Chapter 06

We placed my phone to record the action from Shaggy's perspective and then shut the door to the storage room. No sooner was Fred in place behind the door than I heard the sound of running footsteps from the other side and Shaggy's muffled voice. "We gotta, like, find a place to hide. How about… in here."

I watched from the darkness behind Fred as the door flew open. Both Shaggy and Scooby's eyes grew wide and Scooby recoiled while bringing his paw in front of his gaping mouth. My anticipation was instantaneously replaced with guilt. Even I could tell they were horrified. There was only one thing they could think. There was a ghost. The ghost was Fred. Therefore, Fred was dead.

What would I feel if suddenly confronted with this? My guilt grew heavier. This mental and emotional process occurred within less than a second. I stepped forward to tell them that it was just a joke but I wasn't fast enough.

Shaggy yelled "Ghost! Let's get out of here!" And they bolted off down the dim passageway. I stepped to the door beside Fred and saw the Miner Forty-Niner hobbling his way up the tunnel from the opposite direction. Shaggy, running at full speed, tried to turn down the other tunnel toward the entrance, tripped over something, and fell face first into a pile of jagged rocks.

Scooby held up. "Raggy!"

Fred, Daphne, and I started running to see if Shaggy was okay but the Miner got to him first. Scooby was growling fiercely at the Miner as he removed his mask and hopped off his stilts.

Hank looked at the Great Dane. "Your friend needs help. I can help him."

Scooby stopped growling and backed up.

I got there as Hank was bending over Shaggy's unconscious body and checking his pulse. There was lots of blood. My guilt hit a crescendo. I'm sure you've noticed that, while Shaggy is laying on the floor and bleeding profusely, I keep talking about me and my guilt. I told you at the beginning that this was going to be an honest memoir.

Hank looked up at Fred. "There's a first aid kit in the storage room. And be careful, the floor has some rotten spots." Fred was frozen in place looking at the blood. Hank raised his voice. "Run!"

Fred bolted off and was back within a minute, carrying the kit. Hank took it from him and began wrapping it tightly around the wound in Shaggy's forehead. "Head wounds bleed like a stuck pig. Your friend is breathing steadily and his pulse is strong, so I think he is going to be all right. But you need to get him to a hospital right away. He probably has a concussion and that can be serious."

I know." Fred nodded. "I had one in football once."

"Um-m-m-m-m." Shaggy moaned softly and tried to open his eyes.

Hank spoke quietly. "Keep your eyes closed and just rest. In a few minutes you're going to have to stand up and walk to get out of here and you'll need all your strength for that."

Shaggy's voice was plaintive. "Fred, is that you?"

Fred didn't answer. I may not be able to read his facial expression but it was an easy guess what emotions were being expressed on it.

Hank sat back. Even in the faint lighting, he didn't look well. His facial color was almost grey and I could see blisters on his neck. He hung his head and breathed deeply as if struggling to get air into his lungs. "We need to get you kids out of here. It's not safe."

Daphne's head jerked around. "Why isn't it safe?"

"I don't know. But people have been really getting sick. You can't stay too long."

My friend was bleeding and likely concussed, our health was in danger, but my OCD kicked in and I had to have answers. "Why are you dressing up as a ghost?"

"I'm a member of the Wahasapee Tribal Nation. My ancestors signed a treaty with the United States Government a long time ago that gave us this godforsaken desert but the Chinachka didn't even give us the mineral rights underneath it."

I didn't recognize the word. "Chinachka?"

"White people. Like you. We have lawyers trying to get the treaty rewritten but they tell us that, as long as the mines under our land are in continuous operation, they can't get a foot in the legal door. We tried to buy it from Big Ben but he asked for far too much money. I was hoping to scare the tourists away and get the whole operation, including the mine, to close. Big Ben's price would come down and our tribe could buy it. Then we could have our day in court."

Daphne asked the obvious question. "You thought that creating a real ghost at a ghost town would drive the tourists away?"

"I guess I'm not the sharpest tool in the toolshed. I figured out pretty quick that the numbers of tourists were actually increasing and I was about to stop being the Miner when people started getting sick. So, I moved into the mine itself and started trying to at least keep them out of the mine. And now I'm sick. Real sick. Whatever is happening here, it's real." He took Shaggy's hand. "Can you stand up?"

Shaggy's eyes opened. "I think so." He then focused on Fred. "Why are you all white?"

Fred looked down. "I got covered in flour. I'll explain later. Right now, we have to get you out of here."

Hank didn't have the strength to help Shaggy up, so Fred pulled Shaggy up to his feet.

Shaggy teetered. "Like, I'm real dizzy. And not in a good way."

Fred whispered. "I know Shags. Just lean on me and we'll get you out of here."

Scooby Doo whimpered softly.

Hank looked down at Scooby. "You've got a real smart dog there."

We all looked at each other. I answered. "He's just a normal dog."

With Fred nearly having to carry Shaggy, it was slow going but we gradually made our way to the mine entrance where we found Big Ben, the local sheriff, and a sheriff's car with flashing blue lights.

The sheriff ignored us and stepped up to Hank. "Henry Catawnee, you are under arrest for fraud, vagrancy, and embezzlement." As we watched, he cuffed Hank, read him his rights, put him in the back of the police car, and drove away. It all happened so fast; we didn't know what to say.

Big Ben sauntered up to us. "I can't thank you kids enough. I kind of figured that Hank was tied up with this Miner ghost thing but didn't worry about it until he started actually scaring what few tourists we had away from the mine. I had people asking for refunds."

Fred asked, "Can we get a ride back to our car? We need to get our friend to the emergency room and get him looked at."

Shaggy seemed to be steadier now. "I'm feeling okay."

Scooby bumped into my leg and I leaned down to hear him whisper. "Raggy's araid of roctors."

I wasn't thrilled with them myself, but I stood up. "Shaggy. No arguing. You're going to the hospital." I tried to put inflection in my voice. It may have worked.

Daphne was still talking to Big Ben. "But aren't people getting sick from the mine?"

Big Ben laughed. "That old story? It's a load of nonsense. I'm pretty sure that Hank made it up and spread it around to try and keep even more people away. That's what was really hurting business. Ignore that. It's hogwash."

That was when I threw up.