Chapter 8

"Local Musician Elliott Finn Reportedly Kidnapped in Latest Goose Lake Monster Attack Late Last Night: Authorities Scramble to Find Missing Musician and Plead with Concert Organizers to Cancel Show"

"Will Goose Lake Music Festival Revival Show Be Cancelled? One Local Citizen Thinks It Should Be After Elliott Finn is Kidnapped by Goose Lake Monster"

"'I Love Music, but I Love My Friend More;' Why Music Manager Sid is Now Questioning the Safety of the Goose Lake Music Festival This Weekend"

Erica sniffles, her dark brown eyes blinking back tears as she shows Mystery Incorporated a string of news headlines trending online. As her fingers scroll through the slew of news articles, Fred notices an obvious, bleak trend; almost every single article is passionately demanding that Erica, Jordie, and Sid cancel the Goose Lake Music Festival because of Elliott's kidnapping.

"It's gotten worse since Sid reported Elliott's kidnapping to People Magazine in the interview Elliott was supposed to give this morning," Erica explains with a sigh. "The media went nuts once they heard the Goose Lake Monster went so far as kidnapping someone, and it's even worse now because Sid let it slip to People that he's upset Elliott was taken. He and my dad have been meeting all morning in the office to discuss cancelling the concert because Sid thinks it would be reckless to move forward given how Elliott was kidnapped. The only good thing that's come out of this entire thing is Elliott's name is trending on Twitter, so now his album pre-sales are through the roof, and his songs have been played thousands of times on iTunes and Spotify overnight."

It's about five hours after Shaggy caught Fred pouring through Fraphne fan art online, and the gang are grouped at Goose Lake. As planned, they had arrived promptly at 11 AM for Fred and Daphne's dress rehearsal, but the friends were shocked when they found a disheveled Erica crumpled on the grass, hiccupping and crying while her dad and Sid were nowhere to be found. The stage loomed behind Erica, empty and forlorn and dark as an abandoned ghost town, and Fred's heart had barreled into his throat, fearing that the Goose Lake Monster had struck again. After Shaggy and Fred had each hooked an arm around Erica and shouldered her back to her feet, Erica solemnly showed the gang the outpouring of cries demanding for the cancellation of the Goose Lake Music Festival. The entire time Erica spoke, Fred tasted the sharp, metallic taste of copper pennies stuck at the back of his throat. Elliott was missing, this was true, but how would cancelling the concert make anything better? Fred's heart clenched in sympathy for Erica, Jordie, and Sid, who now had to deal with not only the trauma of seeing Elliott kidnapped right before their eyes, but also the public's scathing remarks and judgement, as well.

As Velma and Daphne attempted to comfort Erica, Fred stifled a yawn; he never did manage to sleep last night, and now his eyelids are heavy, burning from lack of sleep, and his limbs are tingling with exhaustion. Although Shaggy and Scooby were able to promptly resume their peaceful slumber after catching Fred combing through online forums, Fred had remained wide-awake, stretched on his back as he stared at the sprawling, spider web-like cracks etched in the plaster ceiling, laying that way until his alarm clock shrilled at him an hour later. During that time, Fred's head buzzed as a tsunami of emotions clashed inside of him. He had been thrumming with energy over the events of the past twelve hours; it felt as though his evening with Daphne, along with blinking, golden tunnel lights and now Reddit user names and DeviantArt illustrations were vibrating along every nerve-ending in his skin. But after Shaggy and Scooby caught Fred pouring through online forums, it felt like a bucket of water had been tossed onto Fred's face, sobering him immediately, and as the sun crept up in the sky and strokes of soft, gauzy light speared through the curtains of his window, one thing was prominent in Fred's mind. Simmering beneath the layer of red-hot embarrassment was a mantra he chanted to himself until it matched the erratic beating of his heart – Daphne cannot see those forums, Daphne cannot see those forums, Daphne cannot see those forums. In Fred's mind, there was simply too much at stake here. This past week, each and every one of Fred and Daphne's interactions were equivalent to rivers with murky, shadowy bottoms; whenever the kiss was inevitably brought up or someone fangirled over all things Fraphne, Fred would try to gauge Daphne's reaction, but he could never see his feet in the water, causing him to retreat to the shore as he brought up safer conversations and topics and took the attention off him and Daphne as an official couple. If everything was already foggy and unclear, why would he add to the confusion by peppering it with mentions of these online forums and what he found on DeviantArt? No, it was best to just move on and forget about what he found online; besides, Fred was used to burrowing his head in the sand and burying his feelings beneath the surface by now.

Fred glances at Daphne now, who is dabbing the tears trailing down Erica's cheeks with her ascot, and his breath hitches in his throat. Last night as the minutes pooled into hours and sleep evaded Fred, he selfishly wondered if their kiss occupied as much space in Daphne's mind as it did his own, but whenever this thought circled him he promptly shot it down, his mind flickering back to her vehement outbursts in Chicago: "We're not a cute couple! I mean, er, if we were a couple…this is none of your business!" Honestly, what is the point in dwelling and dreaming that they'll ever be a couple if Daphne has already expressed her opposition towards this idea? Obviously, if Daphne had reciprocated his feelings, she would have said something at this point; she had a chance to tell him before the curtains rose whenever they sang together on Talent Star, or when they passed the pen back and forth as they scratched out lyrics to their music, or even in the front seat of the Mystery Machine as Chicago's glimmering skyline receded in their rearview mirror. Fred knew it was best if things were left unsaid at this point; he knew this, so why did his beating heart whisper in his ear like a coconspirator whenever Daphne was near, goading him and taunting him with flash backs of their kiss, of flickering tunnel lights and Michigan evening air whipping through his hair, of the waves of electricity that pulsated in his veins when she squeezed his hand?

Fred is too preoccupied with the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his mind, so he doesn't immediately notice Jordie and Sid approaching the gang until they're both standing right before him. He tries not to let his gaze linger over the two men, who both look exhausted. Jordie has dark rings steeped beneath his eyes, and Fred guesses that Jordie has slept just as little as Fred last night. Instead of his crisp, clean attire, Jordie is wearing a wrinkled Janis Joplin t-shirt and blue denim jeans, and his normally short hair is wild and unkempt; he obviously hasn't showered in quite some time. Sid appears just as unglued as Jordie; his long, brown hair, which is typically plaited in a neat braid or ponytail, looks matted and knotted, and he is wearing the same clothes he had on last night, when Elliott was kidnapped. Both are muttering and scowling at each other as they walk towards Erica and the gang, but the frowns drop from their faces the second both see Erica's tear-stained face and the mascara smeared down her cheeks.

"Erica, sweetie," Jordie begins with a deep sigh. "Please don't be upset; I've already talked with Sid, and I've made it very clear we can't cancel the show at this point. We've asked Mystery Incorporated to do too much at this point to just cancel it all."

"And that's like, EXACTLY why I don't want to move forward, man!" Sid's voice falters as he screeches with vehement protest. "Jordie, Erica: I know you're both, like, super upset about cancelling the show, but how can we move forward now that Elliott is gone?! We can't just, like, risk seeing anyone else get kidnapped."

"If I may interrupt," Velma interjects politely. "Sid, this is what we do best; after all, we are Mystery Inc., and we did drive up here from Chicago to see if we could be of assistance in the first place, so we know we were potentially getting ourselves into danger. I know you're worried about another attack from the Goose Lake Monster, but believe it or not, my friends and I have tons of experience with this."

"Yeah!" Fred nods eagerly, hoping his voice is light and airy, convincing everyone that he's gotten a full eight hours of sleep instead of a full eight minutes. "We're not going to let a single monster attack deter us from solving this mystery and helping you guys with the show! Ghosts and monsters have never bothered us in the past, and it certainly isn't going to stop us now, either."

"Like, speak for yourselves!" Shaggy interrupts with a gulp. "I could, like, hardly get any sleep last night because I was so afraid of the Goose Lake Monster!" Fred narrows his eyes at Shaggy and shakes his head incredulously, then bites back a chuckle in spite of himself as he recalls the drone of Shaggy's snores erupting throughout the hotel room all night.

Daphne rolls her eyes as she fishes a Scooby snack out of her purse for Shaggy and Scooby, who accept the treat eagerly, and Sid furrows his eyebrows at the gang, his gaze pausing at Fred and Daphne. "I'm, like, not a huge fan of Officer Bradford," Sid declares. "But I do think he has a good point. You two are in, like, grave danger if you insist on performing; doesn't that, like, worry you two at all?"

For the first time since last night Daphne looks at Fred, and his ears burn as he swallows the fist-sized lump forming in his throat. Before he can utter a sound, Daphne responds firmly, "Freddy and I worked really hard on our setlist last night, and we wouldn't want to let all that hard work just go down the drain. And besides, I would hate to let Erica down, and I would hate to let down anyone who has a ticket to the show. What do you think, Fred?"

Somehow, Fred manages to find his voice without stammering, and without allowing himself to think about how Daphne had referenced the night before, he replies, "Daphne is right; we can't just let this Goose Lake Monster win so easily. We promised you guys we would perform, and we promised you guys we would stop this monster, too. Just give us these next two days before the concert starts, and I can guarantee you that you won't regret moving forward with the concert!"

"We still have plans to interview the town today and see if we can find some clues after Daphne and Fred's dress rehearsal ends," Velma adds. "And we have all day tomorrow to gather clues and trap the monster, as well. Our goal is still to have this wrapped up before the concert begins in two days. My hope is that we make a ton of progress today so that you three can move forward with the concert and rest assured that everyone will be safe."

"That's all fine and good and all, but like, how can you guarantee your friends' safety during their performances?" Sid asks. "If we couldn't stop the monster from, like, taking Elliott, who's to say your friends won't be next?"

"We'll be watching and we'll be waiting for the monster this time," Velma smiles, her eyes shining mischievously. "If he attacks today, we'll be ready, and we'll split ourselves into two groups and stand on either side of the stage this time so we can intercept him easier. This will eliminate the exposed spot that he took advantage of last night when he took Elliot, so if he tries to walk by us again, someone will be ready to grab him this time. And I have something handy in case he decides to try his smoke trick again."

Fred lifts an eyebrow inquisitively as Sid presses Velma for more information, but already the set is buzzing with activity as everyone scrambles to prepare for Fred and Daphne's dress rehearsal. Shaggy and Scooby negotiate and plead with Daphne for more Scooby Snacks as she tries to reason with them to wait until lunch time; meanwhile, Velma and Sid amble over towards the stage as Sid needles Velma for more information on how to keep Daphne and Fred safe from the monster, and Jordie quickly pulls his daughter in for a hug. Fred doesn't miss the way Jordie whispers to Erica, "Don't worry, sweetie; we've got this," and Fred feels the crevices of his heart flicker with warmth. He vows to silence the noise in his head for just the next few days to give Erica and Jordie the concert they deserve; besides, if he truly wants to move forward with Daphne and not make anything weird or awkward, he needs to start acting as normal as possible, and that includes devoting his full attention to this mystery.

But first, he has to wade through this dress rehearsal, which luckily isn't anything he is unaccustomed to after having performed alongside Daphne in Talent Star these past several weeks. Granted, the kiss does complicate things for them a bit, but Fred is hopeful that the tension has dissipated a bit now that he and Daphne have worked together on their playlist. Fred retrieves his trusty acoustic guitar from the back of the Mystery Machine and saunters towards the stage, strumming absentmindedly as he walks. He's reminding himself of the tabs for "Come As You Are" and attempting to replicate the same magic the song evokes, and he has his head down as he moves, so he jolts in surprise when Sid says, "You're like, opening with Nirvana, huh? That's a pretty solid setlist you and Daphne have created."

Fred's heart jumps against his ribcage as Sid's voice jars him from his concentration, and he pulls the air in and out of his nose for a few seconds to steady his breathing. "Sorry Sid," Fred coughs. "I guess I didn't hear you. And yeah, I think we managed to hammer out a pretty solid setlist, too, especially given how we had such short notice."

Fred's cheeks flame with embarrassment; he can't recall the moment when he told Sid which songs they had selected, but the fog still billows in his head, so he probably just doesn't remember. "Come on Fred, focus," he admonishes himself.

Sid's face is scrunched together, his expression indecipherable as he blinks at Fred.

"Is everything okay, Sid?" Fred prompts, concern lacing his voice. He knows Sid is still shaken up from Elliott's kidnapping, and he's been worried for Sid ever since last night. Sid's entire career was intertwined around Elliott's success, and it seemed as though he had a solid repertoire with his client, as well. If Elliott's disappearance was challenging for Erica and Sid, then it had to be ten times more difficult for Sid.

"I guess I can't stop thinkin' about Elliott, man," Sid exhales. "The guilt's just been eatin' me alive, ya know? I can't stop thinkin', like, if only I had been there last night, I coulda stopped it."

"Sid, try not to beat yourself up like this; I don't think anyone could have stopped it," Fred says calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Sid's shoulder. Fred's heart quivers with sympathy as he stares at Sid, who is obviously still reeling and processing his friend's absence. "Poor guy," Fred thinks. "I can't blame him for feeling so low right now; Elliott's kidnapping happened only three days before the concert, and it couldn't have been worse timing."

Sid hunches forward as though there is a physical object pressing down on his shoulders, and then he stares at Fred so intensely that Fred squirms. "You, like, really care about her, don't you?" Sid asks solemnly, his eyes studying Fred closely.

A sheen of sweat coats Fred's skin as goosebumps waft over his arms. He gulps thickly, considering his options: should he lie? Deny it? Change the subject? But Sid is staring at Fred with his wide, brown eyes and a warm, open vulnerability written all over his face that reverberates throughout Fred's core, and he decides in that moment that he can trust Sid.

"Is it that obvious?" Fred admits as a sigh filters out of his lungs; it's as though a boulder has been rolled off of his chest, relieving the weight crushing the bones in his ribcage.

"Nah, no worries, I just, like, have an eye for these kinda things," Sid smiles, but it's both sad and serious at the same time. "Anyway, nothin' to be ashamed of, that much I can say, kid. But, like, the reason I bring it up is because I just wanna make sure you're cool with, like, goin' through with this. I know you and your pals, like, mean well and wanna help us out, but I really would feel terrible if somethin' happened to you or your girl. I can't stop thinkin' about how torn up I feel now that Elliott is gone, and like, I just wouldn't wish this on anyone else, man. You really sure you wanna do this?"

Fred is torn between denying that Daphne is, in Sid's words, "his girl," and reassuring Sid that he is perfectly fine with performing, but something in Sid's eyes make Fred pause for a moment before he responds. Any trace of the bantering and light-hearted Sid has vanished, and the playful sparkle in his eyes has been diminished. As the silence stretches between them, Fred fleetingly wonders if he's staring at a reflection of himself; if something were to actually happen to Daphne and danger were to fall upon them during their performance, would he be as unsettled as Sid? He doesn't even want to consider it.

Fred forces himself to smile and reply as comfortingly as possible, "Sid, I have complete faith that Mystery Inc is going to have this in the bag by the time the concert starts; and besides, as long as I have anything to say about it, I won't let anything dangerous happen to Daphne or any of my friends. I appreciate your concern for us all, but I promise you that we're going to take care of this by the time the concert goes on this weekend."

Sid looks as though he is about to say something, but then Erica's voice cuts through the crisp morning air.

"Freddy!" Erica speaks into the microphone on stage, her gaze sweeping across the campground in search of Fred. When she spots him, she waves her arms above her head. "Fred, Daphne is ready and we're just waiting on you! Let's get this dress rehearsal started!"

Fred throws a thumbs-up signal at Erica as he ignores the way his chest constricts at the sight of Daphne. For some reason his eyes waver towards her pink stained lips, which are moving as she talks with Erica on stage. He can't help himself; instantly, his mind pulls him back to when he kissed those same lips on stage in Chicago. Fred shakes his head incredulously at his own behavior; what's the point in even dwelling on it if will never happen again? Just like ScoobyDoobyDoo wrote on DeviantArt, their relationship would never move past that one kiss that took place last week. But thinking about the kiss is like pressing down on a bruise; even though Fred knows it's only going to hurt him, he can't stop doing it.

Almost as if Sid can sense Fred's inner turmoil, he chuckles as he slaps Fred lightly on the back.

"Good luck, kid," he murmurs. "I'm rootin' for you."

"Freddy, did you hear anything that I just said to you?"

Fred jerks as though he's been electrocuted. Daphne is blinking at him, her eyebrows dipped into a "V" and her forehead creased; she looks so concerned that for a moment Fred has the wild impulse to reach forward and graze his fingers over her face to smooth out the anxiety seeped there, but he stops himself.

"Uh, sorry Daph, what were you saying?" Fred stammers as the blood pools in his cheeks; he is fairly certain he nodded off for just a moment there while Daphne was talking. He'll have to be sure he actually manages to sleep tonight so he isn't a zombie for the concert this weekend.

Daphne sighs, clearly exasperated.

"I was asking if you think we're ready for the concert this weekend," Daphne repeats, a tinge of irritation coloring her voice. "We really haven't had any time to become familiar with our setlist, let alone practice. When we were in Talent Star we practiced for weeks leading up to the competition, but now we have just two days, and a monster on top of everything else!"

Fred smiles; this is one song and dance he knows how to handle. Whether it's a mystery or a moment during which one of his friends need some reassurance, Fred is always the one his friends turn to for emotional support. It's why he's the unspoken leader of the gang; he is the unwavering net beneath their feet, catching any of them whenever someone tripped.

"Don't worry, Daph, we stayed up late working on our set, and we know all the music," Fred grins. "If we could make it through the elimination rounds of Talent Star and compete head-to-head in the finals, then I think this ought to be a breeze for us!"

Daphne smiles, but it's a thin, taut line, and she just nods; something gnaws at Fred and tells him she's holding something back from him, but she doesn't say anything else, so he remains standing a few feet away from her on stage as he plucks the strings on his guitar absentmindedly. He wants to say something to pop the silence ballooning between them, but Erica, Jordie, and Sid are rushing around the stage, checking the equipment and speaking to each other about the microphone level and stage lights, and it's making Fred dizzy and reminding him of how sleepy he is today. He yawns once more and attempts to cover his face with his arm so no one notices when Daphne speaks again.

"Freddy," Daphne clears her throat, suddenly sounding shy. "I just wanted to say thanks again for last night. That was, ah, really, uh, kind of you to take me up on that tunnel song idea. Maybe next time we try it, you can pick the song?"

It feels as though everything around them has stilled, frozen with anticipation; Fred can envision the squirrels and the birds in the woods around them leaning forward, perking their ears up eagerly to hear his response. The only sound Fred can hear is his heart beat shuddering in his ears.

"Sure, I would love to pick the next song!" Fred responds with a slight shrug, attempting to sound as calm as possible even though he feels like his grin could make his cheeks explode. He thinks he sees a hint of pink splash onto Daphne's cheeks, but then Jordie is flashing a thumbs-up in Erica's direction as he finishes adjusting a stage light behind Daphne, and Erica cups her hands around her mouth and yells, "All right, Fred and Daphne – you're on!"

Fred inhales and exhales evenly for ten full seconds as his friend's cheers pierce the afternoon sky around him. "Okay," he tells himself. "Try not to think about how the last time you two performed together ended in a kiss; just focus on this dress rehearsal and this mystery."

Fred glances around for reassurance; maybe it's all the newspaper headlines or the lack of sleep, but he almost expects to see the Goose Lake Monster standing beside his friends, participating as a silent observer. As promised, Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma are situated on the staircase that cascades to the right side of the stage, while Jordie, Sid, and Erica stand guard by the staircase that flanks the left side of the stage. If the monster were to try and attack again, he'll have to step around three different people, so his chances of getting to Fred and Daphne are slim.

Daphne steps toward the microphone in front of her, which is adjusted to accommodate her height. Fred feels the nerves tighten around his stomach like a fist. He swipes his palms against his pants, noticing how sweaty he is all of a sudden, and he feels light-headed and dizzy; briefly, he wonders if he will faint in front of everybody. But then Daphne speaks into the microphone, and her voice is so clear and so light, with absolutely no trace of worry nor concern, and Fred feels the anxiety evaporate in an instant.

"Good afternoon," Daphne speaks slowly and clearly into the microphone, and again bursts of applause explode from their friends. "I'm Daphne Blake, and this is Fred Jones. We were finalists who won second place on Talent Star this past season, and we're so excited to perform for you all today!"

Fred gazes out before him at the vast green grass and the glimmering blue lake located further back as he tries to imagine what it will look like when a sea of people are swimming before them in just two days, but he can't envision it without the nerves knotting in his stomach again. He focuses on Daphne standing just before him instead, and when she swivels towards him and nods, he begins to play the first few chords of "Come As You Are."

A hush descends upon Fred and Daphne's friends as they watch, transfixed by Daphne's voice. Fred hasn't heard Daphne sing since they performed on Talent Star, and it makes him feel as though he's falling out of the sky as a rush of adrenaline courses through his veins; it's as though he is hearing her sing for the first time all over again. Her voice is smooth, like river water flowing over rocks, and it captivates Fred every time. The best part is he's the one giving her the music, the one supplying the guitar that decorates her voice; it makes Fred feel important and needed, as though Daphne needs him just as much as he needs her for this brief time.

The song wraps up after just a few minutes, and their friends begin cheering before Fred has even finished slamming his pick over the guitar strings, which makes Fred blush and Daphne giggle sweetly.

"Oh my God, that was great!" Erica gushes from her spot on the side of the stage just before Fred has a chance to segue into the second song. "I am so geeked to be seeing Fraphne perform live and in front of me right now!"

Fred flinches, reeling as though Erica has slapped him across the face while the Fraphne nickname causes a stream of flashbacks to the online forums he read the night before. He catches the way Erica furrows her forehead together and pins him with an inquisitive expression, so he ducks his head, refusing to make eye contact with her as he ignores his heart fluttering like a hummingbird's wings.

If Daphne had noticed any of the awkward exchange, she doesn't show it; she's beaming so wide and she shines so brightly, as though they had actually won the Talent Star competition and had just heard the news.

"Thank you guys," Daphne grins. "Here is our next song!"

Without pausing to think about the way Erica is still studying and analyzing Fred as though he is a bug trapped in a jar, he slides into the next song, which is the acoustic rendition of "Livin' On A Prayer" that they had decided on last night. Admittedly, this song has Fred the most concerned out of their entire setlist; he wasn't aware of too many acoustic renditions of this song until after he and Daphne had found a couple uploaded to YouTube. They tweaked the key to match her vocal range, and as usual, it sounds so harmonious paired with Fred's guitar; Fred can't help but fleetingly think of how her voice and his guitar are a perfect match, as though they're made for each other, but something about this thought makes him blush and shift on his feet uneasily.

Fred tries instead to focus only on the sound of Daphne's voice while he plays, but that stirs something within him, too. Whenever Daphne sings, he can hardly sit still; even if he's on stage playing next to her he is compelled to sway and move back and forth. It's always been this way when she sings, as though something fluorescent and radioactive lights up his veins and his thundering heart. And Fred has long suspected that it isn't just Daphne's voice that he loves; it's her. There was always something wrestling and struggling inside of him whenever she sang, as though some fundamental part of him is aching to be loose, and now, in the context of last night and their kiss last week, that desire is somehow even louder, demanding to be heard and acknowledged. Fred remembers how he felt the urge to kiss her as the final notes of their song twinkled away last week, and he remembers how he answered that urge when he leaned forward and he pressed his lips against Daphne's. He wanted to kiss her so badly then, and he wants to kiss her so badly again right now, but all he can do is rock his body slowly behind her as he strums the chords to this song.

Thankfully, the song ends with a final brush of his guitar strings, and again his friends scream and whoop enthusiastically. Fred lets out a sigh of relief; for some reason he had been most nervous about the first two songs, and now he feels like he can breathe easier. Part of the reason is because their most difficult song is behind them now, and they've proven they can handle it. The other reason is because the Goose Lake Monster had struck during Elliott's second song last night, and Fred thinks that if the pattern were to continue, the monster would have reared its head by now.

"Thank you," Daphne breathes into the microphone. "We're going to move into our third song, which is a song by Oasis."

Fred launches into "Don't Look Back In Anger" as Daphne leans into the microphone and begins to sing again, and as her voice rolls and intertwines with the guitar, he tries to mute all the noise pounding in his head. He is focusing intensely on blocking out any of his thoughts or even stimuli surrounding him, so he doesn't initially notice the haze roll around his ankles until ribbons of smoke begin to curl and wrap around his throat, causing him to cough and choke.

And then he hears Sid's scream cut through the fog: "AHHHHH, something slimy just pushed against my back, man!" A second later Jordie and Erica's cries spear through the fog, causing Fred to throw his guitar on the ground as he cuts his eyes to where Daphne is standing just a few feet in front of him. The smoke is starting to billow around her now, but he can clearly see her eyes, which are wide as golf balls and brimming with tears, and her mouth is gaping open in fear. He crosses the space between them in two bounds and grabs her wrist, causing her to shriek and jerk away from him. When Daphne realizes Fred is the one gripping her arm and not the Goose Lake Monster, a wave of relief washes over her face as she throws her arms around his torso and he pulls her to his side, vowing to keep her safe even as the smoke is more and more impenetrable.

And then he hears a gurgling, snarling noise that can only be attributed to a monster; it's a noise no human could replicate from his own throat.

Fred and Daphne grip each other tighter, and she burrows her face into his neck as he cries, "Velma, get the smoke deterrent you were talking about earlier, and hurry!" He hopes his voice is carrying itself over the rolling fog, reaching Velma somewhere in the abyss.

Fred hears Velma shouting something over the noise, but he can't hear what she's said over the deep-throated laugh coming from just a few feet in front of where Fred and Daphne are cowering together on stage. He squints, trying to glean the Goose Lake Monster through the soupy fog. When he sees the outline of a nine-foot-tall, stocky form looming before him and Daphne he opens his mouth to scream, but it's like he is trapped in a nightmare; his vocal chords are frozen, stiff with fear. Then he sees the Goose Lake Monster's outline reach out and violently thrust a thin, tall object forward, and Fred's reacting before his brain has even caught up with him. In two seconds he encircles his arms around Daphne's torso and yanks them both swiftly to the ground, rolling them away from the stage light that Jordie had readjusted only minutes before the attack. It shatters on immediate impact, and it sounds as though thousands of crystal glass figurines have been destroyed just inches away from where they're hiding on the ground.

Daphne burrows her face against Fred's clavicle, gasping and shivering at the impact. "Jeepers," she murmurs. "That was so close!"

"Stay quiet and don't move!" Fred whispers tersely in her ear; he feels her heart pushing against his, and he can't tell who's is beating harder right now. "I don't think he'll be able to find us as easily if we're not standing up."

As if to respond to Fred's statement the creature unleashes a blood-curdling scream, which elicits cries and yelps from Erica, Jordie, and Sid, who are also simultaneously calling out for Fred and Daphne. Daphne's quivering intensifies and Fred runs his hands through her hair, whispering that it's all going to be okay, when they hear a monotone, almost robotic voice float towards them.

"Fred and Daphne," the voice intones. "Drop out of the Goose Lake Music Festival, or you'll both be sorry!"

Before Fred can even react to the Goose Lake Monster's warning, he hears Velma shout, "Okay Shaggy, turn them on NOW!" An instant later the sound of fans whirling blasts all around him, and in seconds the fog has already thinned; he can see the monster's beady red eyes and the reptile-like, scaly body. The Goose Lake Monster is rooted in place, obviously taken aback by the precaution, and he doesn't flinch or move. It's only about half a minute before the fog is almost completely gone, and revealing the Goose Lake Monster just four feet in front of where Fred and Daphne huddle together in a ball on the ground. A shiver branches across Fred's back; he can clearly see the sharp, pointy nails on the tips of the creature's claws and the sinewy, defined muscles in its limbs as it stands on its back legs, and its iridescent green scales glimmer beneath the afternoon sun. He unleashes another scream, and it jars everyone into motion.

"Get him!" Velma barks vehemently as she jabs a finger at the creature, and the Goose Lake Monster screeches as Velma, Jordie, and Erica rush towards him from both sides of the stage. He zips straight past Fred and Daphne and leaps off the front of the stage, tearing across the grass and racing towards the lake, its tail swinging behind as it runs. Fred and Daphne are still scrambling to pull themselves off the ground when the monster dives into the lake, leaving only a splash behind in his wake as Velma, Jordie, and Erica remain standing on the grass, blinking at the water that ripples from the monster's hasty escape.

There's a few seconds of silence as everyone remains frozen, shocked by what's just transpired, when Shaggy interrupts with a cough.

"Like, sorry Fred and Daphne, those fans were meant to be on a lot sooner!" Shaggy scratches his neck sheepishly as Scooby wags his tail next to him; a cursory glance shows Fred an army of sleek, wireless fans lined along the side of the stage, and it suddenly clicks as to what Velma had been referencing when she had suggested a resolution to the smoke issue, which had thankfully worked out in their favor.

"It's okay, Shaggy," Fred exhales a cloud of relief, surveying the scene around him when he notices Sid is lying face down on the grass to the right of the stage. "Sid, are you all right?!"

Sid groans as Erica and Jordie run back to him, delicately helping him get back on his feet and gingerly checking him for any injuries as Mystery Incorporated join them.

"Like, I'm sorry guys," Sid sighs. "I think the monster got on stage so easily because he was able to push me down. I didn't even, like, see it coming."

"Don't apologize, Sid," Daphne responds soothingly as he wobbles back onto his feet with Jordie and Erica supporting him. "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

"I did not foresee the monster infiltrating any of us to trespass onto the stage," Velma admits. "I guess we'll have to be more careful in the future, but hey, the fans I managed to buy at the local convenient store this morning before the dress rehearsal sure did the trick!"

"Yeah, I think we startled the monster," Fred agrees. "He seemed really shocked, like he was caught off guard when the smoke started to disappear."

"So he must be using the fog to confuse and disorient us when he attacks," Daphne muses. "He tried to injury Freddy and I by pushing that stage light, and I never would have seen it if it weren't for Fred pulling us to safety! Hopefully now that we've thwarted the element of surprise for him, we can lessen the brutality of his attacks."

"Daphne's right," Fred nods. "Those fans really were good thinking, Velma. But that was still a close call. And did you guys hear what he said to us on stage?"

"Like, I think I heard it," Sid gulps. "He warned you guys to like, drop out of the concert."

"Exactly!" Daphne snaps her fingers. "And who else has been warning us to stay away from the concert and is once again incidentally not here? Bradford, that's who!"

"This is true, but we still need more clues before we can finalize our guess as to who is behind all of this," Velma adds. "I don't see anything that the monster could have dropped this time, but we'll sweep through the stage and the grassy area where he was running just to check. So far all we have is the clue with 'CORDS' written on a piece of cloth, and I still can't make heads or tails of it. Maybe we'll be lucky and we'll find something else after this most recent attack."

"I think after we're done searching here, we need to start interviewing the people living in Goose Lake, too," Fred states. "Now that the stakes are getting higher, it's important we have a comprehensive idea of who our primary suspect will be."

"While you kids are doing that, I'll have to clean my stage," Jordie laments as he eyes the shards of glass strewn on the stage. "But thank goodness that didn't hit you guys, Fred and Daphne. You could have been seriously injured."

"It was all Fred's quick thinking," Daphne beams as she lays her hand on Fred's arm, and he feels a cluster of butterfly wings flitting around inside of his chest once again.

"But wait!" Sid's cries out before everyone can break to clean and search for clues. "Fred, Daphne: are you going to do what the Goose Lake Monster demanded and drop out of the concert? What if he, like, comes after you again?"

Automatically everyone's eyes flicker to Fred, including Daphne, intrigued by how he will respond. Once again, Fred summons every ounce of bravery and courage as his heart swells while looking at his friends circled before him; he's lead them through so many mysteries before, so he knows this answer without even having to pause and think about it.

"No Sid, we're definitely not dropping out of this show!" Fred announces, and he's met with cheers from Daphne, Velma, Erica, Sid, and Jordie, and subtle groans from Shaggy and Scooby. "Now let's search for clues before we split up to interview the people of Goose Lake!"

But even as the words have left his mouth, Fred can't help but wonder if he's leading his friends into a potentially fatal situation this time.

Author Note: I thought I would change it up a bit by putting my author note at the end of the chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this update on this random Tuesday evening. Anyway, I am curious; do you have any theories or predictions about the Goose Lake Monster's identity, or any theories in general as you've been reading? I would love to hear them in the reviews! Again, please review if you feel so inclined, and know that it's always appreciated when you do. - iamacliche