied with a nod and a small smile.
"That'd be good. He's gonna work himself to death at the rate he's going," She'd sigh, taking another bite of fruit salad.
"Okay if I head down with ya, Velma? I gotta check on the electromagnets I've been working on," Elsa asked, looking over the table to the girl.
"That's fine with me, Elsa," Velma replied, her eyes drifting over from Elsa to the ghoul sitting right next to her. Throughout the entirety of breakfast, Sibella had barely touched anything on her plate, instead taking to prodding and nudging everything around with a fork. She was also the only one at the table who wasn't saying anything. Despite her neutral, cold gaze, she knew something was up. "Hey, Sibella?" She began curiously, her voice quickly snapping the vampire out of her oblivious daze. "How are you hanging up?"
"Oh. I'm doing fine," She answered simply, looking back down at her plate, jabbing a bit of some old looking sausage before taking a bite out of it and chewing slowly. This did little to lessen the concerns of the brunette, though. Winnie also seemed to take notice of Sibella's lethargic behavior. Was she in need of more 'nourishment'? Or was she hiding another secret..?
Soon, though, Velma stood up from her seat. "Well, I'm gonna go check on the detective and see-" Was all she could say before she was suddenly cut off. Not that anyone could blame her, of course, since the noise that had done was was absolutely noticeable, even in a spooky atmosphere such as this one. The whole mansion rumbled gently, clattering various bottles and other objects inside. The noise was something akin to a demonic roaring, echoing heavily from deep within the woods. Everyone sitting at the table began to look around, both curious and somewhat frightened by the noise.
"Like w-w-what was that?!" Shaggy stammered, holding onto Scooby as he jumped into his arms.
"Didn't sound good, whatever it was," Daphne trailed off cryptically.
"Definitely nothing native around here..." Winnie growled, her ears folded back and her fur standing on end.
Everyone at the table looked unnerved. Even the usually cool-headed Sibella had her eyes wide open, fear prevalent in her expression. Everyone then looked to each other, unsure of what to do.
"D-do you think that was..?" Tanis began nervously.
"The demon," Velma replied, nodding and looking quite serious. "It has to be close by. Much closer than before, if we can hear it."
"Doesn't sound too happy either," Googie gulped, scooting closer to the group.
"We have to go after it!" Freddie stated, quickly getting out of his seat and heading towards the door of the dining room.
"We do?!" The rest of the human group exclaimed, watching as their blond leader turned around.
"Guys, this is an opportunity to know what we're dealing with! Elsa and I finished the traps we were working on, so we shouldn't have too hard of a time, right?" He continued on.
"Freddie, whatever this thing is has killed two people already. We have evidence to prove that it's not a hoax, and is very dangerous."
"Yeah, like, there's no way we're all gonna be able to corner something that strong!" Shaggy stammered, shaking considerably, his dog companion looking displeased as well.
"Ruh huh! Re'll be slaughtered!" Scooby whined.
"Then you'll need help," Elsa stated, standing up with Freddie.
"Hey, yeah! If we all go, it wouldn't be able to take all of us! Plus, no offense, but us monsters could probably go toe to toe with something like a demon, if we outnumber it!" Winnie said, a cocky snarl on her face as she stood up to join the others.
"B-but it's still dangerous!" Googie stammered, looking shocked as everyone started to want to join in. "Who knows what'll happen? We all can't risk going after it!"
"...we promised to help, yes?" Sibella stated suddenly, getting up from her seat. She had an extremely serious gaze on her face, grimacing some. "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to us, nor anyone else. We will put an end to this."
Freddie blinked and gave a small grin, giving her a thumbs up. "G-great!" He'd look out to those remaining in their seats. "C'mon, gang. Have some faith. We'll be able to put those who suffered to rest, and put their families at ease, as well as everyone else in town."
After a few seconds, Daphne shook her head, smiling gently as she slowly got up. "You always were the kind to see things through no matter what, huh? I'm in," She said, joining his side.
"M-me too!" Tanis piped up bravely. "It may be scary, but if it means protecting people and clearing our names... so be it!"
"Me three!~" Phantasma sang, floating up and giggling. "What's the worse that could happen to me, anyways?"
"Well... might as well," Velma added in, standing up. "It will help us a lot, as well as others once we know what's going on. Let's do it," She continued, adding in a confident smirk.
"I'm coming too, then!" Googie yelled out suddenly, surprising everyone. "I-I'm tired of cowering under the fear of being attacked! I wanna do something about this too!"
"Attah girl!" Winnie growled eagerly. Soon, everyone's attention turned to the two local cowards, who were still holding onto each other.
"...like, you're all gonna get yourselves killed!" Shaggy said, standing up and setting Scooby down. "...and it's my responsibility as a gym coach to keep that from happening," He'd add in. Even though his voice was still shaky and scared, he got a confident look on his face as well. Scooby steeled his resolve as well, barking in agreement. Everyone else was quite surprised, though it was welcome.
"W-wow Coach..." Winnie grumbled. "You really are a lot braver, huh?"
"Like, I hope so..!" He'd say, tittering nervously.
"Then let's not waste time!" Freddie said, leading everyone out towards the front door. "Velma, go get the detective. I know he's gonna want to go with us." With a nod, Velma headed into the laboratory. Freddie also turned to Elsa. "Elsa, go and get the trap. We're gonna need it," He'd say, the golem girl also nodding before following Velma. Just as the rest of the group headed to the entrance, they heard a voice speak up, sounding quite stern.
"Just one moment. Where do you all think you're going?" Came the voice of Miss Grimwood, who was looking at them all with a hardened, cold gaze of disapproval. To everyone, it seemed like she had just suddenly appeared right behind them all. "If you're thinking about investigating that noise, than forget it. That came from deep within the bog, and none of you are to go in there. Remember?"
The group froze and looked her way, a few looking uncomfortable, including Freddie. "Well, er... we just thought-"
"If I may?" Sibella cut in, looking to her headmistress. In her mind, she knew it was wrong to speak back to Miss Grimwood like this. But she knew it was for the best, to end everything bad that had been happening. "We are much older now, Miss Grimwood. All of us can handle our own against something powerful."
Miss Grimwood looked much more stressed, and quite angry too. "This is not some bumbling witch, Sibella! This is something much more powerful than anyone else could imagine! I heard the roars and felt the rumbles many times before. That is why I specifically taught you all to stay away from beings like this!" She'd point a painted nail in Shaggy's direction, who cowered a bit in shame. "Shame on you, Coach Rogers, for allowing our students to return to that place after what happened last time!"
As Shaggy and Scooby gave each other a somewhat guilty look, Tanis chimed in. "That wasn't Shaggy's fault..! Not only that, but we're willing to help them out!"
"We're prepared, Miss Grimwood," Daphne added in. "We have a trap prepared. We also have a plan of action." At this, Freddie gave her a look of 'do we really?', while the redhead returned it with a glower of 'just go with it'.
"That demon won't know what him 'im!" Winnie added in, flexing proudly. Sibella rolled her eyes at this, but spoke up as well.
"We'll have each others' backs," She'd say. "We'll expect everything. We know we're dealing with something powerful. In order to help others, we must confront it. Please understand, Miss Grimwood," The vampire would gently plea.
After looking between everyone, she'd let out an exhausted, slightly exasperated, sigh. "...fine," She'd reply, sitting herself in a couch and fixing her messy hair. "Fine..." She'd sigh again, looking more stressed and worried now. "I'm just... scared for you all. I sure hope you all know what you're doing, for your own sake."
This was unlike any of the ghouls had seen. Miss Grimwood was almost never like this. Seeing her as a bit of a nervous wreck was... disheartening to say the least.
Shaggy spoke up, moving closer to her. "...Like, Miss Grimwood?" She looked his way, an eyebrow raised to the gym coach she hired. "We'll be okay. You can count us to to make it through. I'll make sure, like, no harm comes to any of our students!"
At this, Miss Grimwood gave a tired smile, nodding at him. "Thank you, Shaggy," She'd say, gently accepting a cup of tea given to her from the white floating hand. After taking a sip, she'd continue on in a more calm manner. "Go on ahead, then, and good luck."
She watched as the group hurried out of the building, thanking her before leaving. Miss Grimwood also took notice of Velma, Elsa, and the detective jogging on up to join everyone before they were left behind. As she was left alone, she'd grimace and sigh once more, taking another long sip of tea.
__________________________________________
The detective's scarred fingers moved through his long hair in a fidgety manner. As he stared at all of his notes that he had laid out before him, he found himself growing more and more frustrated. He had been working since last night up until dawn trying to make everything add up.
No matter how hard he tried, though, there were still missing variables that he couldn't figure out! He felt useless and stupid for not getting farther in his research, nor getting any closer to finding a lead. In exasperation, he slapped his palms against the table suddenly, making a few sheets of paper flutter off.
"Dammit!" He'd shout out suddenly, the peak of his frustration making itself known. As he did so, the loud thud of something heavy echoed around the lab. He'd quickly whip his head around, an eyebrow raised.
The noise certainly came from the bookshelf behind him... but none of the books had fallen out. Right beside the shelf, though, was indeed a book. Curious, the man limped over to it, gently lifting it off of the floor. Did it fall off the top of the shelf? The noise it made wasn't loud enough to fit that theory.
As his fingers wrapped around the leather bound book, though, a sense of familiarity came over him. He felt giddy, for some reason. It wasn't until he held the book up into his vision did he realize why. His already wide eyes seemed to grow even further in excitement as he looked at the cover, his mouth breaking his smile to show surprise and shock. "No way..." The detective whispered, quickly opening the book and flipping through pages. As he looked through everything, his smile reformed, looking quite maniacal and unhinged. "Oh ho ho... yes..." He'd hiss to himself, eyes quickly darting from page to page in excitement. "How I've missed you..." The detective cooed to the book.
Before he could keep reading, though, the whole lab rumbled gently, the bottles jittering and the bookshelf shaking quite a bit. The detective quickly shut the book and looked around curiously. He thought he also heard the roar of... something. His grin became more hardened and a bit threatening. "Hmm... patience is a virtue it seems... we'll finally get a chance to see the demon and know what it is!" He rambled onto himself, putting the book into his tote bag.
The strange man also took time to take his notes with him, finishing up just as the door opened. He glanced up and saw Velma and Elsa, the latter hurrying down into the room itself. As he watched the golem hold up a large electromagnetic trap by the chain, Velma spoke to him. "We've got a lead," She'd state simply.
"I could tell," The man replied, grinning widely and excitedly as he followed Elsa up the stairs. "Let's get to it, then."
______________________________________________
It took the entire group quite a long time before they all reached the entrance to the bog. The stench was quite unpleasant, even for this certain area. Trees were either dead, covered in thorns, or just unwelcome looking in general. There was a noticeable trail up ahead, although with how uneven the tree line was, anyone could enter from anywhere. The trail split off to the right and left as well, leading to different parts of the bog, though it didn't seem to lead to anywhere more welcoming.
As they reached the split trail, Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma all looked to each other, already knowing what Fred was about to say. "Like, let me guess..." Shaggy began.
"Let's split up, gang!" The five of them said at the same time, Freddie looking a bit indignant.
"I'm... guessing that's a common thing?" Googie asked curiously.
"Yup," Daphne answered simply, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, it's a good idea!" Fred replied, looking to everyone. "We'll cover more ground if we split off into three groups of four."
"So how shall we do this?" Sibella asked the leader of Mystery Inc.
After a few minutes, everyone had settled into a group, choosing their path to follow. Deciding on the left trail was Team One, which consisted of Shaggy, Scooby, Googie, and Winnie. Going down the middle trail was Team Two, fulfilled by Daphne, Velma, Elsa, and Sibella. For the final trail, Team Three was formed from Fred, Tanis, Phantasma, and the detective. They all wished each other luck before heading down their respective trails. Now was the time for finding the monster once and for all.
_____________________________________
"Ugh... I can't tell if it's the bog or what, but something stinks," Googie complained, looking around her feet, being careful to not step on or in anything dangerous.
"Nah, it's always like this," Winnie answered bluntly. "You get used to it after awhile."
"Like, hopefully that monster doesn't like the smell either," Shaggy added in. "Maybe it'll steer clear of this area."
"Ruh huh. Maybe it'll get stuck," Scooby chimed in hopefully.
"We can only hope..." Googie trailed off.
The team was lead by Winnie and Scooby, who were sniffing at the air and on the ground, checking the trail for anything unusual while Shaggy and Googie followed. At one point, the group had to pass by a large lake, filled with nothing but quick sand. Since there was very little room to go around, and any logs that were nearby were made of fragile dead wood, they all had to shimmy one at a time on the dry land.
Once successful, they continued on. To help settle her nerves, Googie started up a conversation with the werewolf as she sniffed ahead. "Hey, Winnie? If I may ask, how did you become a werewolf? Were you born like it?"
At this, Winnie moved her head behind her to reply, nodding. "Yeah, that's right. My papa was the one who was bitten. Since he got together with another werewolf, they gave birth to me." She turned her head back to the front as she continued on. "It's weird, though. Since I wasn't born a human, I don't really have a human form, I guess. I'm always gonna be all furry like this. Around full moons, I just get even more so. A lot more vicious, too!" She laughed, her tail wagging some behind her. "Man, you should see on the full moon! It's like I can't think of anything else but hunting and running!"
Shaggy and Googie looked to each other. During their whole stay at the school, the only indication that she had 'changed' was her howls. They never saw her in the building or even around the school. That was probably for the best, in their opinion.
"Makes sense," The beatnik said in response. "Like, I think my transformation was a special case, right?"
"Yeah, the moon is very weird. Even though I have it's calender memorized, even I can't predict it's pow-" Winnie froze, her ear twitching and her nose wrinkling. "...wait. Something's nearby." She said in a harsh whisper, lowering herself to the ground. Scooby concurred, sniffing the air and sticking his tongue out in disgust.
"Bleurgh!" He'd exclaim. Soon, the two humans would know why, as the air became thick with the stench of sulfur.
"Eugh..! Like, who did that?" Shaggy accused, holding his nose.
"I think I prefer the smell of the bog," Googie replied, also holding her nose.
Winnie's fur stood on end as her ears twitched like crazy. It was a strange feeling, one she was familiar with. Back when she was carving her wolf in the school, she felt it. It was close. Her instincts were going berserk, telling her to run away.
Before any one of them had a chance to do or say anything else, though, a large, bony figure dropped down from a tree, just a few yards in front of them, landing on it's talons with catlike grace. Everyone yelped out, Winnie preparing herself to attack just in case.
The strange, red demon before them, however, did not move, instead doing a sort of stare down with the group, it's orange lights flickering as if it were a candle lit flame. With one outstretched claw, it's beak opened up to speak.
"So... you're the ones Master disapproves of..." It squeaked out cryptically.
"I wouldn't say we approve of your master either...or you, for that matter!" Googie replied, feeling Shaggy and Scooby shudder in fear behind her. If the creature could sneer, it would have, curling it's finger inwards as it kept speaking, ignoring the strawberry blonde's statement.
"He has already gotten some information out of you, Norville Rogers. But it is not enough," He'd continue, the others looking to him.
"Zoinks..! Like, he did?" He said, not quite remembering the time he spoke to an evil demon and told him everything he could remember.
"Norville..?" Winnie whispered to herself before shaking her head. "Look, whatever you want with us, you're gonna have to forget it!" She threatened. Her sharp teeth were bared now, growling audibly to the Hellish figure before them.
Again, if the figure could've sneered, it would have. However, it made an offensive position with it's body, looking quite agitated with the werewolf. "Silence!" It'd squawk out, it's wings outstretched. "If you are withholding information, then you will be punished! We will get what you know out of you... whether you cooperate or not!" With a loud screech, it dashed forward, it's foot falls quite deep. It was going towards the group much faster than they anticipated.
They were fortunate enough that Winnie acted fast, pouncing forward and slamming herself into the demon. Since it was knocked off it's course, the two landed just a few feet away from the other three. They swiped at each other for a bit, trading a few hits before Winnie pushed herself off of it's body, going back to the group. She had a few noticeable claw marks into her, though she barely seemed fazed from them. "Jeez, this thing's tough!"
It quickly stood back up on it's hind talons, sporting a few injuries itself. Rather than pounce at them, it pointed it's palms towards the group, whispering in a Hellish language that none of them could quite comprehend.
Winnie's ear twitched, turning to the group sharply. "Duck, now!"
Not wanting to argue, all of them threw themselves onto the ground just as the demon threw an enormous fireball at them. Thanks to their quick thinking, it missed them and hit a few trees instead, instantly evaporating them into nothing but ash.
"Zoinks! If that hit us, we wouldn't even be able to know!" Shaggy exclaimed.
The werewolf shot up from her spot to tackle the demon once more. She was successful, but could only get a few swipes at it before it threw her off of, slamming her against the ground. "Oof!" She yelped out, rolling a few feet before scrambling to her feet. "Grrah! You stupid demon! I'll show you!" She'd growl.
"Winnie, wait!" Googie began, looking over the werewolf a bit. She was already showing injuries, a good amount of her fur matted with dirt and a bit of blood. Her head was bleeding quite a bit too, even though she could stand on her feet. "If you keep going, it'll surely kill you!" She said, looking to the demon. It had quite a few marks too, but was not bleeding, nor was it even fazed by any of it. In fact, the demon seemed to cackle at the group, knowing that none of them could physically stop it. As it prepared to charge at them again, the werewolf looked up at the girl.
"What do we do, than?!" She exclaimed.
"Ruuuuuun!" Scooby shouted, starting to push everyone into the opposite direction. They didnt need to be told twice, running for their lives as the demon chased them. Winnie and Shaggy were up front this time, the other two following very closely. Every so often, Shaggy would turn his head, seeing the demon slowly catch up to them, laughing maniacally.
"Like, why isn't it attacking or pouncing?" He asked aloud.
"He's teasing us," Winnie answered as she ran on all fours. "It's enjoying the hunt before it tears us apart!"
"Rait! Quicksand!" Scooby shouted, the four of them skidding to a halt right at the edge of the quicksand lake.
The demon was quickly closing in on them, and none of them had time to shimmy or jump across. Instead, all four of them seemed to get the same idea. Right as the demon pounced, Googie and Shaggy flung themselves one way while Scooby and Winnie dodged in the other. The demon flew right past them, landing right into the quicksand.
It was very fast acting, so the Hellish monster had little to no time to react before it was already a third of the way into the sand. It screeched and unfurled it's wings, trying to flap it's way out. No matter how hard it struggled, though, it was unsuccessful. With a loud roar of defiance, it lifted it's head up to scream louder, it's beak the last visible thing the group saw before it was completely swallowed up by the lake. It's screamed quickly died down, a few bubbles burbling to the top before stopping. One large, final bubble would expand to the surface before popping, letting out a deathly shrill wail, smelling of the horrid sulfur.
"L-like that worked? I can't believe it!" Shaggy said, slapping a hand to his forehead and laughing in disbelief.
"Yeah, we did it! We kicked it's stupid red ass back to Hell where it belongs!" Winnie said, giving a loud howl of victory.
"I'm just glad that we didn't get killed," Googie sighed, Scooby concurring with a sigh of relieve, wiping the sweat from his brow. "So, does that deal with the demon? Was it that simple?"
Another monstrous roar echoed throughout the bog, although it was farther away from the group. "Like, nope!"
"C'mon, let's go help the others!" Winnie said, starting to make her way across the lake. The others followed, but didn't share her enthusiasm.
"Ruh uh! You're too hurt, Rinnie!" Scooby whined looking over her wounds. The werewolf rolled her eyes, but the two humans agreed with the Great Dane.
"Like, Scoob is right, Winnie. We gotta hurry on back to the school before we push our luck too much!" Shaggy said, gently touching her shoulder.
"Ugh, fine. I just hope the others aren't having a hard time," She'd say, moving with everyone else back towards the school.
__________________________________
Team two didn't have too hard of a time traversing the bog. Not only was the trail pretty straight forward, but there were red flags guiding the way. While the smell of the bog was foul, what really took everyone by surprise was the fact that they could smell something else, growing stronger and stronger with each step. That gut feeling of dread also became more prevalent as they hurried on the trail.
Velma made sure to keep a close eye on the vampire, who was leading them deeper into the woods. With how erratically she was acting, she knew something was up. Sibella was hiding something, and it must have been important. The brunette knew that she would just give it up, especially not with a bunch of other things on their mind. Velma would just have to ask after this was all over with.
"We're on the right trail," Sibella suddenly spoke, getting everyone's attention. "I don't know why, but it has to be close by. The scent is picking up."
"Why would they follow the trail, though? Wouldn't that make it obvious?" Daphne asked aloud.
"Maybe that's what they're wanting. To be found," Elsa stated slowly, starting to think.
"How do you mean?" The redhead asked, looking to the golem.
"A being as powerful as what we're dealing with will surely hold nothing back. It must know how strong it is, and is almost hoping to find victims," She replied in a logical, thoughtful manner.
"You may be right, I hear something up ahead," Sibella stated, stopping the entire group. They all started to listen in. It sound like the yells of someone, though they had no idea who. More importantly, why was someone out here in the first place?
"Is someone... fighting it?" Velma asked curiously, fixing her glasses.
"Let's hurry, then! They won't last long against a demon!" Daphne yelled out, running alongside everyone else. Team two was soon met with the peak of the smell and the dreadful feeling as they reached the opening of the woods. They all stopped right at the edge, gasping out as they stared.
In the center of the woods was a demon, no question about it. The claws, the tail, the wings, everything about it screamed "Hell". It was panting heavily as it glowered at a figure opposite of it. It was a young, blonde haired man, a sword outstretched in one shaky arm. He looked worse for wear, barely able to stand on his feet, or even able to see, due to a heavily swollen black eye. The demon, however, look like it had barely sustained anything, despite the fact that the young man's sword was covered with a crimson red blood.
"What are you going to do now?" The fiend cackled mockingly, his tail swishing around, similar to a cat. "You foolishly let your team run off, and you remained behind. A noble move, perhaps... but also your last one, I'm afraid." It prepared itself for another attack, it's claws extending out some.
"Is that..?" Elsa began, though Sibella would finish for her.
"Tug!" She gasped out, gaining the attention of the Cadet and his attacker.
"...so. You all have arrived," The demon growled, moving it's body to face the four girls, almost as if it had forgotten Tug.
"Sibella..? G-guys, leave! Run now! This thing is too strong..!" Tug began, looking quite frightened as he tried to warn everyone.
"Information is what our Master needs..." The demon continued on, ignoring the Cadet. "And with you four around, we'll get what we need in no time!"
With a loud yell, the Cadet charged his way towards the demon, He was already quite hurt, so it was quite clumsy. The demon effortlessly threw him to the ground, looking his way.
"Stay down. If you're smart, you'll die where you lay." It hissed to the Cadet, now visibly struggling to get back on his feet. As it turned it's attention to the group, though, it would be met with a face full of purple flame. Sibella had cast a fireball of her own, knocking the demon a good couple of yards.
"Your attacks end now, demon," She threatened, giving a very scary, death glare to the Hellish fiend. As it quickly scrambled to it's feet, Elsa, Daphne, and Velma hurried over to Tug. The two humans helped him onto his feet, keeping him steady while Elsa began to set up the large electromagnetic bear trap.
"...daughter of the King of Monsters... you surely know a lot. Come face me and die!" It squawked, charging itself at her. The two soon went toe to toe, dealing spells and dodging each others' attacks. Sibella was very graceful, managing to dodge everything the demon was throwing at her, making sure to hit the demon while it's guard was down.
While it was distracted, Daphne, Velma, and Tug watched with wide eyes, unable to believe what was happening before them. "This is crazy..." Velma muttered, making sure to remember the demon's form. "Never would I imagine the day I see a vampire fighting a demon."
Elsa stuck to herself, quickly setting everything up before shoving a few loose leaves and twigs on it to hide it. She hurried herself over to the group, relaying her plan.
"Okay, here's how it'll go down," She began, speaking quickly, yet methodically. "When it hits the trigger, it'll start up the electromagnet, causing the trap to close at a much higher rate than usual. It'll clench down on it's leg, quite possibly breaking it. Regardless, it will keep it in place."
"That's good and all, but what do we do once it's trapped?" Daphne asked in a worried tone. "I mean, we can't kill it on our own!"
At this, Elsa gave a wicked smirk, winking to the group. "I forgot to mention: I didn't ground the wires before hooking up the magnet," She'd say with a knowing look. Velma's eyes widened quite a bit, though Daphne and Tug looked to each other in confusion.
"...w-what?" Tug managed to stammer out, his lip bleeding quite a bit.
"Just watch," Elsa responded, turning her gaze to the demon. "Hey, horn head!" She called out, getting both Sibella's and the demon's attention. "Come and get me! I'm just a slow-witted patchwork doll who can't run very fast!"
"What are you doing?!" Daphne whispered harshly. Velma remained quiet, making sure to lead the other two a good distance away.
The demon considered it's options quickly, turning back to the vampire. With a wave of it's hand to her, he scoffed. "Feh, you're too much trouble!" It would say to her before charging Elsa. She remained put, though, standing just a few feet behind the trap.
"Yeah, that's right, you couldn't knock me down if you were the size of a redwood tree!" The golem girl kept calling, trying to rile it up. With a loud, annoyed snarl, it swiped to the golem girl, who sidestepped to the right, just by a little.
It made the demon stumble, and step right into the trap. She was right in assuming it would break it's leg, as a loud, satisfying 'CRACK' was heard. However, only Velma and Elsa expected what happened next. Right as it broke the demon's leg, it sent an enormous surge of electricity into it's body, making it roar and squeal out in utter pain.
They all watched in shock, horror, and awe as the trap sent about 200 volts at 0.5 amperes of electricity into it's body. It was fried alive within seconds. It was dead right before it hit the ground, it's leg still caught in the trap. Sibella hurried over to the others, the Frankenteen starting to regather the trap and release the dead demon.
"Don't touch it," She warned. "The amount of electricity could kill you too," She'd say, looking over the body with everyone else.
"W-what the hell was that?" Tug panted, still visibly shaken.
"A demon," Velma replied simply. As she answered, the body was suddenly aflame, lighting into an enormous pyre. Everyone quickly backed away as they watched the body shrivel up and become nothing but a pile of ashes. After a few seconds of shocked silence, Velma hurried over to grab a sample. Sibella and Elsa made their way to Daphne and Tug, looking over his injuries a bit.
"How long have you been fighting against it?" Sibella asked curiously, seeing him covered in scrapes, cuts, and a few burns. "I figured you would be killed within seconds."
Tug rolled his eyes a bit, but felt too weak to make a come back. "The other Cadets were with me. I told them to run when it became obvious none of us could hold our own against it. I held off it's attacks long enough for them to retreat." He said, groaning in pain as he did his best to regain his balance. He was successful, though was still visibly struggling.
"How are the others?" Sibella asked.
"Better off than I am," The blond said, giving a mirthless laugh.
"Hey, at least it's dead," Daphne said, peering over to Velma. "...it is dead, right?"
"Yeah, it's dead," She replied, standing on her feet. "Come on, we should be heading back before another one shows up."
"Jeepers, do you really think there are more?!" Daphne asked. As she did, a loud, high pitched, albeit distorted, scream, echoed throughout the bog.
"Sounds like it. Let's hurry," Sibella stated, hurrying with everyone back through the trail they followed. Tug managed to keep up with the others, though just barely.
"I have to report this to Colonel Calloway! He has to know!" He'd exclaim, panting heavily.
"I just hope the others aren't having a hard time!" Velma yelled in return as the five made their way back towards the schools.
_____________________________________________
"Aw, really? A dead end and we haven't found anything?" Exclaimed the annoyed voice of Fred Jones, looking around the small opening. All that was on the ground was a bunch of rocks, dead trees surrounding the area.
"Not necessarily, Fred," Responded the voice of the detective, his weird grin still plastered on his face. "You smell that sulfur too, right? Plus, we've been hearing roars and noises all over the place, haven't we? Something's close."
Freddie, rather than feel encouraged, merely shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Maybe, but it'd be much better if we actually saw something."
"Can't argue there," The detective replied simply, watching as Phantasma floated around on her back in a casual.
"Hey, don't look so down! It's not every day we get a relaxing walk through the bog!" She giggled wildly.
"Oof... it would be relaxing, but... I don't feel well," Tanis groaned out, looking quite nauseated. She had no idea why that could be, though. Stress of what could come after them? The stress of what could happen to them?
Phanty floated her way to her bandaged friend, rubbing her shoulders gently. "Let's sit down for a bit, then, huh? We've been investigating for awhile," She suggested. Fred made his way over to the others, nodding.
"Yeah, might as well. That trail's a lot longer than I thought it would be," He stated, sitting down next to Tanis. The detective wordlessly sat across from Fred, while Phanty sat in midair, her legs crossed. After a few awkward seconds of silence, the detective pointed a finger to Fred, an eyebrow raised.
"So, if I may ask, how many times have y'all actually seen something that wasn't hoaxed? Prior to this case, of course," He'd ask casually.
At this, Fred rubbed the back of his head, thinking a bit. The question put him off, but found the question itself harmless. "Phew, uh... more often than I can remember, actually. We've come across quite a bit, actually."
"W-wow," Tanis said, looking to him. "With how often this happens, it almost makes me wonder how you all survive these encounters so regularly," She continued thoughtfully.
"Dumb luck," The blond answered with a shrug. "Sometimes skill, but to be honest, it almost seems like a coincidence that everything happens to work out in the end," He continued on. With that, he'd return the question to the odd man sitting in front of him. "What about you?" He asked, making the detective raise an eyebrow. "You've mentioned having come across the supernatural before. Has there ever been a case where it was a hoax?"
With this, the detective thought for a few seconds. "Hm... that's a tough one. I haven't had the luxury of being pranked in that way since I was in high school," He joked, chuckling darkly. "I've had my fair share of run ins with stuff, though. Hell, I think my credibility's gone down because of it. No one believes the ramblin' weirdo who investigates murder scenes for fun."
"But you two are still alive, right?" Phantasma suddenly asked. The two humans looked her way, both raising an eyebrow to her. "I mean, despite your run ins with the dangerous and scary side of monsterkind, everyone always made it out alive," She restated, an optimistic grin on her face. "I mean, sure it's tough and probably scarring, but if you guys are still here to tell the tale, then I think we have a chance of dealing with whatever the heck is going on. If your track record is anything to go by, I'm fully confident in you guy's ability to figure it out!" The ghost prattled on, doing her best to encourage the others.
Strangely enough, it seemed to work. Tanis gave a nod and a brave look to her blue friend, while Freddie nodded with her. "Y'know, oddly enough, that makes a lot of sense. We can do this, can't we?"
"If we can't, than who else will?" The detective asked, his smile just as big as it ever was.
In that moment, the four heard the screeching wail of something in the forest, grabbing their attention. They all jumped up, looking in the direction towards the source. "Did you guys hear that?" Fred asked excitedly.
"Hard to miss it..!" Tanis piped up nervously. "Oooh, I wish we could know what was going on!"
Fred snapped his fingers, an idea forming in his head. "Got it! Phanty, go float up above the trees and see if you can find anything!" He'd say, pointing to the ghost.
With a salute, Phantasma nodded. "Yes sir!" She'd giggle before flying up above the trees. She'd cup her hands around her eyes, as if she were using binoculars. "Hmm..."
"See anything up there?" Tanis yelled up to her.
"Nooooo, nothin' but a bunch of dead trees..." She said, her tongue sticking out as she focused. "...wooooah wait a second!" She gasped, sounding in awe of something.
"What? What is it?" Fred called to her.
"I just saw a big tower of fire! I mean a big tower of fire!" Phantasma said. "Wait, it just went out suddenly!"
"Tower of fire..?" Freddie said, rubbing his chin. "I hope that doesn't mean that demon's attacked anyone," He'd continue, gazing over to the other man. His face was smiling in an excited manner, though it did little to make him look less off-putting.
"I've read demons spontaneously combust when they die..! Someone must've managed to kill a demon!" He said excitedly.
"Woah, that's sooo cool!" Phanty giggled, floating back down to the group.
"Wait... does that mean..?" Freddie began, an excited look on his face as well. "The mystery has been solved?"
"I'd say so, right? No demons, no more attacks, lives are avenged, everyone's happy!" Phanty rambled eagerly, laughing along.
"I-I can't believe it!" Freddie laughed, clutching his head in disbelief. "Hey Tanis, did you- Tanis?" He'd say, turning his attention to the mummy, his voice now sounding concerned. The detective and Phanty also turned to look, wondering what was going on.
Tanis was standing completely still, looking down at the ground. None of the three could see her eyes, though they could see her fists, which were shaking very subtly. The three tried to get her attention, but little did they know, their voices were dying off into silence, going unheard from the mummy.
_____________________________________
...
...you can never rely on help these days, can you?
No matter.
I have a more reliable solution anyways.
My patience has paid off, finally.
And now, my dear Tanis...
...my plan may fully begin.
Go after the one with the book.
You know the one.
Let nothing stop the wrath of the mummy.
Let that pent up rage from your past life make itself known.
Let it run wild.
Let it seek vengeance, and do what must be done.
And kill.
Kill.
KILL.
__________________________________________
The group of three wouldn't know what hit them. With a loud, ear piercing yell, the mummy lifted her hands up, head thrown back as she did so. A surge of strong, magical power sent the three flying, splitting them up and landing on the ground. While Fred and the Detective did their best to get back up on their feet, Phanty quickly floated back up, her face distraught and worried. "Tanny, what's gotten into you?!" She yelled out. She heard the scream from the mummy and knew right then and there that something was up. It did not sound like her at all.
Lifting up one hand, she'd point her palm to the detective who had managed to get back up on his feet. He was staring at the scene, obviously taken aback. His eyes were wide, but his smile still big. He must not have been able to help it. As she pointed to him, bandages would shoot out towards him, quickly wrapping themselves against him. They quickly wrapped around his torso and around his neck, squeezing tightly. He gagged and choked, visibly fighting back by trying to pull them off with his bare hands. She merely made more go after him, wrapping around his wrists to constrict him further.
Fred gasped at the sight, frozen in shock. Phanty was unsure of what to do as well, yelling out in utter fear. "No! Stop, you're gonna kill him!"
The voice that came from Tanis was a mixture of her own, and something else. It was unworldly and unnatural, the way it spoke. "Death is the way to gain information. His death will prove us well!" The detective's struggling was starting to weaken, his face turning purple as his wide eyes started to roll back.
Unable to just stand around, Fred had to act. His instincts told him to just charge the mummy, so that's what he did. Despite the fact that he made her stumble a bit, she was still proving to be much more sturdy than he initially though. This broke her concentration, so her bandages loosened around the detective's body. Unfortunately, this also caused her bandages to fling him against the tree, where he slammed against them. Hard. His body slumped down to the ground, face down. Unlike last time, there was no movement for him to get up on his feet.
Phanty shrieked out as she flew over to his body, trying her best to get him conscious. She was panicking quite a bit, unsure of what to do. Fred watched the scene for a little before turning his attention back to the mummy. As he tried to slam into the possessed Tanis once more, the bandages caught his wrist.
Tanis turned her attention to him, the bandages now snaking their way around him. "You will prove useful, as well. Join your friend in unholy death!" She yelled out, starting to squeeze and constrict Freddie as well. Despite the fact that the blonde proved to be much more hardy than the detective, he was still having trouble resisting. Not only that, but the bandages burned his skin.
"Gak... Phanty... help..!" Freddie choked out, still doing his best to fight back. The ghost in question gasped and looked up at her friend, who was squeezing the lift out of her other friend. She peered down to the unconscious body of the detective for a second, taking in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," Was all she whispered to him before darting off towards Tanis. Thinking quickly, the ghost entered into Tanis's body, as if she were trying to posses her.
The first thing Phantasma felt was pain. It was as if she were trying to fly through a thick, thorny bramble patch. The atmosphere was nothing but pure hate and malice, which made it hard for her to keep going, let alone breathe, or even see. She powered through it the best she could, however, seeing the floating, glowing body of Tanis. Her eyes were shut, but her whole body was surrounded with thorny, black vines. This apparition before Phanty represented her consciousness.
The ghost slowly reached out a hand towards her, grunting and struggling the whole way. "Let go of my friend, y-you big... bully!" She'd exclaim, touching her finger to the blue figure. A bright wave of light would overcome the whole place, blinding Phanty.
Fred watched as Tanis's eyes softened up, her grip immediately loosening around him, almost dropping him to the ground. He stumbled a bit, coughing quite a bit. "Guh..! Gah... Ta-tanis..!" He coughed, his voice strained from being strangled.
"F-f-fred..? Wh-what..?" She stammered, standing in disbelief. Phanty soon flew out of her body, panting heavily. "Phanty..?"
"Tanis..! Oh thank goodness! Something terrible happened!"
At this, her eyes widened in fear. "What?! I-I blacked out, and..!"
"Y-you were... p-possessed," Fred managed to say, being helped up by the ghost. "Whatever got in you... attacked us..!"
Tanis was shocked, gasping out. "I-I did? O-oh no! I-I-I didn't mean to..! I really didn't!" She stammered, on the verge of tears. Phanty hurried back over to the detective, gripping his arm and doing her best to stand him up.
"Hey, help me out here! I don't know if he's breathing!" She gasped out. Freddie and Tanis hurried over, quickly helping her out. Freddie held an arm over his shoulder while Phanty and Tanis kept his other side balanced. The detective looked almost like a corpse, his eyes shut and his mouth hung open. No teeth were missing, but blood was pouring out of his mouth. Freddie noticed that he had burn marks from the bandages as well.
"I don't know if he's gonna make it..!" Tanis cried out, looking up at his unconscious face.
"Don't say that, please!" Phanty yelled out, looking very distraught as she did her best to not break down.
"We better hurry..!" Fred gasped out. "Come on..!"
As they all hobbled their way back towards the school, Fred's mind gave him one single thought. There was no conceivable way that the others were having a harder time than they were.
_______________________________________
Miss Grimwood stood outside of the school, Matches standing right by her side. Normally, these opportunities would be a welcoming moment of peace for the older woman. Knowing what was at stake right now, though, made her feel completely different. With how many noises she had heard echoing from the bog, the sudden silence made her feel uneasy. The dragon nudged her leg, doing his best to comfort his owner. Her hands clenched a bit, feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.
She let out a gasp, apparently holding in a breath, as she saw four figures come running towards the school. She immediately recognized Winnie, along with Googie, and her two coaches. "Oh, thank heavens..!" She'd gasp out, ushering them inside. "Quick quick, get in!"
Miss Grimwood and Matches followed the others in, looking at them. She left the door open for when the others came back. Miss Grimwood took one look at the werewolf and let out a worried gasp. "Oh, Winnie, dear, what happened!"
"Hah, don't worry about me, Miss G..! I feel just fine!" She'd say, giving a toothy smile. Regardless of this fact, she was seated in the couch, right next to her. Using a handkerchief that she had on hand, she quickly wiped away the dried blood in Winnie's fur as she looked to the group expectantly.
"Like, we saw it alright!" Shaggy began, panting heavily, since the three were out of breath.
"Ruge! Red! Bony! Scary!" Scooby rambled on.
"We somehow outsmarted it," Googie finished, leaning against her knees. "Winnie managed to fight it off for a bit before we ran."
"Then that sucker fell right in the quick sand!" Winnie laughed, pumping a fist in the air. Miss Grimwood let out a huff, smiling to them a bit.
"Well, that's well and good, but what else? I could hear so much chaos coming from everywhere..!"
"Like, we're not sure," Shaggy answered. "We're pretty sure that, like, came from the other parts of the bog. We didn't have any other run-ins after that."
They wouldn't have to wait long before Sibella, Daphne, Velma, and Elsa ran inside of the school, greeted by hugs from the others.
"You guys made it too!" Googie laughed in relief.
"Was there any any doubt," Sibella replied, a small smile on her face as she stood near Winnie, who was grinning ear to ear.
"I knew you guys could handle it too!" She guffawed.
"Oh yeah..!" Velma began. "It was a bit rough, but I got a good description of it. Not to mention..." She held up a bag of ashes, a big excited grin on her face.
"Like, the trap worked?!" Shaggy said, looking over the ashes.
"Oh boy, did it," Elsa said proudly. "Like a bug caught in a zapper."
"We're also lucky that it was the only thing to have died. Even that one student from the military school made it out okay," Daphne said, Miss Grimwood looking in her direction.
"One of the Colonel's students got caught up in it?!" She said in amazement.
"He held his own, for sure," Sibella answered. "He and the others are warning him about it as well."
"I'd better have a talk with him, once everyone's back..." Miss Grimwood said.
"Hey yeah... Freddie's not back yet?" Daphne asked, looking around.
"Nope. Haven't seen Phanty or Tanis yet, either," Winnie replied, scratching her ear.
"Like, didn't the detective go with them too?" Shaggy asked.
"I think so..." Googie added in a somewhat worried tone.
They all waited for quite awhile, everyone starting to get a bit antsy. At one point, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby had taken to keeping an eye out for the last team. After what seemed like a long time, Scooby pointed out to a group, hurriedly moving towards the school. "Look, look!" He'd bark out.
"Like, it's them!" Shaggy exclaimed. This got everyone's attention, though Daphne's expression turned from excited to worried.
"...something's not right. Shaggy, follow me," She'd say, running out towards them. Shaggy nodded and ran after her. The two gasped out upon seeing the sighted of a badly beaten Freddie, carrying an unconscious, just as badly beaten, detective, along with a sniffling mummy, whose bandages were stained with tears, and a ghost girl who looked like she was about to have an emotional breakdown.
"Freddie!" Daphne gasped out, the two hurrying to their side. "What on Earth happened?!"
"No time..!" He gasped out. "Hurry... help us get him inside..!" He managed to choke, his voice still sounding somewhat strained. Soon, they also helped lead him indoors, everyone clamoring and gasping at the sight.
"Oh no..." Sibella gasped, a hand over her mouth in shock.
"What's going on, what happened?!" Winnie said, watching as Miss Grimwood hurried over to them all.
"Oh dear... Elsa, dear, please help the detective upstairs into a bed. He'll need treatment, ASAP!" She said. The Frankenteen didn't hesitate to gently lift up the unconscious man bridal style, walking up the steps into the bathroom. Phanty didn't know whether to follow or stay behind, floating around in the air, as if she were pacing. Her fingers felt through her hair in a manic manner.
Daphne hurried and sat Fred into a seat, looking over his injuries as well. "Freddie, how did this happen? You're hurt!" She gasped out, looking over his skin.
"I'll be... okay," He coughed up, trying to wave away her worries. "Just need some water and air is all..."
"Was it another demon?!" Googie gulped, holding onto a chair to stay balanced.
A loud sob grabbed everyone's attention. They looked to Tanis, who was now openly crying. "It... it was me..! I did this!" She admitted in between sobs, everyone looking quite surprised, looking between each other.
"Tanis... you?" Miss Grimwood started softly, looking taken aback.
"Something made me lose control and I attacked everyone!" She gasped out. "I injured Freddie badly and... and killed the detective!" Tanis wailed, clinging to Shaggy's waist and burying her face into his stomach, muffling her sobs.
Everyone looked to each other, talking to each other as the tall, lanky coach gently hugged her back, gently petting her head to help comfort her.
"Is he really..?" Velma began, a hand to her forehead in disbelief.
"We don't know for sure, do we?" Sibella replied.
"Haha, y-yeah..! We don't know!" Phanty giggled nervously. "H-he could be just fine! Just p-peachy keen! Haha ha ha ha..!" Her hair was quite messed up and frazzled now, her eyes darting back in forth in a scared manner.
"H-he was breathing...just barely," Fred managed to respond. "B-but just barely. I don't know if he'd..." He trailed off, not finding the courage within himself to finish that sentence.
Phanty glanced up the stairs in a scared manner, fidgeting like crazy now. "No no no no..." She whispered to herself.
No one could say anything at this point. All they could do was wait for Elsa to return. The only noise that could be heard was Tanis whimpering into Shaggy's body.