A/N: I do not own Scooby-Doo or any related Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros characters. The plot and minor characters are creations of mine. This is a non for profit, just for fun piece of fan writing!

Chapter Four – Theatre and Fear!

"Wow! Freddie, this is gonna be so great! I cannot wait until this evening!" said Daphne as she and Freddie left the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane clutching tickets to that evenings performance of 'Anything Goes'.

The two stood outside the theatre admiring the building and looking at the posters depicting moments from the show they were going to see when a scream pierced the air. Soon it was followed by more screams.

"What was that?" Daphne shouted

"It came from inside the theatre!" Fred replied, "Let's go!"

They ran inside the theatre and looked around. More screams could be heard.

"They are coming from the auditorium!" the redheaded girl cried.

As they were about to enter the auditorium, several staff members came running towards them, terror was written across their faces. Wrenching the door open Freddie entered first, closely followed by Daphne.

They entered a scene of chaos; people everywhere were struggling to escape from the narrow rows of seats, falling over each other in their panic. Fred ran forward to get a better view of what was happening, leaving Daphne by the doors.

Looking at the stage, the young boy saw the cast members and several of the audience looking anxiously up, following their gaze he saw a terrifying sight.

A ghost was floating around the auditorium, wailing. Her face was deathly white, but her eyes were purple and bruised, her skin was taught across her skull and was cut and bruised. She was wearing a flowing skirt and leotard that was tattered and torn, and on her feet were ballet shoes, that were also tatty and discoloured. The wail that was emitted from her mouth was piteous and unearthly.

Before he realized what was happening Freddie watched as the ghost swooped down towards the stage, heading straight for the lead female character. As the ghost pulled up out of her dive she grabbed the female lead and lifted her off of the stage.

"Hey!" the blond boy cried as he leapt up onto the stage trying to make a grab for the ghost and her captive.

In the confusion he was pushed off the stage. He fell heavily into the orchestra pit,

"oof!" he said as his head came into contact with something hard. The world around him went dark as he fainted into unconsciousness.

"Freddie!" Daphne screamed as she saw him fall.

Rushing forward the young girl found herself fighting a sea of people all wanting to exit the theatre. The ghost swooped upwards with her captive, and with an eerie shriek of delight she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Outside the theatre a red double decker sightseeing bus was driving by.

"And here we have one of the most haunted theatres in London, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where currently playing is the……" the guide trailed off causing the tourists on the bus to look around, trying to figure out why she had stopped talking. "What on earth is going on?"

"Jinkies!" Velma said as she saw people running from the theatre screaming and shouting in terror. "I wonder whats happening."

"Like, zoinks! Isn't that Daphne down there?" Shaggy yelled as he pointed out a figure in purple fighting against the crowd.

"Yes! Yes it is! Come on we have to get down there!"

"Rooby-Doo!" cried Scooby as he bounded down the stairs of the bus and out into the street

"Daphne! Daphne!"

"Like Daph! Wait up!"

"Raphne! Rop!"

Daphne heard her name being called, and momentarily stopped trying to get back inside the theatre. Suddenly she found herself being carried along by the force of the people escaping. Breaking free she rushed over to her friends,

"Guys! We gotta get back in there! Freddie is in there still. He fell from the stage, and I haven't seen him re-emerge!"

"Like woah! What's going on in there?" Shaggy asked

"I don't know. We bought tickets for tonight's performance then we heard screaming, so we rushed back into the theatre and it was chaos, people were rushing around shouting, clambering over each other, falling over, madness! Freddie ran forward to find out what was going on. I couldn't see much from where I was but I saw a cast member get lifted into the air, and I saw Freddie fall off of the stage. Also I heard this weird shrieking or wailing." Daphne explained as the three humans and dog weaved their way through the crowds to get back into the theatre.

A/N: Ooooh! What is the mystery that the gang have stumbled onto? Will they find Freddie? Will Daphne get to see her show? Will Velma get to finish her sightseeing tour? And will Shaggy and Scooby get to eat any more fish and chips? Find out…when I submit the next chapter!

TandR: you were not wrong in what you assumed. That will develop more in later chapters, but you will have to find out to what extent…!

Hope you are enjoying the story! Like I said please review, or pop suggestions into your reviews. I will respond to all reviewers and all suggestions (sensible ones!) will be considered.

Dx