- 6:00 PM: 6 DAYS EARLIER -

Velma and Fred tore through the trees, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Sharp rustling sounds behind them crunched on dead leaves and snow – The figure was still after them and getting ever closer.

"Come on, run!" Fred urged.

"I'm trying!" Velma panted, forcing her legs to propel forward. They were still deep in the woods, but at least she pinged their cabin location before they left. That was the only advantage they had.

"Just turn off your flashlight!" Fred cried, snatching it from her hands. Without light, the figure would have no way to spot them.

"Fred, what are you –

Before she could finish, Fred pulled her behind a tree. They pressed against the bark, trying to swallow their breaths.

Fred peered around the trunk, but it was pitch dark now. The faint steps of the figure could be heard in the distance.

Fred turned back to Velma. His voice was low. "Alright. I think we lost them, but they're still looking for us. How much farther?"

Velma squinted at her dimmed phone screen. "For walking, about five minutes."

"And running?"

"Likely three. Two if we're super fast."

"Okay." Fred checked behind them once again. "Ready?"

Velma nodded.

And without another word, they began running, not looking back until they made it to their destination.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Fred and Velma reached the cabin's front door in no time. Fred fumbled with the lock before they burst inside, slamming it shut behind them.

It was dark. Velma flipped on the light switch.

Daphne was nowhere to be seen, but Shaggy was sleeping soundly on the couch.

Fred shook him awake. "Shag?"

Shaggy stirred, squinting against the harsh lights. "Hmph?"

"Where's Daphne?"

"In the bedroom," Shaggy mumbled groggily, sitting up slowly. "She's sleeping, I think . . . Something really weird happened, like, an hour ago."

Fred glanced at Velma, who stood rigid. "Like what?"

"To be honest," Shaggy began, gesturing toward the used blunt sitting on the end table. He froze once he caught Velma's sharp look. "Don't kill me, Velma, but I just had some weed left over from –

"NORVILLE ROGERS!"

Fred grabbed Velma's arm before she could propel forward. "Stop! That doesn't matter right now!" He turned to Shaggy. "Now, what happened?"

Shaggy hesitated. "Like, I was going to say because of the weed, I can't tell if I was seeing things, or –

Ignoring him, Velma started towards the bedroom and disappeared inside.

Fred's voice was low. "Velma's been through a lot tonight . . ." He didn't want to mention the deer and its demise – how it could have been Scooby in that same situation. "Listen, if you don't know what you saw . . ."

"Just ask Daphne," Shaggy muttered, slumping back onto the couch. "She'll know more than me."

But Fred didn't want to disturb her. He sank into an armchair, his head in his hands.

After a long silence, Shaggy spoke. "Like, what'd you guys find?"

Fred looked up from his hands in surprise. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah." Shaggy's eyes had a glimmer of something Fred had never seen before – curiosity. "I need to know anything that might be connected to what happened to Scoob."

Fred internally debated whether he should tell him. But Shaggy was going to find out sooner or later. "We found a deer . . ."

Shaggy perked up. "You found a deer? I thought –

"Yeah, but it was the only one we found . . . and it was dead."

"Oh . . ." Shaggy breathed. "What happened to it?"

"I don't know for sure . . ." Fred said, still avoiding Shaggy's gaze. "But it – it looked almost like . . . almost like it was banging its head against a tree trunk . . . like it was out of its mind. Sick."

Shaggy felt his stomach drop. "So, you mean . . ."

"Yeah," Fred sighed. "I think that's what happened to Scooby, too."

Shaggy felt a pang of fresh tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "But Scooby came back, he didn't –

"I know."

"So, what does this mean?"

"I don't know," Fred said, looking towards the door. "But there was someone chasing after us just now. We lost them, but they're still out there. We're not safe anymore."

"Like, was it a ghost? A monster?"

Fred shook his head. "Honestly, I think Velma might be right . . . I think there's a person behind all of this. He was dressed in all black, but didn't have a face . . . the suit covered everything. We heard its footsteps . . . this wasn't a ghost."

Shaggy exhaled shakily. "Man, we're getting nowhere . . ."

"I know . . ." Fred grimaced. "But at least we know there's a person behind this. Velma's dad told us to leave, that it was too dangerous. But we can't stop until we figure this out."

Shaggy nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Freddy, but I agree. Whoever did this to Scooby needs to be caught. Like, who knows what else they're capable of?"

Fred stood. "I'll keep watch just in case they come back."

"No. I'll do it," Shaggy said. "You've already done enough to help me."

"But didn't you just smoke –

"I'm okay," Shaggy interrupted. "I'm pretty much ninety percent sober now."

Fred hesitated. But he knew Shaggy needed to do this.

"Alright. But we'll switch halfway." He noticed Shaggy was still in bloodied clothes. "And you clean up after."

"Deal."

Shaggy sat in Fred's chair, peering out the window.

Fred settled on the couch. "Is Daphne okay?"

Shaggy glanced at him. "I mean . . . I guess so. She was in the shower for a long time, and when she came out, I was –

Fred finished for him; his voice was sharp. "High?"

"Yeah." Shaggy looked down. "I'm sorry. I – I shouldn't have been like that."

"It's okay," Fred said, his jaw set. "You're stressed. We all are."

"But the lights started flickering like an hour ago, and I thought I was just tripping out, but –

"The lights were flickering?"

"Yeah. The TV screen was messed up too."

"That's what Mr. Dinkley said happened before!"

"I know." Shaggy frowned. "Daphne was scared. I just wish I was in the right state of mind. If something happened and I wasn't . . ." Shaggy trailed off, his voice thick. "But that's all I remember. I can't tell you any more than that."

Fred sighed, leaning back. "It's fine. We'll get updates from Daphne tomorrow morning . . ."

Shaggy shifted in his chair. "But then what'll we do?"

Fred's gaze hardened as it settled onto the iron box resting on the floor. "We trap him."