Shaggy the Vampire

Chapter 8 – Fred and Velma's reactions

Saturday, 12.30pm. Another hour before Velma was due to arrive. And to say that Shaggy was nervous was an understatement. Not to mention Daphne and Scooby. Shag could hear their hearts beating frantically against their ribcages as if they were trying to break out. Trying to distract himself from his bloodlust, he went over again what he might say to Velma when she got there.

He honestly had no clue how she (or Fred) was going to react at seeing him. Scooby hadn't surprised him that much as they were the closest of friends and he'd hoped that they could work through the changes (which they had). Daphne… Daph had always been kind and friendly – and the added bonus that Shag had saved her life meant she was more willing to hang around and listen. But Velma would be completely taken by surprise (something she didn't like) and might possibly just run right back out the door. So he was feeling pretty anxious…

An engine from outside alerted Shaggy to Velma's arrival. He recognised the 'clunk-clunk' of her rusty old truck that she drove everyone (he could never understand why she didn't just get rid). Forty-two steps later and she was at the front door, keys jangling at the lock. Daphne stood nearby, waiting to receive her.

"Hey, Daph!" Velma called as she closed the door. "I'm here. How are you?"

"Hi, Velma," smiled Daphne, coming over for a hug. "Wow. I can't believe this is the last time we'll see each other for three months."

"I know. But, hey, we can always call, email and Skype! Don't you love technology?"

"Yeah, yeah… Hey, um, Velma? Uh… Velma?"

"Yes? What is it? You look nervous."

Daphne hesitated, unsure how to explain to Velma that Shaggy was alive and now a mythical creature that people feared. He was waiting in his room behind the door, waiting for his cue from Daphne to come in. But it was Scooby who spoke up.

"Relma, Rhaggy's alive!"

Velma scoffed. "What? Don't be silly, Scooby. Shaggy is...gone. The police, they…they found blood in that alley. He's… That's not even funny!" A strange look crossed her face and she whispered to Daphne, "Hey, I know Scoob's been struggling with losing Shaggy but this is pretty bad! Maybe we should get him some help?"

Daphne swallowed before answering, "Ac-actually, he's right. Shaggy is alive. Well, sort of alive. But he is here. I've…I've seen him."

Velma blinked. "No, you-you couldn't have. He's gone… Maybe Scooby's not the only one imagining things. And what do you mean 'sort of alive'. He's either alive or he's not. And he – is – not!"

"Rut rhe is!"

"He is, Velma! And I know this is a shock but…" Daphne took Velma's hand and tried to look as serious (and non-crazy) as she could. "We're not imagining it. But Shaggy is here. He's in the bedroom."

Staring blankly, the brunette looked slowly across at Shaggy's room. "He really did survive? Then where's he been?"

"Yeah, that's the other thing."

"What else could there be?"

"…He's a vampire."

A moment of silence passed before Velma burst out laughing. "Okay. This is crazy. Have you two lost it? Vampires don't exist! We've solved hundreds of mysteries and met various monsters, including vampires, and none of them were real!"

"That's not true! Remember Zombie Island? And the Witch's Ghost? And what about the alien invasion with Crystal and Amber? They were all real! There are things in this world that we can't explain and… That night, Shaggy was attacked by a vampire and he's been in hiding the last three weeks. I got into trouble the other night and he saved me. He's a good vampire and he's still our friend. And that's the truth! …Shaggy?"

The redhead turned to Shag's room and waited anxiously. Velma was examining her friend with an expression that clearly showed she thought her insane. But then Shaggy stepped out from behind the door and stood facing his old friend. The incredulous expression on Velma's face changed to one of doubt and disbelief and her eyes widened in fear behind her glasses. She slowly shook her head, as if she was saying 'no' to Shag's existence.

"Sh…Shaggy?!"

"Hey, Velma." Daphne had done a little work on Shaggy. For one thing, she'd got rid of the dark clothes he'd been wearing before and gotten him to wear his old green t-shirt and bell-bottom pants. And with a little make-up, she'd managed to hide the dark circles under his eyes and add a little more colour to his face, making him appear more 'alive'. But his skin was still far too pale and his whole demeanour was different. But the most alarming thing had been his blood-red eyes. To try and diminish their frightening appearance, Daph had gotten him some coloured contact lenses that dulled his eyes and made them a sort of brown-ish colour. Maybe not his original eye colour but it would do. Overall, he looked better than he did but he still didn't resemble the 'old' Shaggy that they knew. Velma looked at him with an unidentifiable expression. It was… Fear? Disbelief? Pity?

"Shaggy, you…you're a vampire?"

"Yeah, guess so." Shaggy smiled nervously, unsure how to act in a way that would make her feel more comfortable.

"Um, I don't know what to say," admitted Velma, honestly. She looked at Daphne. "Couldn't you have warned me?"

"How? What could I possibly say? 'When you come over, Velma, I should warn you that Shaggy is here – not only did he survive but he's now a vampire!' You'd think I was crazy! As you did just now, not two minutes ago, when I was trying to explain to you. You thought I was crazy. Scooby, too."

"But vampires don't exist!"

"Well, clearly, they do. It happened in that alley, where they found blood. That's from the attack! Something attacked him from behind and when he woke up, this is what he was. There's no…scientific explanation. This is what he is," Daphne tried to explain.

"I…I don't know what to say. I don't feel very comfortable about this. I…should go. I'm leaving for my research trip, remember?"

"I know! And, Velma, I'm really going to miss you. This is our last chance to really see each other and…I thought you should see Shaggy and know that he was okay."

"But he's not okay. He's…not human, anymore. He's a monster."

"Don't call him that!" cried Daphne. "He may need blood but he's been trying to feed off animals!"

"Trying? So he has gone for humans?"

"At first when he couldn't control it! But he hasn't tried to go for me or Scooby, though he's had plenty of opportunities. I trust him."

"Re, too," said Scooby, proudly.

"I'm sorry, Daphne," said Velma, "but this is too much for me to handle! I need to focus on my work. I…I'll call you later."

Velma started hurrying towards the door but stopped with her hand on the handle to face them. "I'm sorry, Shaggy. It is nice to see you again…it's an awful shock and I need time to deal with it!" And with that, she was gone.

The three stared after her. Daphne spoke first. "Well…that was better than I expected. I mean, it is a lot to take in. And at least she didn't run out screaming!"

Fred's reaction was worse. Daphne had phoned him to come 'look after Scooby' and he came as arranged. In the hopes of getting a better reaction, they had Shaggy sit in the living-room in plain view, rather than hide in the bedroom.

The effect was no better. As soon as Fred set eyes on Shag, he froze. And when Daphne started to explain, he gave out a yell that made them all jump about a foot in the air before running out the door 'like a bat out of hell' as Scooby later put it, "Relma's reaction was retter."