We all stepped inside through the main entrance, the interior of which was different from the outside, being of an almost magenta and green hue. There were rows of booths, tables and classic diner stools before a classic diner counter before a classic diner work area.
The atmosphere greeted us with rather groovy 60's/70's era music.
It was warm as well, compared to the brisk weather just outside.
Master stood to my right and looked around like the rest of us, but this time around of surveying the area infront of him, his nose twitched vehemently, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
".Food.." "Yes, food.." I slapped his shoulder. "They tend to serve that in diners."
His body heaved out a satisfied breath that unsettled me, further doing so when he suddenly pivoted his head and laid his alarmingly dark gaze on the others.
"I'm starving."
My body perked up. I turned my head to the group. "Get this man a table immediately."
. . .
The body stared up at the sky, its eyes a dark brown, full of pain and confusion.
It laid motionless for only a moment before it rose up slowly, its eyes drifting off towards the rest of the area. It breathed heavier by the second as it came to realization, fog escaping its mouth due to the cold autumn air. It lifted itself, emerging cautiously from the ground, continuing to scan all around it as its gaze darkened at what it saw..or rather..didn't see.
Dressed in a worn out t-shirt and holey pair of pants, the body was not equipped for this type of weather. Furthermore, the body was not prepared for where it now stood. It didn't know where it was..it didn't know why it was even there..it didn't know why it couldn't remember HOW to got there.
It just knew, it was best to start walking.
Keep walking. Until it found the answer as to why it had no memory of getting there.
And so it did just that. It walked forward.
. . .
We all sat at a booth, the majority of us resting upon the cushiony diner couches, the rest pulling up a table and sitting next to us. I was next to Jim and Bane; Joker, Master and Velma across from us, and Fred, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby seating at the secondary table. We all shifted to make ourselves comfortable before a waitress soon approached us, wielding a tiny notepad and a clicking pen.
She was chewing gum..I don't know why she was chewing gum, as many other fictional waitresses chew gum and I don't know about that either..she had her hair up in a gruesome beehive, with baggy tired eyes that looked 100% done with life. She sighed deeply and clicked her pen.
"What'll it be?"
She sounded very enthusiastic, trust me.
"Some energy to that voice would be refreshing" I commented, bluntly.
She didn't even blink. "I don't get paid enough." "Hmm.."
The others smirked.
"I'll have a cheeseburger, medium cooked, small portion of french fries and a medium Pepsi."
"We only have Coke products."
"I am betrayed." My face buried into the table.
Jim snickered. "I'll have the same..and a chocolate shake!" He glared.
"And I'll have it large...for my sweet and I."
"Shush." I responded, rising back up.
"I'll have a hotdog, some fries and a coke."
"You are dead to me, J."
"I'll have chickenwings..twenty of them."
"-If you can, that is." I always found myself apologizing or correcting for the boys, as if they were my rude little children who I needed to raise properly. The lady nodded.
"And you want a coke?" "I'll die first." "She'll have a chocolate shake, small."
I puffed my cheeks in response. The lady nodded, chewing excessively.
The Scooby Gang ordered their food, Scooby and Shaggy of course ordering the entirety of the diner's inventory. And soon, Carolina the Waitress was off with our orders, stating it would all be out in twenty or so minutes..give or take. Plenty of time for us to chat it up with the Scooby Gang.
"Now.." I began, leaning forward, putting my hands together just as a clasp of thunder sounded in the background, and a monsoon of rain seemingly came from nowhere and began pouring down onto the town just outside. "What's this about a case that you supposedly can not solve without the boys and myself??" With that, the Scooby Gang settled uneasily and exchanged strange glances.
Something came over them that was not comical. And I could tell. This was not a laughable, simple little kid-friendly matter at all. Their faces almost went white thinking about it.
This made even me shift uncomfortably. "Y'all okay?"
Their heads fell and the air grew ever darker. "Geez, how bad is it??"
They cleared their throats until Velma finally took a deep breath, cupping her hands together with a calm and collected demeanor. "Miss Demens, over the past week, we've been investigating a rather unsettling series of missing person cases. Many families have come to us, desperate for our help. We've done all we can, but we've hit rock bottom. All leads we had turned fruitless."
"Well dang..how is it taking longer when there are MULTIPLE missing cases??"
"It only got harder, I assure you. And we can't explain it. Nothing about the cases makes sense."
"Well like..what were the clues? Maybe you could use some fresh perspectives? We could go with you to the sites, if you want, and-" "That's the thing. There's next to NO clues for us to follow. Whoever is responsible has to got to be the most cunning mind we've ever encountered. In fact, it's as though whoever is behind this isn't even FROM here." "Well, who in the world??"
"How many cases are there?" Master inquired, who had been listening intently with narrowed eyes and a finger to his lips. "Eleven." Answered Fred bluntly.
The boys and I instantly shot our heads at eachother in alarm.
I turned mine right back to the Gang. "Eleven cases in ONE week?!"
They all nodded, solemnly.
"That's a busy criminal." J commented, dryly.
"As frequent as that is, someone must have seen something. Anyone. Anything. There had to have been signs, witnesses..unless your town is full of idiots.." Jim sipped some complimentary water, shaking his head. "..Which they probably are.."
"The people of Coolsville are normally very superstitious and quick to believe that monsters are the ones behind the crimes...but it's the most unusual thing with these cases... none of them have been witnessed! Not to mention the last known sightings of the victims have been in completely random parts of town, scattered all over the place. It's as if the fiend is mobile."
I cut my eyes to the window, my mind reeling with questions. This actually was a mystery.
"Okay...tell me about 'em. Who they are, where they work, where they live, what's their background..they got wives, kids, husbands, angry bosses, gimme the gist. There's gotta be a connection." Velma's face went almost white.
"That's the thing, Miss Demens...the missing people are children."
~ ~ ~
The body moved down the dirt road, hands curled into fists, eyes red and sagging with exhaustion.
It had been walking perhaps half an hour, maybe an hour, maybe even two hours, to a destination unknown. Anywhere where there was answers. Anywhere where there was civilization.
It needed to find out where it was and why it was brought there.
It continued walking underneath the looming moon in the poorly lit upon darkness until it happened.. it detected something. A rumble in the ground. An approaching light. A vibration in their bones. The loud unmistakable sound of an engine. The body looked behind them.
A car was coming for them.
Their eyes enlarged as the car moved past, squealed its tires, and stopped.
The body watched as the car sat there, but the driver didn't come out..not yet.
It anticipated something...a fight, perhaps..so it readied itself.
That's when both car doors opened. And both the driver and passenger stepped out.
They stood upon the dirt road, the gravel crackling beneath them, the air shaken by their presence.
The body jolted and backed away a step as it saw their appearance; a man, tall, dark hair, dressed in a suit and long trench coat. A woman, much shorter than he, red hair, dressed in a formal uniform designed for a lady, with a trench coat as well. Both carried flashlights that they now pointed at the girl, who squinted and turned her head away at the blinding light approaching her.
It shone bright until the two coming toward her were only a mere few feet away from her and their faces could be made out more clearly. The girl, being leery, did not recognize them. She blinked and looked at them with great confusion, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two.
~ ~ ~
The boys and I all gawked at once. Even Bane and Joker displayed signs of shock.
Children?! A serial kidnapper of children in a Scooby Doo plot?!
This was much too dark. No wonder now why they were so detective-blocked.
This was beyond their TV-rating.
"Kids?!" I exclaimed, jolting forward. "The culprit is taking kids?!"
It's important to tell you why I was concerned about this...
Anything involving a crime against a child is instantly classified as dark.
I won't even go into detail about the places it leads the mind to..but they are dark and very adult..NOT kid friendly, by adult standards. Kids may be attacked, threatened or terrified, but they always seem to triumph. They are heroes. They escape danger. That is the rule of a kid's story.
Real life, of course, is much more gruesome than that.
Evil loves to prey upon children. They are pure, innocent..something that evil feels obligated to destroy at all costs. It controls youth with fear of its coming..if children know of its existence, they're next on the hit list. Such tactics used to work on me, a long time ago. When I was a very small child.
And I couldn't even stand to be in a room alone, it was so bad. I cried and saw things that terrified me..dreamed of monsters promising they were coming for me. Then one day..I had enough.
I asked God to take it away from me. Fear. And now? Well...let's just say, the monsters are afraid of me. Cuz they can't control me. And I have the guts now to face them.
These poor kids..whoever had them..evil had its hand on them.
"What kinda monster in Coolsville would do that?"
"We've no idea why anyone would go as far as this..stealing? Yes. Petty scare tactics for sheer amusement? Yes. Warding off others harmlessly for money and desired property? Yes....but taking children? This is nothing like what we've seen before. We're fearing the worst, Sarah. There's nothing we can do to help these children." "You're right to be afraid..eleven missing children in the course of a week is very alarming." Master held his mouth and gazed deeply down into the table's soul.
The others and I cut our eyes at one another, for this was a very unexpected turn in such an adventure. We were expecting an innocent Scooby quest. We got something much more sinister than that.
MASTER even looked troubled by it. And he's slaughtered millions.
I called him out on it, too. "Don't tell me you're concerned, dear boy. Not the infamous tyrant out to destroy all the worlds that dared to defy his reign." "Shut up." He snapped, his face clearly irritated.
"I just..didn't expect....this."
"This is pretty dark.." J admitted, pressing his fingers against his lips.
"Especially given the alarming rate of kidnappings and the little distance of time between each act..I fear the children, whatever they are being taken for, do not have long."
I cringed at the thought, trying not to let my mind go there.
"Please tell us you can help us."
"We'll certainly try.." Jim admitted. I smacked him, for that is not the attitude of a good bluffer.
I looked back at the gang with a straight face.
"I promise you..we may not find out all the answers..and not everything will work out the way we want them to..but we will do everything in our power to help bring back those kids and bring this slime to justice." My eyes turned to Scooby. "..Can I politely pet Scoob once more?"
They turned their heads to him and chuckled a little. "Scoob, you mind?"
I went ahead and asked him. He smiled. "Ro aread!"
I reached in and vigorously began to rub down his face and neck, which he loved every second of.
It felt rebel-like to have him in the restaurant, let alone give him a complete massage appointment.
Petting a dog again definitely helped to relieve some pent-up stress and anxiety that had been building inside of me. It felt great to be gushing over a pup again. Reminded me of home..
The gang smiled, looking the boys' way. Jim pursed his lips. "She loves dogs."
"Understatement. I ADORE. I OBSESS." "Mmm, that too." He sipped.
After a good few minutes of doting on the talking animal, I ceased and sat back against the group.
"Ah..I've been waiting to do that since 15 minutes ago."
My palms were covered in fur and I gave zero bothers.
"Now that I've put a hold on my anxiety..back to business."
~
The body stared with wide-eyed alarm at the ones infront of her.
The man hunched over a little, staring down at her. "Are you okay?"
The body did not respond. "...What's your name?" Still, it did not answer.
The man looked up at the woman, who in turn looked down at the man.
Their gaze returned to the body. "Are you all alone?" The body remained silent.
The man lifted his head to the sky, before rising back up. "We won't hurt you..it's okay. We promise."
He turned back towards the car and advanced to it, whereas the woman pivoted her body his way while still facing her gaze at the body. She held her hand out. "Come on. We'll give you a ride back to town. We're heading there now." The body was reluctant. "..I..I don't know where I am."
The woman's face flexed with hidden curiosity. "Really..neither do we."
She faintly smiled. "Let's find out together, okay?"
~
"Now..here's the deal..in order to efficiently help you guys out, we need to know everything. Which means you gotta tell us every detail, no matter how fantastic, savvy? These kids, did any of them know eachother? Was there anything connecting them at all, other than the fact they were all kids?"
"No..not at all. Why?" "Just wondering. Maybe someone has taken them as hostages, maybe for ransom. Maybe it's the Pied Piper, I dunno." "Maybe, but why would anyone do that?" "I dunno, just looking at every possibility......you said the locations they were last seen in were completely random, right? Nothing significant to connect them all together?" "Nothing at all, like, the places were all dark and didn't have hardly anybody to see anything!" "Hm..looks like an opportunist at work..baiting the kids, perhaps, who happened to pass by..places that are dark and hard to see anything..perhaps luring the kids further where there's no one around, period?" The others nodded.
Bane rubbed his hands together, "Is there anything significant happening around this time that would be considered irregular from the daily routine in the town?" "Oh yeah! It's Halloween!"
I gasped and slapped the table. "Great Scott! No wonder! When's the exact day?!"
"Romorrow right!" "Dah! That explains it!" Oh halloween..how I hate your existence.
"So, that means kids have been running wild through town, getting taken by no doubt someone all dressed up." "Exactly.." "And that only means, that tomorrow night..even MORE children will be taken." I looked at Master in alarm, my eyebrows crinkling in determination.
"Not on my watch. We're gonna catch that creep."
The boys nodded.
"But this still doesn't explain why he would be doing this..why he would take the children. And why there's no evidence!" My head turned back to them. "..I know this may be hard for you to consider...but maybe this time, it actually IS a monster???"
Velma groaned. "IMPOSSIBLE! Monsters DO NOT exist!"
"..Where I've been..they do. I've seen a lot of stuff..met a lot of people..fought lots of baddies. Monsters are most certainly real." The rest of the gang was baffled. But Velma only crossed her arms in protest.
"It's just not true! There's no such thing! Every so-called 'monster' we've ever come across has been some shady man in a mask!" "Yeah, and I get it, it's dumb that it always happens. I freakin' hate those scum that are behind those hoaxes, cuz it only puts doubt in people. But..maybe you've just gotten off lucky and have never come across a real one....until now?"
They all looked at one another, unsure of what to say. I laid a hand on my chest,
"Look....I'm a believer. I play it safe and believe in the existence of everything. Everything impossible. That aside, I have seen so many things, even before my adventure. And heard things...I've always known in my heart they were true. I refuse to accept what the people around me have accepted. The world they made wasn't enough for me. Maybe you guys just need to think about that..that there's so much more than what life is showing you right now.."
Daphne threw her hands up, "But the people who have believed in all that have been crazy!"
"Or...maybe the crazy people are just the ones tired of not being listened to?"
They all sagged. I knew that no one had presented these questions to them before, and therefore made them a little uncomfortable to think about. Even so...I had to try to convince them. Prepare them, if you may. We really didn't know what we were up for.
I looked down, clearing my throat. "Listen...I'm not saying that's what's going on..but..just try to consider it, alright?" After a few moments of silence, they reluctantly agreed.
The atmosphere greeted us with rather groovy 60's/70's era music.
It was warm as well, compared to the brisk weather just outside.
Master stood to my right and looked around like the rest of us, but this time around of surveying the area infront of him, his nose twitched vehemently, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
".Food.." "Yes, food.." I slapped his shoulder. "They tend to serve that in diners."
His body heaved out a satisfied breath that unsettled me, further doing so when he suddenly pivoted his head and laid his alarmingly dark gaze on the others.
"I'm starving."
My body perked up. I turned my head to the group. "Get this man a table immediately."
. . .
The body stared up at the sky, its eyes a dark brown, full of pain and confusion.
It laid motionless for only a moment before it rose up slowly, its eyes drifting off towards the rest of the area. It breathed heavier by the second as it came to realization, fog escaping its mouth due to the cold autumn air. It lifted itself, emerging cautiously from the ground, continuing to scan all around it as its gaze darkened at what it saw..or rather..didn't see.
Dressed in a worn out t-shirt and holey pair of pants, the body was not equipped for this type of weather. Furthermore, the body was not prepared for where it now stood. It didn't know where it was..it didn't know why it was even there..it didn't know why it couldn't remember HOW to got there.
It just knew, it was best to start walking.
Keep walking. Until it found the answer as to why it had no memory of getting there.
And so it did just that. It walked forward.
. . .
We all sat at a booth, the majority of us resting upon the cushiony diner couches, the rest pulling up a table and sitting next to us. I was next to Jim and Bane; Joker, Master and Velma across from us, and Fred, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby seating at the secondary table. We all shifted to make ourselves comfortable before a waitress soon approached us, wielding a tiny notepad and a clicking pen.
She was chewing gum..I don't know why she was chewing gum, as many other fictional waitresses chew gum and I don't know about that either..she had her hair up in a gruesome beehive, with baggy tired eyes that looked 100% done with life. She sighed deeply and clicked her pen.
"What'll it be?"
She sounded very enthusiastic, trust me.
"Some energy to that voice would be refreshing" I commented, bluntly.
She didn't even blink. "I don't get paid enough." "Hmm.."
The others smirked.
"I'll have a cheeseburger, medium cooked, small portion of french fries and a medium Pepsi."
"We only have Coke products."
"I am betrayed." My face buried into the table.
Jim snickered. "I'll have the same..and a chocolate shake!" He glared.
"And I'll have it large...for my sweet and I."
"Shush." I responded, rising back up.
"I'll have a hotdog, some fries and a coke."
"You are dead to me, J."
"I'll have chickenwings..twenty of them."
"-If you can, that is." I always found myself apologizing or correcting for the boys, as if they were my rude little children who I needed to raise properly. The lady nodded.
"And you want a coke?" "I'll die first." "She'll have a chocolate shake, small."
I puffed my cheeks in response. The lady nodded, chewing excessively.
The Scooby Gang ordered their food, Scooby and Shaggy of course ordering the entirety of the diner's inventory. And soon, Carolina the Waitress was off with our orders, stating it would all be out in twenty or so minutes..give or take. Plenty of time for us to chat it up with the Scooby Gang.
"Now.." I began, leaning forward, putting my hands together just as a clasp of thunder sounded in the background, and a monsoon of rain seemingly came from nowhere and began pouring down onto the town just outside. "What's this about a case that you supposedly can not solve without the boys and myself??" With that, the Scooby Gang settled uneasily and exchanged strange glances.
Something came over them that was not comical. And I could tell. This was not a laughable, simple little kid-friendly matter at all. Their faces almost went white thinking about it.
This made even me shift uncomfortably. "Y'all okay?"
Their heads fell and the air grew ever darker. "Geez, how bad is it??"
They cleared their throats until Velma finally took a deep breath, cupping her hands together with a calm and collected demeanor. "Miss Demens, over the past week, we've been investigating a rather unsettling series of missing person cases. Many families have come to us, desperate for our help. We've done all we can, but we've hit rock bottom. All leads we had turned fruitless."
"Well dang..how is it taking longer when there are MULTIPLE missing cases??"
"It only got harder, I assure you. And we can't explain it. Nothing about the cases makes sense."
"Well like..what were the clues? Maybe you could use some fresh perspectives? We could go with you to the sites, if you want, and-" "That's the thing. There's next to NO clues for us to follow. Whoever is responsible has to got to be the most cunning mind we've ever encountered. In fact, it's as though whoever is behind this isn't even FROM here." "Well, who in the world??"
"How many cases are there?" Master inquired, who had been listening intently with narrowed eyes and a finger to his lips. "Eleven." Answered Fred bluntly.
The boys and I instantly shot our heads at eachother in alarm.
I turned mine right back to the Gang. "Eleven cases in ONE week?!"
They all nodded, solemnly.
"That's a busy criminal." J commented, dryly.
"As frequent as that is, someone must have seen something. Anyone. Anything. There had to have been signs, witnesses..unless your town is full of idiots.." Jim sipped some complimentary water, shaking his head. "..Which they probably are.."
"The people of Coolsville are normally very superstitious and quick to believe that monsters are the ones behind the crimes...but it's the most unusual thing with these cases... none of them have been witnessed! Not to mention the last known sightings of the victims have been in completely random parts of town, scattered all over the place. It's as if the fiend is mobile."
I cut my eyes to the window, my mind reeling with questions. This actually was a mystery.
"Okay...tell me about 'em. Who they are, where they work, where they live, what's their background..they got wives, kids, husbands, angry bosses, gimme the gist. There's gotta be a connection." Velma's face went almost white.
"That's the thing, Miss Demens...the missing people are children."
~ ~ ~
The body moved down the dirt road, hands curled into fists, eyes red and sagging with exhaustion.
It had been walking perhaps half an hour, maybe an hour, maybe even two hours, to a destination unknown. Anywhere where there was answers. Anywhere where there was civilization.
It needed to find out where it was and why it was brought there.
It continued walking underneath the looming moon in the poorly lit upon darkness until it happened.. it detected something. A rumble in the ground. An approaching light. A vibration in their bones. The loud unmistakable sound of an engine. The body looked behind them.
A car was coming for them.
Their eyes enlarged as the car moved past, squealed its tires, and stopped.
The body watched as the car sat there, but the driver didn't come out..not yet.
It anticipated something...a fight, perhaps..so it readied itself.
That's when both car doors opened. And both the driver and passenger stepped out.
They stood upon the dirt road, the gravel crackling beneath them, the air shaken by their presence.
The body jolted and backed away a step as it saw their appearance; a man, tall, dark hair, dressed in a suit and long trench coat. A woman, much shorter than he, red hair, dressed in a formal uniform designed for a lady, with a trench coat as well. Both carried flashlights that they now pointed at the girl, who squinted and turned her head away at the blinding light approaching her.
It shone bright until the two coming toward her were only a mere few feet away from her and their faces could be made out more clearly. The girl, being leery, did not recognize them. She blinked and looked at them with great confusion, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two.
~ ~ ~
The boys and I all gawked at once. Even Bane and Joker displayed signs of shock.
Children?! A serial kidnapper of children in a Scooby Doo plot?!
This was much too dark. No wonder now why they were so detective-blocked.
This was beyond their TV-rating.
"Kids?!" I exclaimed, jolting forward. "The culprit is taking kids?!"
It's important to tell you why I was concerned about this...
Anything involving a crime against a child is instantly classified as dark.
I won't even go into detail about the places it leads the mind to..but they are dark and very adult..NOT kid friendly, by adult standards. Kids may be attacked, threatened or terrified, but they always seem to triumph. They are heroes. They escape danger. That is the rule of a kid's story.
Real life, of course, is much more gruesome than that.
Evil loves to prey upon children. They are pure, innocent..something that evil feels obligated to destroy at all costs. It controls youth with fear of its coming..if children know of its existence, they're next on the hit list. Such tactics used to work on me, a long time ago. When I was a very small child.
And I couldn't even stand to be in a room alone, it was so bad. I cried and saw things that terrified me..dreamed of monsters promising they were coming for me. Then one day..I had enough.
I asked God to take it away from me. Fear. And now? Well...let's just say, the monsters are afraid of me. Cuz they can't control me. And I have the guts now to face them.
These poor kids..whoever had them..evil had its hand on them.
"What kinda monster in Coolsville would do that?"
"We've no idea why anyone would go as far as this..stealing? Yes. Petty scare tactics for sheer amusement? Yes. Warding off others harmlessly for money and desired property? Yes....but taking children? This is nothing like what we've seen before. We're fearing the worst, Sarah. There's nothing we can do to help these children." "You're right to be afraid..eleven missing children in the course of a week is very alarming." Master held his mouth and gazed deeply down into the table's soul.
The others and I cut our eyes at one another, for this was a very unexpected turn in such an adventure. We were expecting an innocent Scooby quest. We got something much more sinister than that.
MASTER even looked troubled by it. And he's slaughtered millions.
I called him out on it, too. "Don't tell me you're concerned, dear boy. Not the infamous tyrant out to destroy all the worlds that dared to defy his reign." "Shut up." He snapped, his face clearly irritated.
"I just..didn't expect....this."
"This is pretty dark.." J admitted, pressing his fingers against his lips.
"Especially given the alarming rate of kidnappings and the little distance of time between each act..I fear the children, whatever they are being taken for, do not have long."
I cringed at the thought, trying not to let my mind go there.
"Please tell us you can help us."
"We'll certainly try.." Jim admitted. I smacked him, for that is not the attitude of a good bluffer.
I looked back at the gang with a straight face.
"I promise you..we may not find out all the answers..and not everything will work out the way we want them to..but we will do everything in our power to help bring back those kids and bring this slime to justice." My eyes turned to Scooby. "..Can I politely pet Scoob once more?"
They turned their heads to him and chuckled a little. "Scoob, you mind?"
I went ahead and asked him. He smiled. "Ro aread!"
I reached in and vigorously began to rub down his face and neck, which he loved every second of.
It felt rebel-like to have him in the restaurant, let alone give him a complete massage appointment.
Petting a dog again definitely helped to relieve some pent-up stress and anxiety that had been building inside of me. It felt great to be gushing over a pup again. Reminded me of home..
The gang smiled, looking the boys' way. Jim pursed his lips. "She loves dogs."
"Understatement. I ADORE. I OBSESS." "Mmm, that too." He sipped.
After a good few minutes of doting on the talking animal, I ceased and sat back against the group.
"Ah..I've been waiting to do that since 15 minutes ago."
My palms were covered in fur and I gave zero bothers.
"Now that I've put a hold on my anxiety..back to business."
~
The body stared with wide-eyed alarm at the ones infront of her.
The man hunched over a little, staring down at her. "Are you okay?"
The body did not respond. "...What's your name?" Still, it did not answer.
The man looked up at the woman, who in turn looked down at the man.
Their gaze returned to the body. "Are you all alone?" The body remained silent.
The man lifted his head to the sky, before rising back up. "We won't hurt you..it's okay. We promise."
He turned back towards the car and advanced to it, whereas the woman pivoted her body his way while still facing her gaze at the body. She held her hand out. "Come on. We'll give you a ride back to town. We're heading there now." The body was reluctant. "..I..I don't know where I am."
The woman's face flexed with hidden curiosity. "Really..neither do we."
She faintly smiled. "Let's find out together, okay?"
~
"Now..here's the deal..in order to efficiently help you guys out, we need to know everything. Which means you gotta tell us every detail, no matter how fantastic, savvy? These kids, did any of them know eachother? Was there anything connecting them at all, other than the fact they were all kids?"
"No..not at all. Why?" "Just wondering. Maybe someone has taken them as hostages, maybe for ransom. Maybe it's the Pied Piper, I dunno." "Maybe, but why would anyone do that?" "I dunno, just looking at every possibility......you said the locations they were last seen in were completely random, right? Nothing significant to connect them all together?" "Nothing at all, like, the places were all dark and didn't have hardly anybody to see anything!" "Hm..looks like an opportunist at work..baiting the kids, perhaps, who happened to pass by..places that are dark and hard to see anything..perhaps luring the kids further where there's no one around, period?" The others nodded.
Bane rubbed his hands together, "Is there anything significant happening around this time that would be considered irregular from the daily routine in the town?" "Oh yeah! It's Halloween!"
I gasped and slapped the table. "Great Scott! No wonder! When's the exact day?!"
"Romorrow right!" "Dah! That explains it!" Oh halloween..how I hate your existence.
"So, that means kids have been running wild through town, getting taken by no doubt someone all dressed up." "Exactly.." "And that only means, that tomorrow night..even MORE children will be taken." I looked at Master in alarm, my eyebrows crinkling in determination.
"Not on my watch. We're gonna catch that creep."
The boys nodded.
"But this still doesn't explain why he would be doing this..why he would take the children. And why there's no evidence!" My head turned back to them. "..I know this may be hard for you to consider...but maybe this time, it actually IS a monster???"
Velma groaned. "IMPOSSIBLE! Monsters DO NOT exist!"
"..Where I've been..they do. I've seen a lot of stuff..met a lot of people..fought lots of baddies. Monsters are most certainly real." The rest of the gang was baffled. But Velma only crossed her arms in protest.
"It's just not true! There's no such thing! Every so-called 'monster' we've ever come across has been some shady man in a mask!" "Yeah, and I get it, it's dumb that it always happens. I freakin' hate those scum that are behind those hoaxes, cuz it only puts doubt in people. But..maybe you've just gotten off lucky and have never come across a real one....until now?"
They all looked at one another, unsure of what to say. I laid a hand on my chest,
"Look....I'm a believer. I play it safe and believe in the existence of everything. Everything impossible. That aside, I have seen so many things, even before my adventure. And heard things...I've always known in my heart they were true. I refuse to accept what the people around me have accepted. The world they made wasn't enough for me. Maybe you guys just need to think about that..that there's so much more than what life is showing you right now.."
Daphne threw her hands up, "But the people who have believed in all that have been crazy!"
"Or...maybe the crazy people are just the ones tired of not being listened to?"
They all sagged. I knew that no one had presented these questions to them before, and therefore made them a little uncomfortable to think about. Even so...I had to try to convince them. Prepare them, if you may. We really didn't know what we were up for.
I looked down, clearing my throat. "Listen...I'm not saying that's what's going on..but..just try to consider it, alright?" After a few moments of silence, they reluctantly agreed.
I nodded. "..By the way..who was it that told you we were coming?"
Fred perked, "Oh yeah! It was a guy our age..dark hair, dark clothes."
My heart skipped. My body rose up and stiffened. "..D..did he have...green eyes?"
They all nodded.
I nearly shot up screaming.
"IT WAS HIM"
"It's who?!" "HIM!" "Who- oh.."
I actually did scream.
"Oh no." Master facepalmed.
The gang gave perplexed glances. "Who's she going on about?"
Joker rolled his eyes to Daphne. "Her boyfriend."
Before the gang's excited expressions could escalate- mainly from Daphne and Velma- I threw a finger at Joker. Not just any finger, mind you, it was connected to me. I didn't throw a random dismembered finger, I promise. "He's NOT my boyfriend. I don't HAVE a boyfriend!"
"You're right, you're a married woman." "Shut up, Jim." "I'm so confused."
"..Never mind him..I don't even know that guy's name." "She only refers to him as 'Mystery Boy'."
"What a coincidence.." "What coincidence?" "The name he gave us."
"What name?!" "Stop shouting."
"No." "MB." "MB?" "MB, what's MB?" "MB."
"WHAT is MB?" "He just said MB..." "MB!" "MB???" "Jinkies!" "WHAT. IS. MB?!"
"It didn't make sense, now it does!" Joker slammed his head on the table.
Sudden realization. I widened my eyes, "WHAT IN THE EVEN HECK"
"I'm leaving this conversation."
Master shot his head at me, "How would he know the name you gave him??"
"He couldn't know--unless he--"
My heart skipped a beat, as my eyes flashed instinctively towards them.
Master grew suspicious and leaned forward from his relaxed stance with narrowed eyes.
"Unless he what??"
I quietly swallowed and leaned back. "...Nothing."
Fred didn't really know what was happening, so he cleared his throat and rose his hands up to inquire of us, "So you'll take the case, then?" "Stop pressuring us, Jones!" I snapped.
He shut his trap. I sighed and held my face a moment, trying to process all the developments and decide what I should do. "Sorry, Freddie.....yes, we'll take the case...."
I shifted in the booth...that's when my brain clicked, and I shot up. "Wait a minute...how long ago did you say he talked to you?" "Oh...um...two hours ago?" I nearly threw the table back with how fast I jumped up. I booked it for the door. Master hurried up. "Demens, where are you going?!"
"YOU KNOW WHERE!"
I raced out of the restaurant.
~
The woman let out her hand for the body to follow as the man got back in the car.
The body was nervous at first, staring at the woman's hand with little trust in her eyes.
The body was nervous at first, staring at the woman's hand with little trust in her eyes.
But something told her that somehow..the woman wasn't out to harm her. She meant well.
It may have seemed foolish..but she took her hand. The woman said nothing, only walked back towards the car with the body in tow. She opened the doors to the backseats.
It was there that two more children were revealed.
The body jerked her head back. One was a girl with long brown hair, wearing a purple sweater and denim blue skirt. The other was a boy who had on a hat holding back brown hair, blue vest and blue shorts. She gave them both a quizzical expression while she cautiously climbed in.
The woman closed the door behind her, walked around the car, and reseated herself next to the man.
The man then started the car and drove on once more.
It may have seemed foolish..but she took her hand. The woman said nothing, only walked back towards the car with the body in tow. She opened the doors to the backseats.
It was there that two more children were revealed.
The body jerked her head back. One was a girl with long brown hair, wearing a purple sweater and denim blue skirt. The other was a boy who had on a hat holding back brown hair, blue vest and blue shorts. She gave them both a quizzical expression while she cautiously climbed in.
The woman closed the door behind her, walked around the car, and reseated herself next to the man.
The man then started the car and drove on once more.
The body stared intensely at the two children, which made the boy paranoid, but the girl looked at her, smiled, and reached a hand in. "You might wanna put your seatbelt on."
She proceeded to buckle it for her. "It's been a bumpy ride."
The girl smiled even bigger, displaying a wide set of teeth full of braces.
The boy peeked over at the body and waved nervously. "Hi there! Where are you from?"
The body said nothing, only cut her eyes at him. The girl shrugged. "That's okay..you don't have to talk. I'm Mabel. This is my twin brother, Dipper. We don't know how we got here, but these two agent people picked us up and are gonna help us!" The body turned her head to the woman.
"You..helped them?"
The woman looked at her from the windshield mirror. "Yes, we did. Just as we are helping you."
She turned her head, "My name is Agent Dana Scully, this is my partner Agent Fox Mulder. We're with the FBI. What's your name?"
The body blinked for a moment, turned her head to face the window, then swallowed hard as she rubbed her tattooed arm. "..Eleven."
She proceeded to buckle it for her. "It's been a bumpy ride."
The girl smiled even bigger, displaying a wide set of teeth full of braces.
The boy peeked over at the body and waved nervously. "Hi there! Where are you from?"
The body said nothing, only cut her eyes at him. The girl shrugged. "That's okay..you don't have to talk. I'm Mabel. This is my twin brother, Dipper. We don't know how we got here, but these two agent people picked us up and are gonna help us!" The body turned her head to the woman.
"You..helped them?"
The woman looked at her from the windshield mirror. "Yes, we did. Just as we are helping you."
She turned her head, "My name is Agent Dana Scully, this is my partner Agent Fox Mulder. We're with the FBI. What's your name?"
The body blinked for a moment, turned her head to face the window, then swallowed hard as she rubbed her tattooed arm. "..Eleven."
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