Mystery Inc. was founded after a dare at a high school keg party.
In an attempt to impress Daphne, his long-time crush, Fred, captain of the football and debate teams, told a story about a haunted cemetery deep within the woods. He told the local legend, about a serial murderer who deposited his victims in the freshly dug graves before the coffins were lowered the following day. The story had the desired effect, scarring Daphne and bringing her closer to Fred so he could put his arm around her and "protect" her. Also listening to the telling was Fred's arch-rival, Tom Brady, who dared Fred to go out into the woods and spend the night in the cemetery. In true high school fashion, a back-and-forth commenced. In the end, Fred agreed to the dare with the company of Daphne and 2 of the school losers who happened to be at the party, Velma Dinkley, a bookworm nerd dragged out by her sister in an attempt to earn her cool cred. The other was one of the high school's biggest potheads, and surprisingly a state champion gymnast, Shaggy Rogers. The four headed into the woods in search of the cemetery with only a flashlight between them. What happened that night is another tale for another day. Needless to say, the four became close afterward, spending every free moment together trying to solve the mystery of what had happened in the woods that night. They coined the title Mystery Inc. and the rest as they say is history.
Their exploits and investigations were reported in paranormal zines which have led many to consider Mystery Inc. as one of the original ghost-hunting groups. As time passed they began integrating technology into their examinations and follow-up analyses. First simple tape recorders to try and find EVPs all the way up to sophisticated computer programs and full spectrum video cameras.
As the team's consummate pothead, Shaggy ironically brought a sobering view to the group's adventures. Advocating caution when the others wanted to run headlong into the unknown.
When the SHTF Shaggy tried to withdraw from reality through heavy drug use. Having never before used anything heavier than marijuana Shaggy was nearly killed by an overdose. A combination of acid, Adderall, Oxycodone, Robitussin, and whiskey. For years he and his friends had traveled the country as ghost hunters and mystery solvers, what they usually encountered were petty criminals and thieves trying to pull one over on an unsuspecting small-town populace through the use of local myth and superstition. There were of course exceptions. Things that they couldn't rationally explain. The dead getting up and devouring the living was beyond everything they had ever been involved with. Shaggy desperately wanted to escape.
As time passed the group had grown into more than just friends but family. Even the walking dead could not separate them. Shaggy's substance abuse was a different challenge during an extremely difficult time, but they stuck it out. Shaggy's overdose experience changed him. Afterward, he continued to enjoy the past time of recreational cannabis but he never again used anything heavier. When Fred asked him what had happened tears welled up in Shaggy's eyes. He placed his hand on Fred's shoulder and wept. Nothing more was said.
Mystery Inc was one of the first groups to learn of THEM. Accidentally, of course. They were traveling through Idaho late one night after completing a case when a man stumbled out in front of the Mystery Machine. Traveling down the empty roadway at 45 miles an hour, Fred hit something. Pulling to the side of the road, the gang looked at the damage. Shaggy would later recall the incident, "Like, we all got out of the van; Fred was in shock, Daphne was already in tears, and Velma, well, she was trying to rationalize what had happened, saying it must have been a deer. I remember getting closer and holding my flashlight on the grill of the van. It was destroyed. Blood was splattered everywhere. Th-th-there was so much blood. I didn't see it at first it was really Scooby Doo who found it. A piece of a shirt stuck to the grill. A red plaid flannel shirt. I pulled it out and held it up. That's when Fred fainted. While Daphne took care of Fred, like she always did, Velma, Scoob, and I went to check on whoever we hit. We walked passing our flashlights back and forth looking for any sign of the...
W-w-well it found us. It wasn't a human. It looked human but wasn't. Its ribs protruded from its chest, and one of its legs was broken and twisted in the most inhuman way...
Velma always the skeptic and always the good Samaritan immediately wanted to run to help. I was going to go with her till I heard Scooby. He was growling. Thing about Scoob, I can count the number of times he's growled in his life and this one I had never heard. I quickly turned and looked at Scoob, his head was down, his hackles were raised, he was standing his ground and... His teeth, I had never seen him pull his lips back that far. I grabbed Velma just in time. Just as the thing lunged. Scooby darted between us and it, hitting it with the broadside of his body knocking it flat on its behind. Velma started screaming telling me to get my hands off her. It was crazy. The thing got up and kept coming at us, Scoob was barking and snarling like a wild animal. Fred had come to but had no idea what was going on. Honestly, neither did I. It was actually Daphne who called it a zombie first. None of us wanted to believe it, but there it was. The tire iron smashed into the skull... No one expected that, especially not from Velma."
