V
Daphne wrapped the segment for Channel Eleven news when Freddy motioned a cut signal cue on the otherside of the camera indicating their portion of the newscast was complete as he broke down the equipment and Daphne took the microphone back to the news truck for the five am early morning news team to use in a few hours.
She walked back to where Freddy was finishing up with breaking down the rest of the set to carry back to the news truck parked in a sea of other newscasts from around Southern California who had come to cover the destruction at the Crystal Cove Apartment complex Shaggy lived at.
Daphne looked over across the street with a worried expression on her face when she saw a CNN and Fox News truck parked across the street confirming her worst fears.
This alleged bomb massacre attack at Shaggy's apartment complex had made national headlines and International headlines as Freddy followed her stare and could only sigh when he saw the two major news trucks from CNN and Fox News parked across the street knowing there was no way he or her could stop this from making world headlines as he also saw trucks from the BBC and Univision lined up behind CNN and Fox News getting ready to broadcast a continuous stream of news to their hungry viewers who expected them to be the first to break any new information they would obtain before Channel 11 did.
"I hope to God Velma is right about this being a terrorist and his rabid dog being behind this" Daphne said as she walked alongside Fred away from the scene and far enough away from the sensitive microphones of all the news trucks.
"All I know is we have our work cut out for us and the only way we're going to solve this mystery is by being one step ahead of the news" Freddy said as he looked over at Daphne scoffing at him.
"Do you know how impossible solving this mystery by ourselves is going to be when we are against the likes of these major news networks?" Daphne said in a frustrated tone as the blond haired man put his arm across her back while they walked to the bus stop and took at seat on the bench under the covered canopy on the side of the busy street.
"I don't like it any more than you do, Daph" Freddy admitted as he looked down at the dirty cement ground twirling his fingers.
"Once we get back to our place, the plan is to go to the basement and look for that Grimnice Book Of Records" Daphne said as Freddy looked up from staring at the ground.
"That's fine and dandy, but if it turns out Shaggy is a suspect in this terrible event.." Freddy trailed off feeling a lump forming in his throat at the thought of his childhood friend even being capable of such a horrid thing.
"Please stop thinking like that Freddy" Daphne interjected with a serious look on her face.
"Daphne, we have to look at reality as sickening as it is to think about us having to do what is right for the community" Freddy said in a grim tone as Daphne's hand grabbed his shoulder.
"For all we know Freddy, Shaggy could be a victim in all of this who was lucky to escape alive" Daphne pointed out shifting to a more comfortable sitting position on the bench.
"Then why did he disappear without telling us?" Freddy countered looking at the suddenly quiet red head which confirmed the reality of it.
It just didn't add up in both of their seasoned detective minds which were both swirling with different scenarios floating across their vision which they both tried to latch onto for some kind of semblance to Shaggy being completely innocent as the city bus came into view stopping right where they were standing up as they boarded it with the doors shutting behind them when the driver pulled the lever towards them.
There weren't many people riding on it except the people who had late night jobs or were returning home late from whatever work they had in various parts of the city as Freddy and Daphne found a seat near the middle of the bus with an older gentleman wearing a pair of earphones listening to a podcast on his laptop seated across from them.
The bus started rolling and was surprisingly quiet for a rear engine bus and it lumbered down the semi busy street stopping every once in awhile to pick up or drop off passengers on its route.
Not many people got on or off so it gave Fred and Daphne the chance to stare out the window at the passing urban landscape as they contemplated what their next move was in the twenty minute bus ride to their stop just outside of their neighborhood.
Suddenly an extremely bright flash from the hills near the bus stop got their attention as it lit up the surrounding mountains above it sparking some concern within them from the intense glow it gave off which quickly faded away after a few seconds.
"Something about that flash we saw doesn't feel right, Daph" Freddy said after what they both had witnessed faded out as the bus came to stop and was rolling away from the stop without them in it.
"I think we had better go up the trail and make sure there's nobody who has been hurt and see if we need to get the police involved if someone is up to no good" Daphne said as Freddy nodded and she reached inside her purse for a pair of purple walking shoes she replaced her high heels for as she stuck them inside zipping the bag shut before she hoisted it over her shoulder.
Freddy pulled out a couple of illuminating wearable portable lights he kept with him in his bag giving one to Daphne who fastened it to her head as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder as they walked to the trailhead behind the bus stop.
Googie sat in complete shock with her back resting against the rock she was hiding behind trying to contemplate what she had just witnessed Scrappy do to Count Dracula as she looked over it at the large crack in the side of the hill in front of his cage.
This was the perfect opportunity to get the Grimnice Book Of Records while nobody was looking as it lay where The Count was once standing between the bat copter and Scrappy's cage ripe for the picking as she readied herself to make her move by positioning. herself at an angle where she was behind Scrappy's back where she could pick up the book and have an easy escape route down the trail until she saw him turn around in the cage looking at his smoking paws which negated that idea as she set herself back down behind the rock cursing in frustration at her rotten luck.
Scrappy had done it!
He marveled at the broken cliff face he had just smashed the hapless Count through as he looked down at his smoking paws and then saw the unattended Grmnice Book of Records laying right outside his cage door beckoning him to take it back to civilization with him so he and his inflated ego could spread word on the street of him being the most powerful wizard in the world!
He made his way out of the cage looking at Brunch who stood there like a statue with a melancholy look on his face while Crunch was on his knees crying out his master's name in pathetic fashion which only egged him on to rub in the misery he was more than happy to dish out at the two hapless fools who could do nothing but watch him and his overinflated ego make an even bigger fool out of himself.
"That's right you two knuckleheads, you're powerless without your dimwitted fearless hapless master bossing you around" Scrappy gloated as he pranced around mooning his ass to the two humped men in a lewd display he hoped was making them cry out in agony for him to prove he was the most superior dirty dancing magician around.
While Scrappy was lost in his own ego, Brunch had been quietly inching his way over to where his frothy friend Crunch was still on his knees foolishly crying out his master's name with his spittle and tears making their own wet spot beneath him.
He forcefully tapped on his shoulder to get his attention as the blubbering fool looked up him scoffing at him with a look on his face even someone as daft as him could understand the reasoning behind.
"Will you stop blubbering like a nincompoop and go to the copter and retrieve the tranquilizer gun I keep behind my seat and wait for me there" Brunch said with some real emphasis behind the importance of him doing this.
Crunch wiped the tears out of his eyes looking at his brainy friend with a clueless look on his face as if Goliath had asked David to give him a sack of grapes out of nowhere as he questioned Brunch's motives.
"Bwhy we need dat tranquilizzzer gun?" Crunch frothed getting his spittle all over the flustered Brunch.
"Because you fool, the master is going to arise any minute now and I want to be ready with a dart just in case he doesn't know where he is and decides to run" Brunch said in the best way he knew how to make Crunch do what he wanted without cluing him in to what was about to happen when the master remerged from the broken cliff face.
"BLASTER!" Crunch said with much enthusiasm as Brunch smacked his forehead in frustration at the hopping toothless imbecile bouncing like a happy rabbit in front of him.
"Stop acting like a fool and get the tranquilizer gun from behind my seat this instant or I'm going to boil you in the greasiest motor oil I can find!" Brunch shouted as Crunch suddenly recoiled in fear at hearing those words said to him by his brainy friend.
"BOIL..Blookay" Crunch spat as he rushed to the copter and was rummaging around for the tranquilizer gun Brunch kept behind his pilot's seat.
Brunch stood there wiping the spittle off his face with his brown striped shirt while trying to calm himself down as he resumed his vigilant wait for the master to arise again thankful he could be worse then the master when it came to getting his point across to a needle headed peon when he had to.
Dracula was wedged deep within the cliff wall clinging to life as his buttoned down shirt had a sharp stalagmite sticking out of it that had missed the core of his heart by mere inches as the ancient powers which made him the immortal vampire he was congealed together in the form of a swirling tempest around his form ready to do what had to be done in order to save him.
The swirling tempest was soon enveloping the Count's body as he felt a metamorphosis occurring within him of bones contracting to fit his developing body as the wedged stalagmite started to crack and was soon broken off its base as his transformation from that of vampuric to that of a lycanthrope took full effect as his arms and legs turned canine destroying his clothes and tearing his dress shoes apart as huge claws protruded out where his nails and toenails used to be.
Next came his body which increased in size and height as the small space was soon starting to give way to his new form as his bones cracked while he screamed in pain when his face was shifting and the fangs he had were getting larger to fit his new head which had pointed furry wolf like ears replacing the vampuric ears once there.
His hips and entire lower half tore out of his pants leaving them in shreds around him as they took on a more canine like appearance by bending ninety degrees to support his new wolf form as the intense rays of the moon found their way into the broken cliff face enhancing his muscle tone as every part of his body was soon three times the size of what his original body was as his screams of pain were soon replaced with.. howls.
His new werewolf hand gripped around the stalagmite ripping it out of his new body as he held it like a toothpick that crumbled like dust as the transformation was almost complete.
Scrappy was too busy gloating at Crunch and Brunch to notice the strange lights illuminating out of the broken cliff face like Googie who watched them in paralyzed disbelief at what she was witnessing as it was hypnotizing and frightening to watch the display which was fueled by the rays of the moon.
She then realized this was in the vicinity of where Count Dracula was wedged in the cliff face as she felt her heart pounding in the her throat at the realization that he was being resurrected and that meant everyone involved was in grave danger of falling victim to his wraith.
Her heart sank down to the pit of her stomach while she tried to stifle an involuntary scream when a low menacing growl echoed out of the broken cliff face followed by a stalagmite being hurled out of it like a dart as it was aimed for the rock she was hiding behind.