Author´s note: The story is going well and I´m planning on ahead, but do not fear cuz I will not get too far from my dear Scooby. Hope the new chapters come soon or else I´ll end up with no nails! XD Kidding! Anyway, thank you all for reading this story cuz you give me courage to go on! And don´t worry about Scoob, we will soon find out what has happened to him.
Let´s go!
10. Tunnel
Darkness hovers over town and Pericles watches Shaggy stop dead. The parrot can tell that something is about to happen but is hard to say. The werewolf howls his lungs out, the fur disappears and the young man keeps his eyes trained in the sky as the dark mist around him, recovers his slender body. His hand touch the walls while his eyes go white. The parrot is breathless. He has finally recognized this creäture. The Marauder! Der Marodeur! Millenarian creature that guides the souls, guards Sunken Island and defeats beasts of all kind. Pericles has heard so much about him. And was he hidden within that kinder or why would he choose to go so unnoticed? Well, the best thing for the bird is that the marauder is blind, he cannot see him oder auch ja? The shadow of the man enlarges itself and appears as the werewolf that sees the bird with ease and chases it down.
"DIS IS FAR FROM OVER!" the parrot flies into the shadows. Botti and his companion do not see Pericles and run into the werewolf. The man and the large dog do not think it twice and run for it. The bird breaths deep and glances at the marauder, now covered in full robe with his lantern in hand and heading for the tunnels. "Ricky vill end up in my clavs tonight, dis I svear" he takes flight. He´s starting to feel the illness taking over his body but is a good timing, he will use it to catch two with just one stone. A sudden sound is heard. Mr Grinch is dealing with those who get too near to the entrance and it seems that the crocodile is doing a great work. "Dat veast can ve a provlem. Hm. Or perhaps not" he has spotted Ricky and Angel. "Someone iz havink a very long nigt"
"You OK, babe?" the woman glances at the man whose breathing is again a bit swallow.
"I´m fine" E is feeling again dizzy.
"Have ye figured out who send tha poison?" Angel stops for a few seconds.
"I..." his head is spinning. "Is hard to remember my name, imagine that" he feels a sudden pain in his hand. Jormungard slithers past the crocodile with ease and waits.
"Am sorry" she glances at the crocodile. "How are we gonna go past that?"
"Is OK" they walk on and Mr Grinch smells them. It lets out a bit of a growl but lets them walk inside. The pain in his hand makes E glance at it, a strange dark flower-looking thing pops out from inside his body and covers the palm.
"Wa-wa- what is that?" the dj tries to remove it but she only hurts the man.
"Even being with Nidhogg, I get also touched by the illness because I´m too weak and if we don´t hurry it will spread"
"OK. Where to?" she glances at the snake.
"To the vaults, of course. Hm?" Jormungard goes quiet. A sound of wings captures his attention and when he sees Pericles flying to get him, he vanishes turning into smoke.
"Pericles" E growls.
"You flying rat"
"How nice to see you two love virds dis lovely evenink" the bird smiles. "Too vad dis is di end of de trip for voth of you"
"Keep dreaming, bird" Angel supports the man.
"I vill. Once I haf gotten my hands into de precious treasures in here and taken my revenge" he does not contain a wide grin when he spots that illness has also reached the man. That can only mean that Ricky is at the end of his rope and that he´s finally succumbing.
"You talk too much" E lets Nidhogg out and the eel goes to its post. "I knew something like this will get your attention. A low blow was the poison"
"Vat poison, mein lieber?"
"It wasn´t you?" both humans are breathless.
"I vish I vas vut no. Still I haf to thank vhoever did it" the bird smiles as the illness takes over and the parrot turns into a large monstrous bird that attacks them with his claws, sending Angel to crash against one of the walls and pinning Ricky against the ground with a grin. The man tries to move the claw but his arms do not respond. "Now you´ll see vhat happens vhen novody loves you. Dhose vrats can´t save you now. Vut do not vorry, my sveet Ricky, I shall cry for you, mein kinder, as I rip your herzt"
"Pericles... Listen to me... You..." he can hardly breath.
"Auf Wiedersehen, meine süße Ricky" the parrot gets ready to strike when someone pushes him off the man. Angel is succumbing to the illness but she hasn´t give up in her task of protecting her friend. "Warum Sie wenig ...?"
"Get over it, bird" Pericles looks at the woman and hits her with one of his claws, making a gash on her side. The bird prepares to hit the dj again but E manages to get up and crash the animal´s head against the armored glass. Pericles passes out but the man has no time to make sure as he gets to Angel´s side. She´s bleeding badly.
"..." he tries to speak but words are stuck in his mouth. "I am not leaving you here to die"
"Ye have to get to the vault, Rick. Or else" she points at his hand, the roots of the strange flower had spread along his arm.
"I don´t care. C´mon" he tries to carry her but the man´s too weak. "Cursed... (Cough)"
"I´ll be fine. I promise that I will wait for you here"
"Cass, I..."
"Can you just beat it? I don´t want to tell you twice" the woman smiles. "You are so careless, Ricky Owens" they both smile now. "I bet Pericles got jealous"
"That is hard to say. Will you...?"
"I´m a big girl. Now move it or lose it!" Angel watches him leave. Now she knows it for sure. There´s still something of that love inside him. How long has it been? They both have changed, they are no longer those teenagers who solve mysteries The woman sighs sadly and places a hand by her side. Then she notices something on the cold floor, a very peculiar object. A bottle with a message inside. That´s strange. It´s wet and with some sea weeds, but no water comes into this tunnels, from where did it come from? With a bit of effort, she opens it and reads. Her heart skips.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSS
Soulfog has been successful in evading Mr Grinch and now, time to carry out his plan. Is been a century of planning but at least, all is going perfect. The doctor walks the corridor, not knowing that some of the ink creatures of Botti are following his steps and when they see where is he going, they race to tell Abradiçra, the Rainman and Lord of Sunken Island that has watched the whole thing from below the tunnel, inside one of his many lairs. The ink blots go straight to the point and the phantom smiles widely as Soulfog is walking into his open jaws. Jerk! Thinking this would be that easy to handle.
A terrific sound shakes the walls of the tunnel and Abra smiles. Jack is finally here again and the real fun can now begin.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Kai, Hutch and Shiva have heard it too and the first thing they notice is the moon coming out again from between the clouds to be the spotlight of Jack Bones and his band of scurvy dogs. The ship Golgotha ("Place of the Skull", perfect for Jack) is a ghost vessel that causes terror wherever it goes and when it seems through the fog of Crystal Cove, the stampede is almost immediate. Nevertheless, Bones has spent the last centuries gathering as his crew the most terrible and vicious characters of the Seven Seas, without caring if they´re human or not. When they reach land, they jump into the streets and start ravaging the place. They don´t hurt the three agents but they are not so nice with the rest.
Jack smiles widely. He has spent many hundreds of years haunting this coast, waiting for the curse of the conquistadors to disappear but it seems that tonight, there is no time for politeness.
"C´mon, ye luvvers! I want this place upside down just like I found it de last time!" thunders the pirate captain and they ransack everything. Jack glances at Helm and Alcor flying in circles above his head. Cait send them when he saw that the illness was starting to act.
"Capt´n!" shouts one of his crew. Looks like Jade has found something worth the shot in this hole. Jack walks carelessly through the running creatures and stands near one of his favourite members of the crew. "I´ve found that dog´s scent. It was hidden but I can follow it now"
"Excellent work, Jade. Ye just earned yer meal. Go see the pooch n´make sure he does his part"
"Aye-aye, capt´n!" she follows the trace through the streets while many of the other members of the Golgotha are stealing into the town hall.
"Hey, Jade. What´s up? You lost your tail? Oops, sorry. Yours is too short to lost... (Guffaw)" that´s Enrico, the lookout, a weird looking monkey man.
"Get lost" she grumbles.
"Ain´t staying, kitty kat?"
"Capt´n gave me work so beat it, bozo!" Jade walks on.
"Hu! Stupid fuzzball" Enrico sees a monster that is clearly Mayor Jones and whistles to call his mates. "Hey, lads! Time to pick out the trash!"
Jade snorts and follows her sense of smell until she spots something. Her prey has hardly notice her presence so she lies a little down and stalks carefully to get closer to her target.
The animal doesn´t seem to see her although it keeps glancing around the place. What a primo!
A growl and Jade jumps landing on her prey with a roar. The mammal shouts and whines but there is no escape now. Her breathing crashes against the face of her prey and she feels his heartbeat going crazy.
"Reeasse ron´t rill me" he whispers.
"Why not?" she shows her large canines.
"Ruu.. Rease" the dog lowers his ears.
"(Roar)" perhaps is a good time for a snack.
Oh oh! Someone´s in big trouble.
Will Mr. E make it on time?
Where´s Scooby? What role does he have in this plot?
Next clue: Shot in the Dark