Shaggy the Vampire

Chapter 12 – Some New Allies…and an Old One

The trip to the hospital was a tense one. Daphne drove as fast as safety and the speed limits would allow. Shaggy had gone ahead with James, as agreed, and had probably left him at the front doors by now. They'd debated over whether it would look better for Daphne to take James and say she'd found him but with James in such poor condition, having already spent days out in the open, there really was no time to waste. Daph planned to arrive and say she was James' sister, having received a call from a friend that had seen him being admitted to hospital. It wasn't the most convincing tale but it was the best they had. They were to encourage the idea that James had gone hiking when they'd lost contact a couple days ago and believed he'd been attacked by a wild animal.

Upon arrival, James had immediately been placed in intensive care and was receiving a blood transfusion. Stating she was a relative, Daphne was bombarded with paperwork to fill out and questions to answer. She dealt with it all as best she could and was finally allowed to see James through glass, who was hooked up to various machines and surrounded by nurses. Scooby was down in the hospital canteen, being cared for by the kindly staff and hidden from any officials (who might refuse a dog in the building). He'd been stuck in the car originally until Daphne had pleaded with a nurse about leaving her dog in the car and how she had nowhere else to take him; the nurse relented and helped sneaked him into the kitchen where he received a bowl of water and several titbits.

Hours passed and night came, with everyone waiting anxiously for news of James' condition. Daph's heart went out to Bridget, left alone in the forest with no clue what was going on whilst battling her bloodlust. But after several more hours and another blood transfusion, James began to improve and his condition was no longer critical. Daphne was allowed into his room at long last and, during a quiet moment, stood by his window and nodded at the figure below before taking her seat by the bed. Shaggy had been waiting outside all day, unable to handle the open wound and blood packets around the building, looking for some sign from Daphne so he could report back to Bridget. He'd checked in on Scooby briefly before standing watch and finally Daphne had signalled that things were good. He immediately set off for the forest.

Bridget collapsed with relief at the news, starting to cry but again, no tears would come. Shag began to fill her in of certain aspects of being a vampire and how he'd coped with everything. "It will take time but you'll get the hang of it. At this stage, I was much worse – you clearly have better self-control," he paused, pleased at having managed to make her smile. "It's still difficult at times but I now have control over my bloodlust. I can walk around humans without discomfort and my life has virtually gone back to normal; it's not quite like things were but it's more than I could ever have hoped for just a short while ago." He continued talking her through the transformation and how the weeks ahead were likely to be…

A couple hours before dawn, an exhausted Daph and Scoob finally headed home. James was stable and would remain comatose for some time; unable to do any more, the staff had advised Daphne to go home, rest and return afresh (possibly with a bag of James' things to make him more comfortable). Daph made a mental note to go shopping for a new toothbrush and men's pyjamas before going back to the hospital.

Pulling up into the car park, Daph sighed. She'd been having such a lovely time: out for a picnic with her friends and kissing a boy she liked; now she'd saved a dying man, met a new vampire and learned that a supposed army was after them and planned to enslave humanity. Shag had been very reluctant to leave his friends after hearing that the vampire may go for them but Daph had argued that this wasn't practical and that the vampire didn't know anything about them so they were safe for now.

The girl and dog hurried up to their apartment, eager to get some food and rest. Unlocking the front door, Daphne suddenly tensed as did Scooby. For some reason, the hairs on both of their necks rose and Scooby growled. "You feel it, too, huh?" whispered Daphne. "Something isn't right… I smell death." Both Bridget and Shaggy had smelt of strange but she'd gotten used to this so didn't notice too much – but this was stronger, fresher. This was somebody else. Scooby growled again. "Somebody's been here, haven't they? Are they still inside? What do you smell?"

Scooby sniffed for a few minutes and a confused look came over his face but he visibly relaxed. Daphne opened the door cautiously and peeped inside. There appeared to be no-one there. The two slowly entered the room but stopped when they looked at the couch. Now Daph understood why Scoob had relaxed and yet still looked confused. "Velma?"

It was indeed Velma, lying dozing on the couch. On hearing her name, she looked up and jumped at the sight of her friends. "Daph? Scoob? Oh, finally! I've been waiting nearly all day – or night, now, I guess. Where have you been?"

"Never mind that! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your cruise?"

"It's not a cruise; it's a ship that's set for a three-month research course… Never mind. I didn't go."

"You didn't go? But, Velma, your career was riding on this! Your career is so important to you and you had to go on this ship! I don't pretend to understand any of it but I know that it meant everything to you!"

"My friends mean more," replied Velma, simply. The two girls stared at each other before Scooby bounded forward and jumped up at Velma, licking her for all she was worth. "Okay, okay, Scooby! Get down!"

The three sat down and Velma began talking. "I'm sorry I ran out on you before. But it was such a shock! I mean, I'd pretty much accepted that Shaggy was never coming back and to be presented with him not only here but as a vampire…Vampires can't exist!"

"But we've met real monsters before," Daphne reminded her. "During our mysteries, some of them were real. Only Shaggy isn't a monster – he's good, really good."

"That's what I thought," smiled Velma. "He's our friend and I know that, vampire or not, Shaggy is in there somewhere. He's our friend and he needs our help. I couldn't leave. The ship's long gone now so it's not like I can change my mind. I'm here and I'm staying."

"Rhank you!" cried Scooby. With the brains of the group on their side, things were definitely looking better.

"So how is Shaggy? Where is he?"

"…Ah," sighed Daphne, sharing a wary look with Scooby.

Velma looked from one to the other, frowning. "What? Is something wrong?"

Daphne laughed awkwardly, with no hint of humour. "You could say that."

Between the two of them, the redhead and the Great Dane explained to their smartest friend what all had been going on: they fully explained to her how and what had happened to Shaggy that night and ever since; about the two people they had met in the forest and where they'd been all day and night; and, finally, about the looming threat of a vampire who was building an army to take over the humans and make them slaves.

At the end of it, Velma sat for a moment, processing everything. "That's…a lot to take in."

"Rhou're not gonna reave again, are rhou?" (Translation: You're not gonna leave again, are you?)

"No, don't worry. You haven't scared me off. I'm just thinking… We need to try and find out more about this character who's turning people into vampires. You know, I've noticed there's been a few disappearances lately on the news – they must all have been down to him. There must be something we can do. We have Bridget and James on our side for now; I wonder if we could convince some of the others to join us. I mean, he's ripped them from their loved ones and changed all their lives – they can't all be loyal to him. I wonder if there's a cure? If we can change them all back…problem solved!" She suddenly noticed the others staring at her. "What?"

"I knew you'd help us," smiled Daphne. "You're the smartest person I've ever met! If anyone can solve this, it's you."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. Hey, you two look exhausted. You've been up all night at the hospital; why don't you go get some sleep and I'll start researching. We've got a lot of work to do."