11
Daisy woke up in the back of the Mystery Machine, Cliffy was lying asleep next to her. As she sat up she noticed that Fred, Daphne, Scooby and Velma were also sleeping. She quickly realised the van was moving, but where were the others? "Wake up!" She exclaimed, "Wake up!"
They began to stir, "What's going on?" Daphne asked. "I don't know." Daisy said. "I don't remember going to sleep." Velma said. "Mornin' sleepin' beauties!" A recognisable voice came from the front. "Harley?" Fred asked. "Raggy!" Scooby exclaimed, realising Shaggy wasn't there. "He's here." Harley said. "What's going on?" Fred asked. "Where is everyone else?" Cliffy asked.
"When I was finished in the bathroom, I found a candy machine, which I smashed open, I came back ta the van but Brucie an' the others were gone an' you were all asleep, so I decided ta drive." Harley said. "What's this?" Velma asked, picking up a piece of paper which was lying on the floor next to her.
"It's from Bruce." She said, as she opened it up. "It says: 'I am sorry to leave you behind, but I am going to find the two brothers responsible for this plague and I am going to find a way to reverse it. I mixed some medicines from the chemist and used them to make a kind of knock-out 'gas' which I put into the back of the van. I have taken Jason, Barbara, Dick and Damian with me, I couldn't leave them behind, I have also taken the map marked with the Complex locations and some guns and ammunition. – Bruce."
"That son of a bitch!" Daphne exclaimed, as she looked into the box which stored the ammunition, she realised that half of it was gone. "What do we do now?" Cliffy asked. "I know somewhere we can go, we're en route now!" She exclaimed, happily. "Where are you taking us?" Daisy asked. "Brooklyn, my home!" Harley exclaimed. "Whereabouts, are we?" Velma asked. "We entered Nebraska 'bout an hour ago." Harley said. "How long have we been asleep?" Fred asked. "I dunno, but it's been a long time." Harley replied.
Fred looked out the window and realised they were driving through a town, "Harley can you stop for a minute?" He asked. "Sure, I gotta pee anyway." She said, as the van came to a stop.
They walked into a small café across the road from the Mystery Machine and went into the bathroom. Shaggy and Scooby went into the kitchen and found a tub of ice cream.
The gang stood outside the Mystery Machine, the door was open, and Shaggy sat on the step eating a tub of ice cream and spoon feeding some to Scooby, Daphne, Fred and Harley leant against the van, Daphne drinking a bottle of whisky which she found in the store across the road. "We're going to have to find some more ammunition." She said, sipping the whisky. "I got some back at my place in Brooklyn." Harley said.
"It's a long way from here to Brooklyn," Fred said, "I we get attacked again, we won't have much of a chance with what we've got."
"We'll have t'find a gun store or somethin' on the way." Shaggy said. "Even if we find a home store, we'll find some knives." Daisy said, standing next to Shaggy.
About half an hour later, they got back into the Mystery Machine, Daisy got into the driver's seat and Daphne and Harley sat in the front with her. "I got somethin' ta tell ya, Daze." Harley said, sneakily.
"What is it?" Daisy asked. "Shaggy told me he's in love with you." Harley giggled. "He does not, you're crazy, Harley." Daisy replied. "The last part is true," Harley admitted, "But Shaggy loves you!" Harley giggled.
"It's true." Daphne said, taking a sip of the whisky. "Well, Fred is in love with you." Daisy said. "Is that supposed ta surprise me?" Harley asked, "Everyone knows that."
Daisy looked into the back and watched Shaggy and Scooby eating the ice cream, and Velma watched them, then Daisy watched Fred and Cliffy as they sat int the back next to each other. "It's a good thing we found Cliffy before those monsters did." Daisy said. "I kinda feel bad fer him, the monsters took his arms an' his family, an' they took my Ivy too." Harley said.
"Cliffy loves you, Daisy." Daphne said, sipping the whisky, "Sometimes I feel like he's my son." Daisy said. "Maybe ya the only person Cliff can find solace with." Harley said. "I didn't know you knew such big words." Daphne said, taking another sip of the whisky. "I'll have you know, I used ta be a doctor, but I'll let that one slide ya clearly drunk." Harley snapped. "Not quite." Daphne said.
"Daze, ya seem like a nice lady an' maybe that's why Cliff loves ya, or maybe ya remin' him o'his mom?" Harley said.
Meanwhile in the desert just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada
"Goddamit, Bruce!" Jason exclaimed as he pounded his fist against the side of the pickup truck. "Calm down, Jason." Bruce said. "How can I calm down?" Jason screamed, "You drugged us, kidnapped us and separated us from the others!"
"We should go back to the others Bruce," Dick began, "We'll be safer."
"No, if we carry out my plan then we can help." Bruce said. Damian sighed, "He has a point." He said, "If we find the two brothers or even find something that relates to the virus, then it's better than doing nothing." Dick sighed, "Where do we start?" He said. "You're not actually going along with this, are you?" Jason asked, angrily. "Jay, it's better than doing nothing." Barbara said, "At least we'll be doing something."
Jason sighed in defeat, "Alright."
Bruce rolled out the map which he took from the Mystery Machine, he pointed at a location on the map, "This one is the closest." Bruce said.
Brooklyn, New York
After days of driving, the gang finally arrived in Coney Island. Harley slowly, but not carefully, drove the Mystery Machine through the street, it was usually spacious but there were a lot of cars parked on the roadside and others in the middle of the road.
Windows throughout the street were smashed and glass lay over the ground, doors hanging off their hinges and shreds of clothing and bits of rubbish ghosted across the streets.
The Mystery Machine stopped on the side of the road outside of an apartment building. "Baby I'm home!" Harley exclaimed, "I had these best years o'my life here!" She jumped out the van, everyone followed her. "It's good ta be back!" She exclaimed.
"Stop shouting, something will here you." Velma snapped. "Hey!" An unfamiliar voice called, the gang exchanged looks, none of them had shouted. "Here!" The voice called again, they turned around and faced one of the other apartment buildings, where a man stood on the doorstep holding a gun.
"Now you've done it." Velma said. "Hey, you said something, I see someone." Harley said. "Is it a real person?" Cliffy asked, as the gang stared at the man who was now waving his arm at them. "I think so." Daisy said. "Come inside! Hurry up!" The man shouted. "I don't think that's such a good idea." Daisy said, lowering her voice.
"He's the only real person we've seen since Bruce and the others left." Daphne said. "Or those people in Halcyon." Shaggy said. "Those people were just a projection of a child's imagination." Velma said.
"The last person we've seen was that man in the hospital." Daphne said, remembering when she and Shaggy witnessed a monster torturing a poor man trapped in a hospital bed, his last few moments still gave Daphne chills.
"What man?" Harley asked, Daphne ignored her, "We should speak to him." She said. "Enough with the yappin', hurry up!" The man shouted, once again. They approach the building and the man tells them to go through into the basement.
"If he kills us, I'll blame you." Velma whispered to Daphne. "If he kills us, you'll be glad to be dead and away from this nightmare." Daphne replied.
The gang stepped down into the basement, the man followed them in and slammed the door behind them, putting two cinder blocks up against the door.
Harley suddenly gasped, "Tolsie!" She exclaimed, standing in the room was one of Harley's friends, Red Tool, Harley ran into his arms. "Harley? I thought you were dead?" He asked. "No, I was with Ivy, but she's dead now." Harley said sadly. "Is everyone else here?" She asked. "No." Red Tool said.
Harley stared at him. "The guys suddenly started screaming, then the screams turned into growls. And then they started growing and they turned into monsters, I ran into the basement and barricaded the door. I figured they gave up because then next thing I knew, Joe found me." Red Tool said.
Daphne suddenly looked suspiciously at the man who'd found the on the street, and then back at Red Tool, how had he survived the nanite activation? She asked herself.
"Joe?" Harley began, "Hey, I know you. You ran that hog dog stand on Coney!" Harley exclaimed. "I did." The man, named Joe, said. "How come you aren't dead?" Daphne asked. "Yeah, like how come you didn't get transformed by the nanite plague?" Shaggy asked. "I don't know." Joe said. "How come you aren't dead?" He asked. "It's a long story." Fred said.
"How did you find him?" Daphne asked, suspiciously. "I was livin' in this apartment buildin', when the monsters attacked I managed to get to the top o'the buildin'. I don't think they like heights." Joe said.
"Then, I hoped to find survivors, Red Tool here, was the only one who survived the last few weeks." Joe said. "You mean there were more?" Fred asked. "Yeah, I found a few of 'em in the other apartment buildin', Red Tool was the last one I found, the others all died, a few kids couldn't keep up an' the monsters caught up to 'em, some people killed themselves t'get away from the beasts." Joe said.
"How long have you been down here?" Daisy asked. "Since the monsters startin' attackin' Coney." Joe said.
Daphne continued to stare at him suspiciously. "Like, what do we do now?" Shaggy asked. "Stay here." Joe said. Daphne notices guns laid out on a shelf, "Do you have anymore of those?" She asked pointing at the shelf. "Nope, that's all I got." Joe said.
"I got some in a box unner my bed." Harley said. "But it's not safe." Joe said. "He's right, I haven't been in the building since Joe rescued me." Red Tool said.
"Have we got any more weapons in the Mystery Machine?" Daisy asked, "No, we used it on the way here." Shaggy said. "Besides it's too dangerous." Fred said, sternly. "Well we won't survive with these." Daphne said, motioning to the very few weapons they had. "We should go get them."
"Well, I'll go with you." Fred said. "No." Daphne said, "I need you to stay here with the others."
"No." Fred said, stubbornly. "I'll go with Shaggy, Scooby and Harley, but I need you to stay here, I know you'll keep everyone safe, please Fred." Daphne said, he nodded.
"I'll go with you." Red Tool said, "Me too." Joe said, he began to load the guns and gave them to Harley, the others prepared to go to back to the Mystery Machine.
"Hey, didn't they used ta call ya Crazy Joe?" Harley asked. "They sure did." Joe smiled, as he loaded his gun. "Crazy Joe?" Cliffy asked, "He used to talk to seagulls." Red Tool whispered to Cliffy.
"Why won't you let me go with you? Don't you trust me?" Fred asked. "I trust you to get everyone to safety, I wouldn't trust anyone else." Daphne said. "But you don't trust me enough to go with you?" He asked. "I do trust you, but I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you." Daphne said. "I promise I'll keep them safe, but if you're not back at the Mystery Machine in half an hour, I'm coming to look for you." Fred said. "An hour?" Daphne asked. "Fine, an hour." Fred said.
"You guys are going into a building, which is probably filled with monsters, with a man called Crazy Joe." Daisy whispered as she stepped towards Daphne and Fred. "We'll be fine." Daphne said. "Let's go."
The gang, Red Tool and Joe climbed the stairs and to the front door.
They ran across the street to the Mystery Machine; Daphne, Joe and Shaggy kept an eye out as the others climbed in. Fred climbed into the front seat and the others stayed in the back. "If you hear any gun fire start the engine, in case we need to go quickly." Daphne said, Fred nodded.
"I remember Big Tony said he a stash of ammunition in the basement." Red Tool said. "I'm going to go upstairs to get my weapons." Harley said. "I'll come with you." Shaggy said, "Me too." Joe said. "I'll go with Red Tool to find the ammunition." Daphne said.
"Ok, let's go." Shaggy said.
"Daph, one hour." Fred said, she nodded. They entered the building through the basement door. "Is an hour going to be long enough for them?" Cliffy asked as he climbed in the front next to Fred. "I said half an hour, but Daph wanted longer." Fred said.
Harley, Shaggy and Joe climbed the stairs to Harley's bedroom, as they walked across the second floor, they smelt a horrible smell. "Ugh! Like, what's that?" Shaggy asked. "I used ta have thirty plus animals livin' in here." Harley said. "It sure smells like it." Joe said.
Down in the basement, Daphne, Scooby and Red Tool looked for the box of ammunition Big Tony had hidden in the basement. "How sure are you that Big Tony hid the ammunition in the basement?" Daphne asked. "He used to put everything down here, because none of the others came down here, and he told me he put it in here." Red Tool said.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Daphne asked, as she stared at him wearing his red and black suit with the hammer shape in the face mask. "It's comfortable." Red Tool said.
"I know how you feel about Joe, I was suspicious when I met him too, but he kept me safe since this madness started." Red Tool said, "So how did you guys survive since these monsters attacked?" He asked.
"Velma's brothers made the virus, Velma had me, Fred, Shaggy and Scooby in the safe zone of a complex when the nanites were activated, we found Harley, Bruce Wayne and the others, then we found Daisy and Cliffy and we've just been trying to survive since. But one of Bruce's boy died." Daphne said. "Bruce Wayne?" Red Tool asked, "Should have known a billionaire would survive."
"So, what did you do before the apocalypse?" Red Tool asked, as he looked through the boxes on the shelves. "Fred and I used to work together, we were investigators." Daphne said. "Have you known him long?" Red Tool asked, "Nearly six years." Daphne said.
"What did you do before the apocalypse?" Daphne asked. "I used to work with Harley, stopping crime throughout Coney Island." Red Tool said.
Upstairs, Harley, Joe and Shaggy crept into Harley's bedroom, she pulled out a box from under her bed, it was filled with weapons. She stepped back as Shaggy and Joe rummaged through the box, Harley stepped over to her wardrobe, she changed her outfit whilst the others weren't looking.
When she changed out of her torn, dirty clothes and into a clean outfit, she pushed the clothes in the wardrobe to one side and reached for a button in the back of the wardrobe. The clothes were lowered down and replaced with a "wardrobe" loaded with weapons; guns, explosives, mallets and hammers.
She loaded her arms up with the weapons and put the explosives into a small bag she'd left on the floor, months ago.
"I think is all we'll be able to carry." Joe said, with his arms filled with guns, Shaggy's also. Joe leads the way back downstairs, as they got to the kitchen and were about to enter the basement, they heard a noise. Daphne, Red Tool and Scooby heard it too, and they came up to the kitchen.
"What's that?" Red Tool asked. "It sounds like a whimpering." Daphne said. "Rog?" Scooby asked. "Nathan?" Harley asked as a Dachshund stepped around from behind the kitchen door. "Nathan!" Harley exclaimed as she stepped towards him, Daphne grabbed her arm. "What?" Harley asked, "It's my baby!"
"We've been fooled once before." Daphne said. Three more dogs came out from behind the door, followed by two more, then four more. "Like, what do they want?" Shaggy asked. "We'll they probably haven't eaten in months." Daphne said.
"My babies won't eat me." Harley said, the dogs suddenly looked at each other, "They're considering it." Daphne said.
Suddenly the dogs started to come together, and they made one big dog.
In the Mystery Machine, Cliffy sat in the back with Daisy and Velma. "What was that?" Daisy asked, "It sounded like a roar." Velma said. "Or a bark." Cliffy added. "Hmm, it certainly sounds different to other roars we've heard." Velma said.
"Where did it come from?" Fred asked, as he looked out the window. "It sounded like it came from inside the house." Cliffy said, then they heard gun fire, it stopped after a few seconds. "Fred, start the engine." Daisy said, Fred started the engine and Daisy stood up by the back door and looked out the window. "What's going on?" Cliffy asked.
Daisy slowly reached for the door handle and pushed the door open, Daphne Shaggy, Scooby, Red Tool and a crying Harley jumped into the back of the Mystery Machine. "Drive Fred!" Shaggy exclaimed, slamming the door behind him. "Where's Joe?" Cliffy asked. Daphne climbed into the front next to Fred.
"He's dead." Shaggy said.