Shaggy the Vampire

Chapter 9 – Adjusting

It had been a week since Velma and Fred had learned of Shaggy's new existence and neither had made any attempt to make contact and find out how he was doing. Of course, that didn't stop Daphne from trying to contact them.

Velma was long gone, on a ship out in the middle of the ocean, and so far hadn't answered any of Daph's calls or Skype attempts. As for Fred, he had stopped all contact and seemed to have barricaded himself into his apartment (as Daph found out the one time she tried to visit his home); from behind the door, he'd ordered her to go away and threatened that he had lots of garlic and holy water to keep her out. Trying to tell him she wasn't a vampire, he'd simply warned her once again to go away and she had no choice but to leave.

Upset at how poorly his friends were reacting, Shaggy was becoming more and more reclusive: he would lie on his bed all day, unmoving, simply staring at the ceiling; ignoring Daphne and Scooby when they would persuade him to move; and his eyes were getting darker by the day as he hadn't eaten. He was becoming more animalistic, too, snarling at his friends to leave him alone.

One day, Daphne snapped. Fed up of him pitying himself, she stormed through to his room and went to slap his face. Of course, his lightening reflexes saw him catch her wrist before her hand got anywhere near him. "Like, what are you doing?" he demanded, sitting up.

"Trying to wake you up!" she stormed.

"But I am awake. I don't sleep."

"Not literally wake you! I mean, get you out of this…trance you've been in. You've done nothing but mope all week. You can't do this forever!"

"Sure, I can. I have all of forever to try. I'm a vampire, remember?"

"Shaggy…" Daphne sighed and sat on the bed beside him. "Look, I know you're still trying to cope with all of this and I know our friends' reactions weren't exactly encouraging." He scoffed at that but said nothing. "But you can have a life. Look at all these vampire movies, where vampires manage to blend in to society and pass as human – I know they aren't real but… My point is, you can't just lie around for the rest of your life. After a few hundred years, I'm sure you'll get bored of it and I won't be here…to help you figure out what to do. So, while I'm still here, why don't we try to think of something that you can do, hmn? To start with, get off this bed and come through to the living-room!"

To her surprise, he actually did it. He was sitting on the couch before she had even left the room (stupid vampire speed, she thought). Scooby was lying beside him, taking up the rest of the couch, so Daph took the nearby armchair. "Look, Shag, you need to find something to do. I know you're nervous about being around people but you seem to be controlling it-"

"You have no idea how hard it is," muttered Shaggy.

"-you seem to be controlling your bloodlust and, well, practice makes perfect. Why don't we go shopping tomorrow? Get some steaks or something for you – you need to eat, after all. You haven't eaten all week! Just a little trip to the butchers. What do you think?"

"…Well, it's a start, I suppose," Shaggy considered slowly. "Like, I'm sorry for snapping. I know you're trying to help. I get very irritable when I haven't eaten."

"I know," smiled Daphne. "You've always been like that. You did love your food." She sighed. "If only you could do something with food for work. I know you don't eat now but you'll still remember all the recipes you made and Scooby could taste it for you. Taste, not eat," she added, looking at Scooby, who giggled.

"You have a point. And, like, that would be great. I liked cooking the food as much as I enjoyed eating it. It was fun and relaxing and I could be so creative! Like, I used to go online and look up various recipes and such. I used to do all kinds of things online; I loved searching the internet for ideas."

Daphne was gazing at Shaggy again. Looking so happy and excited, he seemed much softer and more… human. In the past, Daph had never really looked at Shaggy closely but his transformation meant she couldn't stop staring at him. He had always been cute (with his messy appearance and relaxed attitude) but now, he had the polished looks of a male model. And his hair looked amazing! But it wasn't just his new looks; it was Shaggy himself! She had missed him so much when he'd gone missing: his sweet demeanour, laid-back attitude, relentless appetite, caring for animals and friends alike, his laugh… And having him back made her so happy! She was afraid that, if she looked away, he might disappear again.

Catching her eye, Shag noticed she was staring again. "What?" He'd caught her staring several times now.

Flushing immediately, she mumbled, "Nothing. It's just…you look so different. And, well, I'm slightly scared that, if I look away too long, you're going to disappear again."

Scooby looked up at this point. Up until now, he'd barely been listening to what they'd been saying but now he sat up, as concerned as Daphne. Shaggy looked at them. "Look, I have no plans to go anywhere, kay? Where could I go, anyway? I don't want to go anywhere else and I need your help. To find out what happened to me. I want to come home and be among people, among my friends and family. And I really need your help for that! So I'm here as long as you're willing to have me."

"Re'll always want rou," argued Scooby and Daph nodded in agreement, only half listening as she was deep in thought. When she realised they were waiting for her to say something, she explained what was going through her mind:

"I was just thinking. What you were saying before about going online for cooking ideas – why don't you make that a career? Make a website with all your recipes, like? I'm sure there are many people out there who would like to try your…erm, unique take on food. A lot of your ideas were quite…adventurous. And you could ask them to subscribe or sponsor your website in order to earn money; you could do all kinds of things. It needn't be cooking, of course. What else are you good at? Origami, building sand castles, athletics, you're good at acting and dressing up – maybe you could put on plays and get sponsors that way? … It doesn't matter. The point is, you wouldn't have to be in close contact with people but you could still earn money. You might not earn a lot but it would give you a purpose for now. Meanwhile, we could go out and gradually get you used to people so you'd feel more comfortable. Then we could consider a more steady means of employment. What do you think?"

"Ri rike it!" cried Scooby.

Shaggy considered it. "Well, it's an idea. Helping people to cook online – sounds like fun! With Scooby's help, of course."

"Right!"

"Okay. So we have a plan, of sorts. Start up a website whilst trying to get you out among people again. You haven't eaten in several days and there's no meat left. I need to go to the butchers for you anyway – why don't you come along? You could just sit in the car for now. Or do you want to leave it a while?"

"No, no, I'll come. No point wasting time. I'll go with you and just wait in the car, like you said. Like, I don't know if I can handle all the meat inside a butchers' yet. I'll just smell it from afar and get used to it that way."

And so they headed out. It was a grey day so there was no sun to bother Shaggy, who remained in the car the whole time with Scooby. Daphne had taken them to a little street where all the various little shops stood: butchers, grocers, bakery, etc. She liked these little shops and always used them but this time, it seemed best – rather than a large mall with thousands of people and a dark parking lot where someone could go missing. Though she trusted Shaggy completely, she didn't want to take any chances. No, this street was usually quite empty and therefore safe – thirty people deemed it as 'busy'.

Daphne ordered several items that she thought Shaggy would like whilst watching her car through the window. Shaggy looked awfully nervous and kept swinging his head around, watching whoever came by. He was trying to relax whilst getting used to all the smells and was actually finding it easier than expected. Several trips later and things were going well. Necessary shopping trips gave way to fun days out and Shaggy was spending less time in the car and more time in shops and cafes and along the streets. The newly-changed vampire was slowly acclimatising to being out in public again and managing to control his bloodlust. It was still difficult for him at times and he often felt very uncomfortable but he was making steady progress.

As agreed, Shaggy had started a food blog, filled with various recipes for creating new dishes and tips and ideas for re-inventing traditional ones. Word got about and he soon had a small but steady following online, many of whom began sending in pictures of their creations and their own ideas. Competitions were set up within a given timeline, where people were to follow a new recipe and send in a picture of it – the best photo would be displayed on the page and the chef given a glowing review. Looking at foreign tastes led to Shaggy mentioning the many different places he'd been and foods he'd tried. With the gang having travelled far and wide across the world, he could offer lots of advice on where to go and what to do, what the people and culture were like (Daphne added a few pages on what to wear), what attractions to see and the best restaurants – and give a general history of an area and whether it had been haunted or not. His writings attracted a lot of interest and it soon became a food and travel blog.

One afternoon, the trio went out to a little café to celebrate the blog's success. Unable to eat properly, Shaggy merely sipped from a glass of water as Daph and Scoob had drinks and cake; he didn't mind as he no longer cared for food so wasn't missing out, he merely enjoyed the company of his friends. He had taken to wearing make-up in public now to flesh out his appearance and wore contacts permanently to hide his red eyes (these melted away due to the intensity but they gained him a few hours of normal appearance).

Things were going well until a small child, who had been running around and being a general nuisance for several minutes, finally tripped and cut his knee. He immediately started wailing while his concerned parents rushed over. Daphne and Scooby tensed at the first wail and turned to their friend, who had gone stock still in his chair and was staring rigidly at the child's bloody knee. His eyes had burned through the contacts and stood out stark red while the tips of his fangs had unconsciously slipped down and were sitting on his bottom lip. The panicked and hungry vampire remained still for a few minutes more before pinching his nose and hurrying out the door as fast as 'humanly' possible (even in his agitated state, he recalled enough sense not to use super-speed around humans).

Several other customers stared in surprise at his quick exit and one of them, a skinny rake of a man with thick ginger hair, decided to make a joke of it. "Wow, he's squeamish. I guess some people just really can't handle blood, can't they?" As Scoob and Daph ran after their friend, the ginger man called after them, "Hey, I hope your boyfriend's alright! He wasn't looking too good."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend! Well, he's a boy who is my friend but we're not… Thanks for your concern."

The quiet mousy girl sitting next to ginger, presumably his girlfriend, tapped his wrist. "You shouldn't assume things, James."

They found Shaggy back in the car, holding his breath and clutching the car seat so hard that he'd actually torn the leather and the soft material inside had spilled all over the floor. Scooby comforted him while Daphne drove them home. "…I'm sorry about your car," he muttered.

"Oh, that's okay. It was an accident, I can easily get it mended. I'm just so proud of you! You found yourself in a really dangerous situation and you managed to get yourself out of it. It must have been so difficult but you did it! You really did it! I'm so pleased, Shaggy."

"Reah, well done! Rou did reat!" agreed Scooby. (Translation: Yeah, well done! You did great!)

They made it home and Daph prepared them something to eat. The boys sat in the living-room, looking over the blog and discussing where to go next. They needed to keep coming up with new ideas to keep it interesting. Dinner was ready shortly and they all sat down at the table; Daphne had cooked burgers (left raw for Shaggy) and French fries. Sitting there, Shaggy felt – for the first time since his transformation – something close to contentment. It had been a tough day but he'd got through it! Just a few short weeks ago, he'd been living on the streets and hiding amongst the shadows; had undergone a terrifying ordeal that had totally changed him and left him an outcast; had thought himself completely isolated and never to see his loved ones again. He thought of his parents and little sister and his many other relatives – he'd decided not to contact them until he was completely settled as he still feared things would go wrong and he didn't want them to suffer losing him twice. He was sorry and afraid that his friends may have to go through that but they were keen to support him regardless.

For a brief time, he'd been certain that his 'life' was over; now things were starting to look up. He was controlling his bloodlust, had two supportive friends and a means of earning money. He looked across at his dog and best friend, scoffing down his food like there was no tomorrow, and smiled; every animal he'd met so far had sensed a dangerous predator and fled but Scooby stuck by him. Man's best friend indeed! Then he looked at his pretty redheaded friend, who had done everything to support his dog during tough times and was here to help no matter what. Daph looked up at that moment and, seeing him staring into space deep in thought, smiled and took his hand encouragingly. He made no hint that he'd noticed, except for squeezing her hand slightly. Surely, with these two on his side and with time, things could only get better...

Several miles away, in an abandoned wasteland on the edge of town, cowered a girl – the quiet, mouse-like girl who'd been in the café earlier. She was gasping hard, though she had no need of air, and her eyes were glowing red as she gazed in panic at the skinny, ginger-haired young man lying beside her. He was now deathly pale, just as she was, and clutching at his bloody neck whilst choking. Frightened, the two looked up as a dark figure approached them. The creature smiled cruelly. "Ah, you are getting used to your new selves. It takes a while but you shall relax soon. And then we shall work together."

The girl squeaked, "What do you want?"

The creature smiled. "The world! I want a world where our kind rule and humans are but mere slaves and food. And you two are but the latest members of my army."

Behind him, the couple saw more figures approach.

The creature smiled again. "I've almost got enough. There's just one soldier missing…"