My mother said there's only one way
Sweet angel boy, narrow and straight
Time it has past, teachings they fade
Now her angel boy has gone astray
I've felt the hand of the Devil, felt his breath on my skin
Dip me into the water, wash me again
Can I still be forgiven for all of these things?
Or have I gone too far now?
Have I lost my wings?
-Tim McGraw; Angel Boy
"Alright, this is definitely something I hadn't had on my mind of doing in my lifetime!" Mike said, looking around at the widened abyss of darkness that enveloped himself and the others. He aimed his flashlight in various parts of the darkness, seeing nothing but space and millions of tiny specks of dust fluttering in the pale yellow beam of light that projected from the bulb.
A low moan filled the room and the hair on the back of Fred's neck pricked. All six members of the mediocre detective team instantly put their backs together; a pair of eyes piercing every direction, assisted with the illumination of the flashlights each person held in their hand.
Scooby's hackles rose, instantly erecting his stubby ears. He whined and pointed into his direction with a trembling paw, using the other to tug at Shaggy's pant leg. The enormous dog started to quiver, his eyes going wide.
"Like, what is it, Scoob?" Shaggy asked, looking down at his canine cohort.
Scooby hopped onto all feet in a pointer-esque pose, one of his forepaws pointed squarely to the front of his stiffened body. He held the pose for all but two seconds before falling face-first onto the concrete with a grumble.
"Scoob? What – Zoinks!"
The others turned reluctantly from their posts to see what the matter was. And no sooner than they did, the five humans let out a collection of screams and yells of fear at the thing before them.
Scooby peeled his muzzle from the concrete and looked up to see a pair of gleaming green orbs hovering over him. He regretted it. He pinned his ears as his jaw dropped to the floor. His fur turned from tawny to pure white in a matter of seconds; even his distinct black patches vanished. The Great Dane leapt a few feet into the air with a howl of terror, landing heavily in Shaggy's arms, both of them trembling uncontrollably.
The lanky young beatnik had in the process dropped his flashlight, sending it hurtling to the ground, where it landed with a clatter that echoed throughout the warehouse. It spun several times before it fell upon their culprit.
A deafening roar filled everyone's eardrums as a towering zombie stood before them. It raised its arms and roared again, exposing half-rotted teeth and bulging its eyes, which seemed to stare into nothing. Tattered rags of clothing hung loosely over pale grey skin that wrinkled and flexed with the zombie's every movement.
"Split up!" Fred shouted, as he and Velma took off into the darkness, at that moment, all lights went out. The others took the cue and took off as well, their footsteps padding all over the span of the building.
With a roar, the zombie took off after a set of rapidly falling feet. Reaching out, the monster grabbed something long and fuzzy. It waggled wildly in his grip. The zombie gave it a sharp yank, and a deafening yelp rang out.
Another set of feet approached from the side. A body collided with the zombie, sending all three of them tumbling. They crashed into a far wall, and all sound came to a halt as they all laid still.
Bright beams of light appeared, falling in the direction of the path. There, Fred, Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy found the zombie hunched against the wall, groaning. Around his torso was a spare tire. Beside him in a sprawled position was Mike, who cringed when the light hit him. And all the while, Scooby's tail had remained in the zombie's hand, with Scooby himself flat on his stomach.
"Well, we thank you guys again for your exceptional detective work," the chief of police bellowed proudly, shaking Scooby's paw. The dog's tail wagged, although it was wrapped in a bandage and would be sore for a few days.
"So, what's the story behind this?" an officer asked, holding up the zombie mask and gesturing to the disgruntled man in handcuffs.
"It's quite simple, really," Fred started, "Your culprit is Thomas Herrigan, the son of this warehouse's former owner, Franklin Herrigan."
"When Franklin died, the family couldn't afford to keep the warehouse, so the government bought it. That's what we concluded when we found the deed in Thomas' office earlier today."
"Like, yeah, because when we went up there, there was a sign that said 'Property of Government – No Trespassing'." He supported his statement by pointing to the sign, which was nailed to a nearby fir tree.
"To make a long story short," Daphne added, "Thomas wanted to take the property back for his family. So he stole the deed from the federal office and dressed up as a zombie to frighten everyone off with the myth of his dead father."
"Exactly. This scheme revolved around his claim that his father was enraged at the government's possession of his warehouse, and he wouldn't rest until it was handed back over to the Herrigan family," Velma concluded.
"Now, why would he want an old warehouse?" the officer countered, arching a thick brow.
"It's simple," Mike replied. "Land value. This property must be worth thousands, with all the space and lumber."
The chief grinned, seeming satisfied with that answer. They forced Thomas Herrigan into the squad car, but before they closed the door, he blurted, "I would've gotten away with it, if it wasn't for that meddling Irishman and his dog!" With that, the door slammed, and the police left the grounds.
Mike looked perplexed when the others burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Like, you just got mentioned in a 'meddling kids' tagline!" Shaggy chuckled.
"It's almost customary for the villains we catch always say something along that line. I have no idea if it's a running gag with them, or just a horribly annoying curse," Velma added.
"But, you got yourself mentioned in it, instead of us as a group of meddlers. You should be honored!" Daphne added, elbowing him.
"Alright, if you say so. I'm honored, then!" Mike replied, chiming into the laughter and hugging Daphne around the shoulders as they all walked back to the Mystery Machine, Scooby bounding beside them.
Seeing the scene with Mike and Daphne made Fred's eyes narrow. He ground his teeth a little but sighed, regaining his composure and joining the others in the van. He placed the key in the ignition and turned it; listening as the engine roared to life. Headlights flashed on, piercing the foggy cloud that draped through the trees. All sound of crickets and frogs in the marshes were overpowered by the sound of the hulking vehicle as it rumbled down the dirt road, and exited the property.