Author's Note: After recently rewatching Zombie Island (the original 1998 DTV film, not the steaming pile of rubbish we know to be "Return" to Zombie Island) and on account of the ongoing writer's block I'm going through for A Study in Wand Smoke, a story that I've been dragging on for a year now, I have decided to step back and tweak my plans for the Dimension Four series.
Initially, the idea was for the rewrite of Zombie Island to function as the finale for my upcoming reboot of The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, which will be published under the new series name of Scooby-Doo and the Ring Odyssey and will also consist of a prequel trilogy series of stories that focuses on the origins of the Chest of Demons, Vincent Van Ghoul and Mortifer Quinch while taking inspiration from Wonder Woman, specifically the depiction of the Greek mythology behind her origins in the 2017 Wonder Woman film, and Der Ring des Nibelungen.
However, given how A Study in Wand Smoke is based on the first of the mediocre DTV films, Abracadabra Doo!, I have increasingly felt a lack of motivation to carry on with the story on account of original film's not-so-solid storyline, especially with my reluctance to rewatch the film, therefore A Study in Wand Smoke will be discontinued.
In its place is this rewrite of Zombie Island, which will fulfill the role of introducing Mystery Inc. to the world of magic and the supernatural, in addition to addressing some nit-picking I have came to establish while recently rewatching the film. In particular, Daphne does came across as a bit whiny in the film, not to mention the jealousy troupe between Fred and Daphne, the apparent lack of situational awareness of the gang and the predictable plot devices (though I suppose it has come down to me becoming used to watching darker and more serious works outside the franchise with plenty of action that made the darkness and realism from the first four DTV films and even Mystery Incorporated pale in comparison).
Even so, made no mistake that Zombie Island is definitely still a masterpiece worth watching with the solid storyline, as well as Lena and Simone's backstories and the appearance of the zombies compensating for the nit-picking I have established and that I will most certainly take the first four DTV films any time over any of the post-2010 and most certainly post-2019 garbage.
Special thanks to Crystal Rose of Pollux for providing me the inspiration to utilize Vincent Van Ghoul and the explanation of mana in the bloodstream and its properties with their ongoing Season 2 of 13GSD project.
I don't own Scooby-Doo. Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.
Prologue
October 26, 1773
Location: Île-sur-Bayou Sous-Orléans, French Louisiana
It was supposed to be a joyous celebration, a celebration of the harvest at the end of the tenth season on the island.
A celebration that was the cumulation of the hard work everyone had put over the ten years since the expulsion from their ancestorial homes in Acadia by the British at the conclusion of the Seven Years War.
The journey from Acadia to Louisiana was not an easy one, and they have at times considered themselves to be among the lucky ones to have survived the perilous journey.
Bless le dieu chat that they managed to came upon the Île-sur Bayou Sous-Orléans while looking for a proper settlement to settle down and start a new life, an island in the Bayou of Sous-Orléans rich with fertile soil.
There were some hardships among the settlers as they rebuilt their lives on the island, and the tropical storms and hurricanes that struck the island during the summer certainly posed a great deal of challenges to their crops.
But they all persevered, in spite of all those hardships, and day in and out, they have counted their blessings from le dieu chat as the ten-year anniversary of their settlement on the island approaches.
It was just as well, for word has it that trouble has been brewing for the redcoats in the Thirteen Colonies, seems like war is afoot.
She has always been looking forward to this year's harvest feast. Lena has always been a skilled cook, and the harvest this tenth season was especially good, le dieu chat would most certainly be pleased by the offerings.
After a prayer, there was a toast to everyone that has contributed to the harvest, and a toast to those that did not make it through to the end of the long journey from Acadia.
There was dance and music with the feast, the mood was joyous and festive, this season's harvest feast was definitely an ultimate triumph over the struggles they had experienced over the past ten years.
And with word of trouble brewing and keeping the redcoats occupied in the Thirteen Colonies, for the first time she felt the world was just.
Until the music stopped abruptly, and there were gasps as a crew of pirates, none of whom anyone at the feast has ever seen before, emerged from the nearby bushes and all armed with their swords and firearms.
The crew were led by a man with a scar by his left eye in the shape of the moon, and two of the crewmen were each carrying a chest.
She wasn't sure what their intentions were when they stormed onto the scene, but based on what she has observed at first glance, she figured it couldn't be good.
Indeed, what followed was a scuffle between the men and the pirates, though given how vastly the men were outnumbered by the pirates, it didn't take long for the remaining attendees of the feast to catch on the fact that the scuffle was to buy them time to get away from the pirates and retreat into the hidden rooms of the plantation.
Not that the men who put up a fight against the pirates actually stood a chance against them for long, but she and Lena were swift in making their getaway.
Several others scattered in different directions, but it didn't take long for the pirates to subdue the men and round up the remaining attendees.
She and Lena didn't hear anyone following behind them as they darted through the nearby woods, but neither of them took any chances to stop and look over their shoulders.
They only slowed down when they were very confident that no one, mainly the pirates, has followed them into the woods.
There was a small cliff ahead of them that overlooked the bayou, and all the while they were running to get away from the pirates, some gunshots can be heard, along with pleas from the attendees of the harvest feast.
Stopping at the top of the bayou with some bushes separating them from the drop, she and Lena only looked on in utter silence as the remaining attendees of the feast were ordered into the bayou with their hands on their heads.
She gasped, and even though Lena was focused on the attendees that were forced into the water, waist deep, she didn't need to take long to find out what prompted her to gasp in horror.
On the surrounding shoreline from where the feast was at, several alligators were already in the water, some on the bed and moving towards the bayou.
There was nothing she and Lena could do, other than to watch helplessly as their fellow settlers, who they have struggled together over the past ten years rebuilding their lives with them on the island, those that have joined them on the perilous journey from their homeland of Acadia to Louisiana, met their grisly ends at the jaws of the approaching alligators and listen to their frantic pleas for help.
All the while the crew of pirates only watched the grisly scene as cold as stones, unmoving.
That cursed crew of pirates, headed by a captain whose name shall forever be cursed by le dieu chat.
Morgan McReight, better known by his alias, Morgan Moonscar.
Two Hundred Years Later
Chapter 1: The Moat Monster and on the train
October 19, 1973
It was a rainy evening in Riley as the streetlights in the sleepy small town about ten minutes south of Coolsville reflects on the wet pavement, and the rainfall seems to be getting heavier by the minute.
The town's main street was mostly quiet with some pedestrians strolling on the sidewalk, and there was not much traffic on the street itself, besides the occasional bus heading north towards State Route 292.
Clearly, the heavy rainfall has kept many people inside, and the flash of lightning, followed by the cackle of the thunder, was a reminder of how intense the storm was to be outside without a rain jacket or umbrella.
The stillness of the town was subsequently broken when the Mystery Machine sped down the southbound lane of the main street, followed closely by Speed Buggy.
The scene shifts then zooms in from outside the Mystery Machine through the windshield to the front row, where Fred was seated behind the wheel as usual.
His hands were gripping the steering wheel and he had a serious frown on his face.
Beside him sat Velma and Daphne, both of whom look anxious as the former glanced out the window while the latter checks the time on her wristwatch.
The scene subsequently moves out of the van and onto Speed Buggy, where Tinker was behind the wheel and Debbie and Mark exchanged glances with one another.
Several miles ahead, on a trail leading to the mansion at the south of the town, a visiting Garfield Wu with a rain coat was on a bicycle and peddling with all his might as he approaches the mansion.
He didn't let the slipperiness of the pavement dissuade him from slowing down. If anything, the rainfall only further fueled his determination in getting to the mansion as fast as he could.
Reaching the mansion grounds, Garfield glanced around as he rounded the building.
Rather than going straight for the main entrance, he biked along the moat surrounding the mansion until he got to the back, where the final yards of the gravel back road leads into an upward incline towards the moat.
Turning around, he exhaled before he began to pedal hard.
The closer he got to the edge of the moat, the harder he pedalled as to pick up speed and momentum.
Right at the edge, the upwards incline of the gravel road allowed the bicycle to take off upwards.
As soon as gravity began to take hold, Garfield let go of the handle and jumps off the bicycle.
The bicycle splashed into the water as Garfield sailed through the air and landed on the ground at the other side of the moat, during which he did a brief roll forward before getting up.
Without missing a beat, he promptly rushed towards the gated back door and delivered a heel kick to the lock, kicking the door open and enabling him to enter.
In the same time, it was dark and gloomy in the mansion. The interior certainly looked like it has been ages since the mansion was last occupied, and the hallway with a couple of armour suits lining up along both sides of it was no different.
Zooming in towards the door at the end of the hallway with torches on the wall on both sides lit, a dark scary shadow subsequently engulfs the door before a pair of clawed hands proceeded to tear the door apart, revealing Madelyn Dinkley and Margaret "Sugie" Rogers, the younger sisters of Velma and Shaggy respectively.
The two girls screamed in horror at the sight in front of them, and they wasted no time running off towards their right, prompting the Moat Monster to go after them with a menacing growl.
"Scooby-Doo, where are you?" Sugie exclaimed.
Elsewhere in the castle, Shaggy and Scooby were on a walled indoor balcony over looking an open chamber on the floor below.
At the chamber below, one man was busy using a printing press printing out large amounts of money, stacks of which were in the process of being loaded onto suitcases by a second man while three others stood guard.
Shaggy and Scooby exchanged glances with one another upon finishing counting the number of men at the chamber below, and then the former whispered, "Like, there are five men down there, Scoob, but the last time we were here, I counted seven monsters, one of them the Moat Monster."
"Ruh-roh." Scooby paled when it dawned on them what the implications meant.
Sure enough, the duo then soon saw a shadow engulfing them, prompting them to turn towards their back, just in time to see one of the monsters with its arms reached out towards them menacingly.
Before either of the duo could react, the monster's mask was suddenly pulled up from behind, revealing a man beneath the mask.
The henchman, obviously surprised to be unmasked so soon, turned towards his back, only for his face to meet Garfield's fist, which delivered a punch that was enough to knock him out cold.
As the henchman hit the floor, Shaggy and Scooby stepped forward towards Garfield.
"Garfield, that was perfect timing." Shaggy whispered.
"Reah!" Scooby agreed as he proceeded to lick Garfield in the face, who promptly gestured him to get down.
"You guys." Garfield said with a chuckle as he patted Scooby down before he continued, "What have we got?"
"A printing press producing large amounts of money down there." Shaggy nodded towards the chamber. "Along with five guys, one working the printing press, another loading the money, and the remaining three likely hired muscle standing guard."
"And you're absolutely positive that four monsters chased you, Scooby, Tinker and Mark when we were last here." Garfield spoke.
"Absolutely." Shaggy replied.
"Couple that with the trio that chased me, Fred and the girls, it does add up to seven monsters." Garfield said. "We've got six in sight, meaning there's one still unaccounted for right now."
"Zoinks! Don't tell me that seventh monster is going after Maggie and Madelyn..." Shaggy gulped.
"Scooby, better see if you can find that seventh monster or Maggie and Madelyn first." Garfield instructed. "If you find the girls first, take them to somewhere safe."
"Rokay." Scooby mock-saluted before he hurried off, leaving Shaggy to turn towards Garfield.
"What are we gonna do, Garfield?" Shaggy asked as Garfield tied up the henchman he had just knocked out.
Nodding towards the chamber, Garfield responded, "We're going to stop those guys before they could make their getaway, because I think they've been spooked by Madelyn and Maggie rushing over here and trying to set a trap, hence the reason the seventh guy is unaccounted for at the moment."
"You think they are in a hurry to leave?" Shaggy asked.
"Yes, but not before we stop them." Garfield said as he headed towards the stairs.
"Like, how?" Shaggy asked, though he quickly followed Garfield down the stairs without any further questions.
In the meantime, the two girls had just rounded a corner and racing down a hallway with a carpet when they collided with Scooby as he emerged from a perpendicular hallway.
In the ensuring collision, Scooby ended up on the girls as they resumed running with his front paws on Madelyn's shoulders and his back paws on Maggie's shoulders, during which a flash of lighting came through, followed by lightning, as the introductory chords began to play in the background.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We got some work to do now.
Racing towards the end of the hallway, the trio stopped when the Moat Monster stepped out at the end, prompting them to turn back and run off in the opposite direction.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We need some help from you now.
The momentum from the trio taking off led to the carpets crumpling up right in front of the Moat Monster, prompting it to use its claws to claw right through the carpets and take off after them. Upon rounding a corner, Scooby resumed running down the hallway with the girls riding on his back.
Come on Scooby-Doo, I see you, pretending you got a silver.
Racing by a suit of armour, Maggie wasted no time bringing the armour's left arm, which was holding a shield, upwards to block the Moat Monster's vision, though it didn't do much slowing it down as it simply plowed right through.
By that point, the trio had came upon a long table with plenty of utensils on and as Scooby slid under it, the girls were sliding on it and forcing the utensils away with the Moat Monster close behind, before they reached the end of the table and returned onto Scooby's back.
You're not fooling me, 'cause I can see, the way you shake and shiver.
Soon, the Moat Monster chased the trio to a hallway with a set of doors on both sides, where the trio wasted no time entering the first door at the left.
Before the Moat Monster could follow them inside, it saw the trio emerging from the second door at the left and racing across the hallway before entering the second door at the right.
Then, the trio emerged from the third door at the right, which is when Tinker, Mark, Debbie, Fred, Velma and Daphne pulled up at the hallway right behind the Moat Monster.
You know we got a mystery to solve, so Scooby-Doo be ready for your act. Don't hold back!
Seemingly sensing the sextet behind it, the Moat Monster swiftly grabbed a nearby shield from the nearby wall and threw it towards them.
The sight of the shield flying towards them prompted the sextet to split up, with Mark, Tinker and Debbie running off in one direction and Fred, Velma and Daphne running off in the opposite direction.
Watching over their shoulders for the Moat Monster behind them, Mark, Tinker and Debbie ended up onto an outdoor balcony.
And Scooby-Doo, if you come through, you're going to have yourself a Scooby Snack! That's a fact!
Mark and Tinker ended up crashing right through the fragile stone fence on the balcony, which forced Debbie to swiftly grab their hands and stop them from falling into the moat deep below.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, here are you. You're ready and you're willing.
Seeing Debbie struggling to get the boys up, the Moat Monster took a swipe at her, causing her to unintentionally let go of Mark, who was able to grab onto Tinker's leg.
Just as Debbie was about to recoil with the Moat Monster towering above her, Scooby suddenly fell out of nowhere and landed right on the Moat Monster's arms.
If we can count on you, Scooby-Doo, I know we'll catch that villain.
Having the unexpected weight on his arms caught the Moat Monster off balance, leading it and Scooby backwards and to a flight of stairs.
Just as Fred and the girls rushed onto the scene, Scooby flew off from the Moat Monster's arms and slide down the handrail, leading it to chase after him down the stairs, during which the trio saw Debbie struggling to keep Mark and Tinker from falling into the moat deep below and wasted no time rushing onto the balcony to relieve her.
While Fred and Velma helped Mark up, Daphne joined Debbie in helping Tinker up.
As that was happening, Scooby slid to the bottom of the stairs and flew towards a chandelier light, which proceeded to swing massively through the room.
Before the Moat Monster could register where Scooby has went, the Great Dane with his front paws holding onto the chandelier, came flying in and delivered a kick into the Moat Monster's face, sending it flying and crashing through a nearby wall.
Down at the main chamber, Shaggy, Sugie, Madelyn and Garfield were loading up the six henchmen, all knocked out and tied up, onto Speed Buggy.
"Perfect timing, Speed Buggy." Shaggy was saying.
"Sp-sp-sp-Speed Buggy always gets his man!" Speed Buggy proudly proclaimed.
"Indeed you do." Garfield agreed. "Though there's just one Moat Monster left."
Just then, the Moat Monster came crashing through the indoor balcony wall and landed right on the six unconscious henchmen.
"And the gang's all here." Madelyn declared.
"Indeed." Sugie agreed just as Fred, Velma, Daphne, Mark, Tinker, Debbie and Scooby arrived at the scene.
Debbie stepped forward and proceeded to pull the Moat Monster's mask off, revealing a familiar-looking middle-aged man with brown hair beneath the mask.
Tinker gasped as he said, "Why, it's Mr. Beeman, the real estate agent!"
"Sp-sp-sp-Mr. Beeman?" Speed Buggy interjected.
"Yeah." Debbie nodded. "He has been printing millions in counterfeit dollars in that basement chamber with the printing press there."
"Not to mention the mold on his and his henchmen's hands, they were actually ink." Madelyn added.
"Yeah, and I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids, that dog and that talking buggy!" Beeman growled.
Not too long afterwards, the police have arrived at the mansion and upon taking statements from the gang and seizing the printing press and counterfeit bills as evidence, they loaded Beeman and his henchmen onto the cruisers, during which the gang turned towards Sugie and Madelyn.
"I thought I told you guys to tell us anything that you've come off before rushing over here with your arms swinging, Maddie." Velma said sternly to her sister.
"You did." Madelyn replied nonchalantly. "We also figured that as long as we wait for you guys to back us up, we might as well fly off to who knows where to chase another rumour in the case."
Fred paused his lips. "Point taken."
"Well anyways, congratulations everyone on another case closed." Mark spoke.
"Yes indeed, especially with Garfield's very first case here in Coolsville." Velma spoke. "Not to mention working with the Speed Bugs crew for the first time."
"Uh-huh." Garfield nodded as he reached over to shake Mark, Tinker and Debbie's hands. "It's been a pleasure working with you guys."
"Likewise." Tinker agreed.
Garfield then nodded towards Speed Buggy as he continued, "And Speed Buggy is definitely the unique vehicle that literally drives your success in solving mysteries, just like the Mystery Machine does for Mystery Inc."
"Sp-sp-sp-splendid." Speed Buggy smiled while Sugie turned towards her brother.
"I see that you've taught Garfield a few of your pun jokes, Norville." Sugie said.
"What can I say, Mags?" Shaggy only shrugged. "Besides, it's not like Garfield would be the type to pass up an opportunity for humour."
Everyone else chuckled while Garfield patted Shaggy in the shoulder in response of the quip.
October 22, 1973
A few days later, it was a warm sunny afternoon as the eastbound Amtrak-operated Sunset Limited glides down the Huey P. Long Bridge in across the Mississippi River and into New Orleans, Louisiana that afternoon, having had spent the previous day travelling on the Southern Pacific transcontinental railroad from Los Angeles.
The bulk of the passengers have flanked to the domed lounge car to take in the view from the bridge, where the suburbs below looked rather small, as if they were flying over it rather than viewing it from a train crossing a supertall bridge.
Among the passengers that are gazing towards the horizon in the lounge car were members of Mystery Inc., who were travelling to New Orleans with their friend Garfield Wu.
"I gotta say it was nice of you guys to invite me to tag along for your trip to Louisiana for the week." Garfield remarked as he took several shots of the view outside the train with his camera.
"The pleasure is ours, Garfield." Fred responded. "Not to mention providing you the opportunity to meet the Speed Bugs and solving another mystery together before heading our way here to New Orleans."
"Yes indeed." Garfield nodded, during which the New Orleans cityscape began to slowly come into view and the announcement came through, declaring that the train will soon be arriving at its destination at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal and reminding the passengers to take their belongings with them as they disembark from the train.
"Looks like we better gather up our luggage, gang." Fred said as they returned to their sleeper rooms.
"Indeed." Daphne agreed. "Hope you've enjoyed the ride, Garfield."
"I have." Garfield nodded. "It is quite the experience travelling overnight by train, and you guys will be happy to know that I finally had the chance to ride on the Canadian across the continent from Vancouver to Ottawa."
"Like, what was the occasion, Garfield?" Shaggy asked.
"Long story short, it was for a return trip from Vancouver after I have helped the RCMP in wrapping up a raid at the Port of Vancouver and recover smuggled artifacts." Garfield responded. "Which is incidentally connected with the case in Hong Kong that I subsequently worked."
"The one in which you phoned me about one of our old cases?" Fred prompted.
"That's the one, Fred." Garfield nodded.
"What was the case in Hong Kong that were connected to that raid in Vancouver and A. Fong's smuggling and protection rackets, Garfield?" Velma asked.
Garfield spent the next ten minutes providing a short but brief summary of his adventures in Hong Kong four months ago to the gang as the train slowly pulled into the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.
The gang listened intently as Garfield described the kidnapping of a diplomat's daughter, the involvement of organized crime, particularly with regards to A. Fong being part of a rival breakaway faction of the syndicate involved, and the team-up with an inspector who has a reputation for being a renegade.
(For more information, check out D4 Rush Hour in Hong Kong! through my FictionPress profile.)
"Wow wee, sounds like you had quite the adventure in Hong Kong, Garfield." Velma remarked after Garfield finished the story.
"Like, I never realized just how much was at stake when we had our run-in with the Ghost of Zen Tuo and the Scare Pair, not after you mentioned their involvement in shady business that's worse than smuggling." Shaggy added.
"What bothered me the most was the man responsible." Daphne remarked. "A senior-level police officer moonlighting as A. Fong's former boss all along?"
"It's definitely dangerous." Garfield nodded. "Especially when he was responsible for much of our hard work in Canada going up in smoke for months, not with him providing his gang with the intelligence of the police investigation and staying several steps ahead of the investigators."
"No kidding." Fred agreed. "And with the way you described what had happened during the course of your adventures there, it makes even the most serious case we've dealt with a walk in the park by comparison, especially with all those gunfights and you using your martial arts skills."
"Not unless you count the time Scoob and I rescued Daphne after she was held hostage by the corrupt sheriff of Tumbleweed County." Shaggy offered. "Or the time where I headbutted one of the Scare Pair and planted my feet into the chest of the other."
"Right." Fred said as the others nodded. "Either way, what counts the most was that in the end, the victim was safe and sound."
"Indeed she was." Garfield agreed. "Shaken up by the ordeal, but otherwise alright."
"Say, Garfield." Velma interjected. "Is Cantonese your first language? You did speak it fluently when you met Henry, Stanley and the Chan Clan during last year's Music Talent contest in Montreal."
"No, not exactly." Garfield shook his head. "Although I do speak Cantonese fluently, it's not my first language. Rather, English and Hokkien are both my first languages, while French, Hakka, Japanese and Mandarin adds onto the languages I speak fluently."
"Like, what are the difference between Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese and Mandarin?" Shaggy asked. "They're all Chinese, aren't they?"
"Yes and no." Garfield replied. "While they are all part of the Chinese language family, they aren't exactly mutually intelligible although we do share the same writing systems. Therefore, if I were to speak Hokkien to a Hong Konger like Henry and Stan, unless I write out what I'm trying to communicate, they won't be able to understand me, and vice versa."
"Understood." Daphne nodded.
Eventually, the train came to a complete stop at the platform, and the gang soon joined the other passengers in disembarking from the train.
"Alright, gang, we're here." Fred declared once he stepped off the train.
"Oh, goodie." Shaggy remarked as he rubbed his hands. "Scoob and I were getting concerned that we might have to skip dinner."
"Shag, it's hardly even five in the afternoon." Velma pointed out.
"Yeah, but since there are no snacks on the snack bar, Scoob and I are pretty much starved." Shaggy replied.
"Sounds like whenever you guys travel, there's never a moment where you guys aren't starving, Shag." Garfield remarked.
"You know them, Garfield." Fred said. "I'm sure you heard about Shag and Scooby eating out the entire snack bar of the Canadian during our past couple trips in Canada."
"Right." Garfield nodded with a chuckle. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." Shaggy protested, though the tone in his voice was more playful than accusing. "Wouldn't you agree, Scoob?"
"Reah!" Scooby piped up.
"Oh, relax, you two." Velma said. "We will be having supper once we check into the hotel."
"More like we might have to find someplace else to eat if we don't move fast enough to have supper." Fred remarked.
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