The Mystery Machine rolled up into the parking lot of the Lakeview Hotel, and the gang could see Harry Mason still wandering around the street interrogating various objects. Freddy looked up at the vacant building. The lights were out and there was apparently no one was inside, but of course, having developed a tendency to barge into strangers' homes and businesses alike without permission or notice to anyone inside, he turned the door knob to find it unlocked.
"Let's go on inside, gang!" Freddy said motioning for everyone to go inside. Shaggy gulped and looked up at the windows when he thought he saw a ghostly figure dash by one of the second story windows.
"No way man! This place is haunted man!" Shaggy said as his knees shook horribly. Scooby gulped.
"Raunted! Roinks!" He said hopping up into Shaggy's arms. Daphne reached into her purse.
"Would you two go inside for a…Scooby Snack?" Daphne said holding out what appeared to be a dog biscuit wrapped in bacon and liquorice. Shaggy and Scooby licked their lips and both ate one of the disgusting food items. At that time they ran into a homeless looking woman dressed in rags and wearing makeup reminiscent of something a woman employed at a brothel might wear.
"Beware the darkness, children. It engulfs this town…it moves…" she said waving her arms about dramatically. Scooby and Shaggy ran inside the hotel, leaving Daphne, Freddy, and Velma to deal with the crazy woman.
"Darkness you say?" Velma said adjusting her glasses. The woman nodded with a crazed look in her eyes.
"It's EVERYWHERE…." She said spinning around flapping her arms making bird noises.
"What bird are you imitating?" Daphne asked. Dahlia didn't say anything more but began eating breadcrumbs she had spotted on the sidewalk and made a cooing noise and jumped up and down flapping. She climbed up a fire escape along a nearby building where several newspapers and cardboard boxes were gathered. She folder her arms and made more bird noises while looking around.
"…Right. Anyways, let's head on inside gang." Freddy said. Daphne, Velma, and Freddy entered the Lakeview Hotel to see Scooby and Shaggy searching the lobby for something to eat. Velma rang the bell at the front desk waiting for someone to show up. Within a few moments, a young looking man no older than 21 came to the front desk.
"I can't believe my dad made me get a summer job at this grody old hotel…er, sorry about that. Hello, I'm James Sunderland, how can I help you?"