Mystery Gang

Part 1 - The Mystery

Velma's POV

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The back of the van was hot, almost unbearably so. The fact that it was the end of summer didn't help the stuffy atmosphere. Fred normally had the windows down but today he decided they stay up. He had been tinkering with the Mystery Machine for a while and had been so happy when he "fixed" the AC that no one dared to say anything about the heat.

Scooby and Shaggy fidgeted in their seats, complaining about the lack of food. Velma zoned out as Fred started explaining the details of the mystery mission for the hundredth time; there were only so many times she could hear about a haunted mansion. She turned in her seat and stared out of the car window. The barren landscape raced by her window and before she knew it, Velma fell asleep.

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"Velma."

Velma's neck hurt as she turned her head, bleary-eyed. Daphne was staring back at her from the seat in front and was motioning that they should get out of the car.

It was only until after Daphne had nudged her awake that Velma realized the Mystery Machine had come to a stop.

The mansion they had parked in front of was big. How anyone could live there was a question Velma wouldn't be able to answer. It looked as if it was going to fall over with the slightest gust of wind. Many of the windows were broken and the curtains inside looked decayed. The front door was bolted shut with a rusty lock and the front porch looked like a safety hazard.

Fred stepped in front of the group and rubbed his hands together in excitement.

"Alright gang look alive, this is where we'll be staying for the rest of the week," Fred said cheerfully.

The group collectively groaned and Scooby and Shaggy quickly jumped back into the van.

"Scooby, Shaggy come back!" Fred shouted racing after them. Velma stared after Fred as he tried to open the doors to the locked Mystery Machine. After a few hilarious minutes passed Velma realized Fred was going to be trying for a long time. She looked away from the van and stared up at the towering mansion. It seemed haunted enough, and it looked like no one had set foot in it for years. Velma craned her neck back to get a better look.

"Do you smell that?"

Velma almost jumped and turned to Daphne who was now sniffing the air.

"Smell what?" Velma asked, trying to see if there was a distinct smell in the air.

Daphne took in a deep breath, "It smells almost like burnt tires."

Velma sniffed again, "It does now that you mention it."

The two girls looked around to find the source of the smell, but it seemed to be coming from the mansion.

Velma glanced back at the struggling Fred and looked at Daphne. "Should we go in?"

"I don't see why not." Daphne shrugged as the two girls walked up the steps into the building.

Velma was nervous but she tried not to show it. The front door let out a loud groan as they pulled it open, and clouds of dust whirled at their feet.

Velma stepped inside first. It was dark, but the smell was growing stronger. Daphne shuffled in behind her and the two girls made their way down the hallway to their right. It was too dark to clearly see the interior of the house but Velma could just make out the shapes of furniture and artwork.

"It's coming from there," Daphne whispered from somewhere behind Velma. Velma turned to the door at the end of the hall and grabbed the handle. In the darkness, Velma could hear Daphne's shuffling.

"Are you ok Daph?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

Velma reached behind her and grabbed Daphne's cold hand in hers. Velma's own hand was sweaty but she held on tight. The door didn't creak when she opened it, instead, it let out a sort of hiss and the smell hit the girls in full force. Fluorescent lights flickered on when they entered the room. It didn't look like anywhere else in the mansion, in fact, it didn't even look like a room. The walls and floors were stark white and there was a desk to the left of them. The rest of the place was filled with barrels and boxes, all drilled shut. Velma leaned down and read the labels to a few of them.

"That's weird." Velma looked around the room again.

"What's in the boxes?" Daphne peered over Velma's shoulder trying to get a closer look.

"It says it's candy."

"Candy?"

"Yeah, weird right?"

Velma was just about to suggest they go get the others when the loud footsteps sounded from the hall.

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Hi, hope you like the chapter. Sorry if some of the chapters are confusing, I'm in the middle of rewriting some of them. Thanks for reading!

:)