text: Fred's foot was pressed hard on the gas. As the van sped along the highway, he briefly winced at the sound of crunching coming from the backseat. Scooby was sitting next to a pile of Scooby Snacks, swallowing one after the other. He wasn't even tasting them, but the constant presence felt good. It distracted him, kept his mouth busy so his mind could forget. He let one dissolve on his tongue as he watched his hollow-eyed best friend. Shaggy was shaking silently, uncontrollably. He bit down on his tongue to keep his teeth from chattering. It was his fault. He watched his shaking legs with a newfound hatred and bit down harder. Blood rushed from his tongue. It tasted good. Velma took her glasses off. The world around her blurred into a mass of vague shapes and colors, and she plotted alternatives. She shouldn't have listened to Fred's plan, should have known it would go wrong like usual... She could have moved the clothesline away from the steps, onto the soft grass. She could have tackled the "ghost" before it tripped, could have called the police, could have given up all together. It wasn't hurting anyone, really, just messing around in an abandoned old house. "It." Who was she kidding? The ghost was a person. Not an it, a child. The image of his tiny head smashed on the concrete steps was imprinted in her brain. She tried to focus on something else: the frayed seat, her muddy shoes, anything. But the image remained, and she shuddered as she watched the blood ooze out over and over and over and over again. She hit her head against the window, but the image remained. Daphne, sitting next to Fred, wasn't aware of anything behind her. Her eyes were clouded by tears, her body wracked with sobs. She knew her make up was a mess, and for the first time in her life, she didn't care. All she wanted was a hug, a touch, even a look of reassurance from Fred. She reached out her hand, but he didn't see it. Couldn't see it. Daphne pulled at her hair and tried to scream, but nothing came out. She leaned forward and hugged her knees in a fetal position, praying that Fred would somehow make everything better. Fred's eyes were scanning, searching. He was numb now, deaf and blind to everything else but the road. He found what he was looking for and calmly exhaled. No one made a sound as he crashed into the tree. Hi everyone! This is my first post on here, hope you like it! Cant wait to hear your feedback.