"...Drat"
Fred was kicking himself, as he missed Shaggy's perfect distraction technique. And with the reactions he was hearing from the girls, that move he had just pulled off was the same one that caught them off guard earlier. Though this time he had been able to catch the man in the act. And while Fred had in the past gotten spooked by a monster enough to dash away on all fours, only Shaggy had the skill to pull it off on purpose and with such finesse and accuracy.
Fred stood there in awe for a few seconds, before he suddenly jerked forward. Taking a step to catch himself, he whipped his head around to see the outstretched hand of Mr. McNallie. While old, the man was very strong and had pushed him away from the Fence.
"Well... what are you waiting for boy? Run!"
The old codger urged, shaking his head in exasperation. Wasn't the whole point of the game was to cross the sidewalk? Can't do that just standing about like a lump by the wayside.
Wide eyed, Fred looked back at the gang who just shrugged back at him. Though what sort of surprised him, was the strength of the old man. The shove pushing him further into the lawn, and slightly off balance. He had ended up further then he wanted...
"WAH!"
Jumping to the side, Fred just barely put his head on straight to see that he was close enough for Daphne to take a swing at him. Pushing back, he skipped away from her seeking hand... but it kept on coming at him!
"Hey wait...Wha!"
Looking, he almost stopped his dodging... But after years of doing it for solving mysteries, his body moved on its own to avoid her hand. It stretched beyond where it should have been able to reach, setting off various alarms in Fred's head to make his body react and run away. Which was a good thing, since the two ladies had just figured out a new trick! Making a chain. With Velma firmly planted on the sidewalk, she hung on to one of Daphne's hands who moved on to the grass to follow after Fred.
"Hey! Wait! Does this... this even count?"
Fred said wide eyed, hopping back away from the still seeking hand. Dodging it by a hairs breath and pointing at the hand accusingly when he could spare a moment to flail.
"What? I'm connected to the sidewalk still! …just through Velms!" Daphne said with a grin, swinging at him again. Her hand coming close to his nose though still missing her target.
"Totally legit!" She reasoned with a grin, taking another wide swipe to try to take advantage of his confusion.
Scrambling out of the way, Fred moved to the top corner to catch his breath, though pinning himself between the chain and another part of the sidewalk. It was the only safe spot he figured that he could rest and gather his thoughts. Though he was sure that they would be able to reach him, if they moved around to one side. But he would have had enough time to shift his position in time, had they moved across to get him.
"I figure it works... Since someone is still on the sidewalk, and they are both it. So they are spreading, like' the 'it'ness across them." Rationalized Shaggy, shooting poor Fred a shrug from his safer position. Amused at the new idea they had come up with. He would have to tell the boys about that method, to see if that would give them a better against him next time. While it was slow, it made up for that fact with the greater reach. And a well thought out strategy could certainly use that method to its full and dangerous potential.
"Great. And they are after me first." Fred sighed.
FWEEEEETTT!
A sharp and trilling sound shot out from behind Fred. Startled at the noise, Fred all but teleported across the small strip of lawn in the front and across to the other side before Daphne and Velma could even react. Especially since they were more distracted by the source of the sound.
"Well, that got you moving."
Chuckling, Mr. McNallie had snuck into his house and brought out his old drill sergeant whistle. The kids were taking too long to move, and he figured he would spice things up a bit. He also made sure to bring out his stopwatch as well to keep track of how long they were taking. And as soon as he had come out; he had wanted to make sure the little, dusty whistle still worked.
"Now then, you kids are taking too long for crossing. So I will use this little doohickey, and if you pass five minutes without trying to run, I'm going to let you know."
Wandering to his nearby shed, he pulled out a small lawn chair. Dragging it with him, he moved around the fence and took root in front of the fence on the sidewalk. Slowly sliding himself down into the chair, groaning as his knee argued with the action, he settled and waved back at the gang watching him.
"Now... As you were."
Turning to look at each other, Daphne and Velma couldn't complain. It certainly would make the game more interesting. Though hopefully the guys would move more often, so they wouldn't disturb the other neighbors with Mr. McNallies' whistle calls. It was starting to get later, after all.
Shaggy and Scooby certainly didn't mind, as they had used the distraction to cross back and forth while the girls were paying more attention to the old man than the game. Fred just had to gather himself, as he didn't expect the sudden whistle to go off behind him. His body just reacted. One too many vacation mornings with his military uncle deciding to wake him up the air force way. But once he knew the sound was going to come, it was easier to not jerk to attention.
But now there was a time limit... and the ladies had just doubled their tagging range. Though they were still pretty slow, the chain was an intimidating technique. It also left a smaller area for him to be safe in.
"Yeesh... I have only myself to blame." Fred said with a shake of his head.
