Beta'd by Platinum Rose Lady
Disclaimer: I do not own them... for now.

What's Left Of Me

Shaggy leaned against the van and exhaled. His breath unfurled in a strange and smoky way that made him smile as he shivered. Scooby Doo looked up at the house and barked excitedly. Velma zipped up her back pack and smiled. "Excited Scooby?"

Fred held out his map. "I think we should split up. There's a lot of ground to cover."

Daphne looked at her nails. "I'll take the ground floor."

Velma pushed up her glasses. "I'll look on the second floor."

Fred nodded and rolled up the map. "Excellent. I'll go with Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby can look at the ground around here."

Shaggy shrugged and picked up a flashlight. "Like, alright man, but let's meet back here in half an hour okay?"

Fred nodded. "That makes sense. Let's go."

Shaggy and Scooby Doo meandered around the house. They discovered an old shed and started to poke around. Scooby sniffed at the rusty tools as Shaggy poked at some of them.

The pull of the spade revealed a trap door leading down into a dirty tunnel. They looked at each other tentatively before taking steps down into the tunnel.

The Great Dane wagged his tail as he followed Shaggy down. Behind them, the rake holding the spade in place, slipped. The door to the tunnel slid shut. Shaggy looked up and swallowed. "Zoinks! Well, guess we gotta see where it goes now, eh Scoob?"

Scooby Doo barked in agreement.

Shaggy held out his flashlight as they scoured the tunnel for an exit. They found a cavern that looked like a promising escape. As Scooby ran his paws over the door, he realized it was blocked.

Shaggy leaned against the cavern wall, and slid down into sitting position. He watched Scooby Doo pace and sighed. "Might as well relax Scoob, they'll come looking for us soon."

Scooby looked up and walked over to him and sat down. Shaggy scratched his ear. "I mean, they have to, right?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Shaggy crossed his arms over his chest and shivered. He looked around the dark grimy walls. The wooden struts holding the tunnel up were old and splintered. Scooby paced back and forth, leaving large paw prints in the dirt.

"Kind of cold, eh Scoob?" Shaggy gave a half hearted smile.

The Great Dane nodded and walked back over to him. He nuzzled at Shaggy's pocket. Shaggy reached into his pocket and withdrew his small bag. "Is this what you meant?"

Scobby looked at him with pleading eyes. "Look," Shaggy eyed the bag, "I promise I'll quit. It's just… we're alone… what can it hurt?"

He opened up the bag. Leaning over, he grabbed his water bottle. He took a sip, and let Scobby have some before he fixed it into the bag. He shook the small bag until it was mixed. He filled up his needle as Scobby watched him sadly.

The needle entered his vein with practiced eased and he relaxed against the wall. "Well," he sighed, "a little more than usual but that should last until help gets here."

Scobby sat next to him watching the door eagerly.

The hours passed as Shaggy began to talk incoherently. He started to talk to Scobby, then to Velma, and even to Daphne. His words became jumbled as his mind slowly unraveled. He confessed in between chattering teeth how much he hated the mystery business to Scobby. How sometimes, he wished he'd stayed in the old orphanage instead of leaving for adventure. He sighed and promised Scobby that after they left the mine, they'd really leave, and quit it all. Fred could have Daphne, Velma could have her books, and he could have a normal life. Somewhere as time dwindled, his words lost coherent meaning as he started to describe the monsters crawling on the wall.

Scooby whimpered in the cold. He nuzzled Shaggy's still jaw, and licked his face trying to get a response. He pushed his body closer to Shaggy, trying to remain warm. A breeze passed through the empty mine shaft and he howled in misery.

The Great Dane rested his heavy head on Shaggy's chest and listened to the silence.

The End