(Author's Note: The reason I'm able to post this on Friday the 13th is pure coincidence. I've been sitting on this fanfic/roleplay for FIVE YEARS, almost six! So better late than never, here is Scooby-Doo and the Curse of Camp Crystal Lake. Rated M mostly for typical horror-movie-level violence, but also some stronger swearing than usual.)

-Camp Crystal Lake, 1988-

The sky above AJ rumbled as she ran through the rain, the falling droplets masking the tears streaming down her face. Her messily dyed hair clung to her head, and her dark clothes were soaked through to the bone. Her mind was as frenzied as her run through the campgrounds, the faces of her dead friends flashing by like a poorly-cut horror movie. Kenny, Deborah, Adam, Chad… all of them were gone. For the time being, it seemed as if she had evaded the mysterious figure butchering her friends. AJ struggled to see through the rain, unsure if she was heading towards the exit. As she found herself standing on wet sand, she realized exactly where she was.

AJ looked out at the lake in front of her, then at the canoe and paddle just a few steps away. If she could paddle out into the lake, the killer would have a harder time catching her. The frightened punk dashed towards the canoe, the hanging light on the lifeguard station casting an almost heavenly glow over it. AJ picked up the paddle, prepared to push the canoe into the lake. However, she noticed a shadow creeping over the sand, a shadow creeping up right behind her...

AJ quickly dodged, avoiding the slash of a machete as it lodged into the canoe's wooden exterior. She kept a tight grip on the paddle as she turned to face the killer. Once she sees who it is, her eyes widen in shock, her mouth hangs open slightly, and she is only able to stammer out a couple of words.

"M-Mrs. Voorhees?"

"I can't let you leave, dear," the older woman said, yanking her machete out of the dent she had left in the canoe. "Not after what you did."

"Wh-What are you talking about? We haven't done anything to you!" AJ sobbed, backing away as Pamela advanced towards her.

"Not to me. To my boy. My Jason." AJ could see Pamela's machete was still soaked with the blood of the other counselors, despite the rain. "He almost drowned out there in the lake. If I hadn't been there, he could've died. But where were you and your friends? Drinking. Dancing. Fucking. All while you should've been doing your jobs!"

"We didn't know! We made a mistake!" AJ's hands trembled. "Pl-Please! Please don't kill me!"

"I have to, dear. I've already killed the others. And I can't have any loose ends." Pamela reared back the machete to deliver a killing blow. AJ responded by swinging out the paddle, only for the machete to cut it in half.

Grabbing hold of the larger end, AJ gained the upper hand and hit Pamela across the head, forcing her to drop the machete. Once Pamela landed on the ground, AJ brought the splintered end of the paddle down in a stabbing motion. Pamela managed to roll out of the way.

The two women struggled on the ground. They exchanged grunts of anguish as they battled to the death. This led to Pamela climbing on top of AJ and grabbing her around the neck. The punk tried to scratch at Pamela's head, only for the woman to bite her wrist in response. With her strength draining, AJ tried desperately to pry Pamela's hands off her throat, but to no avail.

Then she looked to her left and she saw the machete resting on the sand. She stretched out for it, barely managing to grab the handle. With her last remaining ounce of strength, AJ swung the machete at Pamela's neck, a spray of blood coating her soaked face. A weight hit AJ's chest. She screamed with very little breath as she scurried out from beneath Pamela's decapitated body. She stood back up and dropped the bloody machete. With ragged breath, she turned and began her long walk through the camp, hoping to alert the authorities as soon as possible.

Once AJ was out of sight, a small figure emerged from behind a tree, having been a witness to the whole fight. Tears swelled in his deformed eyes as he approached his mother's body and dropped to his knees, sobbing. Then he reached out for the machete on the ground, picked it up, and examined his reflection in the bloodied metal. As his grip tightened on the weapon, a flash of lightning burst across the sky, a rumble of thunder following in its wake.

-Thirty years later-

The sun shined down on the dirt road, glinting off of the green bodywork on the Mystery Machine. In the driver's seat, Fred kept his eyes on the road, while also keeping one arm around Daphne's shoulders. Velma sat beside the couple, typing away on her laptop. In the back of the van, Shaggy and Scooby were tightly pressed together among the many boxes labeled "FOOD STUFFS." The van passed by a sign reading CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - 2 MILES.

"Not too far now, gang," Fred relayed to those who might not have seen the sign.

"Good to know. Like, Scoob' and I are starting to know how sandwich fillings feel," Shaggy commented with a choked chuckle.

"You might've been a bit more comfortable if you hadn't brought all that food," Fred told them.

"Hey now! We were hired to be the camp chefs for the summer, and we happen to take our food very seriously," Shaggy stated boldly.

"Yeah, very seriously," Scooby agreed.

Velma said, not looking away from her laptop, "It says here that Camp Crystal Lake has been untouched for thirty years. Apparently, a woman named Pamela Voorhees killed off all the camp counselors in one night... Knowing our luck, some creep is gonna exploit this and try to scare everyone off."

"But we can catch them, right, Freddy?" Daphne asked him, but she already knew the answer.

"Wait, what?!" Shaggy grabbed the laptop from Velma, both his and Scooby's eyes wide in fright. "You waited until NOW to tell us that we're going to a camp where people were murdered?!"

"Calm down, Shag'. Like Velma said, it was thirty years ago," Fred reminds him. "And if somebody did try to exploit the legend, all we'd have to do is unmask them."

"I waited until now so you couldn't panic out of this one," Velma replies, grabbing her laptop back.

Scooby flopped into Shaggy's lap and howled, "I'M PANICKING!"

"LIKE, SAME HERE!" Shaggy yelped, grabbing hold of Scooby.

"Look, just try and take your mind off of it. Think about all the food you'll get to eat this summer," Fred suggested.

Taking Fred's advice, Scooby thought about all the camp food: hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, s'mores... He calmed down in Shaggy's arms quickly, and Shaggy calmed down too.

Shaggy rested back against the multiple food boxes. "I hope I've packed enough to make my patented everything-burritos for the campers."

"Didn't you pack anything else?" Fred asked. "What about clothes?"

"What's the point? We wear the same clothes every day."

"Well, I packed spare clothes for everyone," Daphne stated, leaving out that she mostly packed for herself. "Even a spare collar for you, Scooby." She affectionately petted the dog's head.

The Mystery Machine soon passed a sign reading WELCOME TO CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE. The van drove past a few trees and some old cabins. Then Fred pulled over beside a cabin with a sign reading COMANCHE at the door.

"Woah. Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," he commented. He moved around to the back of the van and opened the back doors. He quickly moved out of the way to avoid the multiple boxes bursting out of the back. Shaggy and Scooby fell to the ground, resurfacing from beneath the sea of cardboard.

"Like, is the food okay?!" Shaggy asked.

"I think so," Scooby replied, picking up as many boxes as one bipedal dog could carry.

Shaggy did the same, creating two large stacks of boxes. He said to the others, "We'll bring these over to the cafeteria. See you in a few."

Scooby follows Shaggy with his own food box stacks.

Now that the food boxes were out of the way, Daphne grabbed her luggage and said, "We should probably see if our contact is around, but where do you think he is?"

"Let's try looking around," Fred suggested.

The three of them looked around the camp, and found there were several cabins. However, some look like they're being renovated or in the process of being built. The Comanche cabin, however, was where they parked, and appeared to be the main cabin. They opened the door and examined the ramshackle interior.

"Well, it's certainly a fixer-upper," Fred commented, brushing some cobwebs aside.

There was a main living area, a small doorway leading into the kitchen, and a door which must lead to some sort of pantry. Velma went to the door that led to the "pantry," curious about it, and opened it. She yelped as she discovered an old man standing on the other side of the door. He was dressed in a creased shirt, a dark waistcoat, dark trousers, black shoes, and an old gray hat on his head.

He looked at Velma with wide eyes. "I'm a messenger of God! You're DOOMED if you stay here!"

She looked at him skeptically- a number of people had told the gang they were doomed by staying at a certain place... "Uh, who the heck are you and what are you doing in OUR cabin?"

Fred and Daphne were alerted by Velma's yelp, and were stunned to see the man standing in the pantry doorway. The man got closer to Velma, looking at her with a serious expression. "God sent me. You're doomed if you stay."

"Oh, really? And why's that?" Fred asked with crossed arms.

"This place is cursed. It's got a death curse," the man explained. "You need to go."

"No, Ralph," a new voice chimed in. A young man moved past the three mystery solvers and took Ralph by the arm. "YOU need to go." He led the old man out of the cabin, giving him a light push once he was outside. "Go home and get some rest."

As he spoke, the old man stumbled over to a bike propped against a post, grabbed the handlebars and climbed onto the seat. He took one more look at the three newest counselors, still wearing a serious expression. "You're doomed. You're ALL doomed," he said once more before riding off.

Once he was out of sight, the young man let out a sigh. "Sorry about that, guys. I didn't get a chance to warn you about Ralph."

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Daphne asked. "I'm Daphne. This is Fred and Velma."

"I'm Jordan." He shook each of their hands. "I'm the Head Counsellor."

"Oh, I guess we're your fellow counselors." Daphne smiled. "Maybe you could show us around?"

"Of course. Uh...weren't there meant to be five of you?" Jordan asked.

"Oh, yeah, Shaggy and Scooby went looking for the cafeteria," she explained. "They brought a loooot of food.

"Heh. Good to know. Where are they?" Jordan asked.

"They went to look for the cafeteria. They're REALLY eager to get started," Fred answered.

"That's always good to hear," Jordan commented.

"You said you would show us around?" Velma piped up. "It'd be nice to know where Shaggy and Scooby are."

"Sure. Right this way," Jordan gestured for the gang to follow them out of the cabin.

The three followed him out, and Velma tried to lock the door behind them so no crazies could get in again. Unfortunately, she didn't see any type of lock on the door.

"So, what do you guys think of the camp? I know it's not much, but… well, it's not much," Jordan trailed off awkwardly.

"It could be a lot worse," Velma pointed out. "It's not the worst camp we've been to."

Jordan sighed. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew the story of this place."

"Oh, we...kinda already know the story," Fred revealed.

"Oh. R-Right," Jordan stammered.

"It's just history," Velma dismissed. "Not to mention other camps make up similar legends all the time."

"Only those ones usually never happened," Jordan pointed out.

Daphne tried to put a positive spin on things: "Hopefully, that creepy man - Ralph? - will be the first and last creepy, recent happening at the camp."

"Who is he anyway? Did he used to work here?" Fred asked.

"Oh, god, no." Jordan explained, "He's been the town drunk since before I was born. He usually goes around town, spouts some gospel verses, and then winds up in the town jail until he sobers up."

Velma asked, "Do you know what he did before he was the town drunk?"

"Not really. He was a bit of a myster-OH, come on!" Jordan groaned, heading towards a sandy patch of beach near the edge of the lake.

Fred, Daphne, and Velma could see a group of people on the sand. One of them was laying down on the sand, keeping his body frozen in a horrified pose. Another was standing above him with a fake machete, her face frozen in an expression of maniacal glee as if she were about to swing it down into his head. The third and final person was standing a few steps away from them, getting a photo on his smartphone.

However, their little photo session came to an end as Jordan interrupted them. "What do you think you're doing here? This is private property."

"Oh, come on, pal. We're just here to get a good few snaps before you guys wreck this place," the man with the smartphone said.

"You're fans of serial killers?" Velma asked, trying her best to hide her disgust.

"We're fans of HORROR, ma'am," the man corrected. He held his hand out to the group. "James Loomis. Admin of Horror Central."

Jordan warned, "I know who you are. And I'm telling you to leave."

Velma asked, "How often do they come by?"

"More often than not," Jordan answered.

"Oh, come now, Jordan. There's no need to be a stick in the mud," a deep voice chuckled. A middle-aged man approached the group, dressed in a smart shirt and tie, with black pants and shoes. "Now, I understand the popularity of this place to the horror-enthused masses, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Well, we already got some of the shots we needed. I guess we can go now," James said with a shrug. He gestured for his fellow bloggers to follow him down the path.

"Thank you, sir," Jordan said to the middle-aged man.

"No thanks necessary, son. And who are these nice young folk?" the man asked, gesturing to the gang.

"Guys, this is Mayor Forrest. He's the one who's funded Crystal Lake's repair," Jordan introduced.

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal, Jordan," Forrest chuckled, holding his hand out. "You can call me Jackson."

"Fred Jones," Fred introduced himself, shaking the Mayor's hand. "This is Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley."

"You must be the man we talked to about coming here, Jackson," Daphne said. "There's usually five of us, but our friends are in the cafeteria."

"Oh, yes. We're so glad that you were able to make it out here. The more fresh young faces we have to promote this camp, the better," Jackson stated proudly. "I hope the journey wasn't too difficult."

"Oh no, not at all," Velma said. "In fact, besides Jordan, I think we're some of the first counselors to arrive."

"Indeed you are. Jordan's here and...where did that other one go?" Jackson wondered.


"Like, just wait until those campers taste my patented Doritos and hot sauce chili, Scoob'," Shaggy laughed as he and Scooby approached the old cafeteria.

When they got there, they found someone already inside. She was a brunette wearing a plain yellow dress and sneakers. She took out her own bag full of food and stored it in the kitchen. Then, she noticed Shaggy and Scooby. "Oh! I didn't see you come in. Hey, I'm Jessica. It looks like you have more food than me." She chuckled sweetly.

"Oh, hi," Shaggy chuckled too. "Yeah, when we come to cook, we come to win." He put the boxes down to greet the woman. "I'm Shaggy, and this is my pal Scooby."

The dog put down his set of boxes and shook Jessica's hand. "Nice to meet you."

She looked surprised, but shook his hand. "Wow, I've never met a talking dog before."

"Yeah, a lot of people usually just go with it," Shaggy said.

"So, I'm one of the new counselors at Camp Crystal Lake," she said, petting Scooby as she talked. "I figure you are too."

"Like, yeah. We've been assigned kitchen duty for the summer. Are you in here too?" Shaggy asked.

Jessica replied, "Yeah, that's why I brought food. I like to cook, and it's probably safer here than at other areas of the camp, you know?"

Scooby nodded in agreement.

"Well, sure. I still have horrific flashbacks to high school sports," Shaggy said with a look of dread.

She giggled. "I was talking more about all this 'Voorhees murder' stuff."

Shaggy shivered at the thought. "Uh, yeah. I choose to avoid subjects which are spooky, creepy, and-or traumatic."

Scooby nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Jessica sighed. "And that's why we're staying in the cafeteria this summer."

"Yep. Just relaxing and making deep-fried candy bars," Shaggy sighed fondly.

"Uh, I was thinking we would give them healthier snacks. They are just kids."

"Oh, those are just for us," Shaggy assured her.

Jessica smiled. "Well, maybe before the kids get here, you could...teach me how to make them?"

Shaggy looked at Jessica, and then smiled. "I would be honored to."

"Let's just put our food away first." She grabbed her bag of food again and started putting things away in the cabinets and fridge. "Do you guys need any help with your food?"

"We'll be alright. Like, do YOU need any help?" Shaggy offered.

"Nah, I already put most of the bags away," Jessica replied. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Not a problem," Shaggy answered.

Suddenly, the door to the cafeteria opens, and the rest of the gang entered along with Jackson and Jordan.

"Hey, Shaggy," Velma greeted as they came in. Then, she noticed Jessica. "I guess you're the other counselor?"

"I'm Jessica. I guess you're with Shaggy and Scooby."

"These are my friends. We all drove up together," Shaggy explained.

Velma said, "I'm Velma, that's Daphne, and that's Fred."

Jessica looked at Jordan and Jackson. "And I met you when I came in. By the way, how are things coming along with the rest of the camp?"

"It's a slow start, but we'll get it all done," Jordan answered.

"And before you know it, Camp Crystal Lake will no longer be associated with that horrid business that occurred all those years ago," Jackson sighed.

"We can only hope," Velma agreed. "These sort of things usually attract masked weirdos, but we're used to that."

"Unfortunately," Scooby said under his breath.

"Plus, the townsfolk can no longer treat this place like a tourist trap," Jordan sighed.

"Like, the whole town's in it?" Shaggy asked.

"Yeah. The diner in town has something called the Voorhees Special," Jordan pointed out.

Daphne tried not to barf a little as she said, "I really don't want to know what they put in that."

"Like, I'd like to know," Shaggy said.

"I'll tell you later," Jordan replied. "But for now, let's get to work. We're gonna start by moving all of the old furniture out of the cabins."

Daphne, Velma and Jessica move furniture out of the girls' cabins, while Shaggy, Fred, and Jordan move furniture out of the boys' cabins, respectively. After a few hours of work, the group decided to stop and take a break. Shaggy and Scooby wasted no time in making sandwiches for everyone. As they ate, Jessica stuffed a whole sandwich into her mouth, a feat which Shaggy took notice of. Shaggy's eyes widened, and he dropped his sandwich on the table in awe.

Scooby saw Shaggy drop his sandwich, since he was sitting right next to him, but didn't see why his owner had dropped it. "Raggy? You okay?"

"Uh...yeah. I'm good," Shaggy answered, smirking slightly as he looked at Jessica. Scooby noticed where Shaggy's looking, but looked confused. Jessica smirked back, and that was when the dog started to put things together.

As the group were eating, they heard the sound of a car approaching. They all looked to see a black car coming down the dirt road. Some of them stopped eating and turned to the car, wondering if it was another counselor, or something worse.

The car stopped and both doors opened. A young man and woman stepped out. The man had blonde hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a red and black plaid shirt with jeans and boots. The girl had brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and blue eyes. She was dressed in a tank-top, shorts, and similar boots. The man locked his car, and when he passed by the Mystery Machine, he gave it a quizzical glance. Then he said, "Hey! Is one of you Jordan?"

"That's me." Jordan got up and shook his hand. "You must be Lane."

"Yeah. And this is Chrissie," Lane answered, introducing the woman he was with.

"Guys, these are the last two counselors," Jordan said to the others.

"Nice to meet you," Daphne said. "I'm Daphne, that's Velma, Jessica, Fred, Shaggy, and the dog is Scooby."

"Nice to meet all of you," Chrissie greeted.

"We were just having a break from working on the cabins," Daphne stated. "Do you want a sandwich?"

"Sure. If you don't mind," Lane said.

"Not at all. Like, we've got enough to feed a small country," Shaggy told him.

Velma added, "Probably because that's just what it takes to feed you guys."

"And I'm still skinny as a twig," Shaggy boasted.

"Me too," Scooby agreed.

Velma patted Shaggy's back sarcastically. "And we're very proud of you."

The two newcomers soon got some food, and sat down with the others. After everyone had a snack, the group continued taking out old furniture, with Lane joining the boys' team and Chrissie joining the girls' team. They didn't finish until after the sun had set.

Later, the group gathered around a small campfire, making smores and chatting. Scooby noticed Shaggy with Jessica, showing her how to make the "perfect smore." Knowing what exactly is going on, Scooby winked at Shaggy when he looked over at the dog.

As they were roasting marshmallows, Jessica pointed out, "But what if I think the way I usually make s'mores is better?"

"Then while I disagree with your opinion, I still respect it," Shaggy answered playfully.

Jessica smirked, and soon, she had made the "perfect s'more" with Shaggy's help. She took a bite… It tasted sweet… almost too sweet. She even found herself wondering how someone could survive on a diet consisting of food such as this.

She smiled, but Shaggy could tell she was only doing it to be polite. "Well… i-it's very sweet."

"Yeah, it is," Shaggy chuckled.

As he ate, Lane watched from across the fire. He leaned in to whisper to Fred, "He's human, isn't he?"

"Oh, he is," Fred whispered to Lane. "His digestive system, though? Definitely not."

Lane smirked slightly before looking to Daphne. "So, are you guys local?"

"Nah, we drive around the country most of the time," Daphne replied. "We're originally from Coolsville- it's in Ohio. What about you, Lane? Where are you from?"

"Hoboken," Lane answered. "Chrissie and I have lived there our whole lives."

"Is this your first time working at a summer camp?"

"Yeah, but I've helped out at a few youth groups before."

"That's nice." Daphne smiled.

"Chrissie hasn't been to one though. This is her first time," Lane looked over to her.

She had recently gone over to Scooby with a hot dog. She fed it to him and then petted his head. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy~?" she cooed.

"I am!" Scooby exclaimed before eating the hot dog.

Chrissie giggled as she continued petting him.

"I think she'll be fine." Lane smiled.

"Do you guys have any pets?" Daphne asked. "Scooby doesn't prefer the word 'pet,' though."

"Uh, no. Chrissie loves animals though," Lane answered.

Suddenly, Scooby jumped into Chrissie's lap, wanting more affection from her, but the large dog's weight threw her off balance.

"Woah!" Chrissie called out as she fell to the ground.

"Sorry." The dog got off of her quickly. "Raggy usually holds me."

"It's okay," Chrissie assured him, dusting herself down.

The group noticed the fire going dim.

Lane asked, "Fred, Shag', could you guys go and collect some more firewood?"

"I can help too," Jessica said, standing up. Scooby-Doo rolled his eyes, knowing she was probably only going with Shaggy to spend a few more minutes with him.

Soon, Fred, Shaggy, and Jessica were walking through the woods, looking for bits of wood for the fire. Jessica saw some dry-looking sticks laying underneath a tree, probably the most logical place for sticks to be. Shaggy followed her lead and picked up a few sticks here and there. However, he heard a twig break just ahead of him. But when he looked up, it was too dark to see anything.

"Uh...h-hello?" he called out.

Jessica heard the twig break too, and looked up at Shaggy. At least, she looked up in the direction of Shaggy's voice. "That wasn't you, Shaggy? Wait, where's Fred?"

"Like, I thought he was right behind us."

As Shaggy turned to face Jessica, she noticed a figure appear out of the trees behind him.

"Fred?" Jessica nearly whispered out his name as she pointed behind Shaggy, getting the feeling it wasn't him.

The figure placed a hand on Shaggy's shoulder, and he let out a loud yelp before jumping into Jessica's arms.

"Easy there, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya," a gravelly female voice said. The figure took out a flashlight and shined it in her face to reveal herself. She had black hair and hazel eyes. She was dressed in a sherpa denim jacket with a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and black combat boots. The two also noticed her carrying a hunting rifle over one shoulder. "See? Nothin' to be afraid of."

"L-Like, what about the gun?" Shaggy stammered.

"Oh, that ain't for you," the woman said. "What are you kids doing out here anyhow? You shouldn't be here."

"Uh, we were just looking for firewood," Jessica replied, not sure if she should trust this woman. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a cabin just up the hill," the woman answered. "Saw the light from your fire, figured I'd come and see what was happening."

"It's just a campfire. We're the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, and you are...?"

"You can call me AJ. So, those idiots really thought it'd be a good idea to reopen that place?"

"I guess you've heard the stories? Then again, you do live in like, arm's reach of the place."

"Oh, I've definitely heard the stories," AJ frowned as she looked towards the campgrounds. "Here's some free advice. Go home. You two, your friends, just leave."

"But… like, we only just got here today," Shaggy said, trying to lighten the mood.

This woman is in no mood for it. "And you should leave today."

Jessica explained, "Miss… AJ, you can't believe that some crazy person would come after all this time. The camp site's been untouched for 30 years, and nothing has happened since Pamela Voorhees."

"It's not Pamela that I'm worried about," AJ stated.

"Then...what are you worried about?" Jessica asked, unsure of what AJ's talking about.

AJ sighed. "Those stories everyone tells, they always forget about her son."

"Like, what about him?" Shaggy asked.

"He was never found after the night she died. And the machete used to kill her was never recovered by the cops."

"It seems you know a lot about the Voorhees murders," Jessica commented, "even for someone who just lives close by."

AJ gave a small smile. "Yeah, I guess I do." Then she sighed again, looking at both Shaggy and Jessica. "Trust me. You should leave as soon as possible."

"But we're supposed to be here," Jessica pointed out. "I don't think Jackson will let us leave, anyway."

"Forget about Jackson. Just go home." AJ turned and headed back into the woods. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Like, nice meeting you!" Shaggy called after her.

Jessica sighed and turned around… only to run right into Fred. "Oh, god! Fred, you scared me. How long have you been standing there?"

"Literally just showed up. Who was that?" Fred asked.

"She said her name was AJ," Shaggy answered.

Jessica added, "She said we should leave. She's afraid that Pamela's son could come back, but… that won't happen, right?"

Fred frowned. "Her son? Somehow I doubt that's going to happen."

"Me too," Jessica replied.

The three of them soon returned to the fire with some sticks. When they got back, Daphne asked, "What took you so long? It seemed like a while to just get some sticks from the ground."

"We ran into this woman out in the woods. AJ somethin'," Shaggy said.

"Apparently she wants us to leave," Fred commented.

"A lot of people have wanted us to leave since we got here," Velma pointed out. "What makes this AJ lady any different?"

Jessica replied, "She seemed to know a lot about the murders that happened 30 years ago… maybe too much."

"Wait, you mean AJ Mason?" Jackson said.

"Yeah- I guess you know her because she lives around here, but… why didn't you mention her before?" Jessica asked, confused at her superior.

"Because she isn't the easiest person to talk to. Plus, she kinda scares me."

Velma scoffed. "She can't be THAT scary."

"But she was," Jessica agreed with Jackson. "She came up on Shaggy from behind, and then she said she 'wasn't gonna hurt us.' She never told us what that gun was for."

"Like, maybe she was hunting?" Shaggy suggested.

"There aren't big game animals out here," Jordan pointed out.

Velma spoke up. "Look, she didn't shoot anybody, and looking scary is very different than being scary. We should stop worrying about all this until something of actual note happens."

As Velma spoke, a figure watched from a distance, the trees surrounding the campsite providing the perfect cover as he observed the group.