"He taught her that courage wasn't the absence of fear-it was running anyway, especially if someone you loved was running beside you."
"They were an unlikely equation-the boy who ran from monsters and the girl who stood her ground. But in the space...
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*💚Third Person's POV💚*
Shaggy's worry was a slow, gnawing thing in his gut. He hadn't seen Julia since she'd followed Daphne to research cults hours ago. Daphne had reappeared, but the strawberry blonde was still conspicuously absent. Had he done something? Said something wrong on the pier? The thought that she might be avoiding him twisted his stomach into knots. He was so preoccupied he didn't even register Mary-Jane sliding into the seat beside him in the hotel lounge.
"HELP ME! HELP ME! MONSTERS!"
Scooby-Doo's terrified yelp shattered the tense atmosphere. He came skidding into the centre of the room on all fours before diving under a low table, quivering.
Everyone stared. Fred strode over, his face a mask of embarrassed frustration. He knelt down. "Scooby, this is the most embarrassing thing you've done since you decided to clean your beans at Don Knotts' Christmas Party," he snapped.
Scooby's fear momentarily shifted to confusion, then a gleeful memory. He let out a shaky chuckle.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Fred announced, standing and addressing the room. "There are no such things as ghouls, ghosts, goblins, or monsters!"
He climbed onto a coffee table for emphasis. "Now listen up! There is absolutely, absolutely no such thing—"
CRASH!
The window behind him exploded inward.
A hulking, purple-skinned monster with glowing eyes landed in a crouch amidst the shattered glass.
"MONSTER!" Fred shrieked, his bravado vanishing. He tried to run, but a massive, clawed hand shot out and snagged him by the ankle, hoisting him upside down.
"Fred!" Daphne screamed.
The monster leaned in, its maw opening. A cloud of sickly green vapor engulfed Fred's face. His struggles weakened, his eyes fluttering closed. "Save... Daphne..." he slurred before going limp.
Chaos erupted. Screams filled the air as more monstrous forms crashed through the windows. Shaggy scrambled from his seat, his eyes frantically scanning the panicked crowd for a flash of strawberry-blonde hair. Julia, where are you?
"Velma!" he shouted, spotting her near the staircase. A creature had her in its grasp, green smoke already swirling around her head. She went slack.
Shaggy ducked as another monster lunged through the window behind him. He made a desperate dive over the bar counter, Mary-Jane tumbling after him. "This is, like, the opposite of what I wanted to do today," he wheezed, peeking over the counter. In his mind's eye, he saw Julia's smile—warm, grounding. Please be safe.
On the staircase, Daphne saw her chance. She leaped down to the bar level where Velma had left the Daemon Ritus. N'Goo Tuana was sprinting for it too, but Daphne snatched it first, sticking her tongue out at him in a fleeting moment of triumph. He was bowled over by a stampede of fleeing students.
Daphne planted herself protectively in front of Emile Mondavarious, who was cowering nearby. "Stand back, sir! I'll protect you!"
Her bravery was for naught. A clawed arm reached up from the lower level and yanked Mondavarious through the railing with a shriek. "Mr. Mondavarious!" Daphne cried.
Another monster reached for her. This time, she swung her heavy purse, smacking its hand away. "Daphne, go!" Shaggy yelled from behind the bar.
They broke into a sprint. "Scooby Doo, where are you?!" Shaggy shouted; his voice raw. He followed Daphne and Mary-Jane up the grand staircase.
"Where's Scooby?" Daphne panted, peeking around a corner.
"I don't know, but I hope he's okay," Shaggy said, then quickly added, his worry spilling over, "You don't know where Julia is, by any chance?"
"She was still searching when I left," Daphne replied, her face grim.
They rounded another corner—and slammed right into Scooby, who was careening toward them on a luggage trolley.
"Right here! Scooby-Dooby-Doo!"
"Scoob!"
Relief was short-lived. Monsters closed in from behind. In front of them was a dead-end hallway with a large, ornate window.
"SCOOBY!"
With no other option, Shaggy grabbed the trolley's handle, and they charged the window. Glass shattered, and they soared through the night air, landing with a rough, rolling crash on a slanted roof awning below before tumbling to the soft grass.
Somehow, they ended up hiding inside the giant decorative vases at the 'Head in a Vase' display, holding their breath as the monsters stalked past, dragging limp students toward the dark heart of the island.
When the coast was clear, they emerged, staring in the direction the creatures had gone. "I have a sinking feeling these dudes aren't brainwashed cult members," Shaggy stated the obvious, his voice hushed.
"Then what are they? And what do they want with the college students? We need to follow them," Daphne declared.
Shaggy looked at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. "Say what?"
"So, we can defeat the creatures and save Fred, Velma... and Julia too," Daphne said, her expression deadly serious.
"Well, that's sort of like my plan. Which is: find Julia and get the heck out of here. Let the creatures eat Fred and Velma!" Shaggy's priority was crystal clear. He'd run, but not without her.
"No way! Fred and Velma always figured out everything. Even Julia, who always found the small details the rest of us missed. Now, it's our turn, Shaggy. For the first time, they're the damsels in distress. Not me." A triumphant smile lit Daphne's face. It faltered as her vase wobbled, tipped forward, and spilled her unceremoniously onto the ground. "Help?"
"Timber."
Grudgingly, Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, and Mary-Jane followed the monster trail to the bonfire clearing. They watched in horror as the creatures filed through a secret entrance in a massive stone slab, which then sealed shut.
"I'm calling for help," Mary-Jane said, pulling out her phone.
"No. No, I got this. I got this," Daphne insisted, standing up with false bravado. She stared at the seamless stone face. Her shoulders slumped. "I don't got this."
Mary-Jane dialled. "Coast Guard Fitzgibbon."
"Hello, sir. We're on Spooky Island. Our friends were... kidnapped. We need someone here right away!"
"Well, we do have a unit in the vicinity. Can you meet them at the pier?"
"Uh-huh."
"They'll be right there."
With no other options, the ragtag group of four made their way to the desolate pier, the cold sea wind biting at them as they waited in the dark for a rescue that felt desperately far away. Shaggy's eyes kept scanning the shadows, hoping against hope to see Julia running toward them, safe and sound.
