"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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*💚Julia's POV💚*
The drive was a blur of pain and fear, the van's ruined frame groaning in protest with every turn. I'd wedged myself into the backseat, nestled between Shaggy's legs, my back against his chest. His arms were wrapped around me, not in their usual playful way, but tight, almost desperate. My head rested in the hollow between his shoulder and neck, seeking the steady, familiar rhythm of his pulse. He gave me a sad, fleeting smile, his cheek brushing my hair, before his eyes, heavy with guilt, returned to the small, flickering TV screen Daphne had rigged to the van's power.
"Heather Jasper-Howe with an emergency update for Investigative Probe," the reporter's voice was tinny through the speakers. "A monster army has invaded Coolsville. Angry citizens have gathered outside Mystery Inc.'s offices in protest. They're insisting the gang cooperate with the Evil Masked Figure's demands."
The screen showed a sea of furious faces pressed against the police barricades around our headquarters. Chants of "Mystery Stink! Mystery Stink!" echoed, a brutal soundtrack to our failure. Then, as if on cue, the monster army descended—Zombies, Skeleton Men, the Pterodactyl Ghost—sending the protestors scattering in terror.
Shaggy flinched, his arms tightening around me. I could feel the misery radiating from him, a physical weight. I shifted, turning my face to press a silent kiss against his jaw, a small anchor in the storm. His sad smile returned, but his eyes remained locked on the screen.
"Excuse me, sir, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Heather, ever the professional, shoved her microphone toward a shambling Zombie.
The Zombie responded by vomiting a torrent of glowing green slime directly onto her and the camera lens. In any other circumstance, it would have been darkly hilarious. Now, it just felt like the world was rotting.
A single, nervous giggle escaped Scooby beside us. Shaggy and I turned our heads in unison, fixing him with identical, weary looks. His laughter died with a whimper.
Heather Jasper-Howe's face, now cleaned but pale with fear, filled the screen again. "I beg you, Mystery Inc. If you can hear me, turn yourselves in."
A heavy silence pressed down on the van.
"If we do," Fred's voice was strained from the driver's seat, "he'll get the control panel back, and the city will be in worse shape."
"We'd be playing right into his hands," Daphne added quietly from the passenger seat.
"Please," Heather whispered, her plea cutting through the static. "For our city's sake."
BANG!
The door to the newsroom flew off its hinges on the broadcast. The Black Knight Ghost filled the frame, its armoured form blocking the light. "Sorry," its metallic voice sneered. "You're cancelled."
