In high school, Velma Dinkley was not one of the popular girls. She never tried out for the cheerleading squad or panicked over whether or not Johnny was going to ask her to the prom. She left all that up to her older sister, Britney. Velma preferred to immerse herself in her studies. She excelled in science and math, was a scholar in social studies and civics, and mastered multiple languages in the time it took her sister to get ready for a date. While her older sister was getting in trouble chasing and being chased by boys and her little sister Madelyn was busy being cute she was left to her devices, which usually meant disappearing to the library.
One night she was convinced by her sister to go to a party in the woods. That was the night she met Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy. She was sitting around a small fire minding her own business, as her classmates participated in drunken shenanigans and debauchery when Britney grabbed her by the arm pulling her to her feet. "Take her too Fred." She shouted to a blonde boy in a white sweater.
"Sure. Why not. We'll go out there. Find the cemetery and stay the night." That was the challenge set forth by Tom Brady which Fred wholeheartedly agreed to, in a vain attempt to impress Daphne, Ms High School Popularity.
That night changed their lives forever. The four who walked out into the woods flashlights in hand came back anew. The jock, the popular girl, the stoner, and the nerd became the best of friends spending any and all free time together. Velma traded her science and history books for occult and paranormal tomes. Her intelligence and skepticism and pragmatism balancing out the others' dogmatism. Fred was the "leader" because he had the van but everyone knew the brains and the de facto supervisor of the Mystery Inc gang was Velma.
On that fateful night, they were driving down a dark back country road in Idaho when out of nowhere there was a thump and the Mystery Machine rocked. "I... I think I hit something." Fred's words burned in her memory forever. Shaggy was the first to open the door and get out with Scooby by his side. "F-f-fred I don't see anything. Do you Scoob?" The dog's head cocked to the side at the mention of his name. They walked around the front of the van. That's when they saw the damage, and the blood, and Scooby found the cloth. A piece of a red plaid flannel shirt.
"'We have to find him. We have to bring him to a hospital.' Those were my words as I scanned the road. I remember Fred fainting and Daphne propping him up. I walked back with Shaggy and Scooby-Doo behind me. I heard a growl and thought it was strange, Scooby never growled. Then my light found it. I thought he was in shock and was going to help him when out of nowhere Scoobs was in front of me knocking the thing down and Shaggy had grabbed me and was pulling me back. I really don't know what I saw as the light of our flashlights were everywhere but I must have seen something. I ran to the van passing Fred and Daphne, grabbed a tire iron, and ran back. I heard Daphne say 'Zombie' but somehow, as Shaggy grabbed me and Scooby Doo fought it I knew. The next thing I recall was standing over the thing, its skull smashed the bloody tire iron in my hand.
I dropped it and stumbled back, it was Fred who caught me. They brought me back to the van, I heard a lot of yelling, a lot of 'What should we do?' and "We just killed it.' Somehow I knew. I don't know how but I knew."
