by: BoJames and DaisyMae

A cool, October breeze blew softly scattering the fallen red, yellow, and brown leaves across the yard.  A hard tap-tap-tap echoed in the wind, mingled with casual laughter.  It might have been considered a normal autumn day at the Duke farm, but then this is Hazzard County, and normal here… well it’s just plain unnatural everywhere else..

It was the time of year in which Jesse Duke, the clan patriarch, started getting aches and pains in his big toe that winter would soon be upon them and that, like it or not, it was time to weather-proof the house and barn.  This meant fixing any leaks, mending loose floorboards, replacing window panes…all the things Bo hated most about life on a farm.  It wasn’t that he was lazy…he just didn’t like taking the time to do it, and to be honest he just didn’t have the patience for that type of work.  Luke did.

That was why, on this day, Luke was kneeling on the hot roof, sweat glistening off his bare back as he replaced the shingles that had blown off in the last storm.  Leaning over, he reached for another set of shingles that Bo, in keeping his promise to Jesse to fix the roof along with Luke, handed up to him.  Luke didn’t mind in the least that Bo wasn’t at his side helping.  He knew that his blond cousin hated this type of work and he didn’t want to have to redo the job later, because Bo had hurried through it.  No, it was easier this way.

Bo didn’t feel bad either because he had to admit: sometimes Luke was too much of a perfectionist.  It wasn’t his fault really.  The Marines had drilled it into him.  Even so, Bo knew from experience that as painstakingly patient as Luke could be when it came to carpentry and mechanics, he was not as patient with his fun-loving cousin….especially when there was a job to do.

“Who you takin’ to the Halloween party this year?” asked Luke as he slapped another row of shingles on the roof, taking great care to line it up so that it overlapped the one before it perfectly not leaving any gaps.

Bo shrugged a little.  “Ain’t really thought about it…you?”  He wouldn’t have been surprised if Luke had a date lined up already.  Both cousins had good luck with women, and when they weren’t chasing skirts, skirts would chase them.

Luke flashed a grin at his younger cousin winking.  “Haven’t picked the lucky lady yet.”

Bo chuckled at that shaking his head.  “You know one of these days all those so called lucky ladies’ll be gone an’ you’re gonna end up red-faced…”

“You might be right,” began Luke with a slight smile.  “Don’t much matter anyway…if we don’t finish this roof, Jesse ain’t gonna let Cinderella go to the ball anyways…”

Bo looked up at him, a glint of playfulness in his eyes.  “Wow you finally managed t’learn how to read enough t’read that huh?”

“Hard not to when you used t’ have me read it to you every night for weeks on end,” retorted Luke, hammering away.

Bo smirked.  “Yeah I had ya wrapped round my little finger didn’ I Lukie?”

“Felt sorry for ya is all,” began Luke though in many ways, Bo still had him wrapped around his finger.  It wasn’t so much that Bo had been spoiled by the family, though with his blond curls and big dimpled grin it was hard for anyone not to be won over by him.  No, for Luke it was different.  He loved Bo like a brother, and for that reason he had an overwhelming urge to look after him as such.  It was this protectiveness that drove him to say: “Watch yer step there Bo…there’s a divot in the ground behind ya.”

Bo rolled his eyes.  He loved Luke, but sometimes his protective nature really got on his nerves.  “I do know Luke; I have been standing here for the past ten minutes…”

“Right…sorry,” answered the dark-haired Duke, returning to his hammering.

“You afraid the goblins were gonna jump out of it an’ get me or somethin’?” asked Bo with a smirk.

“Somethin’.”

Bo just laughed shaking his head, handing Luke up another set of shingles.

At that moment, Daisy came running across the yard waving a white envelope in the air.  “Luke! Luke! You got a letter!”

Luke took the box of roofing nails that Bo handed him next.  “Thanks Bo… a letter?” he asked Daisy, his tone a bit posh-sounding.  “Who in the world would send me a letter?!”

“Why gosh…I don’t know Sir Lukas,” giggled Daisy, replying back with her own snooty tone.  “Why doesn’t thou comest down and have a look?”

Bo snorted with laughter, before sniffing at the air and frowning looking at Daisy.  “You wearin’ some new perfume Daisy?”

Daisy shook her head.  “Nope…it’s the letter.”

Luke frowned.  “The letter?  That’s a bit strange ain’t it?” he asked slowly coming down the porch roof, wiping his sweaty hands on his dirty jeans.  “Who’s it from?”

“Gee…I dunno…I plumb forgot to use my x-ray vision to find out,” returned Daisy.

Luke gave her one of his famous not-amused looks as he took the envelope from her.  “Oh ha ha.”  Opening it, he took the letter and started reading, the slight smile he had been wearing soon disappearing from his face.

Bo saw the frown standing up a little straighter.  “What’s the matter Luke?”

Luke handed him the letter.  “Read for yourself.”

Luke,

I love you. I can’t wait to see you again.

Love always and forever,

ME

 

Bo snorted as he finished.  “Aw…ol’ Lukas has a secret admirer…it’s probably one o’those high school girls that saw ya when ya was workin’ on the fence we broke the other day…” he added with a grin.

“Probably…coulda signed her name though.”

“What high school girls?” asked Daisy.

Bo chuckled putting an arm around Daisy’s shoulders.  “Well see Luke and me kinda ran down their fence tryin’ t’escape Rosco, so we went back to fix it. It being a hot day, I went off to get a drink…by the time I got back, Luke had his shirt off and a whole class of girls had their noses pressed up against the window.”

Luke shook his head.  “You’d think they’d never seen a man mend a fence.  ‘Sides…who wants a high school girl?  Bit young for me cousin…”

“Don’t mean t’say they think you’re too old for them,” put in Bo.

“Yeah…young love…don’t matter who they are…or what age…s’long as it’s good lookin’” teased Daisy.

“Well you two would know,” retorted Luke.  “I got work to do.”  With that he tossed he letter in the bin, going next to fix a crack on the side of the house soon hammering away, letting Bo and Daisy know that as far as he was concerned the conversation was over.

His cousins, however, didn’t see it that way.

“Aw…ain’t ya gonna sleep with it under your pillow?”

“Go ahead,” answered Luke brushing off the comment.  “I want a woman who ain’t afraid t’ tell me t’ tell me how she feels t’ my face.”

Bo rolled his eyes looking to Daisy.  “See what I put up with…Mr. Cheerful over there?  Why any girl’d like him enough to send a letter I don’t know…”

Luke started hammering loudly in an effort to ignore them.

Daisy giggled, pulling the letter out of the bin and reading it herself.  “Sounds like she’s got it bad.”

Bo nodded.  “Sure does…sounds like the notes you used t’send Mickey”

“I never…”

“You did so…you used to make Bo slip ’em in his locker,” interrupted Luke as he hammered in another nail.

“Shut up, Luke,” muttered Daisy.

Bo laughed.  “Daisy just ‘cause Luke said it don’t mean I didn’t remember that before.”

“He’s just ornery…but I guess love does that to a man,” explained Daisy to herself with a giggle.

“Actually just to Luke,” said Bo with a smirk.

The dark-haired Duke growled in his throat but said nothing, producing more giggles from his cousins.

“Well…I’ll have a hot meal waiting for the two of ya when you’re done,” promised Daisy giving a peace offering, seeing Luke getting a bit disgruntled.

Bo smiled after her as she headed inside.  “Thanks sweetheart.”

Daisy smiled and walked inside.  Luke meanwhile, had gone quiet, his rhythmic tapping slowing more and more as he became lost in thought.  “Ow!” he yelled out, not paying attention to what he was doing and hammering his thumb instead of the board, his mouth a tight line as he sucked it in pain.

Bo smirked, having seen him lose his focus.  “Knew that was gonna happen…”

Luke grimaced at him shaking his thumb as if to make it feel better.

“Now that’ll teach ya t’pay attention.”

“Yeah,” answered Luke miserably.

Soon enough, he had finished what repairs needed to be done to the house, yawning and stretching his tan form.  He stopped suddenly looking off to the trees.  “Did you see somethin’?”

“See what?”

Luke craned his neck, taking the shirt he had thrown over the porch rail and slipping it back on.  “Thought I saw a flash of light…guess I been in the sun too long.”

“That and ya ain’t eaten in a while…c’mon lets go… I’m starved.”

Luke nodded.  “Sounds good to me.”

Bo swung open the door sniffing the air appreciatively.  “Daisy that smells great.”

His cousin smiled.  “S’all ready, sugar.”

Luke nodded.  “We’ll be right there,” he promised going to the bathroom to wash up.

Bo too started to follow him, but not before sneaking a taste as he passed by the tray of biscuits on the table.

“Bo Duke you’re gonna burn that finger one day an’ I’m gonna laugh!” yelled Daisy.

Luke had to laugh just a little as he shook his head, splashing cold water on his warm face and drying off with a blue towel before moving aside so Bo could wash up next. Grinning, Bo retorted back.

“Well, till that happens you should learn t’guard better now shouldn’t ya?”

“You two get that roof done?” asked Jesse as the boys came laughing to the table.

“Yes sir,” answered Luke.

Bo nodded adding playfully as he sat.  “Yup shouldn’t have to be done again for a long while if Luke did it right…”

“What d’ya mean if I did it right?!”

“Simmer down you two,” ordered Jesse pointing at them both….Bo of course paid no attention.

“What I mean is you were so busy thinkin’ about that love letter that you done smacked yerself with the hammer so who knows what you did to the house…”

Luke scowled.  “Shut up Bo.”

“Love letter?” asked Jesse raising an eyebrow.  “What love letter?”

“Some girl sent him a perfume scented love note signed me,” explained Bo.

Jesse smiled reflectively.  “Your Aunt Lavinia used to write me love notes…”

Bo smiled at his uncle’s reminiscence, sipping his milk.

“You serious about this girl Luke? She must think ya are.  If you been toyin’ with some girl’s affections,” began Jesse gruffly.

“I ain’t…I don’t even know who she is!”

“It just sounds like a high school crush, Uncle Jesse…” said Daisy softly,

Jesse nodded.  “Well ya never know…I always told ya you two flirt too much,” returned the patriarch preachingly.

“I didn’t…honest…” reproached Luke with a sigh.

****

Throughout the dinner things didn’t get much better. Bo seemed to take great delight in making up as many jokes as he could about the letter and Daisy even began joining in after a while. Jesse tried to be fair and tell the two cousins to lay off, seeing Luke getting more and more disgruntled, but eventually he just ended up preaching to them all about how to ‘control’ themselves better.

The end of the meal couldn’t have come sooner and grumbling, Luke excused himself, not wanting to be the subject of anymore talk.  Putting his plate in the sink, he walked into his room. No sooner had he stepped through the door though and he froze at the sight before him…there, resting on Luke’s pillow was a blood-red rose and another perfumed envelope.

To say Luke was furious was an understatement. “Real funny Bo…” he muttered, snatching the items up and going over to his cousin, waving them in his face.  “This your idea of a joke?!”

“Huh?” Bo replied, near choking on his milk at the sudden letter waving in front of his face, looking up with a thoroughly confused expression.

“You put these on my pillow didn’t you?!”

“How can I, I’ve been with you the whole day!” Bo was quick to snap back.  Bo was a bad liar, you could always tell he was because when he actually hadn’t done anything, he’d turn and snap quickly to defend himself. If he was lying, he’d try but would never achieve the same fierce determination.

“I dunno!” Luke snapped back at him, more frustrated than angry that this had happened…another potential suspect though quickly sprang to mind. “Daisy!!!”

“Don’t look at me! Where would I have the money to buy a rose?!” Daisy cried back indignantly.

“Well then who?!” demanded Luke, clearly getting more upset.

As ever, the voice of reason stepped in. Standing up he put a hand on Bo’s shoulder who had once more opened his mouth this time to defend Daisy, silencing the youngest Duke before saying calmly to Luke.

“Calm down an’ read the card son…it probably says on there.”

Luke sighed in frustration, knowing his Uncle was right but having a horrible feeling he already knew who it was going to be signed from.  Carefully, he opened the card with a trembling hand, while the rest of the family watched.

“Well what’s it say Luke?” asked Daisy, watching as Luke swallowed hard and his mouth became a tight line as though he had hurt himself. Slowly, Luke managed to grind out the words that were written before him.

Dear Luke,

I love you. 

Please accept this rose as a token of my never-ending affection for you.

My heart is yours.

Love,

Me

 

A silence fell over the room, Bo could only raise an eyebrow as he contemplated the situation and Daisy was biting her lip on the other side of the table. It was Luke that eventually spoke in a deep growl.

“This ain’t funny,” he stated, crumpling up the paper and throwing both it and the rose in the trash harder than was actually needed. Stepping forward, Jesse placed a hand on each of his eldest’s shoulders and squeezed them gently.

“Now Luke,” began Jesse.  “You tend t’ take things too seriously at times…”

“Uncle Jesse’s right Luke, don’t get all tore up about it…like Bo said earlier, it’s probably just some high school girl with a crush.” reasoned Daisy as gently as she could.

“This ain’t like leavin’ a note in my locker Daisy…she went inta my room!” snapped Luke.

“Don’t snap at Daisy, she ain’t done nothin’! This girl probably just reached in the window! You leave it open!” shot back Bo quickly to take Daisy out the firing line. He knew usually how to diffuse Luke quickly and didn’t really care when Luke snapped at him because he knew then that Luke was upset.

“Well how’d she know that was my bed an’ not yours?!” Luke retorted back at him, though he was starting to calm just a little with the combination of Jesse’s reassuring grip and Bo’s logic forcing him to think about his own.  He knew he was probably over-reacting but still Luke Duke was, if nothing else, a private person.  Very few people knew him well, including family, which suited him fine.  The idea of someone invading his private space unnerved him to no end.

“Who’s to say she did Luke? She probably just put it on the bed nearest….if either one of ya picked it up it’d still get to you in the end.” Daisy commented softly, seeing how upset her cousin was getting.

Luke sighed, knowing that was true though his mind was trying to over complicate the situation which was unusual for him.

“Cuz, you’re jumpin’ over nothing.  When you don’t do anything she’ll probably see ya ain’t interested an’ find some other guy.,” Bo reassured from the other side, seeing the flicker of doubt behind Luke’s eyes still. It wasn’t until Jesse finally managed to get two words in that Luke looked a little more content.

“Son I really think you’re worryin’ over nothin’” The patriarch intoned into the silence gently, feeling Luke relax a little under his hands.

“Guess you’re right…I just don’t like the thought of it, ya know?”

Jesse patted his shoulder.  “Sometimes it’s hard to have that old Duke charm,” he teased, managing to get a small smile out of Luke.

Bo smirked, standing up and taking his plate to the sink, turning away but saying over his shoulder.  “’Course it could be a guy…”

Luke’s answer to that was to land a hard cuff to the back of Bo’s blonde head, drawing an indignant yelp and a head rub from the youngest cousin.

“Hey! I was just saying it could be!”

“Oh yeah you’re right…and maybe they got our names mixed up….maybe they really are in love with you!”  Then, to emphasize the fact, he added in a mock girlish voice, “Oh Bo…I love your curls…let me run my fingers through ‘em.”  He then punctuated his teasing with kissing sounds.

Bo however was quick to turn that back on him, teasing with a smirk.  “Thanks Luke but I don’t swing that way…sounds like it wouldn’t be bad thing if this were a guy, huh?”

Seeing that Bo was being unusually quick with his wit today, Luke did the only other thing he could think of to get back at his older cousin. With Marine trained quick reflexes, he lunged out and gripped him in a headlock, tousling his curls.  “This belongs in the barn with the rest of the hay!”

“Outside boys! This ain’t no arena here!” roared Jesse as he narrowly dodged the two carrying the rest of the dinner plates to the sink.

“Fine Uncle Jesse!” called Bo cheerfully, opening the door with one hand and using his position to tackle Luke out the door, off the porch and to the dusty ground of the yard.

Jesse merely chuckled, shaking his head as he watched out the window.  “Boys’ll be boys.”

For hours, both the boys just wrestled each other in the cooling evening air, not trying to hurt each other, just playing as they had not done since they were boys. Sure they had grown up and matured a lot since then, but the odd wrestling match between them never lost its appeal.

****

Eventually the two could be found lounging on the porch, Luke situated on the swing and Bo just sprawled across the boards in the warm evening sun, his arm slung across his eyes and his shirt hanging open. The sounds of the farm were soothing and relaxing to the ears, especially to Luke.

“What say we go int’ town?” He asked suddenly, looking to his younger cousin stretched out at his feet. He chuckled a little when all he received to the question was something that he was sure was supposed to be speech.

“Whhyyyy?” Bo drawled lazily, not moving his position one inch.

“Ice cream,” enticed Luke, leaning forwards so he knew Bo could hear him, knowing his cousin’s weakness. And indeed, it did catch Bo’s interest as he moved his arm with a raised eyebrow and looked up at him.

“I’ll even buy since you lost to me wrestlin’” Luke offered with a wink, laughing as Bo quickly sat up.

“I did not lose!” cried Bo.

“If you want me to buy you did,” Luke retorted back with a chuckle.

Bo however was not amused and showed it by simply narrowing his eyes with a scowl, causing Luke to relent and poke him gently in the side with the toe of his boot.  “Alright…I’ll buy anyway…c’mon…”

Bo groaned lazily, flopping back down onto the boards and closing his eyes again, whining gently.  “Couldn’t ya go get it and bring it back?”

“I don’t think so cousin…you want some you come with me…”

Bo sighed heavily, sitting up again and holding out a hand to Luke.  “Help…”

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. Gripping Bo’s hand in his, he heaved the 6 foot 4 man to his feet. “C’mon Lazybones…”

Stretching lightly, Bo followed Luke off the porch and to the General. “You know, you wouldn’t think that porch’d be so comfortable…”

“Guess it is if you’re that tired… you wanna drive?”

“If you want me to nap at the wheel then sure.” answered Bo with a smirk.

“Guess that means I’m drivin’…get in then.” Luke muttered as he headed to the driver’s side, getting in himself with some difficulty and turning the ignition on.

Bo had the same trouble on the other side though it wasn’t as much a bother to him as it was to Luke, sighing happily as he remarked in a joyful tone.  “It’s so nice not havin’ t’avoid the dang steering wheel sometimes.”

“Know whatcha mean,” returned Luke speeding out of the farmyard in a cloud of dust. In all truth he didn’t really mind driving…it wasn’t very often he partook in the activity, preferring to let his younger cousin have control of the car that they shared. He knew Bo enjoyed it more than he did, but then again it was nice to enjoy it. Especially when Bo didn’t seem to want to talk or sing as he usually did….Luke could just drive and think in peace…it wasn’t until he pulled up in Hazzard Square he found out why.

As soon as they pulled up, Luke slid out the window and headed for the ice cream place, assuming his younger cousin was with him. Turning to look where his younger cousin usually stood by his side, he soon realized Bo wasn’t. Looking back to the Lee, Luke couldn’t help but chuckle…there Bo was… snoring softly where he sat cuddled up in his seat, fast asleep.

“Hey…Sleepin’ Beauty…wake up!” ordered Luke once he’d jogged back over to the orange stock car, reaching in through the passenger window and patting his cheek.

Bo sleepily blinked his baby blue eyes open.  “Wha…?”

“Ice cream…c’mon…”

“Mmm…” Bo hummed as he stretched before sliding out the window and following his older cousin, glancing around the square, his eyes brightening up at what he saw. His thoughts were soon interrupted as Luke nudged him with his elbow.

“Whatcha gonna get Bo?”

“Chocolate.”

Luke chuckled at the answer that hadn’t even been thought about. There were some things Bo Duke never outgrew…chocolate ice cream was one of them.

“Thought so.”

“So…why’d ya ask?”

“Just wondered if ya felt adventurous t’day.”

Bo shook his head going to the counter with Luke.  “Nah…s’too hot.”

“Hey Bo! Hey Luke!” greeted a slim young girl from the other side of the stand.

“Hey there Rachel how are ya?” returned Luke smiling at her.

“Just fine…what can I get for ya?” she asked, smiling up at them both.

Bo leaned on the counter.  “Double chocolate if you’d be so kind…”

“Comin’ right up.  And for you Luke? Lemme guess…Vanilla Fudge swirl?”

Luke gave her a wink.  “You got it.”

Rachel smiled.  “Right away.” With that she turned and quickly started to make the cones.

Bo teased Luke while they waited mocking him.  “Oh you got it,” he said making kissing sounds in Luke’s ears.

“Shut up Bo,” growled Luke.

Rachel soon returned flashing a smile at them both.  “Double chocolate for Bo,” she said handing it to him.  “And vanilla fudge swirl for Luke…with an extra half scoop…’cuz that’s the nicest smile I seen today,” she added with a blush.

“Well…you must not be lookin’ in the mirror Rachel,” he flirted back.

Bo rolled his eyes and fake gagged before pushing off the counter while Luke paid, heading back to the General Lee. As much as he liked flirting with the girls, and he knew that his and Luke’s techniques weren’t that different considering Luke had taught him a thing or two…it was still sickening to here…and so they teased each other about it.

“An ya wonder why ya get stalkers…” He started as soon as Luke returned.

“Not funny Bo…Me an’ Rachel always flirt like that, same as I do with the other girls…means nothin’.”

“Ever thought maybe it does t’some?”

“So you’re blamin’ this girl’s crush all on me?”  He looked at him indignantly. “You ain’t one t’ talk!”

“I ain’t ever got a stalker,” observed Bo with a raised eyebrow, licking his ice cream like some innocent 5 year old.

“You said she ain’t a stalker…just some girl with a crush…so shut up about it!”

“Alright Mr. Sensitive,” said Bo leaning back against the General while he finished his ice cream. For a while, the two just stood in silence gazing around the square, until Bo finally spotted who he had seen earlier. Finishing the rest of the ice cream in one mouthful, he hopped off the General and headed over to the girl.  “Hey Amanda…”

“Well hey Bo!”

“Hey…I just came over t’say I really like yer dress,” said Bo putting on the charm.

“This old thing?” the dark-haired beauty asked with a small laugh, though it was evident that she was pleased by the compliment.

“Old? It looks brand new on you…” returned Bo, having mastered the art of sweet talk at a young age and evidently he still hadn’t lost his touch as Amanda blushed and giggled a little. Taking that as a good sign, Bo gently moved her hair back over her shoulder.  “You know…I need a date for the Halloween dance.”

Amanda smiled.  “What a coincidence …so do I.”

“You do?” asked Bo a glint of excitement in his voice.

Amanda just shrugged a little with a nod, trying to act as calm as she could though the ever deepening red blush in her cheeks gave away how excited she was. It wasn’t necessary, but Bo had to admit seeing girl’s reaction to his compliments was fun…so he continued.

“Well now what’s a pretty girl like you doin’ without a date? I felt for sure you were already gonna have one…”

“Well…the fella I wanted to ask me is takin’ his own sweet time about it…an’ if he doesn’t ask me in the next 5 minutes, I’m gonna tell him no…” she answered softly, her hands clenched together in front of her, swinging a little from side to side on her feet, looking pointedly up at him leaving no doubt who she was referring to.

Bo flashed his dimpled smile at her.  “You want t’go to the dance with me?”

“I’d love to.”

“Pick ya up at 7?”

Amanda nodded.  “See ya then…”

Bo nodded, bending down and kissing her cheek, winking at her before turning and heading happily back to the General where Luke was already sitting waiting for him behind the steering wheel.  “You all done, Cassanova?”

Bo grinned with a nod as he slid in too.  “Yup, got me a date.”

“Good for you.” he said grumpily taking off as quickly as he could.

“Luke c’mon slow down,” said Bo noting his cousin’s mood by the way he was driving with a sigh.

“Why?” asked Luke not taking his foot off the gas.

“Well one we don’t got enough money t’pay an’ on the spot speeding fine…and you know what that means if Rosco gets us…”

Luke sighed, knowing that was true, slowing down to a speed that Rosco could definitely not get them for. Bo was about to continue to badger, but caught the look in his older cousin’s eye that clearly said ‘Don’t talk to me right now’. Sighing he gazed out the window while Luke remained quiet, having a lot on his mind to consider. Eventually though, curiosity got the best of the nosy younger cousin and the conversation flared again.

“Luke what’s up?”

“Just thinkin’” answered Luke quietly.

“’Bout?”

“Her.”

Bo gave him a confused look.  “Her? What d’ya mean?”

“Just everything…botherin’ me…” he admitted softly with a sigh.  “That’s all.”

“Luke you really don’t gotta get so het up over this.”

“When you say I bring it on myself I do,” returned Luke, his eyes narrowing.

“Luke I was kiddin’ around.”

Once more, Luke fell into silence with a hard swallow, facing the road and not saying another word. He didn’t want to discuss this with Bo…but then again he should have known better than to just dismiss it like that…cause once Bo wanted something, he was like a dog with a bone.

“Luke c’mon we kid around all the time…”

“It bothers me,” said Luke softly.

“What? The stuff we been doin fer years?” asked Bo with a frown.

“No Bo…all this stuff…with this girl…”

“Luke…if this were the other way round…you would be teasin’ the ear offa me…” Bo protested gently, to which Luke sighed and nodded, knowing that was true. Why should it be any different for Bo just because it was happening to Luke?

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Exactly…I ain’t doin’ it half as much as I could,” Bo pointed out.  “But if you want me t’stop I will.”

“I just wanna forget it ever happened.”

Bo nodded, but could not resist asking, “Can I talk about it to Daisy behind your back when you’re no where near me?”

Luke shook his head with a chuckle; trust Bo to turn his thoughts around to something funny.  “Sure cousin…all you want.”

Bo grinned.  “Thanks.”  Before long, he found himself yawning again…it sure had been a busy day…passing things up to Luke on the roof, eating ice cream, getting a date to the party, teasing Luke…it had in fact been a very busy day.  No wonder he was tired….

****

 

A few days later, the boys could be found laughing and joking as they headed into the Boar’s Nest, Luke soon finding an empty table and pointing it out to his chattering younger cousin. It wasn’t long before they were sat there, raising hands to their friends who called their names in greeting…Bo eyeing the pretty girls that were around even though he had already asked Amanda to the dance. Despite the fact it seemed like there were quite a few people in the popular social spot of Hazzard, it was relatively quiet for what was known as Happy Hour, something Luke picked up on quickly.

“Kinda quiet t’night don’t ya think Bo?”

“Yeah…mind you with the blitz Rosco’s been on lately…wouldn’t be surprised if most of the folks are in jail…” Bo answered, his gaze still wandering around the room even as he answered his older cousin.

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle with a nod and a muttered ‘Could be…’ He wasn’t laughing at Bo’s comment as much as he was at the fact that the younger man was already seeking out his next date. Obviously he wasn’t planning on keeping Amanda close longer than the dance the way his eyes kept glancing to the girls sitting in the corner of the bar.

He was actually amazed that he and Bo didn’t have an army of angry girls behind them wherever they went, the amount of local and out of town girls they had been through between them certainly was large enough for one to be created. He guessed it was because they weren’t exactly like most other skirt chasers in the county, either the girls left them first or the break ups they had were done in a sensitive and heartfelt way. As far as he knew, break ups were always left on good terms…well he assumed that because so far no girls had come after them.

“Hey boys, what can I get ya?”

Luke near leapt out of his skin at the question, having been lost in thought enough not to notice Daisy arrive at their table. He scowled over at Bo as he heard the blonde give a laugh at his obvious distraction and decided to take the first hit of the evening with a smirk.

“Usual for me…sippy cup for our baby cousin…”

Bo’s grin instantly turned to his eyes narrowing in a playful ‘You’re on cousin’ scowl. Glancing up at Daisy, he leant over and asked in a whisper loud enough for Luke to her.

“ If you could put something in his drink to shut him up again I’d be happy…”

Daisy could only laugh at the playful banter between her two cousins, shaking her head as she noted down the order on her pad.

“Two watered down beers comin up fellas…”

“Thanks Dais…” Luke answered, his arms folded and rested on the table in front of him, watching protectively as Daisy made her way back to the bar before looking back to Bo with a raised eyebrow as his younger cousin muttered something about Luke hitting on Daisy next because he couldn’t get any other girl if he tried.

As she went about pouring the two beers for her cousins, Daisy couldn’t help but notice the girl standing at the bar, trying not to look like she was looking at the two cousins. The girl wasn’t turned towards her though so she didn’t say anything, not wanting to look like she was interfering. It wasn’t unusual that girls came to the bar to just gaze at the guys in the room in the hopes of a date. Shaking her head with a smile, she headed over to the boys again, stopping as a few customers signaled they wanted her.

Meanwhile, the boys were again engaged in a riveting debate of…

“You’re buyin Bo…”

“I am? Oh lemme think a sec…what is the answer I was looking for…urm…oh yeah, No.”

“Well I ain’t buyin’, I’m broke…” Luke retorted quickly back

“Well what makes ya think i’m any better?”

“ Well, I’m broke cuz YOU borrowed my last $5!”

“Well I needed that t’put gas in the General which we BOTH use…”

“Well next time use your money, you use the General more than I do, I’m just the passenger…” Luke argued back with a smirk, knowing that Bo couldn’t argue that fact. The blonde did drive and race the General far more than Luke did.

“I would if you hadn’t borrowed it for your date!” Bo quickly retorted back, knowing he had won the arugment or argued them into a deadlock as Luke just shook his head with a chuckle, soon joining in with him. As usual, it wasn’t long before Luke had formed some kind of plan.

“How bout we split the difference…make Daisy pay?”

“I dont think she’d go fer that..” Bo had to answer with a louder laugh, looking up as Daisy’s shadow fell across the table before glancing to Luke at Daisy’s raised eyebrow, wondering just how much their female cousin had heard.

“Who go for what exactly?” She asked as she placed the beers on the table.

Luke smiled a little sheepishly…there was only one woman who put a small quiver in his liver and that was Daisy when she was angry or riled…she had a nasty tendancy to grab whatever of her favourite cooking impliments was nearest and hit them with it….frying pan, skillet or rolling pin was usually her preferred choice of weapon…in the Boar’s Nest it was the tray.

“Did I tell ya how beautiful you look today cousin?” he asked, trying the compliment approach first…which he should have known wouldn’t work.

“No and no I am not buying your beers…”

Luke sighed, putting on the best pleading look he could though it was no where near as perfected as Bo’s was…obviously he wasn’t much in the mood for helping his older cousin out of the sticky situation they were in.

“Cmon Dais…just this once…”

“No! You two run up enough tabs t’use up all my tips as it is when Boss demands its paid, I aint bailin ya out this time..”

Luke once more looked to his younger cousin who had resolutely decided that looking at the ceiling was much more interesting than paying any attention to what was going on in front of him. Shaking his head with a sigh, he picked up the two beers and put them back on Daisy’s tray.

“I guess ya best take these back then…”

As he did however, a girl suddenly appeared beside Daisy, her hands resting on Luke’s to stop him putting the beers back.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’ll pay for em…”

Daisy frowned a little but nodded, moving away from the table as the girl put the money on her tray for the drinks. Luke however kept his eyes on her, a little taken aback at the forwardness in her touch, even though she had quickly pulled her hands away when she realized what she had done.

“Hi…” He offered gently, seeing her now looking a little awkward. The offer was soon taken up though as she smiled shyly with a small greeting of her own. Smiling back at her supportively, he pulled out a chair on the table and gestured to her to sit down with them, another offer she readily accepted.

“Name’s Luke Duke…this here’s my cousin Bo…” Once again though, Bo wasn’t paying any attention and was instead looking over at a girl by the door, making eyes at her which she obviously was returning. A sharp kick to his shins and a disgruntled yelp soon brought his attention back to the table again though.

The girl shook her head with a small giggle, watching the quick exchange of glances which obviously signified a silent argument between the boys, quickly interjecting before it became verbalized.

“My name’s Becky…”

“Becky…nice t meet ya…” Luke answered back, shaking her hand with a smile before picking up his beer and taking a drink. “So…I don’t recall seeing you round here before..you new to Hazzard?”

“Uh…relatively…my mother was born here but my father moved us away…”

“So…you just visitin’?”

Becky twirled a strand of hair around her finger.  “No- I live here now…Dad’s moved outta the country.”

Luke nodded a little as she said that.  “Well I don’t remember seein’ ya around much.”

“Yeah,” began Becky with a sigh.  “Only got here a couple of weeks ago…been kinda…settling in…”

Luke nodded flashing his dimples at her.  “Well…as the unofficial president of the Hazzard County Welcomin’ Committee…lemme give you an official Hazzard County welcome…”

Becky smiled, unable to help blushing a little, admiring how very blue his eyes were, and how they seemed to sparkle when he talked.  “Thanks…”

Bo meanwhile, took little notice of the conversation, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he leaned back in his chair… that is until Luke suggested that he show her around Hazzard.

“Well sure…I’d like that…” answered Becky readily, at which point Bo lost his balance and fell backward on his chair, landing on the floor with a thud amidst finger-pointing and laughter from the other patrons.

“Bo? You ok?!” asked Luke, getting up to help his cousin, a little worried by the fact that Bo simply lay on the floor staring up at him as if in shock.

“Uhh…no can…you come look at my arm in the bathroom…  I…I think somethin’s wrong…” answered Bo.

“Ok…” answered Luke quickly bending over and helping his cousin to stand.  “S’cuse us Becky…keep it still Bo…” he added walking to the bathroom where the light was brighter and he could better diagnose what had happened to Bo’s arm.

Bo did as he was told,  leaning into Luke a little as the older cousin kept an arm protectively around him, preventing him from being jostled as they crossed the room.

****

Once there, Luke brought Bo under the light and began to examine the arm in question, until Bo jerked it away.  “Hey…quit it.  It ain’t hurt.”

Luke frowned.  “What’s goin’ on?”

Bo  looked at him incredulously.  “You and her!”

“What about us?”

Bo shook his head in disbelief.  “Luke have you not considered for one minute the person sending you those notes might be her?”

Luke laughed.  “No…”

“Well consider it!” cried Bo in exasperation.  He couldn’t understand how a man as smart as his cousin could be so very blind to the obvious.  “She appeared in town a couple of weeks ago, and these notes started about a week ago…”

“You said it was a high school crush, Bo,” interrupted Luke.

“Yeah well the way she’s actin’ makes me think otherwise,” stated Bo emphatically.

“Bo I think yer makin’ a mountain outta a molehill.  You said it was harmless.”

“Since when did ya listen t’what I say?!” demanded Bo.

Luke grew quiet, as he usually did when things bothered him, and at the moment he was bothered, not by the potential stalker, but by the way Bo had spoken to him.

Bo ran a shaky hand through his blond curls when Luke didn’t respond, reading his cousin’s silent language just as easily as if it had been words spoken to him.

“M’sorry Luke,” began Bo, looking down at his feet.  “I just don’t want nothin’ t’happen t’ya is all.”

Luke looked up at him.  “You’re real uneasy about this huh?”

Bo nodded.  “Well lil’ bit…considerin’ how forward she was an’ all…”

Luke sighed but nodded.  “Alright…I just won’t do it then.”

Bo sighed, hanging his head, hands on his hips.  He hated to feel like he was ruining everything.  Then again, he couldn’t help worrying.

“Its ok…we’ll play your arm needs seen to or somethin’…” answered Luke, always ready with a plan.

“Have I got ya paranoid now?” asked Bo softly.  That was the last thing he wanted to do.

“No,” answered Luke.  “But…I guess you got a point,” he admitted with a sigh.  “Ready t’shuck n jive?”

Bo bit his lip.  “I guess…what ya want? Badly in pain, going into shock, pale faced pain or just gonna walk out clutching the arm?”

Luke thought a moment.  “Better make her think we gotta go in a hurry…wincing pain, hardly walk…”

“Pale face?” asked Bo looking at him.

“With tears.”

“Tall order… I don’t wanna cry in public though when I can help it,” hesitated Bo.

“Then be on the verge…don’t matter.”

Bo nodded.  “Right…trembling?”

“Yeah…an’ lean on me…”

Bo sighed looking in the bathroom mirror before closing his eyes. Hugging his arm to his middle, he doubled over a little, breathing deep as magically his face seemed to drain of color.

“You ready Bo?”

Bo nodded as he made his hands tremble.  Luke hugged him with one arm, opening the door, seemingly hurrying out of the bar.

Becky gasped when she saw the two cousins, standing up.  “Is it that bad?!”

“I need t take him to a doc…thanks for the beers…c’mon Bo…stay with me buddy,” answered Luke helping Bo along, who walked at a slowed pained pace beside his cousin.

Daisy, meanwhile had just finished serving a few drinks to customers, smiling sweetly at them and heading back to the bar when she, too, saw her cousins.  “Luke?! Bo?! What happened?!”

Bo groaned loudly as if in much pain.

Luke growled inwardly.  Trust Daisy to show up.  “Takin’ Bo to the docs…c’mon I’ll tell ya on the way…”

Daisy shook her head.  “Well I cant I gotta finish my shift, I’ll call Uncle Jesse and have him meet ya there….maybe you should take him to the hospital!” she added worried at the pale expression her baby cousin wore.

“Come outside… quick…” ordered Luke.

Daisy sighed grabbing some ice in a towel and asking Mary Lou to cover her tables a moment as she followed them outside.

“Well…get well soon Bo!” called Becky with a wave as Bo groaned again for effect.

“Don’t feel so good….” said Bo softly.

“I know…I know, “said Luke waving his hand back and saying loud enough for everyone to hear, “We’ll be to Doc’s soon…”

Soon the threesome was outside the Boar’s Nest, heading for where the General Lee stood.

Luke began helping Bo inside when he suddenly sat him down.  “Coast is clear…”

At this, Bo sighed standing up and rubbed his head ruefully.  “Thank God fer that, I gave myself a headache.”

Daisy frowned.  “Alright what’s going on?”

Sighing Luke quickly explained the situation at which point Daisy turned to Bo.  “You think what?!”

Luke sighed.  “Bo thinks she could be the one leavin’ them letters…”

Daisy narrowed her eyes at her younger cousin.  “Bo for Pete’s sake!”

Luke quickly came to Bo’s defense.  “He’s just worried Daisy.”

Daisy snapped at her dark-haired cousin.  “He’s worried over nothing and now he’s worrying you!”

Luke sighed.  He loved his female cousin with all his heart, but sometimes she could be so difficult.  “I’m not worried…I ain’t gotten a letter all this week…I think she gave up…whoever she was…” he answered, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Daisy sighed.  “I gotta get back to work.  See you at home.”  With that she turned walking into the Boar’s Nest.

Bo shook his head.  “Luke…don’t be so sure…”

Luke smiled, loving his baby cousin for caring so much.  He squeezed his shoulder gently.  “It aint nothin’ t’ get worried over.  Whoever she was…she’s gone now.”

Bo bit his lip pointing to the front seat of the General.

Luke frowned, looking into the General, swallowing hard at what he saw, his face losing all color.  There, taped to the steering wheel was a red heart, Luke’s name written on it.  An ornately decorated box sat on the front seat.

Bo bit his lip.  “You uh…gonna…open it?”

Luke swallowed his eyes not diverting from the gift.  “Don’t wanna,” he answered, his voice hallow-sounding.  Eventually though, he reached in, taking the heart from the steering wheel and looking at the back side.  It read:

To my dearest Luke, 

I got you a gift for Halloween, and it comes straight from the heart. 

 All my love,

ME

 

Luke swallowed hard, reaching in and taking the box  from the seat, opening it, dropping it to the ground and staggering backwards, falling to his knees, looking as though he was about to be sick.

Bo frowned.  “Luke?”

Luke sat kneeling on the ground, shaking.  His heart was beating rapidly.

Bo hurried over to him, putting both hands on his shoulders.   “Luke what’s wrong?”

Luke pointed a trembling finger at the box before turning his head his stomach convulsing, emptying it of its contents, tears in his eyes, shaking like a leaf.

Bo frowned going to the box reeling as he saw what was inside…a heart from something freshly killed.  Swallowing he crossed to Luke kneeling down beside him.  “Luke…..Luke its ok…its just a sheep’s heart…”

Luke shook, trying desperately to pull himself together.  “Wh-wh-why…”

Bo shook his head.  “I dunno,” he said rubbing Luke’s back softly as he felt the trembling beneath his hand.  “Shhh….calm down…its ok…Its Halloween… it’s probably just a Halloween joke…sick as it is”

“Wanna…go home….” choked out Luke, clearly shaken up.

“Okay….okay don’t worry… we’ll go now,” answered Bo, helping him up carefully.

Luke stood shakily, his legs feeling like jelly.  He took hold of Bo’s shirt, averting his eyes from the box.

“C’mon brother,” said Bo softly, helping Luke into the General, before speeding away.

A short while later they arrived at the farm.  Bo helped his older cousin out of the General, keeping an arm around him to steady him.  “Uncle Jesse, Luke needs some shine!” called out Bo as they came into the house.

“Shine? “ frowned Jesse setting down his newspaper as he stood up from the old chair in the living room and going to get the emergency medicinal shine he kept under the sink.  “What happened?”

Luke leaned on Bo as they walked inside, his hands trembling as he still clutched Bo’s shirt.

“I’ll tell ya in a minute Uncle Jesse; c’mon Luke we’ll get ya t’bed…” said Bo, leading Luke to their room sitting him on his bed gently and removing his boots.

A whimper escaped Luke’s throat, tears in his eyes.

“Its ok Luke…its ok…” said Bo softly raising a hand and running it over his cousin’s dark curls.  “Its ok… yer home…its ok.”

“Wh-where… is it?”

“I didn’t bring it home Luke, it’s gone…it’s ok…”

Luke brushed his eyes with the back of his hand, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

“What in tarnation is going on?!” demanded Jesse as he brought in the cup of shine, handing it to Bo.

“Here…small sips Luke…” said Bo gently holding the cup to his cousin’s lips, supporting his head to help him drink while giving Jesse a look that plainly said ‘I cant say in front of Luke’.

Jesse swallowed, nodding, and left the room leaving Luke in Bo’s capable hands.

Bo continued to soothe his older cousin till he had finished the shine, laying him back against his pillows.  “Try and get some sleep brother…”

“D-don’t go,” whimpered Luke reaching out for Bo’s hand.

Bo nodded taking his and squeezing it.  “Okay….just close yer eyes and try and sleep.”

He was sort of surprised the way Luke was acting.  Luke had been to war, after all.  He knew he had seen far worse things, if by nothing else than by hearing the nightmares that still plagued him from time to time.  Why would seeing a sheep heart bother him so much?

Luke closed his eyes still holding onto Bo’s hand as the shine gently calmed him enough to sleep.  Bo waited a while longer at his side, just soothing him softly, before going back out to Jesse.  “Luke’s asleep.”

“What’s happened son?” asked the patriarch, putting down his newspaper.  He looked at him in utter disgust after Bo explained.  “Why on earth…?” He shook his head.  “I dont like it… not a bit.”

“No…s’got me thinkin though…”

Jesse looked at him.  “Bout what?”

“What if it is a guy doing it like I said?”

Jesse looked stern.  “Bo…”

“Oh come on Uncle Jesse…it’s Halloween…and which one jerk loves t’try and freak Luke out every year and make him look a doofus in front of all the girls?”

“Ernie Ledbetter?”

Bo nodded putting his hands on his hips.  “The one and only…think I’m gonna have some words with him…”

“Now Bo…we don’t know for sure…”

“Well I’ll find out pretty dang quick,” promised the younger Duke with a nod of the head.

“Bo…don’t do nothin’ you’ll regret.”

“Only one gonna be regrettin’ anything is Ernie if he’s done this t’Luke,” promised Bo.

Jesse sighed putting a hand on each of his shoulders.  “You talk t’ him…nothin’ else.”

“Not if he has done it I ain’t…”

“Bo…”

“You can’t expect me t’let him get away with it!” exclaimed Bo enraged.  “I won’t!”

“You don’t know it’s him…” began Jesse reasonably.

“Well if it is…”

“If it is you let the law deal with it…promise me.”

Bo sighed long and hard.  “I promise.”

With those parting words, the youngest Duke cousin made his way to the General Lee.  He slid in behind the steering wheel before saying with a grin, “I’ll let the law deal with it… Bo Duke law…an’ if he did do it, it’ll be the death penalty.”

He ignited the engine speeding off into the horizon.

****

 

“Lead-bottom, I wanna word with you,” said Bo marching angrily over to where a large surly man sat drinking from a mug of beer.

Standing up, Ledbetter looked Bo straight in the eye.  “What for?”

Bo put his hands on his hips, not backing away.  “Know anythin’ about a box, a sheep’s heart and the General?”

Ernie laughed.  “Um….I’ll say Mr. Mustard…in the library…with a candlestick… “

Bo clenched his jaw, in no mood to have his cage rattled.  “One, its Colonel Mustard, and two, if you have had anything t’do with it, yer in trouble.”

“I dunno what yer talkin’ about Duke!”

Bo shook his head in disgust.  “Uh huh… so where were ya like an hour ago?”

“Right here.”

“No ya weren’t cause we were here.”

“I was right here. Duke…though your arm seems t have made a quick recovery,” he observed with a smirk.

“You want me t’test its strength on yer face?”

“You do an you’ll be sorry,” promised Ernie looking as though he’d like to see him try it.

Bo snorted.  “When have ya ever made me sorry?”

“I’m about to,” said Ernie shoving his body up against Bo, pulling back his arm and punching hard to his nose.

Bo jerked, falling back against the post, near where Cooter was sitting, his nose rushing with blood.  “Cooter you saw that right?”

The mechanic nodded.  “Yup, buddyroe, I saw it.”

“Good now it’s self defense.”  With that he tackled Ernie to the floor with a punch to the side on the way down.

Grabbing Bo by the throat, Ernie did the only thing he could think of as they wrestled together on the dirty floor: choke him. Bo turned his head and bit his hand, before punching him across the face.

“I’ll kill you Duke!”

“Oh yeah just like you were gonna make me sorry huh?!

Ernie pushed Bo into a table as they continued to wrestle, knocking it over on them both, popcorn and beer spilling everywhere.

“What is your problem?!” demanded Ernie shoving Bo off him as he got up once more.

Bo held up his hands.  “You started it.”

“What dya want?!”

“I wanna know if you put a sheep’s heart in a box and left it on the front seat for Luke to find,” said Bo his eyes angry.

Ernie chuckled.  “No…but woulda been a great joke.”

Bo lunged at him again only to be caught by Ernie and thrown across the room.

The Duke shook his head a little to collect his wits before standing up again, never one to back down.  “Look…tell me the truth…”

“Truth bout what?” asked Ernie touching a hand to his bleeding lip.

“The heart…”

“I didn’t!”

“Alright…” began Bo, “but if I find out you did we’re gonna have round two.”

“Fine with me!”

With that, Bo stormed out of the Boar’s Nest, slamming the door as he left.  It angered him that Ernie hadn’t admitted to it.  And what angered him even more was the fact that Bo believed him when he said he didn’t do it.

Luke woke a few hours later to see Bo nursing a swollen lip and eye on the bed next to his, alternating the ice from one to another.

“W-what happened?” asked Luke softly.

Bo jumped with a groan.  “Yer awake?”

Luke nodded.

“I went  t’see if I could find who might be tryin ta spook ya…”

“Aw Bo…”

“Hey, Ernie looked a lot worse.”

“Ernie…it was ERNIE?!” exclaimed Luke, jumping to his feet his face a shade of red.

Bo grimaced a little as Luke yelled, his headache from the shuck and jive having gotten considerably worse after the fight with Ernie – Luke’s yell certainly did nothing to help that.
“Luke my head…” He groaned gently.

“He put that…that..” Luke’s tone quieted it was clear that the anger was still there and it much reflected how Bo had been feeling earlier, that if Ernie had done it there was nothing to it but to go and teach him a very physical and painful lesson. Shaking his head a little, he looked to Luke through the one eye that hadn’t swollen up to the size of a golf ball. Thankfully, Luke caught the shake of the head because Bo didn’t feel much like talking with his aching jaw either.

The negative response to his question had caught Luke off guard, having been sure now he thought about it that it would have been Ernie. Who else would want to play such a mean trick as this on him other than Lead-Bottom?

“He didn’t…are ya sure?”

“As far as I can tell cousin…” Bo replied softly back, seeing the almost disappointment in Luke’s eyes…not sure whether it was because he had hoped to find the person responsible for all this and lay it to rest…or because he didn’t have an excuse to go and punch the one very dim light in Ernie’s head out.

Sighing, Bo rested his head back against his headboard, holding the ice to his eye again with a small hiss of pain. This of course instantly diverted Luke’s thoughts and attention back to Bo’s state and with it came the protectiveness the elder Duke had always had for the younger. Crossing the room he sat on the edge of the bed and gently moved the ice, inspecting the injuries Jesse already had with a critical eye and a gentle, “You ok?”

With that, the usual conversation of Bo protesting he was fine and Luke continuing to ‘just make sure’ ensued until eventually Bo pushed Luke’s hand’s away gently with a shake of his head.

“Luke really I’m fine…seriously this was well worth it…even the switchin’ m’gonna be gettin’ fer not paying attention t’what Uncle Jesse said is gonna be worth it just to eliminate someone from this…”

“I still feel bad…” He admitted with a small shake of his head, vowing to get Ernie back at some other point for hurting his baby cousin…the feeling still nagged at him though…they still hadn’t found who had sent the letters…and it really was starting to nag at him. What he really wanted was some more shine, but he knew his Uncle would never let that happen and besides, he knew better than to rely on alcohol for that from experience.

With one final glance over Bo, he stood up and went to his dresser, intending to get changed and have a shower to see if he couldn’t make himself feel a bit better at least.

As soon as the drawer was open,  however, he froze.

“Bo…have you been in my drawer?”

Bo looked over with a frown. “No, why?”

Luke shook his head, looking at the crumple of clothes that had just that morning been in a Marine Corps neat pile. He always made sure his things were arranged properly, it was something he had never been able to drop from his time in the service…this was how he could tell someone had been rummaging through his drawer.

“Someone’s been through my things Bo…” he muttered, moving aside as Bo got out of bed, albeit slowly, to have a look as well.

“Is there anythin’ missin’?”

Those few words instantly seemed to trigger something in Luke, as he practically dived at the drawer and started throwing its contents out, all sense of neatness gone out the window. Bo bit his lip, knowing why…and he hoped that what had been in there wasn’t missing.

Slowly, Luke stood up, his hands shaking just a little that it took someone close to Luke like Bo to see that they were. His jaw was set as he just stared at the empty space in front of him and Bo could see in his eyes that he was fighting hard to keep any emotion back. After a moment, Luke just uttered quietly, “Its gone…my box is gone…”

****

 

Luke’s box…now Luke wasn’t an emotional guy by any means. Hugs were usually sought after from him not just given out by him and to him, crying was just not something he did. The Marines had drilled this stiff upper lip attitude into him long before and had never really been able to get out of it. But this box was something close to his heart…something he treasured which is why he hid it. Inside it contained mementos from the past, pictures, a ring of his mother’s, a jackknife once belonging to his father…. …and now that was gone. It was like someone had cut away pieces of his heart and taken them.

Bo watched as Luke sank onto the bed, quickly squatting down in front of him and putting his hands on Luke’s shoulders.

“Luke…listen it’ll be ok…”

Luke simply nodded his head in reply, his gaze staring at the opposite wall…it was clear though that he didn’t believe what Bo was saying and to an extent Bo didn’t know how to go about getting it back either when they didn’t know what enemy they were fighting. Still, he had to say something to give his older cousin hope, if the roles were reversed – which they usually were – Luke wouldn’t just sit by and let him get upset.

“We will Luke…I promise ya…”

Again, all Bo got was a nod of the head and Luke looking down at his lap…trying to hide tears Bo just knew were threatening to drip down the tan cheeks. Inside he was furious at whoever had taken something so special of Luke’s…it didn’t matter to him whether this was guy or girl now…point was they’d hurt Luke bad and they would pay whoever they were.

“Why would someone take it Bo…s’not worth anythin’ t no one but me?” Luke whispered gently, bearing just a little bit of his soul to his younger cousin who he knew would probably be understand better than anyone else how Luke felt.

“I…I don’t know Luke…I just don’t know…” Bo said softly back, even though he had a pretty good idea. It seemed as though this secret admirer Luke had gained was taking a more sinister turn towards stalker, and stalkers tended to take things. Moving to sit next to his older cousin on the bed, he initiated a brotherly, comforting hug, feeling Luke’s body trembling a little under his hands.  Luke didn’t need to say anything about what he was feeling; Bo understood without any words as he had a tendency to be able to do. Luke’s silence always spoke more than any words ever could anyway…you could tell a lot about him just by looking in his eyes, they were the giveaway, the key to Luke’s emotions but so far only Bo, sometimes Daisy and Jesse, had been able to decipher that key.

He looked up when his older cousin rose from the bed and the comfort that his arms offered, and headed out the room and out the farmhouse, watching out the window as the dark haired man went out to the barn…either to sit and think in the hayloft or to take a few shots at the punching bag. Sighing, Bo ran a hand through his blonde curls, trying to think what they could possibly do next.

“Bo…”

The soft voice caught Bo by surprise, jumping a little before turning and looking to the doorway where Daisy was standing with more ice wrapped in a towel for him. Sighing gently he got up and took it from her with a small smile.

“Thanks darlin’…”

Daisy nodded a little, watching as Bo held it to his eye again before asking quietly.

“Is Luke alright…I said hey to him as he went outside but he didn’t answer …me…”

Frowning, her sentence trailed off quietly as Bo shook his head and sat back down on his own bed gingerly, his body aching from the scuffle. Biting her lip, she headed over to him too, noticing the room was a mess with all Luke’s clothes thrown about haphazardly everywhere.

“What’s happened? This ain’t like him t’make a mess of his clothes…”

“Someone’s been in our room…through Luke’s stuff and taken his box..”

Bo nodded softly as Daisy gasped audibly, as though it was the end of the world. Everyone in the family knew the importance of Luke’s box to him.

“His box?! Why would someone take that?!”

He was starting to think he knew exactly why, and the more he thought about it the more angry he got. He clenched his jaw to keep from saying anything, not wanting to upset or scare Daisy, but had to unclench quickly as it flared with pain…something Daisy noticed instantly.

“Ernie got ya good huh?”

“He got a couple of lucky shots…with any luck I managed t’break his nose…only place he made me bleed was my lip…”

Daisy nodded a little with a small smile, the rivalry between Luke and Ernie was something that was well known throughout Hazzard…but when Bo was mad enough he could get in on that pretty good. Might not always come out so well off, but he certainly tried. Her mood quickly sobered though as she suddenly remembered what she had wanted to tell the boys.

“You know…this is getting really weird. Luke’s box is gone…and after you and Luke left earlier I went to take your glasses back to the bar…and one of them was missing.”

At that, Bo quickly looked to her from where he had been staring thoughtfully at the floor.

“Missing…what do you mean missing?”

“As in not there…I think from where you two were sitting, it’s Luke’s that was missing…and when I came home I noticed that some of the laundry hung out t’dry was missing too…”

Bo sighed shakily, looking to her worriedly. There was no holding this back now; they needed all the help they could get and fast. Things seemed to be turning more and more sinister and Bo didn’t like where it seemed to be going.

“Daisy I’m getting’ the feelin’ more an’ more this ain’t some high school kid…this is turning more and more into stalker behavior…”

Biting her lip, Daisy nodded in agreement, starting to get a little freaked out as Bo obviously was though Bo was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

“What’re we gonna do…?” he whispered softly.

“I dunno… I never…had anyone obsess over me…well…there was Jim Jacobs…but you an Luke took care of him…” Daisy mused gently, trying to get a smile out the blonde with no success. Bo just continued to mess up his curls with his hand as he ran it through them worriedly.

“Well we gotta do somethin’….even Luke’s gettin’ freaked out by this and he hardly gets freaked by anythin’…and with all this, he’s not gonna be thinking straight either.”

Daisy didn’t say anything as Bo had his ramble. While Luke was a very quiet thinker, preferring to devise a plan in his head than talk it out with people, Bo tended to think through his thoughts verbally as if waiting for someone besides him to confirm it was the right track to be on….and usually that one was Luke.

“I need to find it and the person doin’ this t’him…and fast..”

“Bo..it could be anyone…”

“Not just anyone…what did Becky do while we were in the bathroom?

“Just sat…waited…Well…she did go outside for a few minutes…left her bag in her car..”

“Which is when she could have put the heart there..”

Daisy sighed with a shake of her head, rolling her eyes a little. “Oh Bo not again, why are you thinkin’ its Becky?”

“Like you said Daisy it could be anyone…and don’t ya think it’s a bit strange how she just came up so brazen an’ everythin’?”

“Not really…lots of girls are that way with you two…though bein’ new in town…I guess it is a bit strange…”

“Exactly…somethin’ about her just…don’t seem right…”

Daisy swallowed gently, seeing the wheels in Bo’s head turning quickly as he started jumping to conclusions as he usually did though this time Daisy wasn’t about to stop him. She was prepared to let Bo just jump…they needed to find this person and quickly and so eliminating all possible people until they found the right person seemed like the most reasonable course of action. Shaking her head softly, she carefully hugged into Bo.

“Why would she hurt him like this Bo?”

Bo shook his head with a small shrug, wrapping his arms back around her and holding her as close as his bruises would allow.

“Maybe she doesn’t think she’s hurting him…”

“This is scarin’ me…*softly* What’ll she do next?”

Bo gave a small humorless chuckle, shaking his head.

“I guess anythin’ is possible with her…” He commented gently, his sentence trailing off, leaving a chilling possibility in the air between them.

****

Days later, Luke still wasn’t back to normal. He was quieter than usual and Bo knew he wasn’t sleeping right either. Not only could you tell from the dark circles under his eyes but as they lay in their beds at night, Bo could hear him tossing and turning. He knew Luke didn’t feel safe in their room anymore, he didn’t feel safe anywhere and seemed to be on as strict an alert as if he was back in the jungles of Nam. The smallest things made him jump and scan the area he was in worriedly.

Doing chores, Bo could see just how bad this had gotten. Luke’s muscles were constantly tense and he looked as though something was gonna jump on him at any minute…so it didn’t help when Daisy suddenly shrieked from inside the house.

“Bo! Bo come here quick!”

Bo glanced to Luke out the corner of his eye, seeing him standing tall and looking around worriedly. Biting his lip Bo quickly put his tools down and hurried inside to the bathroom where Daisy’s cry had come from. He soon stopped dead though as he saw what Daisy had been so startled by, swallowing hard and shaking his head.

“Just wipe it away Daisy, Luke don’t need t’see that…”

“I don’t need to see what…”

Daisy stopped in her tracks as she near ran into Luke who was standing in the doorway, his jaw clenched as though preparing to step into the abyss. Bo swallowed gently, moving aside as he made his way in, watching as all color seemed to drain from his cousin’s face seeing the message on the mirror…written in deep red lipstick.

I love you Luke.
Soon we will be together…
Forever.

“Luke…” Bo tried softly as Luke did nothing but stare pale faced. He got no response and neither did Daisy when she tried softly either.

Shaking his head, Bo put a hand on Luke’s shoulder, squeezing it supportively but seemingly still not able to get his attention.

“Luke I ain’t gonna let her do anythin t’you ok?”

Finally that got a response, even if it was just a slight nod of the head, his gaze still transfixed on the cryptic message. Eventually, Bo stood in front of the mirror and started moving out the room, whispering a quick order to Daisy to get rid of the message as quick as she could, something she complied with readily.

“C’mon Luke lets get back t’those chores ok?”

Again Luke nodded, seeming now to be in an almost zombie like state as they both headed slowly outside, doing the chores as if he were a robot. His eyes were now empty, not a single word uttering from his lips. It was as though all he could see in front of his face was the message on the mirror.

Bo sighed heavily, turning to get back to work only to have Luke look to him quickly in panic and whisper desperately.

“Did you hear somethin’?”

“It was me Luke…I was sighing…”

“No…no…”

“Yeah it was…”

Slowly, Luke got back to work and so did Bo, but for ten minutes all Luke seemed to do was jump and comment on every little noise until it got to the point that Bo had to stop him working.

 

“Luke please…calm down, it’s ok…she’s not going to do anything while we’re all around…”

Luke of course wasn’t really listening, trying to hear his surroundings…the situation reminded him so much of Nam, and everything he had ever learned about jungle combat was running through his mind and his reflexes. The only problem was they were working overtime, compensating for the fact that not only did he not know where the enemy was…he didn’t know who it was either.

Eventually, Bo had to lead him inside…or rather try to. Luke started pulling back against him, shaking his head and trying to get back to his work.

“No…not inside..she’s there…”

“She’s not inside the house Luke…” Bo coaxed gently.

“She is…she’s everywhere…” he whispered back desperately.

“Luke c’mon stop it…come inside and lay down on the couch…we can all see you there…”

After a couple more minutes of gentle persuasion, Bo finally managed to get Luke inside and at least sitting down on the couch. He refused to lie down though, stating that he wouldn’t be able to see her coming if he was lying down, if he fell asleep. He needed to see the enemy approach to do anything, always needed his guard up. Sighing, Bo relented, laying a blanket that Jesse handed him over Luke softly as he noticed him shivering a little even though he wasn’t cold.

Moving away, but standing where Luke could see him, he spoke lowly to Daisy and Jesse.

“I’m gonna go into town and get Doc…more than anythin’ he needs t’sleep and he’s not gonna get that if he’s worrying and if he don’t, he’s only gonna get worse.”

“That’s a good idea son, while your down there why not try and see if you can find anything out. Hazzard’s a gossip town, if they seen anything unusual you can bet it’ll be spreadin’ around…”

“I’ll do that Uncle Jesse…” Bo said as he headed out the room, stopping as he heard a quick call of his name from Luke.

“Bo…where ya going…”

“I’s goin’ inta town for a little bit Luke…I need t’get some things..”

“You can’t go…what if…if she gets hold of you?” Luke said, hesitating in the middle. He didn’t want his cousin to think he was as weak as he knew he was acting, pretending to be concerned for Bo’s safety – which to a degree wasn’t a lie – but more concerned for his own. He couldn’t fight an unseen enemy on his own, he needed Bo’s help if she turned up. Daisy and Jesse wouldn’t be any match.

“I’ll be fine Luke…and you will be too…” Bo said gently, reading between the lines as he always could behind what Luke was saying. “I’ll be back before you know it cousin, Uncle Jesse’ll look after you.”

Swallowing, Luke nodded and looked away. He knew he was being clingy, weak…and he despised himself for it. But in all truth he was more scared than he ever had been before, he felt out of control and that scared him more than anything. He had to know what was going on, where and when. If he didn’t, then there was nothing he could do and he hated that.

A knock at the door soon broke the silence that fell, all of them looking to it as though it might jump out of its frame and bite them. They were all on edge from what was happening…it was Bo though that moved forward and opened it, blinking a little as the very man he was going to get was standing on their doorstep.

“D..Doc?”

“Bo…Daisy called…said Luke was looking a bit flushed…might have a fever?”

Bo looked to Daisy, practically pleading her with his eyes to have made that call…his heart sinking quickly when she shook her head.

“No…I didn’t call nobody…”

The Doc frowned as he moved past Bo and headed into the lounge where he could see Luke sitting wrapped in a blanket, trembling and pale faced.

“ Well I thought it was Daisy, it was definitely a female voice on the phone… said Luke was looking a bit flushed and could I come over right away in case it was serious…said be sure not to give him anything with the anesthetic he is allergic to…”

Bo watched transfixed as the Doc sat beside Luke on the couch, who seemed to be staring into space again and, with Jesse, attempted to get Luke to react. He stumbled though as Daisy pulled on his arm and dragged him out to the kitchen, out of earshot from Luke.

“Bo…how would she know his medical history like that?!”

“I don’t know, but it’s bout time I started figuring who did this…I’m gonna need yer help Daisy…”

“My help?”

“Yeah, go get those letters we saved would ya?”

Daisy nodded and quickly hurried into her room where she’d hidden the letters and notes away from Luke, while Bo sat down at the kitchen with sigh, listening to the gentle chatter going on in the lounge between the three men there. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he knew Luke’s voice, and he knew that him speaking again was a good sign. Looking up, he shook his head as Daisy returned and tried to hand him the letters.

“No, those are for you…” He said, taking up a piece of paper and a pen. “Smell em an’ see if you can tell me what perfume it is…”

Despite everything, Daisy couldn’t help but giggle a little at the order, sitting down opposite him at the table. “And if I guess it right what prize d’I win?”

“Daisy…”

“Sorry…” Sighing, she gently smelt the paper, frowning a little. “I’m not sure…it definitely ain’t like anythin’ they sell in Hazzard…”

“Try an’ think Daisy…its important…and if anyone knows this you do….”

“Oh sure, cause perfume sniffing is my favorite hobby…actually!” softly sniffing it again, she nodded with a grin. “I do know this, it’s called Imagine, it’s from Atlanta which is why I didn’t recognize it straight away!

“That’s great…you think you can tell what kind of lipstick it was on the mirror?”

“No…though going by color…I’d say she must be pretty tan to get away with that dark of shade…or have a darer complexion…kinda like Luke’s.”

Bo nodded, making small notes on the piece of paper. “Try an figure what shade that is would ya…now the thing with the heart shows she ain’t squeamish either…and obviously she has a crush on Luke…we just need one more piece of the puzzle that’ll help us really identify her….”

“What would that be?”

“I don’t know Daisy…but it’s gotta come soon…I don’t know how much longer Luke’ll be able to stand this…but the first place  I’m gonna go is to the post office an’ talk with Miz Tizdale…that first letter that came, came with the mail but it didn’t have an address…so someone must have given it to Miz Tizdale to deliver to us.”

Daisy smiled, noticing how much Bo was starting to sound like Luke…Bo wasn’t as stupid as everyone believed. Sure he had his blonde moments, but then again Luke could come out with them sometimes as well. “Sounds good Bo…sorta sounds like a plan…”

“Yeah it sorta does don’t it…” Bo said with a grin at last. “We might just get this sorted out yet…”

A short while later, Doc Appleby emerged from the living room, putting his stethoscope into the little black bag he always carried.  “Well…he’s extremely run down…looks t’ me like he ain’t slept in a while…”

“No…he ain’t…”

Doc nodded handing Bo a bottle.  “I gave him a couple already.  He’s groggy but can probably make it to bed…keep an eye on him though…his heart was racing when I checked it…his blood pressure high….”

Bo nodded, not at all surprised as he showed Doc to the door thanking him, before returning to Luke.  “C’mon cousin…bed…”

“Don’ wan’ no bread…”

Bo couldn’t help but chuckle.  “No… bed.” 

“Not…tir…” began Luke before becoming overtaken with a yawn.

Bo shook his head with a small smile helping his cousin to lie down on his bed and pulling down the blind, tucking him in gently.  “Get some sleep.”

Bo watched him for a moment, before quietly leaving the room, not knowing that, just outside hidden away in the bushes, a girl crouched, outraged by the way the family was keeping Luke out of sight.

With a parting command to Daisy to keep an eye on Luke, Bo headed outside, climbing into the General and heading for the post office, daring to hope Ms. Tizdale would be able to help.

Lost in thought as he travelled slowly home, mulling over everything he had…or hadn’t learnt on his attempt to discover some truth behind what was going on, Bo jumped a mile as the CB crackled to life with Daisy’s voice an hour or so later.

“Lost…lost sheep you out there?”

Bo shook his head a little and picked it up, driving with one hand.  “Lost Sheep 2 here…I aint had no luck with Miz Tizdale…”

“Bo..”

“She suggested I try Emery Potter as well, which I did, but all Emery could tell me that a girl did come in and give him a letter but all he could remember was she had nice hands…I swear that man…

“BO!”

“What…”

“Romeo just got another note from Juliet, cousin…”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence from Bo’s end…but when he did finally answer, he sounded furious.

“How the hell…you’re supposed to be watching him!” he exclaimed banging the dashboard with the CB in frustration.

“I was! She slipped it under the door!”

“Did you see who it was? What she looked like? Anything?!”

Daisy shook her head.  No…how could I?  I was with Luke…by the time I found it under the door she’d gone…”

Bo sighed hard, finally turning down the dusty road home.  “What’s it say?”

“Hang on,” said Daisy setting down the CB and opening the envelope carefully pulling out the paper inside.  “It…it’s a poem…”

“A poem?”

“Yeah…

The rose I sent is red…
Your eyes are crystal blue…
Your hair is dark as ebony….
My love for you is true…

 

…this is freakin’ me out Bo…” she added softly.

“I know…me too…” said Bo softly.  “Me too.”

****

Later that night, crickets were chirping outside Bo and Luke’s bedroom window when Luke trembled softly in his sleep, the drugs the Doc had knocked him out with wearing off, instantly feeling as if someone’s eyes were watching him.

He jumped a little as a soft voice soothed him gently, tracing a finger down his strong jaw-line.  “Shhh Luke…its ok…shhh…”

Luke quieted but, not recognizing the voice, began to blink and open his eyes.

The voice somehow gained a hand and ran it through his dark curls, as soft as his auntie once did but he knew it wasn’t her. There was something chilling about the touch, about the way this person was whispering…it felt strange…

“No…no…no baby….don’t wake up…its ok…just sleep…rest…”

Luke however was not one to take orders from strangers and blinked his eyes against the darkness, unable to see anything at first.  Slowly turning his head, a shadow came into view, sitting on the bed with him, causing Luke to whimper and attempt to sit up…only to find a hand quickly laid over his mouth and forcing him back down to the bed again.

“Luke…it’s ok…”

Luke shook his head a little, not understanding why he wasn’t able to fight the hands keeping him down. He guessed the drug hadn’t completely worn off him yet, a few more minutes would probably remedy that. Meantime, he quickly tried to wake up Bo.

“Mmm…mmm…”

“You shhh…or i’ll hurt him…,” said the voice without hesitation, almost in a soft, sing song voice…as if she was singing some twisted nursery rhyme more than actually threatening to hurt someone. It sure got Luke’s attention though, as he silenced and stopped moving quickly. The girl moved her hand with a smile, returning her hand to touching his dark curls again.

“There….that’s better.  Why you so frightened?  I’m not gonna hurt you…”

“Wh-who…”

“It’s me…” The shadow girl whispered softly, stroking a finger down his cheek again, tracing his clenched jaw line.

“But who are you?!” he demanded in a whisper.

“You don’t need to know that yet….it’s not important.”

Luke trembled, trying to scoot as far from the voice as he could get as more of the feeling in his body returned. The shadow shook its dark finger at him slowly though, emphasizing every haunting word it spoke.

“Ah ah ah…I’ll hurt him…I will…”

Trapped…that was how he felt as he stopped moving once again, feeling how he had felt in Nam when the enemy had surrounded him and his friends, forcing them down into the mud on their fronts and stripping them of their weapons…tying them so they could not escape…trapped.  He shuddered as the cool finger ran down the side of his face and down his bare chest, his well-defined muscles tensing under the touch.

“There now…just relax…I love you…I’ll take care of you.”

Luke Duke knew a lot of things, but fear had never truly been one of them. Scared, frightened, sometimes terrified…but fearful…pure fear…no…Now though, he could feel his throat tightening, his muscles twitching ever so slightly, his breathing becoming shallower with each word she spoke.

“You’re so handsome…so muscular…brave, “she continued, running a finger over his soft lips.  “We’ll be together soon.”  Leaning down, she brushed a tender, soft but cold kiss across his lips, running a hand though his hair, still enveloped by darkness.  “Kiss me.”

Afraid of what might happen to Bo if he didn’t, Luke complied, though tears he refused to let fall threatened his eyes.

She kissed him happily back, knowing the time was coming closer to when she could finally take him with her.  “Good boy…eventually…when you see me…you won’t need any encouragement… you’ll notice me like you should have done before…”

Luke swallowed hard, his stomach churning, feeling raw…violated.

“Its ok…I know a lot of other girls get in the way…you wouldn’t…notice meek lil ol’ me…but you do now…you will…and we’ll have fun…” she promised.

“F-fun?” asked Luke in a whisper, not at all sure he liked the sound of the word and wishing with all his heart that Bo could this one night be a light sleeper.

The shadow nodded.  “Mmmhmmm…like you do with the other girls…the way you look at them…treat them…”

“You w-watch me…” said Luke in a broken whisper.

“I can’t help it…I love you…all I ever wanted was you, but you never even gave me a second glance.  Even in high school…I did everything to get to you to notice me….”

“H-high school… we was… in school t’gether?”

“Yup.”

“Pl-please…just s-stop…please…” asked Luke softly.

“It’ll stop…very soon…we’ll meet each other properly…then you’ll see,” she began, running her hands over his muscles sending shivers up his spine…in anything but a good way.  “I know I scared you…and I’m sorry…you just make me do crazy things…make me think maybe we could be together…forever.”

Luke shook his head trying to call Bo in his mind, though he knew it would do no good, the way she was talking scaring him more than ever.

“Anyway…it doesn’t matter now.  I’ll give you something to help you go back to sleep so in the morning you’ll only remember a little of this at best…” she said softly.

“No…no…”

“It’s perfectly safe….it’s the same thing I gave Bo…”

Luke swallowed hard staring at her.  “You…you…”

“It’ll only last till the morning, just breathe deep.”  With that she held a cloth over Luke’s nose and mouth, him struggling a little before going limp beneath her hand.

****

The next morning, Bo was sitting in the living room, tapping his foot in time with the pen that was tapping the notepad in front of him.  He was still trying to work out who this stalker was, looking up as Luke stepped into the room in a trance-like state as if recalling a dream he wanted to forget.

“Luke?”

Luke walked around the farmhouse in response, pulling down shades at all the windows.

Frowning Bo stood up.  Something was very wrong.  “Luke what’s going on?”

“She was here…”

Bo sighed.  “We’ve established that Luke…” he said, shaking his head, grabbing hold of his cousin.  “Luke stop…”

The older cousin flinched as Bo touched him, causing the blond to frown worriedly.

“Luke…”

“Sh-she was here…last night.”

“What?!”  Bo scrambled to their room, in the hopes he might find a clue as Luke continued shutting doors.

An earring laid on the floor near the bed…an earring that looked vaguely familiar, though Bo couldn’t place it.  All he knew was that it couldn’t belong to Daisy- she couldn’t afford one like that even if she saved her tips all year long.

Luke meanwhile had wandered back into the bedroom looking a bit pale.

“Luke…” he began hating the fearful look in his cousin’s eyes.  “When you think about it…its just a girl…and I know its weird she keeps leaving ya stuff and somehow getting in the house… I’d be weirded out too but…”

“She kissed me,” interrupted Luke softly.

“What?”

“She kissed me,” he repeated with a shudder.

“When?!” demanded the blond angrily clutching the earring in his hand.

“L-last night.”

“Luke you sure you weren’t dreamin’?”

The older cousin nodded.  “I’m sure.”

Bo sighed, shaking his head.  “This is ridiculous.”

Luke wasn’t sure if ridiculous was the word he would use… terrifying was more like it.

****

 

“Please come…it’ll do ya good t’ get outa the house,” pleaded Bo giving his cousin his best puppy dog eyes.

“I don’t wanna.”

“Luke, come on…Amanda’s friend is countin’ on ya showin’ her around…please Luke…”

The older boy sighed which Bo took as a good sign that he was at least considering it.  It was time to sell the product.  “Amanda says she’s real pretty.  Big blue eyes….dark hair…”

“Bo…”

“Long legs…”

“Bo please…”

“Come on…got yer costume all ready for ya!” he added holding up a red devil’s tail and set of horns with a grin.

Luke couldn’t help but laugh a little.  “If I’m a devil what are you gonna be?”

Bo dimpled innocently up at him.  “An angel…what else?”

Luke shook his head, cuffing Bo playfully.  He could say this about Bo…. the youngest Duke always had a way of making him smile.  “Alright…I’ll go…for a bit…but if I ain’t havin’ a good time, I’m goin’ home…”

“Deal!” grinned Bo.  “C’mon…I don’t gotta make myself pretty but you could use some work…”

“Oh ha ha ha…what a funny guy,” muttered Luke with a smirk as the two walked back to their room to get changed for the evening.

Hours later, the boys could be found heading into the Boar’s Nest wearing their retrospective costumes. Bo was dressed as the Grim Reaper while Luke was, as Bo had showed him, the devil. In fact, Luke thought with a small smirk, Bo must be really taking the role he was playing seriously…seeing as right now he was, Luke was sure, trying to talk Luke to death about the date he had found.

“Now Amanda said she’d have a cat mask on,” Bo chattered away, not realizing that Luke wasn’t really listening to everything, thinking to himself he’d have her purring before the night was over.  And her friend’s gonna be the butterfly…”

Luke nodded, only half hearing him.  It had been a while since he’d been out anywhere and he found himself immidiatly scanning the crowded place anxiously.

“Hey…look,” said Bo pointing as they immediately got waved at when they were barely two steps into the place.

“Hey Bo…Hey Luke…,” called Amanda going to them.  “Luke this is Laura….”

Luke gave a small, almost shy nod.  “Nice t’ meet ya.”

Bo grinned, wrapping his arm around Amanda’s waist and pulling her close, looking down at her with a grin.  “Dance?”

“You bet.” Amanda replied with a giggle.

Together, they went out to the barn floor, two-stepping with the other couples while Luke and Laura stayed behind. For hours Bo could be seen dancing and having a good time…Luke meanwhile had stayed firmly at the bar, not being able to tear himself away from the vantage point he had on being able to scan the room.  He just wasn’t in the party mood as he had tried to tell his head strong younger cousin, and instead of having a good time like he usually would he was bored and tense. Laura had left him long ago, gone to seek out some other form of amusement or a better date he assumed…so was surprised when she headed back over and signaled outside, no one really being able to speak to each other with all the noise.

Although he was tense and wary of just about everything, Luke felt the need to get out of the noise and the claustrophobic atmosphere that had settled in the popular hang out spot and found himself nodding in agreement as he slid off his bar stool and quietly made his way outside with her. Somehow, he noticed, their hands had joined together but he didn’t think much of it as they both slowly and consensually headed away from the Boar’s Nest.

The stars were out that night and so was the full moon, casting its eerie glow over them. However it was still dark, so dark in fact that Luke never noticed that the woman he was with…was missing a rather expensive earring…

To be continued….

by: Meadowmufn

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane sat in his patrol car, perched on the crest of a hill overlooking one of the main country roads in Hazzard county. His eyes strained to keep watch in the waning light. He hated working Halloween night, as there were more calls than usual, mostly about juvenile delinquents playing tricks on the Hazzard citizenry.

Several hours passed uneventfully and Rosco dozed off. Flash napped next to him, her head resting on his left leg. Suddenly, the cb crackled to life, the voice on the other end jolting Rosco awake. He grabbed the mike and responded, “Sheriff Roscoooo P. Coltrane, heah. What is it, Enos?”

“Sheriff, I just got a report from ol’ Russell Crawford. He said he saw some dark figures out in the cemetery a little while ago.”

“Oh, Enos. It’s probably just some kids gettin’ into some Halloween mischief. They’ll be long gone by the time I get there,” Rosco replied.

“I don’t know ‘bout that, Sheriff. Russell says he still hears some noises out there. Been goin’ on for near an hour now,” Enos explained.

Rosco sighed and rolled his eyes. “Ok, Enos. I’ll head on out there n’ check it out.” Rosco slammed the cb mike back on the hook and roused Flash from her spot on his lap. “C’mon, Flash. We got some official p’lice business.” He took a deep breath. “At the cemetery…”

Rosco started his patrol car and headed down the hill, lights flashing, but siren silent. Within a few minutes, he pulled up to the gates of the cemetery. He grabbed his flashlight, patted Flash on the head, and stood for a minute looking through the gates of the cemetery in apprehension.

By now, it was completely dark. He could barely see the dark monuments and tombstones rising from the ground. He clicked on his flashlight, but it quickly flickered out. He angled it up to look at the bulb and shook it. The beam flickered back on, blinding the sheriff. “Jit! Jit!” he exclaimed, dropping the flashlight on his foot. He picked up the flashlight and rubbed his eyes.

The sheriff pushed open the cemetery gates and they gave way slowly with an audible groan. Rosco hesitantly stepped forward, a sudden cold breeze freezing him in his tracks. He looked back at Flash leaning her head over the patrol car door, the blue and red lights flashing in the eerily silent night.

He turned back towards the cemetery, summoned all the courage he had, and proceeded forward. The beam of the flashlight swept over the weathered grave markers, casting dancing shadows on the trees and tombstones behind. The sheriff’s heart slammed against his ribs with each step.

The wind picked up again, cutting straight through him. Rosco grabbed the lapels of his jacket with one hand and held them together as best he could. His heart nearly stopped as he swore he heard his name spoken through the chilly gusts. Sheeeriifffff!! Sheeeriiiifff Roscoooo?! 

“Ooh jit!” Rosco whipped around, flashing a beam of light on a statue of an angel. He nearly dropped his flashlight at the sight. He backed slowly away, shaking from fright and shivering from the cold. He heard the voice calling his name again, clearer than before.Rooooscooooooo!  It made him jump, causing him to lose his footing. He found himself struggling to maintain his balance, arms flailing. The flashlight fell forward and landed on the grass, while Rosco fell backwards into an open grave.

The hole was deep and dark. He cowered in one of the corners, terrified. He could make out a dark figure in the grave with him. It called his name again, “Rosco?” Rosco tried to scramble up the side of the grave. With each attempt, more dirt rained down into the hole. “You can’t get out,” the figure spoke.

Out of pure terror, Rosco jumped as high was he could, grabbing a hand full of grass at the edge of the grave. He managed to get a foot hold and pull himself out. He bolted through the cemetery tripping over tombstones and stumbling as he ran.

He spared one glance back only to see the beam of the flashlight dancing, projecting out from the bottom of the open grave. He slid to a stop by his patrol car door, his hands shaking so hard that it took several attempts to grab the handle and open it. The patrol car roared to life and spit gravel and dirt as it tore down the road out of sight.

Back in the grave, Hobie sighed in resignation. He’d fallen into the grave a few hours ago after wandering into the cemetery in a drunken stupor. He’d tried futilely to climb out of the grave himself and thought perhaps Rosco could give him a hand. He’d have to wait til morning for the mortician to bring a ladder. Well, at least he left me his flashlight, he thought.

By Brazeau

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

As often as the unexpected happened in Hazzard, some of which eventually became run of the mill, more often than not on a quiet fall evening it was the ordinary everyday occurrences that kept the local Sheriff busy.  A call into the Boar’s Nest about a fight, breaking up races on some back country road, or supervising Cooter as he pulled his deputy’s car out of a ditch, pond, or what have you. Yep, it was those quiet fall evenings where the ordinary undertakings had a way of lulling a man into a state in which he wasn’t quite prepared for anything beyond the commonplace. And this night just so happened to be one such night.

Sheriff Rosco Coltrane was just returning to his patrol after being called into Boss’ office at the Boar’s Nest for yet another tirade concerning Enos’ lack of understanding when it came to the shadier side of Hazzard politics. Rosco had had just about enough and was about to voice his opinion when the Boss’ phone rang and he was dismissed. There was something about the crisp night air, the smell of the leaves, and the harvest moon that always took Rosco back to his early days in uniform, back when he put justice before money. As he walked out through the Bar and saw all the Halloween decorations Daisy had put up, and the little Cat costume she had on, Rosco decided he better do a run through town to make sure the youngest members of Hazzard were enjoying their night in a safe manner. Nothing every happened on Halloween in Hazzard and Rosco aimed to keep it that way.

As he slid into the driver’s seat of his patrol car and started it up he grabbed the cb mic and called Enos.

“Enos, you got yer ears on? Come back.”

He didn’t need to wait long for the reply.

“Right here Sheriff.”

Rosco rolled his eyes. “Where’s here, Enos?”

“I’m in town square, keepin’ an eye on all the tricker-treaters, Sheriff.”

“Alright. I’m gonna do a pass through town before I head out to do mah regular patrol. Have there been any problems?”

“Well, one little ghost tripped and spilled their candy but it was nothing that I couldn’t handle.”

Rosco could practically hear Enos smiling through the cb. “I’m gone.”

Rosco pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road back towards town, the wind was blowing clouds past the moon, alternatively bathing the county in cool light and darkness. Rosco couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran up his spine but he dismissed it as being due to the weather.

 

It wasn’t long before Rosco’s patrol car was slowly cruising the streets of the town, the soft glow of pumpkins adding much needed warmth to the night. He smiled as he watched the children making their was eagerly from house to house, comparing their respective hauls, jumping out at each other from behind bushes, and chasing each other across lawns. Rosco rolled down his window to warn a cowboy and an angel not to run out into the street. They smiled and said “Yes Sheriff.” in chorus; the little angel offered him a candy which he gladly took.  Laughter and playful screams carried on the cool autumn breeze as Rosco finished his drive through the town. He pulled even with Enos who was parked next to the town square, the deputy has a wistful look on his face.

“You wish you were still allowed to tricker-treat, don’t you?” Rosco asked with a smile.

“Yah.” Enos responded.

“Keep a close eye on those little ones, boy.” He reached out and patted his deputy’s arm. “I’ll be out on patrol.”

“Yes Sheriff.”

 

As the lights of town faded and then disappeared from his rear view mirror Rosco flipped on his high beams and rolled his window back up as the breeze wiped past and nearly drew tears from his eyes. He sighed as he looked at his watch and counted the hours until he could be home in bed. The roads were nearly deserted and the few he did pass were headed down their laneways after picking up their children from town. Besides it being Halloween the evening was shaping up like any other, if not quieter. Rosco had driven these roads so often that he barely paid any attention, he knew every twist and turn by heart, his hands turned the wheel exactly as needed and not a bit more.  Rosco liked having this time alone with his thoughts, though the Boss would accuse him of never having any; it was one part of the job that even Boss couldn’t deny him.

Rosco realized he had become lost in his thoughts when a huge gust of wind kicked up a swirl of leaves and dust, momentarily blinding him. Rosco slowed his car and tried to figure out just exactly where he was when a figure came tearing out onto the road in front of him. Rosco slammed on his brakes and breathed a sigh of relief when he narrowly avoided hitting the person. He then jumped out of the car and started towards the person who was standing like a deer frozen in the headlights.

“Are you outta yer mind? Running out in front a mah car?” Rosco half yelled as he approached. “You coulda got yerself killed with a stunt like that.”

When the person didn’t respond Rosco reached out and touched their arm, the motion seemed to stir the person from their trance and they grasp the startled Sheriff by the arms and turned two frightened blue eyes upon him.

“You have to help me! They’re after me!” The person screamed in near hysterics.

It was at that point that Rosco realized this was a woman. She was in a terrible state, her hair and face matted with dirt and blood. Tears cut a swath through the filth on her cheeks, her eyes were red and swollen, her clothes in tatters, and her feet were bare and bleeding. She continued to cry and ramble until Rosco found his voice again.

“Hold on a minute, who’s after you?”

The woman clutched the Sheriff’s arms tighter as the wind howled past; causing the leaves to created an incredible racket in the absence of all other sounds. “Those men! Please help me!” She pleaded, burying her face in his chest.

Rosco suddenly felt very vulnerable standing out in the open on the road and illuminated in the brightness of his head lights. He began to guide the woman to his car when the sounds of someone crashing through the underbrush drew a terrified scream from the woman who clung to the sheriff as though he were the only thing standing between her and death. For all Rosco knew that may very well have been the truth.  Rosco tried to usher the woman to his car but she seemed frozen in terror.

“Get in the car!” He urged her, pushing her in that direction as turned to face whatever threat was rushing down the hillside towards them. He pulled his revolver from his belt, readied it, and sought the protection offered him by standing behind the front end of his patrol car. A quick look over his right shoulder told him the woman had not moved an inch.

“Either get in the car or get down on the ground!” He yelled returning his attention back to the hillside. Rosco couldn’t see a thing, the moon had slid behind a cloud and they were blanketed in shadow. The sounds had stopped but Rosco could feel eyes staring down at him. He scanned the side of the road but was unable to make out any shape that would resemble a human being. Branches and bushes rustled in the wind, obscuring his view of the woman’s assailants.

“How many are there?” Rosco asked turning back to the quaking woman, hoping she had sense enough to answer. But the woman he saw barely resembled the woman who had ran out onto the road moments ago. She was no longer a shaking, weeping mess.  Her hands no longer trembled as she raised the blackjack above her head, the moon light washed back over them in time for Rosco to see the grim smile on her face just before the blackjack connected with his temple. Lights sparked in his vision, and then there was only darkness.

 

The woman stood over the form of the fallen sheriff, bathed in the pale blue light of the moon. She wiped her bloody hands on her tattered shirt; the blood came off easily, leaving no trace of injuries below. She ran her sleeve across her face to rid herself of the fake blood as a man emerged from the cover of the trees on the roadside.

“That went well, wouldn’t you say?” The man said, coming to stand next to the patrol car.

“He never had a chance.” The woman smiled back. “Get him in the car. We have work to do.”

The man hauled the unconscious Sheriff into the back seat of the patrol car, tossing his black Stetson in after him, and pocketing the pearl handled colt. The woman climbed into the passenger’s seat as he slid in behind the wheel.

“Where to, Jo-Dee?” The man asked flashing a roguish smile to his counterpart as the Fury tore off.

“You know where to Dale. This ain’t a time for messin’ around neither.” Jo-Dee snapped back, she was using the passenger mirror to try and clean up her face. “I want to be long gone from this county before sunrise.”

“We will be. We got the sheriff and more importantly his key ring, which translates as insurance and success in mah books.” Dale said. “We’ll be in and outta that bank before Boss Hogg knows what hit him.”

Dale slowed the patrol car as they approached a small path and came to a stop. Both he and Jo-Dee jumped out, Dale pulled Rosco from the back seat and slung him over his shoulders. Jo-Dee headed off down the path and Dale followed. Just out of sight from the road they stopped in front of a tan sedan, Jo-Dee opened the back door for Dale who dumped the sheriff inside.

“Put his cuffs to good use, why dontcha?” Jo-Dee suggested.

“You belted him pretty good Darlin’. I ain’t sure he’ll be up so soon.” Dale mused even as he was moving to carry out her suggestion. He cuffed Rosco’s hands behind his back and slammed the door. “You almost ready?” He asked Jo-Dee.

“Hold yer horses!” Jo-Dee was using a bottle of water to rise the grim from her hair and skin. She quickly towelled off and changed into some clothing more conducive to robbing a bank. “Alright, let’s go.”

The sedan pulled out on to the road, leaving the patrol car in their dust. Jo-Dee pulled a blanket out from under her seat and threw it over the prone body of the sheriff as Dale steered them towards Hazzard.

 

Back in Hazzard Square Enos was getting ready to call it a night. The children were long off the streets as it was nearing midnight and almost all the jack-o-lanterns were either burnt out or extinguished. He parked his car in front of the court house and locked it up for the night. He jogged up the court house steps and into the Sheriff’s Station. Enos dropped his log book off at his desk and was about to head home when he decided he should call the Sheriff and check in one last time. He walked over to the cb and tried to raise Rosco.

“This is Deputy Enos Strait calling Sheriff Rosco Coltrane. Come in Sheriff.”

Enos waited a minute but when no reply came he tried again. “You got yer ears on Sheriff? Come back?”

Once again there was no reply. Enos took a deep breath to steady his quickly fraying nerves and headed to his patrol car having decided to trace the Sheriff’s patrol route before raising an alarm. He hoped the older man’s cb was simply on the fritz.

 

Jo-Dee and Dale had heard the Deputy trying to raise the Sheriff and realized their time frame for robbing the bank was shrinking by the minute. When they didn’t hear Enos try and call for help they concluded that the Deputy was most likely going to try and find the Sheriff himself.

“It won’t be long before he finds that empty patrol car.” Dale stated.  Their car had just pulled onto the main street and the town was deserted because of the late hour. He drove slowly through the streets in an attempt to not draw any attention to themselves and came to a stop in the alley adjacent to the bank.

“Let’s do this.” Jo-Dee smiled. “Better bring him … just in case.” She instructed as she removed Rosco’s key ring from his belt. “I’ll get the door.” Jo-Dee quietly exited the car and, checking to see if anyone was around, stepped up to the side door and used the Sheriff’s master key to open it. She slipped inside and held the door open for Dale as he carried in Rosco.

“Where are the tools?”Jo-Dee asked Dale as he laid Rosco down by the vault.

“I left them in the trunk. I’ll be right back.”

Jo-Dee took a look at the vault they were about to break in to and let out a low whistle. “This could take longer than he thinks.”

 

The first thing Rosco became aware of was the pounding pain in his head. He squeezed his eyes tight before trying to open them. He blinked several times to try and clear his vision and hoped the buzzing in his ears would soon pass. As it slowly faded out and his vision became clear he realized he was lying on the floor of the Boss’ bank. He tried to bring a hand to his head but found he was unable to move them. ‘Handcuffs?’ Rosco questioned. ‘Why am I handcuffed?’

“Did you know how state of the art this vault was, Dale?” Rosco heard a woman say.

‘What on earth is going on?’ Rosco wondered. At this point recognizing that is was best to remain silent.

“No, Jo-Dee, I did not.” A man replied. He heard a crash as what sounded like a bag full of tools hit the floor.

Rosco’s thought process was a bit laboured at the moment. His head was throbbing. He couldn’t figure out how he had come to be laying, handcuffed on the floor of the Hazzard bank. These two were clearly intent on breaking into the vault; all Rosco could see was their feet at the moment as Boss’ desk was obscuring them from his view. He tried to think back to the last thing he could recall before coming to. He remembered going out on patrol, nothing out of the ordinary there, the roads were deserted … had something ran out into the road … an animal? Just then the woman stepped far enough round the desk that Rosco caught sight of her face and it all came rushing back. Her face in his headlights contorted by fear and then moments later her face in the moonlight wearing a sadistic grin, right before she had knocked him cold. She turned to look at him and Rosco quickly closed his eyes, feigning unconsciousness.

“Just get to work, Dale.” She hissed.

Rosco heard her moving closer and then felt someone kick his boot.

“Hurry up, Dale! I wanna get outta here. I don’t want a repeat of what happen in Sommerville.”

“Having to shoot our hostage?” Dale asked a slight tone of pleasure in his voice.

“No you idiot! Not getting away with the money!”

“Right.”

“Let’s just be done before anyone catches onto us this time.”

While Rosco tried to control his heart as it hammered against his ribcage he sent up a silent pray that someone already had.

 

Out on the road Enos had had no luck in finding Rosco. With every turn he made he hoped he would find the Sheriff on the other side fixing a flat or something of that nature, but so far each turn had only helped to heighten his anxiety.

“Where are you, Sheriff?” Enos wondered aloud, wringing the steering wheel with his hands.

As he made the next turn his heart leapt as his headlights bounced off the familiar white of a Hazzard County Patrol car. Enos pulled up alongside and looked around but there was no sign of the Sheriff. He put the car in park and unsnapped the safety clip on his holster before exiting the car. Something didn’t feel quite right. The first thing the Deputy noticed was the set of tire tracks leading out from the small path next to the Sheriff’s car. It looked as though they were headed towards town. Enos pulled his flashlight off his belt and shone it into the patrol car and what he saw in the back seat made his stomach drop. The Sheriff’s black Stetson lay on the floor and there was blood on the back seat.

Enos immediately ran back to his car and grabbed the cb. “This is Deputy Enos Strait calling Boss Hogg.” Enos tried several times before realizing that the county commissioner was most likely fast asleep at this time of the night.

“Enos, this is Luke Duke. What’s so urgent that you’d risk waking Boss up over?” Luke’s voice crackled across the radio.

“Luke, the Sheriff is missing. I just found his car here on South Hollow road. His hat is here and there is blood on the back seat. There’s a set of tire tracks leading back towards town.”

The cb was silent for a moment before Jesse Duke’s voice filtered through. “Enos this is Uncle Jesse. Just stay calm; Bo and Luke are coming out ta meet ya. Me and Daisy will go tell Boss.”

“Thanks Uncle Jesse.”

 

Not ten minutes later the General Lee Slide to a stop behind Enos’ patrol car. Luke and Bo wasted no time in jumping out of the car and running up to their worried friend.

“Any sign of Rosco?” Bo asked.

Enos shook his head. “No, I checked the woods over here, there are some foot prints leading that way and then the tire tracks heading off yonder but no sign of the Sheriff.”

Luke was leant over in the back of Rosco’s car. “Maybe they took him with them, which means they must need him for something.”

Bo knelt down next to the tire tracks; “These do look like they’re headed towards town.”

“Well, then that’s where we start looking.” Luke straightened up and leaned on the hood of the car. “Why would someone take Rosco back to Hazzard?”

“What could he possibly have that they’d need?” Bo questioned.

Luke snapped his fingers. “Maybe it’s not something he has but something he has access to!”

“Like the court house?” Enos asked.

“Or the bank!” Bo and Luke exclaimed in unison.

And with that discovery the three climbed into their respective cars and tore off towards Hazzard.

“Should we risk using the cb to warn Jesse and Daisy?” Bo asked his older cousin as they raced towards town.

“No. Whoever has Rosco could be monitoring it, we don’t want him in any more trouble than he already is.” Luke replied. “We’ll just have to pray they don’t get tangle up in this before we have the chance to warn them.”

 

Jesse’s pick up pulled up alongside the curb in front of J.D.’s house and Daisy made to hop out real quick when her uncle grasped her arm.

“Best let me do the talking, Daisy. We don’t know what’s happened and don’t want any one assuming the worst just yet.”

Daisy nodded. “Right. Lulu can never handle these things all that well.”

“That’s why I am only fixin’ on tellin’ J.D. at this point.”  Jesse replied.

And with that the two made their way up to the Commissioner’s house and knocked on the door. Jesse was prepared to wait for a few minutes for a response so when the door flew open almost immediately it caught both he and Daisy by surprise.

“Oh J.D., you almost gave me a heart attack.” Jesse said holding his hand to his chest.

J.D.’s scowling face didn’t soften as he stood there in his night shirt. “What do you mean by rapping on a man’s door at this hour, Jesse? You’re interrupting my evening snack.” He took a bite out of the chicken leg clutched in his hand.

“Before I start, J.D. is Lulu awake?”

“Not unless your knocking woke her, no.”

“Rosco is missing-“

“Don’t come tah my home in the middle of the night to complain about that pea-brain.” J.D. started to close the door but Jesse forcefully stopped it.

“J.D. you better listen closely! Enos found Rosco’s car out on South Hollow road. There was blood on the back seat and no sign of him.”

“This ain’t one of your shuck n’ jives is it, Jesse?” Boss asked, his chicken leg quickly forgotten.

Jess merely shook his head.

“I didn’t think so.”

“Enos said there were car tracks heading back inta town.” Daisy supposed aloud. “Maybe someone found him and brought him back to the courthouse and he just ain’t called in yet to let anyone know.”

Jesse looked at Daisy. “I suppose that’s possible.” He turned to J.D. “Do you want to go and check it out?”

“Just let me get some pants on.”

 

Back at the bank things weren’t going so well for Dale and Jo-Dee, which meant things weren’t looking good for Rosco.

“Damn! I just can’t make a dent in this thing!” Dale cursed as he tossed the blow torch he was holding at the floor.

Rosco winched as it struck his leg but kept quiet as he didn’t want to become the next outlet for the man’s anger. They hadn’t so much as given him a second thought and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He kept hoping that this was some bad dream brought on by Halloween and he was really just at home in bed, but with each passing minute that became less and less of a  possibility.

“I heard he was the most crooked and cheap Boss around, why is this taking you so long!” Jo-Dee fumed.

“This ain’t no two-bit safe, Jo-Dee! Fort Knox has less sophisticated stuff than this!”

Rosco couldn’t help but smile at their frustration. Boss was cheap alright, except when it came to protecting his investments. Rosco’s smile fell from his face at Dale’s next words.

“Is he awake yet? Maybe he knows the combination.”

Rosco tried not to let his body stiffen up as they approached him but to continue to appear unconscious.

“Hey!” Jo-Dee yelled in his ear.

It took all of Rosco’s concentration not to flinch. He didn’t resist as he was rolled onto his back.

“Try slapping his face.” Dale suggested.

As the woman started slapping his face none to gently Rosco realized he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. He soon decided that it would be better for him to ‘wake up’ sooner than for them to continue to get angrier and angrier with him. He slowly opened his eyes after one particularly hash slap and tried his best to look confused.

“Hey Sheriff. Have a nice nap?” Jo-Dee asked as she grasped his collar and pulled him up so that he was leaning against the desk.

Rosco’s head swam at the sudden change in position. He tried to blink away the fog that was currently clouding his vision as Jo-Dee continued to talk, his collar still clutched tightly in her hands.

“Do you know the combination for this safe, Sheriff?”

When he didn’t answer straight away she jerked him forward and slammed him back against the desk, making his already aching head pound painfully.

“No.”

“You lying ta me, Sheriff?” She asked, distain dripping from each syllable of the word ‘sheriff’.

“No.” Rosco cleared his throat.”Why would I know the combination ta the bank vault?”

“I dunno,” Dale said as he sauntered towards them. “Maybe cause it might just save yer life one day.”

“I don’t know it.” Rosco repeated. “Besides even if I did, it’s on a time lock system and won’t open til nine in the morning.”

Jo-Dee shot a look of fury at Dale before turning back to Rosco. “You just think yer so smart don’t you?”

Rosco did not like where this was headed.

“Look lady, there ain’t nothin’ I cin do ta open that safe and there ain’t nothin’ you cin do ta me that will change that.”

“You think we won’t wait here, huh? You think we’ll just give up now and leave without that cash? We’ll just wait here til nine and when the person with the combination comes in then we’ll get what we came for.” She said with a look akin to insanity in her eyes.

“Hold on a minute, Jo-Dee. I don’t think that is a good idea.” Dale said. “We should just get outta here now and find some other podunk town to rip off.”

Jo-Dee finally released Rosco’s collar and turned on her partner. “I ain’t leavin’ here without mah money!”

Dale raised his hands in defeat and backed up a few paces. “Awright. We stay and wait.”

 

Jesse, J.D., and Daisy quickly made their way up the steps of the Hazzard Courthouse and hurried into the Sheriff’s station only to find that no one was there. The look of hope that Boss had worn all the way there quickly fell as his eyes searched the darkened office.  Daisy put a consoling hand on his arm.

“I’m sure he’s fine Boss.” Daisy said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

Jesse was about to speak when the sound of footfalls echoed through the empty hallway and Bo, Luke, and Enos burst through the swinging doors.

“Uncle Jesse! I am glad to see you here.” Luke stared, trying to catch his breath.

“What’s goin’ on?” Jesse asked.

“Have you found Rosco?” Boss demanded.

The three younger men exchanged a glance before Luke proceeded. “We think we might have figured out what’s going on. We just need to make sure we’re right before we go any further.”

“What on earth are you talkin’ about?” Daisy questioned.

“We think that someone or some people grabbed Rosco to get access to somewhere only he and a few others can.” Luke explained.

A huge intake of breath could be heard. “My bank!” Boss exclaimed.

“Exactly. Now we figure they took Rosco because they think he knows how to open the vault … or as insurance of some sort.” Luke continued.

“Which means they are probably all over there at this very minute.” Jesse finished.

Luke nodded. “We need to figure out how to get Rosco out of there safely, how many people are in there, and how dangerous they are.”

“Well how on earth do you propose we do that?” Boss bellowed.

“Take it easy J.D.. Now if I know my boys they will have some kinda shuck n’ jive all lined up.” Jesse stated turning to face his nephews. “Don’t cha boys?”

“Well,” Luke started.

“Not exactly. At this point it’s more of a …  vague outline.” Bo finished.

“We’re gonna need some more hands in on this. Daisy could you go get Cooter?” Luke asked.

“On my way.” Daisy said, already making her way to the door.

“Boss, you, Enos, and Uncle Jesse stay here. Bo and I are gonna go and see if our hunch is right and how many folks we’re dealin’ with here.” Luke said, patting his cousin on the arm as they turned and set off for the bank.

“You boys be careful now.” Jesse warned.

“When aren’t we?” Bo smiled and the door swung shut behind him.

“Is he serious?” Boss cried in exasperation.

 

Once outside Bo and Luke stopped in front of the courthouse and tried to figure out the safest way to go about seeing into the bank. They settled on going around the town square and coming up from behind by Rick’s pool hall, believing they would be less likely to be seen by this route. It took them only a few minutes to make their way around and they were soon crouched beneath one of the bank’s windows.

“That car looks about the right size to have left those tire marks.” Bo surmised.

“If there’s blood on the backseat it’s a sure thing.” Luke commented.

Taking his cue from his cousin, Bo crawled over to the car and peeked in the back window. The light from the street lamp showed a large red splotch on the tan fabric. Bo swiftly ducked back down and slid back over to where Luke was waiting.

“It’s the car alright.” He whispered.

Luke nodded and cautiously peered into the bank. The shades were almost drawn completely shut and he couldn’t make out anything definitively. He motioned for Bo to follow him and the two made their way in a crouched run to check the other windows. They were back on the courthouse side before they had any luck. Luke was able to see a dim light shinning and two people standing by the vault but nothing else.

“What’d ya see?” Bo asked.

“There’s two people in there by the vault. I can’t see Rosco but I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts he’s in there.” Luke slid out of sight of the window and ran back to the courthouse, Bo close on his heels.

 

Rosco wasn’t feeling very optimistic about his current predicament. The more time seemed to pass the less stable Jo-Dee appeared to be. He tried to keep quiet and as out of the way as he could but every so often she just seemed to boil over with rage and come at him again, accusing him of withholding the combination from her. The latest round had left Rosco’s ears ringing and his nose a bloodied mess. She’d eventually given up and turned her anger against the vault, which Rosco much preferred. It was then in the reflection of a knocked over lamp that Rosco had seen what he was sure was Luke Duke’s face. He didn’t believe it at first but sure enough there it was. Rosco had almost smiled; when he realized that Dale’s gaze was following his. Rosco nudged the lamp ever so slightly with his foot so that Luke’s reflection was no longer visible.

“What’s so interesting, Sheriff?”

Rosco shrugged. “Got a hankie?”

Dale shook his head and turned his attention back to his partner’s attack on the vault.

Rosco let out a breath of relief. He sat back against the desk and tried to relax and gather his wits about him.  If the Duke’s were involved now he was going to have to be ready for anything.

 

Boss was growing impatient. Not only was his brother-in-law (and friend) in danger, but there were people trying to rob his bank at that very moment. He had almost charged out twice while waiting for Bo and Luke to return but Enos and Cooter had stopped him.

“Hold yer horses now, Boss.” Cooter soothed. “They’ll be back in a minute.”

“They’d better be. Knowing them boys they’re in on in! Yer all in on it!” J.D. hollered.

“J.D.! You know full and well my boys would never do a thing like that. Now you sit down and shut yer yap. They’ll get here when they get here.” Jesse remonstrated.

As if on cue Bo and Luke entered the office.

“Well?” Jesse asked.

“There are two people in there, a man and a woman. They most likely have Rosco with them.” Luke said.

“What do you mean ‘most likely’?” Cooter asked.

“The car that sitting out front has the right wheel width and there is blood on the back seat.” Bo explained.

“But?” Jesse prodded.

“Luke didn’t see Rosco in there so they could have…” Bo let his voice trail off.

No one in the room needed to have that possibility explained to them.

“But Luke reckons they keep him, for insurance purposes, we just couldn’t see in past the bank’s balustrade.”

“So now what?” Cooter prompted. “How do we get ol’Rosco outta there?”

“I need to think.” Luke said, much to the disappointment of everyone in the room. But after only a few minutes he snapped his fingers. “Enos, you got any recent mug books?”

 

After twenty minutes of pouring over the mug books and more recent hot sheets Luke found what he was looking for.

“This is them.” He held up a hot sheet with the photo of a man and a woman on it but it was the writing below that caught everyone’s attention.

Dale Mitchell and Jo-Dee Winters wanted for 4 counts of armed robbery and one count of first degree murder. Suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.

“How does this help us?” Daisy asked.

“We can use this against them. Look here, it’s the name of the man they murdered. Harold Green. I think I just came up with a plan.” Luke grinned.

 

Back in the bank Rosco was watching the clock and wondering if he hadn’t just imagined Luke’s face. He had taken more than a few blows to the head recently. Thankfully Jo-Dee had seemed to tire herself out and was sitting with her back against the now chipped, scratched, and charred face of Boss’s vault. If it wasn’t obvious that this woman was unstable before it sure was now. She seemed caught up in a fit of hysterics, rocking and crying as Dale tried to comfort her.

“Why doesn’t anything ever work out the way I want it to?” She bawled. “I try ma best.”

“I know you do Darlin’.” Dale said trying to pacify her. “It’ll be mornin’ soon and we’ll get that vault open and you’ll get exactly what you want.”

Rosco could have almost laughed at the scene if he wasn’t so alarmed. As it was he was just praying he would make it out of this in one piece. He could see the clock on the bank wall from where he was sitting, it was almost four in the morning, and knew it had been almost two hours since he had thought he had seen Luke.

“Would it make you feel better if you got to shoot the Sheriff?”

Rosco head snapped round as he heard Dale speak these words.

“We need him alive or else no one will give us the safe combination.” Jo-Dee countered, though she visibly cheered at the thought.

“You don’t have to kill him. You could shoot him in the arm or the leg.” Dale suggested, pulling Rosco’s gun from his waist band and holding it out for her.

Jo-Dee reached out and took the gun from Dale’s hand, turning it over and running her fingers along the barrel and handle.

Rosco sat up a bit straighter and pulled at the cuffs that held his wrists together behind his back. “Now wait a minute here! You don’t wanna do this.”

“Why not? You’ll live… at least until midday.” Jo-Dee smiled, a strange peace replacing the earlier hysterics.

“Go ahead Baby, pick yer shot.” Dale urged, moving out of the way so the woman had a clear path between her and Rosco.

Jo-Dee stood and moved closer to the Sheriff, the gun clasp tightly in her pale hands. “I need to be close enough to make sure I don’t miss.”

A million thoughts were racing through Rosco’s head; could he run, kick the gun from her hand– Any further thoughts were dashed from his mind as something was pressed against his temple and the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back filled his ears.

“Don’t move a muscle.” Dale whispered, leaning over the back of the desk.

Rosco had no choice but to comply as Jo-Dee stood over him with the gun weaving back and forth as she tried to decide on where she was going to shoot him. Rosco squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the searing pain he was sure was about to come when instead of a gun blast his ears were met with the sound of shattering glass.

Rosco opened his eyes and saw that all the bank windows had shattered simultaneously. Dale and Jo-Dee had ducked for cover, Rosco thought he might be able to make a break for it when Dale grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back down behind the desk with himself and Jo-Dee.

“Stay where you are Sheriff.” Dale’s voice betrayed his fear but the hand that held his gun was steady.

The lights in the bank went out abruptly, just long enough for their eyes to adjust, before the remains of the shades were torn down and incredibly bright lights blast in from outside effectively blinding them. Rosco ducked his face away when suddenly a loud voice spoke, breaking the silence.

“Jooo-Dee, Daaaale”. The voice had an ethereal quality to it. “This is Harold Greeeeen speaking.”

The two robbers exchanged a confused glance behind Sheriff’s back while Rosco smiled as he realized that this scenario had Duke fingerprints all over it.

“Harold Green?” Dale asked. “Wasn’t that the-”

“Do you remember me? From Sommerville?”

“It can’t be?!” Jo-Dee asked, terror creeping up on her features, edging her voice.

Smoke started to drift in across the floor and the lights began to flash as rumbling filled the air.

“I’ve come for vengeance, you two need to pay for your crimes!”

Rosco hoped Luke wasn’t laying it on to thick, but chances were these two were just about gullible enough to buy it.

A ghostly figure appeared in amongst the smoke and lights. Immediately Dale and Jo-Dee started firing at it, Rosco saw this as his opportunity to put some distance between himself and his abductors and began to squeeze out from between them and make for the nearest exit. He held his breath as he scooted backwards while Dale and Jo-Dee continued to shoot at the gliding figure and were confounded as to why the bullets seemed to just pass through without doing it any harm.

Seeing that they had yet to notice his distancing himself from them; Rosco pushed himself to his feet and started to run when he tripped over the blow torch that Jo-Dee had thrown during one of her fits of rage. Rosco caught himself at the last minute but so had Dale. Rosco tried to run but Dale tackled him to the ground.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dale asked, pressing Rosco to the floor, amoungst the broken glass and other debris.

Rosco decided that he had one chance and he needed to play along with the Duke’s plan. “Are you crazy fella? That ghost out there is after you and yer lady friend! Lemme outta here!”

Dale elbowed Rosco in the face and tried to return his attention to the ‘ghost’.

“Dale!” Jo-Dee screamed. “I’m out of bullets!”

Dale pointed his gun at the figure and pulled the trigger but all that he was rewarded with was the clicking of an empty barrel.

“This is your last chance! Surrender quietly or I will be forced to come in and get you.”

Jo-Dee and Dale looked at each other as they tried to figure out how to proceed but made no move to give in.

Rosco decided he needed to help finish this. “They’re out of bullets!” He yelled as loud as he could.

Immediately the noise stopped and Cooter, Enos, Bo, and Luke charged in through the blown out windows. Dale pushed himself up off of Rosco and tried to make a run for it but at the sight of Enos’ gun he drew up short. Bo and Luke easily over powered Jo-Dee and hauled her outside along with Dale.

“Are you alright, Rosco?” Cooter asked as he helped Rosco onto his feet.

“Once you get these handcuffs offa me I will be.” Rosco replied as Cooter helped him out to where the others were waiting.

“Rosco!” Boss stepped up to the battered Sheriff and seemed at a loss for words. Rosco was sure he was going to get yelled at for Boss having to nearly destroy his bank but instead the shorter man wrapped his arms around him and gave him a hug.

Rosco couldn’t return the gesture as his hands were still pinioned behind his back but his smile said it all. Once Boss had released him and Enos uncuffed his hands; he searched through the faces of those gathered around him until he found the one he was looking for.

“This has got to be one of your shuck n’ jives Luke Duke and I sincerely thank ya for it.” Rosco said, firmly shaking the younger man’s hand. “Thank you all.”

“Aw we had to Rosco; it just wouldn’t be the same around here without you.” Bo grinned, patting the sheriff on the back.

“Now don’t everyone go relaxin’ just yet. We gotta get these hoods over ta the prison and get the Doc out here to take a look at Rosco’s head.” Jesse reminded.

“And don’t you forget, someone’s gonna have ta fix up mah bank!” Boss fumed. Now that Rosco was safe he realized the mess they’d made of his building.

“This ain’t comin’ outta my pay is it?” Rosco asked in all seriousness.

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at how quickly things returned to normal in Hazzard.

“Trick-or-treat, Rosco.” Daisy said planting a kiss on his cheek.

Rosco sighed “Happy Halloween.”

THE END

 

by: Val Strate

“The moonlight etched out the lone silhouette of the beast as it stood on the edge of the cliff. Blood dripped from its fangs and down his lips and chin as he arched his back and howled out to the moon…. EEEEYYYOOOWWWW….OOOOWW…OOOWWW!” Luke howled out then gave out a hard laugh as he watched the scouts, Val, Bo, Daisy and Enos all jump from their seats as they sat gathered around him listening to his tale.

“Luke! Ya just about scared the livin’ daylights out of us all!” Bo protested as he held a jumpy Val close along with some of the girl Hazzard scouts.

Luke looking back at his younger blond cousin gave a wicked smile then settled, “Oh come on Bo… What’s a Halloween camp out if ya got a lame ghost story?”

“Ahem… yeah… well we probably should all head to bed.” Val spoke up as she slowly sat up from clinging to Bo.

“Who can sleep now after that?” Daisy complained as she held Enos near. The deputy sheriff was shaking slightly from the howl but slowly recovered and let go of Daisy. He brushed himself off as he tried to act as if everything was fine, while Daisy continued, “Luke, ya didn’t have to scream out like that.”

“Daisy… It was just a story. There are no real werewolves in Hazzard woods.” Luke retorted.

Daisy gave Luke a scowl, “There ain’t werewolves but I’m sure Val could tell ya there are real wolves in these woods!”

Valerie stood up from her seat on the log and stretched, “Yes, there are but as of right now, I’m going to bed and I think the rest of the troop should too. Come on kids to your tents.”

A collective groan was given from the group of scouts as the Dukes and Strates helped the kids to their tents and settled everyone down for bed. Daisy and Valerie climbed into their tent and the boys and Enos were in their own. The cool fall night air fell upon them and allowed for all the campers to finally rest.

Deep in the woods, the golden silvers of eyes looked on at the tents with a voyeur’s gaze. Now was not the time, for his attack but he needed a host and soon to feed on and past on his breeding rights. For soon, it would be all Hallows Eve and the line of his kind needed to be passed onto an heir. A new line of blood needed to be tainted with the spirit of the wolf and once he passed on the curse, he would be freed from it. As the wind blew through the trees and over his short brown hair, he growled low at the cold.

“What was that?” Enos shrieked hearing the low sound on the wind and clinging to Bo who was wrapped up in his sleeping bag.

“Uh? Enos, would ya go to sleep. It’s just the wind.” Bo mumbled as he tucked the bag around himself more and mumbled, “I swear Luke, I could kick yer tail for telling’ that stupid story.”

“Hhhmmm?” Luke incoherently answered to the sound of his name.

“Nuttin’ go back to bed. You too Enos. Sheesh.”

Enos lay there in his sleeping bag with saucer shaped eyes and listened to the sounds of the wind whistling through the weeds and the creaking of the old barren tree branches of fall. The sounds of his own heartbeat could be heard drumming in his ears as it quickened while panic was slowly seeping into his soul. He could feel the presence of something lurking in the dark. It was there, creeping in the night, the hot breath of the beast breathing through the nylon of the tent near his head. A light glow of golden ‘eyes’ had shown through the dark and the thin cloth. The deputy sheriff started to shiver and quake as he witnessed the two glowing orbs of light that showed through the tent canvas.

“G-g-g-ghost!” Enos stammered as he grabbed Bo’s sleeping bag and shook it.

“Enos! Would ya calm down?! There’s nuttin’ out there.” Bo snapped back at the other man. At this time, the glowing orbs vanished into the night and the deputy Sheriff lay there in disbelief that his proof was gone. He stammered back to Bo, “B-b-b-but… there were eyes and …”

“Oh for cryin’ out loud. Look Enos, if you feel that concerned about it. I’ll go out and check.” the blond sighed and crawled out of the sleeping bag. If Luke was awake, he was not saying anything because the dark haired Duke did not answer. Bo frowned and picked up the flashlight at the door of the tent then unzipped the nylon door and crawled out. He zipped the tent back up once outside and turned on the flash light. Panning the light across the woods, the young Duke looked around for any suspicious activity. Bo moved away from his tent toward the girls’ tent and some of the campers tents to see if there was, anyone out moving around that Enos might have mistaken for his so called ‘ghost’. Heh, ghost indeed, there was nothing but tents and the sounds of the wind through the trees. The blond chuckled softly to himself and shook his head as he turned off his light after circling around the girls tent and venturing a little into the wooded area just beyond their campsite. As Bo was heading back out of the woods to his tent, a sudden grasp of a hand clamped around his throat. The young man’s eyes went wide as the crushing feeling around his windpipe prevented him from screaming in pain and terror. The hot breath brushed across his jaw and a set of large hairy arms wrapped around his torso pulling him back into the wooded night. He struggled but found the sharp painful grip around his throat tightened and choked him to the point of unconsciousness. The flashlight fell to the earth by the shallow ruts that his boots made into the dirt.

Back in the tent, Enos lay wide-awake still, waiting for Bo’s return. As time passed by more and more, deputy Strate’s worry began to increase. Finally, Enos swallowed hard, unzipped his sleeping bag, and crawled out of the tent putting his boots on and taking his own flashlight out into the dark. The breeze seemed to send chills down Enos’s spine as he walked around the tents and whispered, “Bo? Ya there buddy roe?”

No answer came.

Anxiety filled the dark haired deputy’s being as he traveled around Daisy and Val’s tent and stared into the woods. A pair of golden eyes stared back at Enos, and blinked in the night. A lump formed in Enos’s throat and he trembled as he raised his flashlight toward the eyes. The shaky beam of light shown on an owl that was sitting on a low hanging branch of an oak tree. A deep ‘Hoot Hoot’ from the owl inquired to Enos’s invasion of his territory. A hand rested on Enos’s shoulder and he squealed in fright, tossing the flashlight into the air, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Take it easy Enos, it’s just me.” A familiar voice answered from behind him. That is when Enos realized it was only Bo.

“Geez, Bo, ya scare the daylights out of me!” the frightened Strate answered. By this time now, a few of the scouts were out of their tents, along with Daisy, Valerie, and Luke.

Luke came up to the two the men and asked quickly, “What’s going on?”

“I just came back from the woods. Enos, there’s nuttin’ out there.” Bo chuckled and shook his head.

“What took ya so long?” Enos looked at Bo with a questing gaze.

The smile on the Duke’s face faded and he averted Enos’s gaze, “I tripped and fell down in the woods. I hit my head on a rock and was out for a few minutes then woke up and heard you callin’ for me.”

Daisy stepped closer when she heard Bo’s answer and she started to look him over, “What’s those bite marks on yer neck Bo?”

“Bite marks? What bite marks?” Bo asked quickly while putting his hand over his neck.

“The ones under yer hand.” Daisy asked looking at him funny.

Bo looked nervous, “Look maybe yer tired or something Daisy. Why don’t we all head to bed it’s been a long night and we all could use the sleep.”

Everyone looked at one another and Bo headed back to his tent, which was a cue for everyone else to go back to bed. Before Bo got to the tent, Luke pulled him off to the side while Enos passed them and went to bed.
“Look, maybe ya can get away with foolin’ Daisy ‘bout them marks but you can’t fool me. What happened to you in the woods?” Luke asked his cousin in concern.

“Luke, I just told ya. I tripped on a rock and passed out for a few seconds.” Bo answered Luke quickly and turned from his cousin, so Luke could not read him.

Luke then spun Bo around, “Bo! Don’t… Don’t ya think I know when yer lying. Now what happened cousin?”

Bo sighed and looked up at the old man, “Honestly Luke, I don’t know. All I know is I went to look around for Enos, to see if there was something out here in the woods and I thought something attacked me but I think it was just a nightmare and I woke up in the woods. Like I said I must have tripped and hit my head, but I honestly don’t know where the ‘marks’ that you keep telling me about come from.”

“Well ya got a set of teeth marks on your neck! Don’t it hurt?” Luke asked a little softer and more concerned.

“I little but not a lot. Look, Luke, I just wanna sleep. Can we please just go lay down for the night?”

Luke then put his hand over Bo’s forehead, “Your temperature feels alright. Alright come on. Let’s get back to bed. Daisy and I will look at those marks in the morning, if ya don’t want me to look at them now.”

“Yes, I don’t. Let’s just go to bed.” Bo answered. With that, Luke nodded, and they went back to bed and sleep.

* * * * * * *

Two days later…

The weather was strange this morning as Val made here way up the courthouse steps with her lunch bag in hand. The overcast of storm clouds loomed overhead but not a drop of rain fell. The slights sounds of Mother Nature’s threats of rain could be heard but none was ever given. Valerie walked down the hall to her office where she was met by a small handful of farmers.

“Game Warden Strate, we need to talk to you.” A slender man in overalls and cap stepped forward.

“Well what can I do for ya, Hank?” Valerie asked as she put her key into her office door. She then opened it up and stepped into her office allowing the group of about five farmers to file inside.

“Last night my hen house was broken into. All my chickens either took off or were torn into little pieces. There was blood and feathers everywhere! I got the proof in this here bag!” Hank answered as he raised a bloodied burlap bag. Val cringed but then looked to the next man with a complaint.

“Last night there was a stampede of my cattle and I found a break in my fence and some of my cows on the road and this in the middle of my field!” the next farmer answered as he held open a burlap bag for the Game Warden to look into and inside was the head of a cow. Valerie’s stomach turned.

The other two had similar stories showing maimed animal caresses, of goats and pigs. All four had something in common, the attacks were all on the same night and the descriptions were the same, damaged property and dead animals. Most likely what this meant to Val was that a wolf was on the loose and terrorizing the local farms. One thing remained strange, even if it was a wolf, how could it eat all those animals and still be hungry?

“So gentleman what do you think this is about?” Val asked as she sat behind her desk listening to their stories.

Hank stepped forward, “We think it’s a wolf and we want it taken care of. That’s why we come to ya Game Warden.”

“Right, well. I will look into all the places that have been under attack. Give me your addresses and I’ll be out to each one of your farms to investigate sometime before the day is over. Please try not to disturb the sites too much I want a good look at things.” the female wildlife officer explained as she slid a legal pad and pen across the desk to the group of farmers. Each one wrote down his name, address and phone number then left. Val then looked over the lists after the men left and proceeded to map out the locations of each attack and get things around to investigate.

* * * * * *

Blood covered his body as he awoke in the field. Looking at his hands that were covered in red, a shear feeling of dread sank into his soul. What had happened last night? Where was he? Flashes of the night started to come back to him and his heart raced with fear. The young man let out a scream of terror and pain at what he had just done. Was it even him? Why could he remember all those terrible things and had this blood all over his… naked body? Naked! He was naked and covered in blood! Taking a sharp breath and wrapping his arms around himself, he got up and walked to his home, which was not far from where he woke up.

Stepping into the barn, he found the water hydrant and turned it on. It was broad daylight and he was careful about sneaking into the barn, so hopefully no one would find him. His Uncle’s truck was gone and so was his cousin’s jeep. Only one person might find him like this and hopefully if anyone could help him it was his other male cousin. As the cold water rinsed down his body and washed away the blood, it couldn’t take away the guilt and shame he felt now. What had he done? He remembered it all, every gory, horrifying moment of it. Yet he felt like he wasn’t in control, like his body wasn’t his body and his mind wasn’t his mind. Closing his eyes and swallowing hard as the cold water cascaded down over his golden locks, he didn’t notice the other man walk into the barn.

“Bo! What on earth are ya doing?!” Luke snapped looking at his naked cousin who was washing himself with a hose.

Bo quickly turned around and stammered as he turned off the water, “Luke! I-I-I can explain!”

“I think ya better cousin, since ya weren’t around for chores this morning’ and Uncle Jesse and Daisy are out now lookin’ for ya! Where have ya been and what the heck happened to ya?” Luke looked at the younger man with a worried gaze.

“That’s just it! I don’t know! One minute I was in bed the next I wake up in the pasture field covered in blood and naked!”

“Well, get inside and get washed up in the shower and get dressed! We can talk about this over breakfast and once I get Daisy and Jesse back home.”

“NO!” Bo shrieked, “Luke, I can’t tell them. I can’t tell them what I saw last night! Luke, I swear, I swear on all that’s holy cousin, don’t tell them ya found me like this or tell them what I’m gonna tell you because I can’t burden them with it. Hell, I don’t even know if you can handle it…”

“Bo, look whatever it is, ya know you can tell me. Come on, let’s just get ya inside and settled down.”

“Ya gotta promise me ya won’t tell them Luke!”

“Alright! All right I promise. Now come on inside.” Luke answered and the two young men then left the barn and went into the farmhouse.

* * * * * *

“Thanks Hank for saving the scene for me. It helps me get an idea of what we’re dealin’ with here.” Val answered as she took her rubber gloves off.

“You’re welcome. So ya figure out what it is, Game Warden?” the farmer asked as she was packing up her things.

“Not completely. It’s hard to say. With the photos I took, the fiber evidence and those bone samples from the carcasses I think I can piece something together but my guess is a wolf but the animal is somewhat large to be a wolf, yet too small to be a bear. Doesn’t fit the profile of a mountain lion either… I tell ya Hank, this ain’t an easy one to figure out. I’ll send this hair sample to one of the labs in Capital City and they should give me a read out on it.” Val answered.

“In the mean time what do I do?” Hank asked.

“You set some traps, keep your shotgun close and my number on speed dial.,” the young woman answered.

* * * * *

“Bo that doesn’t make any sense! What do you mean you couldn’t stop it?” Luke asked as Bo stepped out of the shower then walked to his room.

“I mean I couldn’t control it. It was like a monster. Like I was a monster and I was eatin’ chickens, cows, goats, and pigs, raw! With my teeth and hands!”

“Bo get real. Ya must have been out partying too hard last night and someone slipped ya something in your beer and you got pranked or something, because there is no way you can eat a cow with your bare hands and teeth.” Luke answered leaning against the wall in their room as Bo got dressed, “And I swear if I find the person that did that too you, they will pay for it.”

“Luke, I didn’t go any place last night. I was home the whole night. I didn’t even sneak out of the house and go out with friends! I was here! In my bed.” Bo protested as he put on his shirt.

Luke looked at Bo for a long moment then nodded, “Yeah, ya were here when I fell asleep last night. Fact I remember ya fallin’ asleep before I did.”

“I know! I swear Luke. I’m telling’ ya the truth.”

“Bo, it’s ok. Get a grip. You’re gonna be fine. Just get a hold of yourself, yer talkin’ crazy.”

“It’s the truth though Luke.” the younger man pleaded.

Luke sighed and wiped a hand over his face, “Alright, well for now just keep this to yourself until we can understand what’s goin’ on with ya.”

Bo gave Luke a worried look as he finished dressing and that is when they both heard the door open downstairs and the feminine voice call up the steps, “Luke! Luke, ya find Bo?”
“Yeah, we’re upstairs Daisy.” Luke stepped to the door and called back. He then glanced back at the panicked Bo who just watched his cousin timidly.

Daisy came to the door and knocked on it, “Can I come in?”

By this time Bo was dressed and standing against the opposite wall. Luke looked to Bo then slowly opened the door, “Yeah, come on in.”

Daisy stepped inside then seen Bo and stepped quickly over to him and wrapped her arms around him tight in a hug, “Don’t ya dare do that to us again! Where’d ya go?”

“Oof…. Um, Daisy, I…” Bo answered softly as he then slowly wrapped his arms around her back.

“Please tell me, ya won’t do this again! We were worried sick about ya Bo Duke!” Daisy answered as she looked up at her cousin.

“I hope not…” Bo gave an uneasy answer as he looked back at her.

“Well what happened?” she asked stepping back a little to give him room.

“I’m not really sure…”

“Well, I was sure worried about ya sug, cause something weird is goin’ on. I just seen Hank Miller in town and he said he just lost some chickens to some wolves, and Ned Jenkings lost a goat to a wolf or some kind of monster. Old lady Norton said she seen a big hairy like bear run across their wheat field and through her garden.” Daisy answered, “When I was lookin’ for ya I found all this out. I was startin’ to think whatever monster was out there got a hold of ya.”

Bo started to look pale as Daisy described what was going on around the county.

The brunette woman looked at her cousin with concern, “Ya ok Bo? Ya look like ya could be sick?”

“Uh, yeah, Bo will be alright. Look Daisy, why don’t ya head on downstairs and get breakfast going.” Luke intervened.

“Sure.” She answered looking between the two young men.

After Daisy left, Bo put his face into his hands and turned away, “Oh god!”

“Bo!” Luke quickly grabbed his cousin’s shoulder and sighed, “Just because something is on the loose out there doesn’t mean it’s you.”

“It don’t mean it’s not me, neither! Luke, I remember tearing into livestock. I woke up this morning’ in the pasture field covered in blood.” Bo panicked, “What the hell is wrong with me!”

“Bo, you could have sleep walked in the pasture and you were just dreaming all that and didn’t wake up till I found ya washing yourself off with the hose.” Luke tried to calm his cousin down, “Besides I didn’t see any blood on ya.”

“Yeah cause I had got it all washed off by the time ya got there!” Bo insisted.

“Bo, I think you’re over reacting. You didn’t kill those animals. It’s just a nightmare cousin. Now come on and let’s get down stairs. Daisy probably has breakfast ready and Uncle Jesse is probably home by now.” Luke answered ushering his cousin out of the bedroom.

* * * * * * *

After visiting all the farms that were attacked, collecting the evidence and sending it off to Capital City to be analyzed, the young game warden headed home to relax. The old Chevelle pulled into the gravel drive of the farmstead that her and her brother shared. Val got out of the car and took her leather bag with her as she headed up the walk and into the house. She noticed the police car in the drive, which meant that Enos was most likely home.

The smell of burning food filled the kitchen and Enos had just ran into the kitchen in a panic, “Oh no! It’s burnin’!”

Val coughed as she set her bag down on one of the kitchen chairs and waved a hand in front of her face as smoke rolled from the oven when Enos opened the oven door, “I’ll say. What were ya cookin’?”

“I was trying to cook tuna noodle casserole for us to have for supper but I guess it didn’t turn out.” Enos frowned at the charred dinner.

Val frowned at their burnt meal, “Why don’t we have supper at the Boar’s Nest tonight? I could use the night out.”

Enos nodded then took his burnt creation outside to give to the barn cats as Val went to her room to change out of her uniform. The young woman came back downstairs in a tight pair of boot cut blue jeans and a t-shirt that clung to her torso that had some kind of writing on it. Once they were ready, the twins headed outside and to the Chevelle to go to the best roadhouse in Hazzard County, The Boar’s Nest. After a few minutes of driving Cricket to the honky tonk, they were soon sitting at one of the checkered table clothed tables looking over their menus.

“I’ll have baby back ribs, Cole slaw, biscuits, and green beans, with chocolate milk to drink Daisy.” Val smiled to the Boar’s Nest waitress then closed her menu and looked to her brother.

“Oh! Um, I’ll have the chicken pot pie with corn on the cob and a glass of buttermilk please.” Enos grinned to Daisy handing her his menu.

Daisy took the menus after writing the order down, “Sure thing sugs. Ya’ll sit tight now and just relax.”

“Thank you Daisy.” Val told the server and Enos nodded as well. As the leggy waitress walked from the table, Enos’s eyes traveled along watching her all the way to the bar admiringly. He gave a soft sigh then turned to look at his dinning partner, who sat across from him with her head propped up with her hand and staring with slight annoyance, “Are ya done yet?”

Enos blushed, “Sorry Sis. Sometimes I can’t help myself.”

“I know. I’ve told you time and time again to tell her how you really feel and take a chance but ya don’t listen to me.” Val answered as she traced her fingers along her fork as they were waiting for their dinner.

“Val ya just can’t rush these things ya know.” the male twin told his sister as he looked at his plate.

Valerie looked up then sat up straight and leaned in forward so only he could hear her chastised him, “Uh huh… so in other words if ya do ask her out and you two ever decide to get married, you’ll take another fifteen years to do that too. At this rate Enos Strate, well all be in the grave before you find the right time to talk to her!”

Enos looked up at his sister and not only embarrassment flushed his cheeks but a bit of anger, “Some folks just don’t go runnin’ head first into things.”

“And some people ain’t afraid to take chances!” Valerie snapped back when a hand touched her shoulder. She then looked up to see the dark haired Duke Cousin.

?Mind if we join ya’ll?” Luke asked as he smiled down at her.

Val smiled, “Uh no… um Enos and I were just having a sib squabble.”

“Oh, well we don’t mean to intrude.” Bo grinned as he took a chair and sat down at the table and Luke soon joined.

“It’s all right buddy roes. Val was just speakin’ her mind and we were just about to end it anyhow.” Enos answered to Bo but gave Valerie a look to drop the subject, which she did. She knew how to keep things cool around the Dukes, even if she knew that Bo and Luke already knew of Enos’s infatuation.

“So what’s up?” Val asked the boys.

“Not much, Bo and me just got done with the farm chores and now we came in for a beer. We kind of heard that you were over at the Jenkings and Miller farms. What’s going on?” Luke asked as he sat down.

Valerie sat back in her chair and rubbed the back of her neck, “Oh, we think it’s a wolf attack but it’s hard to tell. The evidence points to something bigger than a wolf but smaller than a bear. So I’m kind of stumped.”

Bo looked over at Luke with a slightly pensive glance but then looked away when he noticed his cousin didn’t acknowledge back. A waitress came over to the table to get his and Luke’s drink order. Bo put in an order for two beers and the young woman was off to retrieve the drinks.

Luke looked to Val, well aware of his cousin’s tension but not paying attention to him to keep the Game Warden for noticing. He stroked his fingers under his chin and looked back at Valerie with a thought-filled glance, “So ya think we got anything to worry about?”

“It’s hard to say Luke. I mean, I have no clue what is causing these attacks. It could be anything but right now the evidence doesn’t point to any one thing,” she answered as Daisy came to the table with Val and Enos’s meals.

Luke looked perplexed as he stared into his beer, “Well your evidence has to point to something.”

Daisy stood by now with the empty tray in her hands listening to see what Valerie had to say.

“I’m sure it does. I just can’t tell you what that is yet because I myself don’t know what it is. I sent some things to the lab. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever discovered before.” Valerie answered putting a napkin over her lap. Enos started in on his dinner while Luke and Daisy were intrigued by what Valerie had to say. Enos too was listening but eating contently while watching the conversation. The only person at the table that wasn’t paying any attention was Bo. Something just didn’t feel right as he was drinking that beer. He was staring across the room at a group of girls. Normally he could concentrate on something serious and avoid the opposite sex, but at this time, he couldn’t. He didn’t hear a word the rest were saying about the animal attacks and a slow fiery lust started to burn in his belly. The blond got up from the table, without excusing himself and strolled over to the two young women standing by the bar.

The rest of the group looked at Bo as he got up from the table and the conversation stopped.

“Luke, has Bo been actin’ ok?” Daisy asked as she saw her cousin get up and leave.

Luke frowned and bit his lower lip. He then took a swig of his beer and answer, “As far as I know…”

Enos and Val looked at one another and shrugged. Daisy looked at Luke and rested her empty tray on her hip, “Well I know Bo chases them skirts but I’ve never known him to be that rude ‘bout it. Especially when there is a crisis going on.”

“I don’t know what’s the matter with him.” Luke answered as his frowned deepened, as he knew perfectly well that Bo wasn’t behaving like himself.

Bo now on the other hand was talking to both of the young women. He managed to gain their phone number, names, where they were from. The younger blond woman giggled and smiled, “You have such hungry eyes cowboy.”

“Well when I see something I like, I tend to grab it.” He gave a wolfish grin.

“Aren’t you Bo Duke? The guy with that really fast car.” The brown-haired woman asked.

“Yeah, and I could give you both a ride right now if ya’d like it.” Bo answered smoothly to the females who seemed to have his full attention.

The two girls look at one another then back to Bo, “Sure.”

Within minutes the women and Bo were heading to the door and out to the General Lee.

“What the…” Luke exclaimed as he watched Bo, interrupting Valerie from what she was telling him about the testing procedures on the evidence she found.

“I don’t believe it!” Daisy’s jaw dropped as she witnessed the same thing.

Valerie had stopped talking now and turned around in her seat to see Bo go out the door, “What is that about?”

“I don’t know.” Luke answered then patted his shirt pocket, “But he has the keys.”

Daisy looked at Luke, “Luke you gotta go after him. First his runnin’ away this morning’ now walkin’ out on us like this.” Daisy gave her cousin a worried look and handed Luke her jeep keys.

“Running away?!” The Strate twins spoke at the same time as Luke got up and headed to the door after taking Daisy’s keys. Val stood up along with Enos and they both rushed after Luke.

Valerie caught up with Luke first as he was to the jeep and the General was heading down the road, “Luke, let us help you go after him.”

“Get in!” Luke told Valerie. Val tossed her keys to Enos, he got into the Chevelle, and the chase was on. Luke had the jeep speeding down the road after the orange Charger, and trying to raise his cousin on the CB, “Lost Sheep 2 this is Lost Sheep 1, pull on over would ya. We gotta have a little talk.”

As Luke’s voice came over the CB, Bo quickly turned the radio off. His burnette passenger then asked him, “Why’d ya do that? He wants to talk to you.”

“Right now honey, I’m not into talkin’ and all I want is action.” Bo grinned as his foot pressed harder onto the accelerator. The girls looked at one another and watched as Bo started to drive faster and more reckless. Soon the dodge was approaching a steep and narrow ravine that Bo knew Luke couldn’t jump with the jeep but the General could fly over with ease. The orange charger sailed over the ditch leaving the white jeep at the edge in its wake. Luke frowned as the jeep skidded to a stop and he hit the steering wheel with his hand, “Damn it!”

Valerie looked at the driver of the jeep and spoke softly, “What happened this morning”

Luke sighed and looked at her, “You don’t wanna know.”

“Yes, I do. I wanna know what happened.”

“Val just let it go.”

“No I will not let it go! Bo is obviously not acting like himself and you’re not letting me on any details!” Val snapped at Luke and folded her arms in protest. Luke backed the jeep up in defeat and headed back to the Boar’s Nest with the jeep. He sighed. Valerie raised her eyebrow at him, “You do know you could take my Chevelle after him.”

Luke looked up at her in disbelief and Valerie grabbed the CB, “Enos park Cricket. We’re goin’ after him with the Chevy.”

The Chevelle pulled up next to the jeep and the driver got out. Luke and Enos switched keys and the three of them were soon all packed into the green muscle car. Luke sent the Chevy over the ravine like his cousin did. However the General was now long gone and the mission was more of a search now, than a chase. Luke sighed as he gripped the wheel, “I just don’t know what is happening to him.”

“You never did answer me… What is going on with Bo, Luke?” Val asked still persistent as she sat in the passenger side looking out the window and they rolled along the countryside.

Luke gave a ragged sigh. Val always had a habit of nosing into things. He wished he could tell her about this morning but it was highly personal he felt at this time. It wouldn’t do a bit of good to explain, “Look I just can’t tell you… And it looks like we lost’em.”

* * * * *
Bo laughed as the girls found the jump amusing and wild. The General sped down the dirt road and the brunette giggled as she gripped the dash and laughed. The blond was in the back seat and leaning on the back of his headrest and musing her hand into his own golden hair. From the Nest, Bo discovered that the brown-haired woman’s name was Tiffany and the blond was Shari.

“Mmmm, that sure was exciting Bo. Now maybe you could give Shari and me a lift home?” Tiffany smiled.

Shari grinned and giggled, “Yeah, our boyfriends might get jealous if they knew we were hanging with you.”

“Actually, you ladies won’t be going home.” Bo answered in an eerily smooth voice that had seriousness to it.

Tiffany laughed, “Why? Do you think just because you impressed us with that fancy jump that we’ll feel inclined to do other things for you?”

Bo looked straight ahead and said nothing in return as the General flew down the road.

“He must be thinking we’d be up for a three-some.” Shari giggled, “Come on Bo, get real. Tiff and me are taken and we don’t swing like that man. Yer cute and all but…”

“You agreed to go on a ride with me… Which I can tell you gas ain’t free.” Bo answered calmly as he looked straight ahead sending the orange charger now down the road at break neck speed.

The girls looked at one another with fearful eyes. Tiffany was the one to speak first and grab the door handle, “You’re insane! I’m not giving you, your jollies just cuz ya gave us a ride!”

“You open that door at this speed and ya might as well sign your own will because ya won’t survive the fall out.” Bo answered smoothly as if he did not care if she did. That is when he turned the General off the main dirt road and onto a path that lead into the woods. The girls were now frantic. Tiffany tried to grab for the wheel and Shari put her arm around his neck to try to choke Bo so the brunette could over power him. Bo reached out with his right hand, grabbed a fistful of Tiffany’s hair, and slammed her forehead into the dash. The brunette fell back into her seat, as she was knocked cold from having her nose smashed into the dashboard. When the blond’s arm came around him to choke him, a surge of adrenaline went through his body and the sharpness of his canines pierce through his gum line, his pupils went from blue to yellow. Sinking his teeth into the arm flesh and crunching into her bone. Shari screamed in pain and horror. Soon he released her arm and the General started to slow down to one of the old still sites.

* * * * * *

By this time, Luke, Val and Enos returned to the Boar’s Nest. The sun had gone down below the horizon and the dark cloak of night surrounded them. Luke made his way into the roadhouse with a worried pace. Val and Enos soon followed the worried Duke inside.

“Luke, I don’t know why you keep hiding this? If you feel Bo is in trouble maybe you should talk to someone about it!” Val demanded as she walked inside.

Daisy just within earshot, looked up when she seen her cousin and the Strate twins walk in. Her heels clicked against the floor as she made her way over to Luke, “Ya find Bo?!”

“No… Something’s going on with him Daisy. I know it.” Luke answered with a sigh.

“Which is why you need help and need to talk about this.” Valerie stated coming up to Luke’s side.

Enos approached with his sister, “Ya know, it might not be a bad idea to consider help Luke. You and Bo were always there for me and Val when we were in trouble. Let us help ya out.”

“Trouble? Ya’ll think Bo’s in trouble?” Daisy asked as her brow creased.

“We don’t know. Look, I’ll keep you both in mind when the time comes. Right now, I don’t know what is up with Bo. I just hope he makes his way home.” Luke answered with an obviously distraught face.

Daisy now gave a deep breath and leaned her back against the bar as she ran a hand through her hair, “I don’t believe it. I mean even when he was skirt chasin’ he would never just off and disappear without saying, ‘excuse me’ or dismissin’ himself to go talk to someone. He always would tell us where he’s goin’ ya know.”

“I just got a bad feelin’. I guess all we can do is go home and wait for him.” Luke spoke low as he looked at the floor.

“Yeah, that’s probably all ya can do. I mean he is a big boy. He can talk care of himself can’t he?” Val replied not sure, why Luke was so upset by this.

Luke looked up at the Game Warden and shot her a glare, “Call me tomorrow if ya get a bunch of farmers knockin’ on yer office door about animal killings.”

Val looked shocked then scoffed, “And just what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”

“Just do it. Ya said ya wanna help. So help.” Luke stated then looked to Daisy, “I’ll be home at the farm. I’ll come pick ya up at midnight when yer shift is over.”

Daisy nodded then seen a table that was flagging her down for more beer so she walked over to them. Luke watched her go then started to the door when Valerie put her hand on his shoulder as he passed, “Seriously Luke, what is going on? I’m worried about you and Bo. You’re hiddin’ something and Bo’s acting like a nut.”

“Like, I said… just give me a call.” with that, Luke left.

* * * * *
As night fell over the sleepy Georgia countryside, the large full moon lit up the night’s sky. An eerie howl filled the night and was filled with two shorter howls. They roamed the countryside together the three beasts, breaking into barns, tearing off heads of chickens with one bite from their wolf like jaws, feasting on cattle, and chasing sheep out of their paddocks and all over the pastures. Some farmers even shot at them, but no ordinary bullets could harm these monsters. They would even spread their likeness to others, especially those who attacked them. When it was over, they retreated to their new liar and slept the night off. Their furs were covered with the blood of their victims as they lay cuddled together, the alpha wolf and his two new mates.

* * * * * *
Luke was awakening the next morning to a rapping on his bedroom door. He got out of bed to open the door to see Bo standing there in tattered and torn blood covered clothes and his hair matted with dried blood. The dark blue eyes looked back at his older cousin and he spoke meekly, “Help me Luke!”

Luke’s eyes widened as he looked over his cousin, “What the hell happened to you! Are ya hurt?”

Bo shook his head, “This blood ain’t mine.”

“Then who’s is it?” Luke asked as he stepped back letting Bo come into the room.

“I don’t know. All I know is, I waked up this morning covered in blood and laying next to Tiffany and Shari. I don’t know why I left with them from the Boar’s Nest but something made me Luke. I can’t explain everything I’ve done… b-b-but, I-I’m…” With that, the young man buried his face into his hands and tears ran down his face and into his blood stained hands.
“Bo, calm down.” Luke walked over to his younger cousin and walked with him to his bed, “First thing, ya gotta get cleaned up then we’ll figure this out. Go shower and I’ll get ya some new clothes. Kay.”

Bo nodded as they sat on the bed together. Luke sat with his cousin a few minutes until Bo was ready to get cleaned up and dressed. Then Bo got up and went into the bathroom to clean up while Luke got Bo’s new set of clothes together and laid them on the sink in the shower. The older cousin then went down stairs to meet Daisy and Jesse at the breakfast table. The Duke patriarch looked at his oldest nephew, “Daisy told me about last night. Luke, what’s going on with him?”

“Honestly, Uncle Jesse, I don’t know myself.” Luke rubbed the back of his neck and walked over to the kitchen table to take a seat.

Jesse looked at Luke and took a sip of his coffee, “What happened when he came home?”

“Well, he’s scared. His clothes are torn and he’s covered in blood.” Luke accepted a cup of coffee that Daisy gave him.

“Ya don?t suppose those girls had something to do with this?” Daisy inquired as she poured herself some coffee then came to the table as well.

“No…” Luke shook his head and took a deep breath, “It can’t be, because… Well I didn’t tell ya’ll this yesterday because I didn’t think it was that serious till now, but I found him yesterday morning. He was naked and washing himself in the barn with a hose. Something really strange is going on with him. He keeps telling me, he’s a monster and that he’s done some really bad things to animals.”

Jesse looked oddly at Luke, “Bad things to animals? Bo wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“I know Uncle Jesse but this is the second morning this has happened and he keeps ranting the same things, over and over. He might need some kind of help that we can’t give him.” Luke answered.

“But why? I mean why’s he actin’ this way now?” Daisy asked.

Luke took a sip of his coffee, “I don’t know Daisy. If I did, we probably could solve this problem.”

Then the phone rang. Luke then looked to Daisy as Jesse got up from his seat and answered it, “Hello Duke residence…”

Jesse held the phone for a moment listening then looked to Luke, “Um, ok… I’ll tell’em what ya told me Val… Uh huh… all right. Thanks for callin’.”

“Let me guess, she’s got more angry farmers at her office door coming to her about the animal kills?” Luke spoke.

“Yeah, and Rosco has some murder reports. A couple of farmer’s wives are in the Sheriff’s office right now makin’ a complaint about seein’ big hairy wolf-man creatures. Hank Marely was killed and so was Joey Tomkins. Plus, some of the farmers say they were bitten by the creatures.” Jesse explained.

Luke rubbed a hand over his face and propped up his chin.

“Luke, what is it?” Daisy asked with concern painted all over her face.

Luke sat there for a long silent moment, “We gotta find Bo and keep an eye on him. Cause if he is involved with this, he could be very dangerous, not only to others but himself.

“Well I can go get’em.” Jesse told his nephew. Just then, they heard the sound of a large engine come to life.

“That’s if he ain’t gone already!” Luke sprang from the table and out side with the screen door slamming shut behind. He was outside just in time to see the General Lee take off down the road, “Damn it!”

Luke ran back into the house, passing Jesse and Daisy in the kitchen and racing up the stairs to his room to change.

“Luke! What’s going on?” Daisy called as she ran up to the boys room after him.

Within seconds, Luke ran out of the bedroom dressed in his jeans and flannel, “Can I borrow your jeep? I need to go find Val and Enos.”

“I’m going with you!” Daisy demanded.

Luke sighed, “Alright, Uncle Jesse we’re goin’ after Bo.”

“Well don’t just stand there, go!” Jesse commanded franticly keyed up from all the commotion.

Luke and Daisy ran out to her jeep and jumped in. The white jeep raced down the road and into town.

“Luke, what did he say to you this morning?” Daisy asked.

“He was covered in blood and kept saying he was a monster.”

“We gotta find him.”

“Yeah I know… I just wonder where he went to?”

“So where ya goin’ first?” Daisy inquired.

“I’m gonna talk to Val then we’re going on a search.”

* * * * *

Back at the wildlife office Valerie was busy talking to a mob of farmers, farmers’ wives, and children.

“Calm down everybody. Just calm down!” the Game Warden called out to the angry mob.

“Calm down!” One heavy set woman snarled, “How can we calm down when there are some kind of ‘things’ out there killin’ our livestock, murdering our husbands, families and causin’ all kinds of trouble!”

“I share your worry Madame but I’m doing all I can…” Val reassured.

“All ya can! That thing’s a beast, and yer the Game Warden. Ain’t ya out there suppose to be killin’ that thing!” another citizen from the mob hollered.

“We’re doing all we can. I’m going to be working with the Sheriff’s department to…”

“VAL!” Luke shouted as he made his way through the crowd of people gathered outside her office, “We gotta talk. Alone.”

“Hey buddy, wait yer turn. I need to give the Game Warden a piece of my m-…” a man snarled at Luke.

Val looked at Luke who had concern in his eyes. Daisy came in right behind him. That is when Valerie managed to dismiss the crowd, “Alright everyone, please return to your homes and I’ll try to get to every one of your complaints. Leave a message on my answering machine and I’ll be out at your residence. The Wildlife office is closed.”

A collective groan came over the crowd and the mob of Hazzardites dispersed. Val invited Luke and Daisy into her office, “Alright this better be good. I got a mob of angry farmers and families banging down my door for me to get out there and find this ‘beast’ or whatever it is and kill it. Rosco’s office is just as bad.”

“What were the test results from those samples ya took yesterday?” Luke asked in a serious tone.
Val looked oddly at Luke then answered, “The tissue samples were unlike anything the lab ever seen before and the blood samples came up positive for human, and wolf.”

“Human and wolf?” Luke looked at Val with confusion. Daisy looked between the two of them, “What human could it be Val?”

“We can’t tell who, unless a DNA test was given and that could take weeks. All I know is that a lot of the tests come up positive for human and wolf.” Val explained.

Daisy looked at Luke who had a pale expression on his face, “Luke, ya don’t think that…”

“He did say he was a ‘monster’ and he’s been covered in blood every morning and telling us he’s been eating farm animals with his bare teeth.” Luke answered looking at Daisy.

“No, come on that’s crazy…” Daisy answered.

“What are you two talking about?” Val interjected.

Luke looked to Val, “Bo, he’s been acting strange. We think all this stuff going on might be Bo.”

“What! What do you mean you think it might be Bo?” Val asked.

“Are you saying Bo could be…?” Daisy asked with a bit of fear flushing into her face.

“Val, ya know when I said that I don’t think there are any werewolves in Hazzard…” Luke asked.

Valerie’s eyes widened at that. Daisy shook her head, “No, no… I don’t believe it. Bo couldn’t…”

“Daisy, we got no choice. He very well could be.” Luke looked at his cousin with a morning like gaze.

“It would explain his behavior and how we have this ‘Beast’ running around.” Val looked to the Dukes.

Daisy shook her head again and pushed passed Luke and Val, covering her mouth as tears started to run down her cheeks.

“Daisy… It’s just a thought…” Luke answered.

Val pulled a tissue from the box and handed it to the brunette woman. Daisy took the tissue and dried her eyes.
“We gotta find him.” Daisy sobbed.

Luke nodded and hugged his cousin close.

Val looked at them both and sighed, “Well I could research about werewolves if you want me to. I know a little about wolf behavior.”

“Well, from what ya know about wolves Val, what would he be doing if he’s a wolf?” Luke asked as he rubbed Daisy’s back.

“Well… He would be looking to make a pack. Which means he’d select females to join him and beta males. So… if you look at Bo’s personality, he would be looking for girls. Which we saw him do, and looking for males that don’t seem to be a threat to him.” Val sighed.

“Males that aren’t a threat?” Luke looked puzzled.

“Well, males that seem less masculine than himself and maybe younger than himself. Bo can’t handle a male that is too much older and doesn’t have the right personality. He would probably end up killing them. Which….” Val hesitated as she spoke not wanting to explain the rest “Would explain the murders.”

“Oh god… I think I’m gonna be sick.” Daisy exclaimed as she pushed her way out of the wildlife office. Luke looked at Val in shock.

“You’re right. He’s a danger to anyone else and to himself.” Valerie sighed.

Luke looked grimly at Val then to the floor, “Isn’t silver the only thing that can cure a werewolf?”

“Not sure. I’d have to look it up. If so, I’d be getting some silver bullets and a knife made of sliver.” Val noted.

“Bo wouldn’t…” Luke looked up at Val.

“Luke if he is a werewolf, he’s not Bo anymore and you have to do what you have to, to protect yourself and anyone else. Besides, he wouldn’t just turn you. You’d be too much of a threat to his pack,” the Game Warden answered as she started to pack up some paper work on her desk.

Luke’s gaze hardened, “You’re saying he’d kill me!”

“I’m just warning you. I don’t know what he would do, but if you want my help to try to contain him and stop him. You got it. I don’t want to see him killed anymore than you but I can’t have him running a muck in this county and killing all the males that stand in his way and making all the females his concubine.” Valerie rubbed her brow as she looked at her desk.

“Alright, well gather all the information you can and meet me after you get off of work at our farm.” Luke looked up at the Game Warden.

Val nodded in response and Luke left the office to get Daisy and head home.

* * * * * * *
The afternoon came and Valerie headed home from work. Enos was out on patrol and would not be home until later. The Game Warden pulled up into her gravel drive and seen the Sheriff car in her drive. That’s funny, Enos ain’t suppose to be home till late.

Valerie got all her things from her Chevelle and walked up the sidewalk to the big brick farmhouse she shared with her brother. The orange streaks of sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window and onto the floor. She opened the door, sat her bag down on the kitchen chair, and noticed there were no lights on in the house as the evening was approaching.

“Enos… Enos are ya home?” Val asked as she walked around the house and to the staircase that led up to their bedrooms. She grasped the oak rail as her boots stepped up the hardwood steps. Half way up the staircase a creek, sounded out and gave the young Game Warden a chill. It was so quiet that she could hear the sound of Fang in his tank downstairs hissing. Shut up Fang! I’m already freaked out. Val took a few more steps and called out, “Enos?… Enos are ya here?”

Still no answer…

It was quiet. Too quiet. Even though she knew Enos liked to keep a quiet house, he still made noise. Footsteps, breathing, heart beating? Fact it was so quiet that she could only hear her own heart beating. Her hands started to shake as her breath quicken. She got up to the top step and looked down the hall to see no one there and Enos’s door was close with no light coming from under it, “Enos?!…”

She turned to open her own bedroom door, which was ajar, and peek inside. Nothing. She then turned around and let out a scream to see her brother right there.

“AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Don’t do that!” she snapped.

“Do what Valerie?” Enos gave a smooth reply.

Valerie shivered and went to move past him, “Sneak up behind me like that!”

He grabbed her wrist and grinned, “I came for you Valerie.”

“Wait a minute… What happened to your accent? And since when do you call me by my full name?” Val asked as she noticed the grip on her arm.

‘Enos’ then opened his mouth to hiss at her and bare his newly formed canines. His finger nails started to grow and dig into her wrist. Valerie screamed in horror at the sight. She tugged away from him but he held tight. She did the only thing she knew to do as she was witnessing the transformation of her brother into a vicious snarling beast, with a swift kick from her foot it landed right in his groin. The now wolf like beast that had shreds of a deputy uniform on, grimaced and let go of her wrist, sending the young woman down the stairs. Valerie tumbled down the steps to the base. Things seemed hazy as she looked up at the hairy figure with yellow eyes and a wolf face, slow come down the steps at her. Pulling herself up to, she rubbed her head and gained her bearings, then scrambled to her feet. The werewolf growled and lunged for her. She dove around the corner into the home office then ran to the kitchen and slammed the oak door shut. Grabbing a kitchen chair and propping it against the door to give her time, she then darted out the kitchen door and down the walk to her car. Val dove through the window of the Chevelle in a way that would make the Dukes proud. As she produced the key from her pocket, stepped on the gas before even starting the engine. Once she started the engine, the beast was now on the porch and running down the sidewalk. The green Chevelle tore backwards out of the drive and onto the blacktop road. By the time the beast was in the driveway, Cricket was on the road squealing tires to safety.

Valerie’s heart raced in her chest, as knuckles were white and wrapped around the tan leather steering wheel. She panted in fear at the events that just took place. Soon the old Chevelle was down Mill Pond Road and approaching a familiar house. She got out of the green muscle car and sobbed. The porch light to the little farm house turned on and Luke came out of the house.

“What happened?” concern was written all over the eldest Duke Cousin’s face.

“I-I came home from work a-and… Enos…H-he…” Valerie stammered still shaken from the event.

Luke wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to get her to settle down, “Hey, hey… Easy.”

“It was awful.”

“Yeah… well come inside.” Luke told her as he place a hand on her back and walked with her inside.

Once inside, Val noticed the guns and knives sitting around on the kitchen table. She also noticed the windows and other doors were boarded shut. Luke pulled out a chair for her. Suddenly she realized the amount of crosses that were on the walls as she sat down, “Ok, Van Helsing…”

Luke raised an eyebrow at her as he started to make some coffee, “That’s pretty big talk for someone who’s a Game Warden and just got attacked.”

She shook her head and wiped a hand over her face, “Yer, right, yer right… sorry. So where’s Jesse and Daisy?”

Luke looked up with a cold face, “Jesse…”

He stopped and looked away not able to say the rest. Instead, he sat the cup of coffee down in front of Valerie and explained his cousin’s whereabouts, “Daisy’s at the Nest.”

“Ya think it’s safe for her there?” Val asked as she sipped her drink.

Luke took a seat across from her and took a sip from his own mug, “No, but she insisted on it. What am I suppose to do? Tie her to a chair and say, ya ain’t goin’ anywhere?”

Valerie shivered and run her hands over her arms, “So you gotta go pick her up?”

He shook his head, “No, she has the pickup and a gun with her.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, drinking their coffee.

“So did you find anything out?” Luke asked finally.

Val sighed, “Well, I talked to the preacher on my lunch hour and he gave me a book. It was really old and had all kinds of stuff in it but a little bit about werewolves.”

“And?” the blue eyes inquired.

“Well… I was right about the silver thing but many times you go using the sliver, it cures the werewolf but the mortal dies from the wounds inflicted on them. So I really don’t see a way out of this for those who are already turned.” Val answered looking into her mug.

Silence now fell on both of them.

Finally, Val spoke up, “I’m sorry…”

Luke looked up at her, “Don’t be. You lost yer brother here too.”

“Yeah, well… I ain’t the only one who’s grieving over this.” Val looked up at him with sympathy in her eyes.

Luke nodded noting her sympathy and got up from his chair to pace a bit.

That is when the sound of glass shattering was heard, then scratching at the boards. Luke turned and grabbed one of the shotguns and cocked it aiming it at the window the noise was coming from. Val sat there still staring at Luke then at a gun on the table beside herself.

Luke still had the gun aimed at the window. He snapped, “Pick up the damn gun and get ready.”

With a trebling hand, Val picked up the pistol and pulled the hammer back. They both sat still with their heartbeats racing as the sounds of snarls and scratching could be heard. Suddenly the sound of the pickup in the drive could be heard. The scratching stopped.

Luke looked at the clock and then looked at Valerie, “Daisy!”

He ran to the door and started to unbar it, but his efforts would be in vain. A scream was heard and her begging and pleading for help.

“DAISY!” Luke shouted as he opened the door, only to see a werewolf bite her neck and it was too late. She turned right before his eyes. Luke watched in horror and was mortified as he stood in the door. Val got up and pulled him back inside just as some of the wolves were coming up onto the porch. The Strate slammed the door shut and started to bar it up but the wolf kept pushing.

“Luke! Help me!” Val screamed as she pressed on the door.

Luke came back to his senses, grabbed the shotgun again, and slammed the butt end of it into an arm that was between the door and the frame. Yelps came from the other side of the door and the arm pulled back. The door was finally shut and the two humans looked at one another panting hard with fear. It was quiet for a few seconds.

“Think they’re gone?” Val asked.

“Heck no.” Luke answered picking up his shotgun.

That is when everything broke loose. The door swung open and Val was thrown into the kitchen table. Luke stood there with his shotgun pointed at the snarling hairy beast that had remains of a yellow cotton shirt on and torn blue denim over its fur covered legs. Luke fired his gun without thinking. The shot hit the animal’s shoulder and it gave out a shrill cry of agony as it approached. Luke backed up, cocked the gun again, and fired again. The wolf beast reeled and still approached sending Luke back up against the couch. It bared its teeth at the Duke boy.

Two more came through the door and stormed toward Valerie. She screamed and started to throw her mug at them, dishes, anything she could find as she was firing the pistol at them as well. They still kept after her.

“LUKE!” Val screamed as one grabbed a hold of her arm.

Luke however had his own troubles. The beast leaned over and breathed it‘s hot breath into his face. The strong hairy fingers gripped around Luke‘s neck and squeezed hard on his wind pipe. The dark haired Duke gasped for air as he reached for the silver knife on his hip and stabbed it into the beast‘s chest, “Sorry cousin…”

* * * * *
Bo rubbed his head as he got up from the cool ground. He looked around the woods to see the light of flashlights streaming through the trees and his name being called out in the darkness. Slowly standing up he shielded his eyes as one light fell on him.

“Bo! Where on God’s green earth have ya been?” the familiar voice asked as he realized it was Luke.

“I was out here in the woods checking for that so called ‘monster’ Enos thinks is out here when I… I must have fell down and hit my head on a rock or something,” the blond answered still rubbing his head.

“Well come on back to camp cousin. We were worried about ya.” Luke chuckled, “Ya didn’t see any werewolves now did ya?”

Bo looked at Luke with a pale face, “N-n-no…”

“Well, ya look like ya just seen something. Come on ya know that was only a camp story.” Luke explained as they walked back to the scout’s campsite.

“Luke… do I have any bites on my neck?” the young blonde-haired man asked.

“No Bo ya don’t. Now come on and get to bed. The only thing that would think about biting ya on the neck is Tiffany Johnson and that ain’t gonna happen till the harvest dance next week. Now go to bed,” the dark haired cousin answered as he crawled into their tent.

“Uh, yeah… huh… uh guess yer right.” Bo smiled weakly as he watched Luke get into the tent. He then looked around at the night to see nothing was there and finally crawled into his sleeping bag to go to sleep.

* * * * * *

Happy Halloween! 😉

by: Jax

Min Duke hummed softly as she walked, her dark eyes riveted to the ground. She stopped and lifted her gaze a moment, trying to see where her brother, cousins, and uncle had disappeared to. Fall had arrived and with Halloween less than two weeks away, the Duke family had come to the Caleb farm to raid their pumpkin patch and to pick out a few of them for the upcoming festivities. Though the sun had come up some time ago, the cool ground had a light foggy covering that gave it a genuinely spooky feel. The leafy, vine-covered patch had been literally carved out of a corn field, the remnants of the crop now a dying green as the stalks reached up towards the sun.

“Now where did everyone go?” She asked herself as she stepped gingerly among the thick vines, weeds, and bright orange pumpkins that covered the ground at her feet. Stopping again, Min turned around gazing out across the open field.

“Bo? Luke? Uncle Jesse? Daisy?” She called out, hoping to get an answer or at least see someone.

The wind began to blow harder and the sudden rustling of the corn stalks made her whip around, her dark eyes watching them wave back and forth. The sky began to darken and Min gazed up, watching as thick heavy clouds suddenly appeared and blocked out the sun. A low, but uneasy rumbling began to echo and the temperature took a nose dive; the sudden blast of cool air gave her a chill that made her rub her arms, her long-sleeve maroon plaid shirt suddenly offering no protection against the fall weather.

“Who’s there?” She asked, swallowing hard.  A cold finger of dread pressed into her heart, and something tugged at her as she took a few shaky steps towards the edge of the patch where the cornfield began. The blast seemed to grow in intensity as Min reached the start of the corn. The leaves fluttered and wrapped around her denim-covered legs as she reached out and parted the corn stalks. She leaned forward and peered through the opening, trying to determine what it was she truly saw.

Narrowing her eyes, she took one step forward and there it was…a long black Fairlane sitting amongst the corn.

“What in the world? Who parks in the middle of the corn?” She said to herself as she gazed at the car; it had a grey primer smudge along one side of one of the tailfins, and part of the rear end had been smashed.

Still staring at the car, she directed her gaze up the long chassis until she reached the driver side. A shadow there drew her attention further and she creased her brow as she moved even closer, the corn stalks straightening and swallowing the young woman up. Moving along the car, Min reached the passenger side door and leaned to one side as she peered into the dingy window.

She saw a man behind the wheel, his hands gripping it as if on a leisurely Sunday drive.  He wore a pair of dirty dark blue overalls and a white shirt, a black Fedora topped his head.  As Min opened her mouth to speak to him, the man slowly turned to look at her, his eyes cold and black. A frigid smile came to his face, making his appearance all the more sinister as their eyes locked.

“Duke…” A low whisper trailed on the wind and Min’s heart began to pound. She found herself unable to look away, memorizing the features of the man who stared at her.

“Duke…” The word was louder and more distinct this time, and Min shuddered as she heard it. A sense of sudden panic hit her and her knees began to shake. The urgent need to turn and run encompassed her, and she finally tore her gaze away. She took a few steps backwards, every instinct within her compelling her to get way.  Min fought the waving cornstalks, batting them away from her face as she made her way out of the corn, and then screamed loudly as she bumped into something solid.

Terrified to even move, Min’s heart froze in her chest. She felt the color drain from her face. Taking in a deep breath, she willed her limbs to move and slowly turned around. Now face to face with blue denim, she slowly looked up into the grinning face of her brother.

“Oh Bo, its you…” She whispered; relief washed through her as she closed her eyes briefly.

“Hey Min check out my pumpkin–” Bo said as he held up a chunky, bright orange pumpkin. “What do you think?”

Min’s heart beat began to beat again as she shifted her attention to the pumpkin her brother held.

“I…um… yeah it’s nice Bo–” She mumbled and wiped her hand over her face.

Bo saw the sudden milky hue of his sister’s skin; the smile slid from his features and he creased his brow.

“You okay?”

“I’m not sure, I saw this black car in the field and there was this creepy guy in it. I guess I got a little spooked–” Min hooked her thumb over her shoulder and Bo looked around her.

“What black car?”

“The black car! Bo, its right–” She turned around to show him and once more brushed aside some of the stalks. Seeing nothing but the field, Min slowly shook her head in disbelief.

“Bo I saw it. Someone was there in a black car, and I heard our name whispered.”

Bo nodded as he put a hand on Min’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Maybe whoever it was left.”

“In three seconds?” Min sighed as she once again gazed at her brother.

“And why didn’t I hear the engine start up?”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about it Min, probably some old farmer pulled in for a nap or something.”

“But I thought I heard the name Duke.”

“You know how the wind is, it can sound like a lot of things blowing in the open like this,” Bo said as he walked with his sister, and then patted her on the back.

“You need to pick a pumpkin; Uncle Jesse, Daisy and Luke are waiting.”

“Okay Bo.” Walking back amongst the pumpkins, Min crouched down and brushed back some of the leaves on one.

“What do you think of this one?”

“Hmmm well let me see–” Bo squatted beside her and hefted the pumpkin in his hands.

“Pretty good size, I think we should take it.” Min nodded and Bo touched his right hand to his knife pouch and took it out. With a flick of his wrist he opened it, and sawed through the vine at the top.

“There we go, one jack-o-lantern–” Bo stood up and handed the basketball-sized pumpkin to his sister. He gave her a smile, hoping she’d return it.

“Looks about the size of Boss Hogg’s head.”

Min looked at her brother and saw right through him; he wanted her to put the black car behind her and relax. Not being able to resist the bad joke, Min laughed a little and finally smiled at her brother.

“I don’t know about that, might not be big enough.”

Bo laughed at that and slung his arm around Min’s shoulders.

“Come on, everyone’s waiting in the General.”

Heading out of the patch, Min leaned a little into her brother, feeling better as they walked together to the big orange stock car. Bo unlocked the trunk and took Min’s pumpkin from her and carefully placed it amongst the four others.

“Halloween’s going to be great this year,” He said with a wink as he slammed the trunk closed.

Min shook her head at her brother then turned and headed for the passenger side of the General.

“Where you kids been?” Jesse asked as he poked his head out of the side window.

“Aw, Min just got lost is all, Uncle Jesse. I found her in the cornfield.”

“I did not get lost!” Min said as she swung one leg up and then the other and carefully slid into the car.

“The cornfield? What in the world were you doing in there? If you want corn, we got a whole cellar full of it back at the farm.” Luke scoffed and shook his head; he turned the key and the General’s big engine roared to life.

“I don’t want any corn Luke,” Min said as she swatted her hand against his arm. Luke laughed and rolled the sleeve on his white shirt up a little higher.

“She said there was someone in the corn.” Bo got into the car then looked into the back seat. Daisy shook her head at her cousin.

“Bo it’s not nice to tease your sister.” She pulled a folded up paper from the front pocket of her pink plaid shirt and looked at it.

“Okay Uncle Jesse, we need to get grocery money from the bank. What time is it?”

Jesse pulled his watch fob from the pocket of his light blue denim overalls and looked at the time.

“It’s almost 8 o’clock; by the time we get into town it should be open.” His gaze shifted from his watch to Bo and raised an eyebrow. The grin from Bo’s face suddenly faded as he saw his uncle’s stern gaze.

“Daisy’s right, don’t be giving your sister a fuss, you hear?”

“Yes sir–” Bo nodded then turned to face forward. He heard someone chortle beside him and turned to look at Luke.

“Not one word cousin,” He said as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hey I’m not saying a word!” Luke replied as he shifted his gaze to Min and winked at her.

Min eased down a little, being with her family helped shake the terrible feeling of dread and she began to feel a little more relaxed. The General left the Caleb farm and headed into town; as the distance between the Dukes began to grow, Min raised her gaze and watched the cornfield shrink in the rearview mirror.

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Min hummed softly to herself as she stood at the old white stove. After the pumpkin patch, there were chores to be done throughout the rest of the day; but now that the sun began to creep below the horizon, supper had to be made. The male members of the Duke family were outside working and it being her turn to cook; she flipped the pork chops over in the skillet and picked up a wooden spoon to stir the bubbling pot of potatoes.

The incident in the corn still weighed on her mind; she could still see the face of the man in the black car and his cold smile sent a shiver down her spine despite the warmth of the burners in front of her. So focused on what had happened; she didn’t hear the sound of the front door opening or the soft thud of footsteps.

A hand reached out to touch her shoulder and the young woman gasped and whipped around, expecting to see that horrible face.  Seeing the puzzled face of her uncle instead, she sighed audibly and smiled.

“Uncle Jesse…” She gazed down at a dishtowel hanging from the oven rail and wiped her hands. Her hands reached behind her to untie the white apron she had covering her clothes and lifted it over her head.

“Supper is almost done.”

Jesse nodded and then watched his niece a moment. “You okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Her heels clacked as she hung up the apron by the door; she went to the sink and began taking dishes and silverware out of the drain board. Jesse kept his blue eyes on her, noticing how tense she seemed. Min set the pile of plates on the table, her hands visibly shaking as she began to set it.

“What happened out in the corn?” Jesse asked as he walked to the table; he placed both hands on the back of a chair then gazed at his niece.

“Nothing Uncle Jesse, just my imagination.” Min carefully laid out each plate, then grabbed a napkin, folded it in half lengthwise and placed a fork and knife on top of it.

“Little girl…” The stern words gently spoken; Min instantly stopped her task and her dark eyes lifted to stare at her uncle.

“Now tell me what happened. Bo said you got lost?”

“No sir.” Min brought her hand up and wiped it over her face.

“This black car was in the corn. There was this man inside of it and it was like he knew who I was. I’m not sure if he spoke our name or not, but I heard it.”

“Black car?” Jesse asked; his grip on the chair suddenly tightened till his knuckles turned white.

“Yes sir, a black Ford with a busted rear end that had grey primer on it. I don’t know who it was, but I got scared and got out of there. I ran into Bo, but when he looked the car was gone.”

Taking in a deep breath, Min exhaled it slowly and straightened her spine, the confession having made her feel better. Half-expecting his reassurance, she once again met Jesse’s eyes and the look on his features made another icy finger push into her heart. The older man’s face had lost all its color and his chest moved up and down visibly in heavier breathing.

“Uncle Jesse? What is it?”

“Just that… that sounds like…”

“Luke you’re crazy!” Bo’s voice rang out as the back kitchen door banged open. Luke followed him, scoffing, and closed the door.

“Yeah well it’s your word against mine! We’ll see who she believes.”

Jesse closed his mouth and went to the stove. He grabbed a dishcloth, then turned off the burners and moved the pot and skillet off of them.

Min waited for him to finish what he was saying and then gazed at her cousin and brother.

Bo went to the fridge and tugged the door open; he leaned over and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade.

“She’ll take my word for it Luke, you’ll see.”

Luke opened the cabinet doors and took out five glasses. He set them on the table then pushed up his sleeves as he took the pitcher from his cousin.  Min watched both of the boys, then went back over to the stove to help her uncle make the mashed potatoes.

“Who did it sound like, Uncle Jesse?”

“I got it Min.” He carried the pot to the counter and got the milk and butter out of the fridge.

“But…”

“You kids go get washed up for supper.” Jesse said gruffly to them; the tone of his voice stopped the boys’ shenanigans as well, and they both turned to gaze at Min.

“Everything all right Cousin?” Luke asked her; but before she could reply Jesse turned to gaze at them all.

“Go on! Get ready for supper before it gets cold.”

“Yes sir.” Luke nodded and cleared his throat.  He patted Bo on the stomach then turned his head to the side. Bo’s gaze bounced from Luke to his uncle; he too looked confused as he followed his cousin out of the kitchen his hands tucked into his back pocket.

“Yes Uncle Jesse.” Min whispered as she also left the kitchen, she rounded the corner and saw both Bo and Luke waiting for her. Luke put his finger to his lips and gently took her by the arm. He led her into the room the boys shared and closed the door. The three kids kept their voices low, not wanting their uncle to hear what they were talking about.

“What was that all about?”

Bo stood by his sister and nodded at what his cousin asked.

“Luke, I don’t know.” Shaking her head, Min gave a heavy sigh as she looked at her eldest cousin first, then her brother.

“Did he say anything?” Bo asked, and then turned to look at the closed door, wondering what was bothering his uncle.

“He asked about what happened at the pumpkin patch.”

“And what did he say?” Luke crossed his arms over chest.

“I don’t know Luke, he seemed a little shaken up when I mentioned the car, but then when you both came in, he stopped talking.”

“He knows who that is?” Gazing at his cousin, Bo shook his head.

“Luke…”

Luke ran his hands back through his hair and sighed. “Maybe he does, I don’t know, but if he won’t talk about it we can’t make him.”

“Uncle Jesse! Bo! Luke! Min!” The front door closed and Daisy’s shout rang through the house.

“Daisy’s home,” Min said as a feeling of dread hovered around her and she rubbed her arms to ward off a surprise chill.

“Yeah…” Luke nodded. “And we can’t ask Uncle Jesse about this right now.”

“But Luke what if it’s nothing, what if it’s just a coincidence?” Bo asked as he too stared at the closed bedroom door, hearing the noise from the kitchen as a chair was pulled back and the sound of his cousin talking.

“And what if it’s not?” Luke sighed and stepped between his two cousins.

“Let’s just play it by ear,” He said as he opened the door and stepped out of the room.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Lunchtime at the Boar’s Nest always brought out all types of Hazzard locals; everyone from farmers to truck drivers to field hands would jam pack the little bar for their serving of BBQ and a cold brew to wash it down. As the crowd began to gather, a few coins were deposited in the jukebox, and an old country song began to play. Filling the small round tables and booths, the noise began to grow and the sudden increase in patronage sent the lone pair of waitresses fluttering from table to table.

Daisy carried a tray full of beer mugs over to table full of local farmers. Smiling gently at them, she leaned over and began to pass the beers out.

“Here you go…a full round of Boar’s Nest specials.”

Passing out the last mug, she straightened and tipped her tray up, covering her red spaghetti strap shirt.

“Is there anything else I can get for you fellas?”

“Nah, sugar, you done plenty.” A man in blue grease-smudged coveralls handed her a ten dollar bill.
“Here you go, keep the change.”

Taking the money, Daisy tucked into the pocket of her red cut off shorts and smiled.

“Thank you, you all let me know if there’s anything else I can get you.”

Turning, she sauntered off, weaving in and out of the busy tables. She set her wooden tray down on the bar and walked behind it to join her cousin Min.

“Nice tippers?” Min asked as Daisy went over to the register and rang the order up.

“Pretty nice.” Daisy glanced at her cousin; she saw the expression on her face and sighed.

“You’re still upset about that car, aren’t you?”

Min gave a shrug, but the mere mention of it made goose bumps rise up on her bare arms and she crossed her arms over her white halter top and rubbed them away.

“I know I wasn’t seeing things Daisy, there was just something about that man that frightened me.”

Slamming the cash register drawer shut, Daisy pocketed her tip and put an arm around her cousin’s shoulders.

“Honey if I’d seen that believe me, I’d be frightened too. I know the boys teased you at first, but now with how Uncle Jesse has been ever since…” Daisy gazed at her cousin seriously.

“Honey, they ain’t laughing anymore.”

“I know and that’s got me even more spooked.” Min raised her hand and patted her cousin’s.

Daisy nodded as she stared into her cousin’s face. Though the Dukes had always had certain inklings in their family, a certain perception where one another was concerned, Min’s perception far surpassed theirs. Ever since she had come to the farm, her gift of knowing more than she should always amazed Daisy.

“You been feeling things, haven’t you?” She touched her brunette head to Min’s and drew her cousin closer.

“This horrible dread and its everywhere; it’s like there’s a monster around every corner coming to get us.” Min whispered as she leaned into her cousin.

They stayed that way for a moment until the sound of the door opening, and the bright sunshine pouring in made the two women part.

 

“So, where the hell are we?” Dean Winchester asked as he stepped inside, followed by his younger brother Sam. The bright sunlight filled the dank bar, causing several patrons to protest as they turned away from the glare. The door then slammed shut, and the two brothers stood side by side.

Sam Winchester had his hands tucked into the pockets of his tan jacket as he had a look around the country tavern.

“Hazzard.”

“Hazzard? Talk about a town with a name where something’s bound to happen.” Dean looked skeptically at Sam.

“And why did we choose to come this way again?”

Sam shrugged. “Because sometimes back roads are better than main highways and besides, it doesn’t hurt for you to get a little culture.”

“Yeah and how much culture do you think we’re going to find in a place called Hazzard?” Dean’s gaze swept the room, and then stopped when he saw the two brunette women behind the bar. An appreciative smile came to his face as he shifted his stance and glanced at his brother.

“On second thought . . .  how’s that for culture?”

Sam followed his brother’s line of sight and his eyebrows went up as he spotted the pair of waitresses. His gaze lingered, but his brother’s elbow in his ribs quickly snapped him out of his stupor and he gave his brother a dirty look.

“I say we find a table Sammy.” Dean spotted a corner booth and slid into it; he folded his hands on top of the table. Sam sat down across from him, and then glanced over his shoulder at the license plates and signs that covered the walls.

“Interesting place.”

Daisy watched as the pair settled into a booth and slid the wooden tray with pad and pencil over to Min.

“I handled the last table, so now it’s your turn.”

Min nodded and picked up the tray. She gave her cousin her best friendly smile, and headed over to the corner booth.

“Afternoon gentlemen, my name is Min, what can I get for you?” She asked, as her gaze bounced from Dean to Sam.

Dean grinned as an idea or two came to mind, but he cleared his throat.

“Cold beer, please.”

“Okay, one beer…” She then turned to Sam. “And for you?”

Sam’s gaze shifted a moment to his brother; he glared at him before meeting Min’s questioning eyes.

“I’ll have a beer too, please.”

“Two beers…coming right up.” Min moved to the next booth and brought back two bowls of popcorn, setting one down in front of each brother before she went to get their drinks.

“God I love the South.” Dean muttered as he watched her walk off. His eyes traveled from her white halter top all the way down to her short black denim shorts, long legs, and high heels.

 

Sam turned in the booth, his back now against the wall. This gave him a better view of not only the bar itself, but of the patrons gathered there. He watched Min behind the bar, his eyes transfixed on her.

“You think a lot of things happen in a town like this?”

Dean blinked a moment and creased his brow at Sam. “What do you mean? You mean like supernatural stuff?”

“Yeah, I mean we’ve been to so many places, do you think there can be a town where nothing supernatural ever happens?”

Gazing down at the table, Dean found a scratch in the wooden surface and began to pick at it.

“I suppose it’s possible.” He then put his hand in the popcorn bowl, and popped a few kernels into his mouth.

“Just ever since this whole psychic thing started, sometimes we go places and I feel things.”

Crunching on a mouthful of popcorn, Dean nodded then waited till he swallowed before talking. “You picking anything up about this place?”

“Maybe…” Sam whispered his line of sight still locked on the waitresses, on Min in particular. He watched as she moved about, idly chatting with her coworker.

Dean saw where Sam focused his attention.

“Like that Min girl? What you might be feeling from her could be…something else.”

Sam whipped around to look at Dean, his mouth tightening a moment.

“I’m serious, Dean.”

“So am I.” Dean spun the popcorn bowl on the table.

“I mean ever since we lost Dad and then that thing with Madison, you’ve been mopey and every time I suggest we maybe go back to New York so maybe you can see Sarah, you shoot me down.”

“I know.” Sighing Sam nodded; he folded his hands and began to pick at his nails not meeting his brother’s gaze.

“We don’t have anything lined up for now. Nothing in the news worth checking out, so I think we could use a vacation until something rears its ugly head, don’t you?”

“Yeah…” Sam whispered then thought about what Dean said.

“Maybe we can hang around a few days.”

“That’s my boy!” Dean reached out and slapped Sam on his arm. Grinning and exhaling a heavy sigh, Dean slumped back in his seat and nodded.

“Now we can relax.”

“Relax…right…” Once again turning in his seat, Sam gazed across the busy tables to watch behind the bar. He didn’t know what it was that kept him going back to the waitress that had taken his order, but something about her had gotten his attention and kept it.

“Okay I need a pair of beers Daisy; do we have any clean mugs?” Min smoothed her hair out of her face and walked back behind the bar. She crouched down and looked at the shelf that the glass mugs were kept.

“Hey, they’re kinda cute.” Daisy had her elbows against the bar as she watched the pair of brothers. She watched Dean, a smile lighting up her face.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Raising her gaze she reached a hand up and tapped Daisy on her side.

“Daisy…the mugs?”

“Hmm?” Turning she glanced at her cousin and nodded.

“Oh! Right, sorry.” Daisy bent over and saw the empty shelf.

“I’ll get some from the kitchen.”

Taking Min’s tray, she disappeared through the swinging doors and came out overloaded with glass mugs. She crouched down and began to stack them under the bar, then picked up two and handed them to Min.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks Cousin.” Min stepped up to the beer dispenser; she set one mug tipped to the side and with a tug on the lever, the amber liquid began to fill the glass.

Daisy replaced her tray then once again turned her attention to the handsome pair. She noticed their t-shirts and jeans, Dean’s leather jacket in particular.

“I don’t think they’re from around here.”

“They’re not.”

“How do you…?” Daisy glanced at Min and a sheepish grin came to her face.

“Sometimes I forget how perceptive you are, cousin.”

“I wish I could sometimes.” Loading the now full mugs on the tray, Min again put on her best customer serving smile.

“I best deliver my beers.”

Returning Min’s smile, Daisy shook her head and moved to the far side of the bar where the CB sat and picked up the mic.

“And I best see to our cousins.”

“They should be on their way.” Min said as she walked back around the bar.

“Bo Peep to her two Lost Sheep, you boys got your ears on?” Daisy said into the mic, then released the button, waiting for a response.

 

“Bo Peep to her two Lost Sheep, you boys got your ears on?”

The General Lee’s CB radio crackled with the voice of Daisy Duke. Parked on the side of the dilapidated barn, the voice carried around the corner into its open doors.

“I think I hear Daisy–” Bo pulled a pair of bale hooks out of the back pocket of his jeans. Spreading his arms, he stuck them into either end of the heavy square bale. A few feet from him, his cousin Luke stood by a pile of stacked bales and pulled a pair of wire cutters from his pocket. He transferred one bale to the ground at his feet and crouched down.

“We’ll call her back in a minute, we promised Uncle Jesse we’d get this done–” Grasping the wire that surrounded a bale, Luke cut it. He set down the cutters and tugged at the long thin wire, then began to wrap it around his hand.

Hefting the bale, Bo tipped back a little as he carried it over to his cousin and thumped it down on top of the pile. A small puff of dust and bits of hay kicked up as Bo arranged the stack, then turned his face from the cloud. The hooks clanged as he placed them both in his left hand then fanned the air with his right.

“Speaking of Uncle Jesse, you said something about him being awake last night?”

“Had to be around midnight,” Luke tucked the wire cutters into the front pocket of his grey shirt and walked around the stacked bales. He went over to a horse stall and opened the wooden gate.

“What was he doing up that late?” Bo went over to a wall where the farm implements hung and grabbed a pitchfork. He handed the bale hooks to Luke before he stuck the tines in the now wireless bale and began to toss the loose hay into the open stall.

Luke didn’t answer right away; he brushed past his cousin and speared the top bale and dropped it to the barn floor; it teetered to one side, and then fell flat.

The thunk noise got Bo’s attention; he glanced over his shoulder at the bale, and then raised his gaze to his cousin.

“Luke–”

The way Bo spoke his name made the brunette man shut his eyes. He straightened up then ran his hand up and over his hair, mussing it. The tone suggested concern and Luke sighed feeling Bo’s heavy gaze.

“He was rocking, Bo.”

Bo whipped around to stare at his cousin, his task of bailing hay suddenly forgotten.

“Rocking?” Bo’s head tipped up and his shoulders rose up and down in a deep breath before he calmly sighed it out. The gentle concern both boys had now turning into genuine worry; all of the Dukes knew that when Jesse sat in his rocking chair, things weren’t right with the older man.

“Luke you know that he only rocks when…”

“Something’s bugging him.” Luke finished then nodded.

“And something is.”

“Did you try and talk to him?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Luke wiped his hand back and forth across his mouth.

“I tried.”

“And?”

“And he told me it was nothing and to go back to bed.”

“But you didn’t, right?” Bo waited for his cousin to talk and when he didn’t right away, Bo jabbed the pitchfork down into the barn floor and reached out to touch Luke on the arm. He turned his cousin to face him fully.

“You didn’t just leave it be, did you?” His voice lowered, the worry now showing in Bo’s dark blue eyes as they met Luke’s.  Seeing the look in his cousin’s gaze Luke’s jaw clenched and he reluctantly nodded.

“I had to Bo; you know how he is when he gets like that. The more you try and push him to talk the more he won’t. I did the only thing I could do.”

“You went back to bed–” This time Bo finished his cousin’s sentence; his hand moved from Luke’s arm and he walked a few steps away, his back to his cousin.

“What are we going to do Luke?”

Luke stared at the tan shirt covering his cousin’s back and shook his head.

“We can’t do much till we know what’s eating at him.”  He moved closer to his cousin, his boots crunching on the hay.

“This all started after we went to the pumpkin patch, didn’t it?”

Bo gave Luke a sidelong glance and nodded.

“After Min told him what she saw.”

“What did Min see?”

“Beats me cousin, all she really said was some guy in a black car.”

“Black car…did she say what kind?”

“No and I didn’t see the car when I looked.”

Nodding again, Luke uncrossed his arms, and then put an arm around Bo’s shoulders.

“Cousin, I think we owe it to ourselves to have talk with Min, find out everything she saw out in that field then maybe take a little trip back out to there.”

The confidence his cousin displayed made Bo feel better. He exhaled then nodded, a small smile coming to his face.

“I think that’s a good idea, Cousin–” He motioned with his chin to the open barn door.

“Daisy was on the CB, her and Min are the Boar’s Nest.”

“Then we should go–” Luke replied as he patted Bo on the back. He knew Bo counted on him to be strong but at the same time he couldn’t help but be worried. Something ate away at his uncle, and he hadn’t the first damn clue as to what. He knew for sure that Min had seen something, and that was the only clue he and Bo had so far.

 

The General Lee sped down Mill Pond Lane, spitting back dirt and debris. With Bo behind the wheel, the big orange car whipped back and forth, and then straightened out as the road did.

“You best give Daisy a holler on the CB, let her know we heard her–” Bo said to his passenger. Luke reached out and unhooked the mic from its stand and pressed in the button as he held it close to his mouth.

“Lost Sheep to Bo Peep, come in Bo Peep…”

He released the button and waited, expecting to hear Daisy return the call. Luke gazed at the mic in his hand waiting for an answer.

When the silence began to linger, Bo’s eyes left the road to glance at Luke briefly.

“Daisy should have answered by now.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Luke leaned forward and checked the dials on the CB. He turned it off and on then checked to see what channel it was on.

“Channels right, it’s on.”

“Try it again; maybe we were out of range.”

“Lost Sheep to Bo Peep, come in Bo Peep–” Repeating into the mic, Luke once again let it go then brought his hand down.

Again when no answer came, Bo shook his head then jerked the wheel hard pulling the Charger over to the side of the road. The engine rumbled noisily as the two cousins both sat and waited.

“Maybe we’ve got another loose wire.” Luke bent over and stuck his arm up under the dash; he jerked down a black cord and began to pull wires from the encasement and follow them to the back of the CB.

“Luke ,you sure you should be fooling with that?” Bo asked as he watched his cousin take off part of the CB housing and practically crawl into the floorboards.

“One of these days, I need to teach you about electronics Bo–” Mumbling, Luke’s hand out came down to his belt and he took out his knife and snapped it opened with a flick of his wrist.

Bo sighed and tipped his gaze heavenward, then brought his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose. He shut his eyes and shook his head.

“Luke, we ain’t got time for this.”

“Yeah and we ain’t got time for a busted CB either.”

A cloud suddenly moved across the sun, the light gone in an instant, getting Luke’s attention. He stopped what he was doing and gazed at his cousin, his brow creasing at the abrupt darkness.

“Bo–”

The loud crack of thunder shattered the silence at the same time Luke spoke. Bo jumped, his shoulder rising as his eyes flew open and he looked out his window.

“Now what the heck is that?” Bo tipped his head out and gazed up at the dark sky. He then straightened up and gripped the edge of the roof, then slid partially out and sat on the window frame. Raising his head, he saw the thick dark clouds that swallowed up the light. The wind began to kick up and blew the blond hair away from his face.

“Luke, do you believe this?”

Luke quickly put the CB back together; he didn’t like the way the sky went from blue to black in the same snap of a finger, nor the apprehension he felt settle around his heart.

“Bo! We need to go!” He called out as he sat up.

About to reach out and snag Bo by the legs and tug him in, the sound of an approaching vehicle stopped him.

Bo heard it too and his blond head turned in the direction the noise came from. The road appeared empty, and curious as to where that noise came from, Bo climbed out of the General Lee and began to walk down the length of the parked vehicle. He moved past it and headed down the road.

His boots scuffed at the ground as he walked. He waited for any sign of the upcoming car and headed down the road.  The further away he got from the General Lee and his cousin, the more distinct the sound became.

“Bo! Get your carcass back here!” Luke shouted as he too climbed out of the General.

“We need to go!” He called out to his cousin as he began to give chase.

Luke’s shout rang out, but Bo didn’t pay it much mind. The more he walked the more determined he found himself becoming.

The car…Need to find the car… The only thought that went through his mind as he lifted each leg up and set it down almost mindlessly, the compulsion to keep going above all else.

“Bo?” Luke said as he noticed that Bo not only hadn’t stopped walking, but the distance between them grew considerably.

“Something wrong with your hearing, Bo Duke?”

With only the methodical purring of a supped up engine beckoning him like a siren song, Bo disappeared round a bend in the road.

“Doggone it, I’m going to kick your lanky butt when I get a hold of you!” Luke groused as he went after Bo, his boots thudding on the hard ground silently cursing his cousin’s longer legs and wider stride.

Oblivious to everything, Bo kept walking on. The sky still dark overhead, the growling of the engine still floating around him like a fog. Up ahead the road took another sharp curve, and Bo followed it around, the expression on his face blank as he stared out into the inky darkness.

A bright blinding light snapped on, smacking Bo right in his face with its intensity. Like a deer caught in the high beams, too stunned to move, he stood there bathed in the encompassing radiance.

“What the heck?” The light stopped Luke too; he raised his arm out to it and turned his gaze away. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his other hand over them, trying to regain his vision. Shaking his head out, he finally opened his eyes wide then once more faced the light. Finally adjusting to it, he saw the source of it and he lowered his hand.

“I don’t believe it…” Luke whispered at the pair of twin lights that shone right on his cousin.

The source of the lights belonged to a long black Ford Fairlane. Luke saw the gleam of the dark paint that covered the long chassis. The car seemed to simply appear out of the night, the color of it helping to disguise it, just like…

“A runner–” Luke whispered as he watched the car slowly roll towards his frozen statue of a cousin.

“Get out of there Bo!” He said to himself then realized his voice didn’t carry in the night air.  Swallowing hard, he forced his throat to work and tried again.

“Bo! Bo, get out of there!”

Still riveted to the spot, Bo didn’t react to his cousin. Totally covered in the beams of the headlights, his face a ghostly pale, he stood unwavering.

“Duke….”  The name seemed to float in the air like a specter and Luke visibly shook as he heard it, a sudden knot hit his stomach like a brick and he folded over a little.

The hypnotic hum of the big engine blocked out everything else, and it grew louder as the long car approached. Now less than the length of a football field away, the Fairlane’s engine revved, and the tires spun in place as it took off like a shot heading right for the stunned blond Duke.

“Bo!” Luke heard himself cry out as he straightened up and took off running. Though closer to Bo then the car was, it had the advantage of speed and he pumped his legs, giving it all he had.

Two immovable forces were both converging on the blond man, one heavy steel framed fast moving car and one 200 pound running Duke. Panting hard, Luke pushed his legs harder, faster, not about to let his cousin get killed.  As the car came barreling down on Bo, the brunette man leapt at his cousin, the bodies slammed into each other, then the ground; the momentum rolled the pair straight into a ditch just as the Fairlane ran over the spot where Bo had stood…

 

*******      *******      *******

“Those boys should have called us back by now–” Daisy watched the CB, sighing as she glanced worriedly at her cousin. She leaned with her elbows on the table then straightened up.

“Yeah you’re right, they should have. Maybe they’re out of range or out of the General–”

Min folded her arms over her chest. She took had her gaze locked on the silent CB and brought her hand up. She chewed on her thumbnail a little, trying not to let her imagination wander as to why her cousin and brother hadn’t contacted them.

“Something’s wrong–” Sam replied as he watched the girls. Behind him, Dean finished his beer then looked at the empty glass.

“Yeah, I’ll say . . . I’m out of beer.”

Creasing his brow at the comment, Sam turned around to look at his brother.

“No Dean, I meant over there, something’s wrong.”

Dean tipped his head to one side to see past Sam’s shoulder. He noticed the tense way the two girls stood together, both of them huddled around the CB.

“Yeah you’re right,” Dean’s eyes shifted to his brother.

“Still got a funny feeling?”

Sam nodded then slid out of the booth. “We should see what’s wrong.”

Dean shuffled across the bench seat then stood up. Glancing around casually, he cleared his throat as he approached the bar.

“I’m going to give Uncle Jesse a call–” Daisy picked up the mic and held the button down.

“Shepherd this is Bo Peep, you got your ears on?” Closing her eyes briefly, she let go of the button, and then repressed it.

“Uncle Jesse it’s Daisy, you out there?”

Min shook her head, her stomach tightening with worry at the silent CB.

“No Bo and Luke, no Uncle Jesse…Daisy, I’m worried.”

“Yeah, me too.” Replacing the mic on its stand, Daisy put her arm around Min’s shoulders. She touched her dark head to her cousin’s.

Leaning into her, Min gave a heavy sigh.

“What are we going to do, Daisy?”

“Nothing til Donna Jean and Marie arrive. Boss would fire us if we left now.”

“But what if they’re in trouble?”

“Are you all right?” The question made both girls start briefly. So wrapped up in worry, they hadn’t noticed that the two men now stood on the other side of the bar.

Trying to be brave, Daisy cleared her throat.

“Is there something I can get you?”

The two brothers exchanged gaze and Sam exhaled softly, Dean turned back and lowered his head as he leaned closer to the bar, his palms braced on it.

“Look we know something’s wrong, why don’t you tell us about it and maybe we can help?”

Now the girls exchanged glances, and Min stepped closer to the bar.

“Our cousins and uncle might be in trouble. We’ve been trying to reach them and no one’s talking back.”

Sam straddled the stool and folded his hands on top of it.

“Maybe they’re too busy to answer.”

Daisy shook her head. “No they wouldn’t do that. Anytime any of us are out of the house we all keep in touch with each other.”

“Bo Peep this is Shepherd…” Uncle Jesse’s voice came over the speaker, and Daisy practically pulled the CB off the bar as she snatched the mic and held it in both hands.

“Uncle Jesse! Are you all right?”

“I’m all right Daisy, have you heard from the boys?”

The reply made Min close her eyes and she sighed audibly in relief.

“Thank God.”

She leaned her elbows on the bar watching as Daisy spoke to their uncle.

“No we tried to call them, but they didn’t answer.”

“I tried too and got nothing.”

“Maybe the CB’s acting up again.” Min interjected and Daisy nodded.

“Could it be their radio?” She asked into the mic.

“Could be, but I don’t like not hearing from them. You girls stay where you are; I’m going to see if I can find them.”

“Stay where we are?” Daisy’s brow creased and she shook her head in disbelief at what her uncle had said.

“We can’t just stay here not knowing where the boys are; he knows we won’t.”

Min scoffed at that and straightened up; she reached out and took the mic from her cousin.

“Uncle Jesse, we’re not staying here, we’re worried too–” She glanced out toward the door. “Cooter has Darlin’ and Dixie has a bad starter so the boys brought us to work.”

Turning her gaze back to the two men, she thought about their previous offer and nodded.

“We’ll give Cooter a call to start searching the back roads towards Razorback Mountain , you take other way from the farm to the county line and Daisy and me will cover Route 7 and other ways they might have to come if they were heading for here.”

A long pause on the other end of the CB made Min look at the mic in her hand, finally it crackled to life.

“I’d rather you girls stay put but…how you going to search if you don’t have any cars?”

Smiling a little, Min’s eyes were locked on the brothers.

“Don’t you worry Uncle Jesse, we’ll find a way.”

“Copy that, this is Shepherd clear…”

“He didn’t tell us where he was–” Daisy took the mic and placed it back on the stand.

“Yeah I know, but we can’t worry about that right now.”

“Darlin’ and Dixie?” Dean asked, his eyes shifting from one brunette to the other.

“Oh and by the way, I’m Dean Winchester.” He said as he put his hand on his chest then turned to his brother.

“And this is my brother Sam.”

“Min and Daisy Duke.” Daisy said with a small smile.

“Good to meet you.” Dean answered back; he locked gazes with Daisy and smiled at her.

When both the looks and silence lingered, Sam cleared his throat and gave his brother a light elbow in the ribs.

“We meant what we said about wanting to help.”

Out of his stupor, Dean blinked and nodded.

“Right, help… be glad to–” He stammered.

“We sure could use it; both of our cars are out of commission.” Min stepped up to the bar and casually bumped into her cousin. Daisy started a moment and felt her face flush with heat at having been caught staring at Dean.

“Right, we really could use a ride.”

Dean managed to collect himself; he felt eyes on him and saw Sam staring at him. He glared a little at his brother, seeing his knowing smirk.

“That’s not a problem, Sam and I are great trackers; if anyone can find your family it’s us.”

Sam’s mouth twitched as he fought a smile. Dean had teased him about Min, and now he got to return the favor.

“Just point us in the right direction and we’ll see what we can dig up.”

“We’ll show you the ways the boys usually travel–” Min once again lifted her gaze to the CB, hoping and praying that Bo and Luke would call in.

“We know all the roads around here.” Daisy saw Min still watching the CB and moved closer to her. She put an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. Min felt the light tug and turned to her cousin, an apologetic look in her dark eyes.

“I’m sorry Daisy; I know you’re worried too. Just that all that’s been going on and now the boys are Lord knows where.”

Daisy did share Min’s concern and nodded solemnly.

“We’ll get through this you’ll see. Everything will be all right. When Donna and Marie get here, we’ll start looking.”

 

No sooner had the words left Daisy’s mouth than the door to the Boar’s Nest opened, and in came a willowy young woman. Donna Jean smiled as she brushed back her blond hair. She walked over to the bar and set her white purse down on it.

“Hey girls, how’s business been today?” Donna looked down at her short jean shorts and blue sleeveless shirt; she brushed some fuzz from them then walked around the bar.

“All right, little hectic but not bad–” Daisy replied nonchalantly as she backed up, and let her fellow waitress lean over and get an apron from under the bar.

Sam and Dean got up from their bar stools and moved back towards their booth, waiting for Daisy and Min.

“Marie is coming in, she’s parking the Chevelle–” Donna tied the apron on then picked up a wooden tray.

Once again the door opened and in came the bartender Marie. She had a tan hair band in her hand and pulled back her shoulder length dark hair.

“Sorry I’m late girls; my brother was working on my car–” Marie too headed behind the bar and pulled out a black apron. She put it over her head, and pulled it down over her maroon plaid shirt and jeans.

“Everything all set for us?”

“Yeah, all set…” Min patted her pockets then pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Marie.

“Here’s the keys to the freezer and register.”

“Thanks, that’s why I dressed warmer today. Going in and out of that freezer in just a waitressing outfit was getting to be cold business.”

“Right well you two take over, Min and I have to get home–” Daisy smiled reassuringly at their replacements and motioned towards the brothers then to the door.

“Have a good shift, girls.” Min saw Daisy’s gesture and nodded as she followed her cousin to the exit.

Sam watched the girls, their demeanor relaxed as they exited the bar. He understood why they were being so casual; with part of their family possibly in trouble, the last thing they wanted to do was draw attention.

Dean pulled a few bills out of his pocket and set them on the table. With his keys in hand, he glanced over his shoulder at his brother.

“Let’s get out of here Sam.”

“Yeah–” Sam cleared his throat; he stuck his hands in his pockets and followed Dean outside.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Luke squeezed his eyes shut as a cloud of dust kicked up by the Fairlane’s near hit covered both him and Bo. On his stomach, he had one hand in the middle of his cousin’s back, and waited till the air settled then raised his head up enough to look past the edge of the ditch.

Beside him Bo groaned; his hand moved to the back of his head and rubbed a huge knot forming there.

“Wh-what happened Luke?” He tried to raise himself up on his elbows, but Luke’s hand on his back prevented the movement.

“Keep down–” He whispered then moved away from Bo, and started to shift enough to roll out of the ditch.

“It may still be out there.”

“What might be out there?” Bo asked, confused as to how he ended up in a ditch with a lump on the base of his skull.

“That black car, that one that nearly flattened you!” Luke eased out of the hole he and Bo had ended up in. Bracing palms to the rocky ground, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position then back on his haunches before slowly rising to his feet.  Though the air still bore a haze from flying dirt, he could see the road.

“Come on Bo, I think for now we’re all right.” Luke leaned over and offered Bo a hand. The blond man slapped his hand loudly against Luke’s and got tugged to his feet. The sudden change in position made him squeeze his eyes shut; the world spun a little and he touched the back of his head gingerly.

“You were out of it Bo, if I hadn’t gotten to you first you’d be dead.” Reaching behind Bo’s head, he found the lump and hissed though his teeth at the size of it.

“Must have happened when we hit the ground.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“What do you remember?”

“Walking down the road and then–”

An engine revving up loudly cut through the still air. Both boys turned to see the black car suddenly reappear; it headed right for them both and knowing they couldn’t outrun it, both cousins turned and dove back into the ditch.

Once again face down; the boys didn’t see the Fairlane swerve violently to miss them then drive off and out of sight.

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

 

“Okay so we’re on this road?” Sam asked as he turned sideways in his seat. Directly behind him sat both Min and Daisy; the two girls silent in the backseat of the big black Chevy Impala.

“Min?” He asked as he leaned closer, he saw the concern and worry for her kin etched on her features. Reaching out, Sam gently touched her shoulder.

“Hey–” He whispered as Min started and snapped out of her stupor.

“Hey it’s okay, I know you’re worried.” His gaze shifted to Daisy.

“I know you both are.”

Daisy too jumped, and turned to look at Sam, then nodded.

“The boys being in trouble is nothing new, but this time, it’s different.”

“Yeah it is.” Min sighed then scooted to the edge of the seat, brushing her hair back from her face.

“I’m sorry what were you asking?”

“Just where we were,” Sam showed her the map.

“Route 7–” Min pointed to the single black line on Sam’s map, and followed it all the way down to the Boars Nest.

“See this is the most basic way to get to the Boar’s Nest from anyplace in the county.”

“But you don’t seem to think this is the way your cousin and brother might have gone?”

Dean piped up from the driver’s seat as he peered at the girls from the rearview mirror.

“We’ve had run into them by now.” Daisy leaned forward, resting her crossed arms on the seat in front of her.

“Wait a minute Daisy, what about Thompkins Road?” Still staring at the map, Min’s eyes followed the single thin line on the map then pointed out a turn off that lay just up ahead.

“You know how Bo is about what he calls an obstacle course. Nothing would stretch the General’s legs better than a steep hill or two.”

“Thompkins Road?” Daisy shifted closer to Min and gazed at the map.

“They’ve taken it before; we might want to give it a try.”

“Okay so where is this?” Dean slowed down and carefully pulled the Impala over. The big engine rumbled as it went idle and he turned to glance over his shoulder at his passengers.

Daisy’s arm extended as she pointed out the windshield.

“Dean it’s just up ahead, it’s sort of hidden, but it should be right where those trees are.”

“It’s a good place for a speed trap.” Min added, then both brothers shifted their attention to her and she shrugged.

“The local law sort of makes a game out of it, especially where Bo and Luke are concerned.”

“Cops and Robbers?” Dean turned back around and dropped his car in gear, then stepped on the gas.

“Something like that.”

As the car started to roll, Sam began to fold his map up.

“Min, when we were in the bar you said with all that’s been going on lately. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you mean by that?”

Min leaned back in her seat and exhaled softly.

“Just a lot of strange things have been happening, that’s all I meant.”

Daisy scoffed. “Honey this is Hazzard, you know strange things happened here all the time.”

“And I meant what I said back in the bar, if something’s going on maybe we can help–”

Dean watched her from the rearview mirror; he could tell she had something just on the tip of her tongue to say. He saw the trees Daisy had pointed out, and the small road that the trees kept concealed. He slowed the big car down as he turned.

“You are helping.” Daisy reached down and gave Min’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“You’re helping us find our family.”

“And family is really all that matter.” Min returned the squeeze then turned to Daisy and tried to keep her thoughts positive.

“Yeah you’re right–” Dean agreed then his brow creased as the Impala went up a small hill, just as it came over the top a bright orange car came into view. Not only did the abandon car made him crease his brow, but the area they were in seemed to have overall creepy feel. He tipped his head to one side, his hunter instincts suddenly flaring.

“What the–?”

His words got Sam’s attention and he too seemed puzzled.

“Looks like an abandoned car.”

“Oh my God…The General Lee!” Min’s heart began to race as she let go of Daisy’s hand and moved closer to the edge of her seat.

“Oh no–” Daisy whispered as she felt her heart fall into her shoes.

“That’s your cousin’s and brother’s car?” Sam asked, watching as both girls nodded.

Dean pulled up alongside the Charger.

“They might be on foot.”

“They’d never leave it like that without a good reason!” Daisy too peered into the interior, the fact her cousins had left behind their beloved car only frightened her more.

“A damn good reason.” Min went over every bit of the big car that she could see.

“I don’t think the tires are flat, maybe it won’t start.”

“Then why not just CB Cooter?” Moving around in her seat, Daisy stared out the back windshield. She leaned closer, her hands pressing to the warm glass.

“Look, the road curves. We should back up and see if they went down that way.”

Dean saw the genuine fear in the girls’ eyes, and then glanced at his brother.

“Sammy, maybe you better get–” Shutting off the big car, Dean offered the keys to his brother.

“Yeah,” Sam nodded, as he took the keys, then opened the passenger side door. He jogged around to the trunk and opened it.

Min watched Sam from the rear window. “What’s he doing?”

“Just getting a little something for protection…just in case.”

The lid to the trunk slammed down, the girls both saw Sam holding a silver pistol and a sawed off shotgun; he stuffed something in his pocket as he headed back for the passenger side door.

Daisy’s eyes widened a little. “Protection from what?”

Dean saw her expression in the rear view mirror and turned around to face her, his green eyes serious.

“You never know.” He waited till Sam got settled in, then put the gear in reverse then glanced over his shoulder again as he began to back the car up.

“I don’t like this.” He and his brother both glanced at one another and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, me either.”

The Impala now right beside the turn off, Dean dropped it back in drive and headed down the dirt road.

“But why go down that side road when they could easily just go down to Route 7 and head for the Boar’s Nest?” Min looked around, and then leaned back in her seat a little. A wave of fear washed over her as she slowly turned and looked back at the abandoned car. She saw a flash of her brother walking away from it and the rev of a distant engine. Watching, she saw Luke chasing after Bo, then frantically run after him and tackle her brother just as a black car nearly hit him.

She gasped as she suddenly reached out and grabbed Dean by his leather covered shoulder and squeezed it.

The action startled Dean and he whipped around to stare at Min as he hit the brake; everyone jostled forward as the Impala came to an abrupt stop.

“What is it?”

She started to open her mouth to speak when the light overhead slowly began to fade, as if the batteries of a flashlight had just given their last spark of power.

Sam slid across his seat till his side pressed into the door then tipped his head out of the open window. He saw the heavy cloud cover that suddenly blocked out the sun.

“What the hell?” He whispered as the wind stirred the dark hair covering his forehead. Straightening he moved back into his seat, and glanced over his shoulder at Min. The color had drained from her face; her frantic breathing visible.

“What’s wrong?”

Daisy put her hands on her cousin’s shoulders and drew her back a little.

“She does this sometimes; it means she’s seeing something.” She said to both brothers then leaned closer to her cousin’s ear.

“Min, what are you seeing?”

Both Sam and Dean now stared at the young woman, Sam particularly seemed riveted to her waiting for her to speak. He felt his own inner sense flare up and blinked as the image of a near hit and run and two young men, one blond and one brunette had nearly been run over.

Min’s spine suddenly straightened as she slowly turned her gaze towards Sam; the moment she caught the gaze of his bluish-green eyes and what they contained, her own widened.

“You see it too, don’t you?” She asked, her voice holding astonishment.

Dean’s brow creased as his gaze bounced from Sam to Min.

“See what?”

“A black car–” Both Sam and Min replied at the exact same time; Daisy gasped and squeezed Min’s shoulders.

“The black car?”

“What black car? What are you talking about?” Dean asked, still slightly confused and Daisy shook her head.

“Dean we’ll explain later, just get down that road as fast as you can!”

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Silence made Luke open his eyes and raise his head. He looked around and saw nothing but the road. Moving slowly, he shifted and tucked his legs under him then carefully sat up. Still unsure as to where the car was he remained cautious, not about to invite another attack. Nothing but silence surrounded him, and feeling somewhat relieved at that, he ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. His shoulders slumped as he exhaled, then glanced to the side and saw Bo still lying face down in the ditch.

“Hey Bo?” He asked, and then his brow creased.

“Bo?” Luke repeated then reached down to pat the center of his cousin’s back.  When he got no response, Luke’s hands moved to Bo’s shoulders and rolled him onto his side. A large blood smeared rock sat under Bo’s head; the blood leaked from the cut just above his left eye and formed a small pool in the dirt. Luke’s jaw clenched and a flush of anger darkened his face as he picked up the rock and threw it away from his cousin. They were in trouble and he knew it, they were alone and with the black car stalking their every move, the General Lee seemed miles away.

 

“We have to get out of here,” Luke said to himself as he looked around, when he didn’t see nor hear the black car he climbed out of the ditch. He tugged on Bo’s arm and rolled the unconscious man onto his back. He stood and walked around to Bo’s head then leaned down, tucked both hands under his cousin’s arms, and sat him up. Luke grasped one of Bo’s wrists and held it as he stepped around to face his cousin, then bent over and pulled him over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Luke grunted as he stood up fully. “You need to cut down on those flapjacks at breakfast time, Cousin.”

Bo hung upside down over his cousin’s back, and Luke wrapped one arm around his legs to hold him in place.

“I don’t know where that car is, but we ain’t waiting around to find out–”

Turning his head to first view one half of the road, then the other, Luke stepped up and out of the ditch and began to walk at a fast pace back towards the bend in the road.  All he wanted to do now was get back to the General, and get out of there before that car came back.

“So far so good…” Talking to himself again, Luke walked as fast as his legs could with the added weight of Bo’s limp form.

Gotta keep going, gotta keep moving, Lord knows when that car will be back…Luke recited to himself. His heart pounded hard in his chest, and he kept glancing over his shoulder at the empty road; the feeling of dread sat like a brick in the pit of his stomach and only seemed to grow with every step he took.

But who would be after us? Who could be doing this?

Because the attacks happened so fast, he couldn’t get a clear look at who drove the black car.

“Kind of hard to see the driver when all you’re getting is a close up view of the bumper.” He groused as he walked. The road began to curve around; the ground dropped slightly downhill and Luke adjusted Bo as he continued down it.

“Duke…” The whispered name froze Luke in his tracks. The wind began to stir and he closed his eyes feeling the knot in his stomach tighten. Clenching his jaw, a cold finger dragged up Luke’s backbone and his throat felt full of sand.

Don’t turn around Luke, whatever you do don’t turn around…He said to himself, his body began to tremble slightly as a rush of adrenaline seeped through his veins.

“I have to, we need help!” Luke replied out loud, and then slowly he glanced over his shoulder.

A pair of lights hit him right in the face, and he squinted against the blinding glare. Raising one hand to block it out, he saw the black car less than 10 feet away.  The headlights shifted from high to low beams and for the first time, Luke could see who sat behind the wheel.

A milk-pale man in overalls grinned coldly at him, a dirt smudged black hat sat atop his head.

“Who are you?” Luke shouted as anger began to pump through his heart.

The smile began to fade, the hands on the steering wheel gripped it even harder as the gas got mashed to the floor, and the Fairlane lurched forward violently. The nose of the big Ford aimed directly at two Dukes, Luke quickly gazed from right to left, trying to figure out what to do. With no ditches in sight and only the woods surrounding them he saw little choice but to run; his muscled legs trying as best they could to outrace the charging vehicle.

You won’t make it Luke, head for the trees!  His instincts screamed at him, and he changed directions in a hurry, heading for a group of tall pines. The car gave chase, the long chassis jostling as it went off the road and over the rocky ground.

Luke glanced over his shoulder as the Fairlane continued its pursuit and he shook his head.

“We’re dead…” He panted out; his next step hit an unstable patch of the forest floor and he tipped forward, landing belly down. Not only had the impact lost Luke his air, but his cousin as well. Bo tumbled like a rag doll off of Luke’s shoulder, ending up on his side near a fallen log.

Struggling to breathe, Luke rolled over, perched on one hip. He put his arm across his stomach trying to catch his breath. He saw the car heading for him and quickly began to back up. His hands gripping nothing but fallen leaves and twigs, he scampered backwards, groaning as his back thumped into the solid trunk of a tree.

His heart slamming hard into his rib cage, Luke’s face became encased in the twin lights that barreled down on him. With the tree against his spine, he had nowhere to go. Realizing his grim fate, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard. He raised his chin in one last effort at defiance, prepared to meet his death head on.

With one last gaze into the blinding lights, he held his breath and prayed. The roar of the engine grew louder, nearly deafening, and Luke simply closed his eyes bracing himself for whatever fate had in store for him.

Just as the brightness of the headlights made Luke cringe and shut his eyes, a voice rang out in his head.

The tree! The tree behind you! Roll out of the way!  His mind screamed at him.

Luke’s muscles obeyed his instincts; he rolled away ending up on his stomach, and covered his head, waiting to hear the loud crash of the front end of the pursuing Fairlane meeting the tree.

A sound made Luke start hard, his whole body jerking. He expected to smell antifreeze and hear the hiss of escaping steam; the inevitable result of the collision being a busted radiator.

Instead of the sound of the crunch of metal, a shotgun blast rang out and echoed through the woods.

“Bo! Luke!” A pair of feminine voices shouted, and suddenly a small hand touched his back. Luke lifted his head then turned to look over his shoulder, seeing the terrified face of his cousin Daisy.

“Daisy?” He asked, astonished.

“We’re here Sugar, are you all right?” She tugged him by the arm and helped him to his feet.

As both Dukes straightened, they saw Min crouched near her brother.

“He’s bleeding!”

Luke opened his mouth to speak when he saw two men rushing over, a black car parked sideways right behind them.

“He’s bleeding?” One of them said as he squatted down, gently rolling Bo onto his back.

“Sam, you got him?” Dean asked; he held a silver pistol straight out in front of him, and glanced around from side to side. The woods appeared calm and quiet. He glanced up at the sky, the shadow over everything also seemed to vanquish at the same time the black car did.

“Yeah–” Sam sat the unconscious Bo up, tugged him up and over his shoulders, then stood. He saw Min’s face and gave her a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay, he’s going to be fine–”

Still confused, Luke turned his gaze to Daisy.

“You okay?” Dean tucked the pistol into the back of his shirt and covered it with his jacket. He saw Luke’s uncertainty and held out his hand.

“Hi, I’m Dean Winchester, and that’s my brother Sam–”

Luke finally seemed recovered enough to realize what was going on. He had no idea who these two men were, but he did know that they had saved both him and his cousin. He gripped the outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Good to meet you—Luke Duke–”

“We got here just in time, things were about to get ugly.”

Daisy nodded; she put her arm around Luke, and then leaned her head on his shoulder.

Luke half hugged his cousin, though his gaze stayed locked on Dean.

“What happened to the car?”

“Rock salt—it’s gone for now, but I think we best get out of here before it comes back–”

“Rock salt?” Luke shook his head, not understanding what that meant. He started to open his mouth to find out more information, but then closed it. Dean was right; they had to get out of there before that black car returned. Seeing Luke silently agree, Dean glanced over his shoulder at his brother. He watched as Sam took Bo to the Impala. Min opened the door and together, she and Sam laid the unconscious blond Duke down onto the backseat.

Closing the door, Sam and Min joined the other three.

“Luke–” Min hugged her cousin, relieved. “Are you okay? When we saw that car coming right at you…” Her words trailed off.

“I thought I was going to be planted with the spring crops too!” Luke hugged her back then kissed her dark hair. His racing heart had finally settled down, and the dread that surrounded him lifted.

Sam watched as the two cousins hugged, then parted. Min sighed audibly and wiped a trembling hand over her face. Her distress clear, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey…it’s okay, it’s gone and your cousin and brother are safe–” Sam said in a gentle voice.

“I know, just that seeing that car…” Min shivered, and then hugged herself.

“That’s the same one I saw in the cornfield.”

“It is?” Luke swallowed hard again. “The guy driving have a black hat and overalls?”

Min’s dark eyes widened and her skin color drained from her face.

The two brothers exchanged glances.

“We need to get someplace and sort all this out–” Dean said and Sam cleared his throat.

“I think your brother’s going to be okay, but you might need to call a doctor.”

“Dr. Appleby–” Daisy answered, then smiled at both Sam and Dean.

“If you guys need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome to stay at the farm.”

“At the farm? Look, we don’t want to put you out–”

“Dean, it’s no trouble at all, it’s the least we can do. You saved Bo and Luke–” Min smiled and Daisy touched her arm.

“We Dukes always pay our debts. We have a guest room, and if you like good old fashioned home cooking.”

“Well, if you’re sure–”

“Right, we don’t want to impose–” Sam glanced at Min shook her head.

“You wouldn’t be Sam.”

“Sugar, we aren’t taking no for an answer!” Daisy took Dean by the arm.

“Come on, we’ll show you how to get to our farm.”

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Min sat at the foot of her brother’s bed, her small hand clasped around his big one. She sighed as she watched him sleep. Doc Appleby had said that Bo had a concussion, and had bandaged the cut above her brother’s eye. His chest bare; the sheet and blanket were pulled up to his neck. With a heavy sigh, Min gazed at the other two people in the room, Sam and Dean sat on the edge of Luke’s bed.

“Come on Bo…open your eyes and talk to me–” She whispered, turning her attention back to her unconscious brother.

The two brothers had been introduced to the Duke patriarch; no one wanted to talk about what had happened on the road, the only thing on their mind was Bo waking up. Both of them watched the brunette woman and her brother; outside the small room, the sounds of kitchen activity could be heard as Luke, Daisy and Uncle Jesse got supper ready, though no one would eat till their family was complete again.

“He’ll wake up soon–” Sam said, his elbows rested on his knees and his hands were folded, a pensive expression on his face.  Beside him Dean nodded.

“You want to tell us about that car?” Min slowly turned; her dark eyes locked on Dean’s face.
“While we wait?” He motioned to Bo. She rubbed her hand over her face slowly. Seeing her obviously troubled, Dean pressed on.

“Back in the car, you knew that about black one chasing your cousin and brother–” He then gazed briefly at Sam.

“You and Sam both knew–” His green eyes locked onto hers.

“You’re a psychic wonder, like he is?”

Closing her eyes briefly, she turned away.

Sam got up from the bed and moved to sit beside Min; he put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, you can trust us. All we want to do is help–” Sam spoke gently, not wanting to push her into talking.

Min reached up and gentle touched the large hand, giving it a squeeze.

“I don’t know much about that car.”

“But you had a vision of it, right?” Dean interjected. Sam glanced over his shoulder at Dean, his eyebrows going up. His expression silently told his brother to back off.

“Yes–” Min whispered.

“You don’t have to tell us about your gifts Min. Just tell us when you first saw that car.”

“We were getting pumpkins–” She started slowly, Sam nodded, his hand on her shoulder still.

“I was alone, and all of a sudden something…came to me. Someone was calling my name from the cornfield nearby. When I went to look I found a black car and this man sitting in it. He knew who I was and when he looked at me…” She shuddered.

“It was like I was looking at the devil.”

“Min?” A weary voice spoke her name; Min turned to see a pair of dark blue eyes gazing at her.

“Bo!” Her face lit up as she smiled.

“What’s—What’s going on?” Bo asked; he tried to sit up, his palms pressed into the bed.

“Hey now, take it easy. You’ve got a concussion.” Min gently moved him back onto the mattress.

“Luke?”

“I’ll get him.” Sam stood up; he opened the door and left the room.

Bo watched Sam leave, then his gaze shifted back to his sister.

“Sam Winchester and his brother Dean–” She saw Bo looking past her shoulder to see the other person in the room. The two men meet eyes, and Dean nodded in silent acknowledgement.

“They helped us find you and Luke. What happened out on the road Bo?”

“Bo?”

“Hey Cousin, how’re you feeling?”

The other Dukes came in, everyone relieved as they crowded around his twin bed. Sam also came in, once again sitting beside his brother.

Sitting up, Bo winced as his finger grazed the bandage on his head.  He managed a smile, glad to see his cousin especially.

“Oh I’m all right; felt worse than this after a Grange Dance.”

Jesse reached out and gently touched Bo’s blond hair.

“You had us worried,” He said low; Bo’s smile faded as he leaned closer to his uncle and hugged him.

Someone cleared their throat behind them; all eyes turned to see Dean.

“I hate to interrupt, and don’t get me wrong, I’m glad both of you are okay, but the fact is something was after you both. We need to know what happened out there before it comes back.”

“We pulled over to fix the CB when he heard a car coming–” Luke began; he perched a hip on the edge of the bed beside Bo. The blond man listened as Luke spoke of what happened, he thought back to the road and the way it made him feel. Everyone in the room listened to the story the two Duke cousins relayed.

“I couldn’t help it; like someone was calling me.” Bo added. “Then next thing I know we was face down in a ditch and Luke told me a black car nearly killed me.”

“Then it came after us again and you all showed up.”

“Glad you’re okay Cousin,”Daisy smiled as she took stroked Bo’s hair, then leaned over and kissed his cheek.

All eyes then turned to the Winchester Brothers. Dean took the cue and stood up.

“You never saw it before?”

Bo shook his head, but Luke crossed his arms over his chest.

“It looked like a runner–” His light blue eyes then shifted to his uncle.

Jesse felt all their gazes on him. “It’s gone now, that’s all that matters. I best see to supper–”

Before any questions could be asked, the older man left the room.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“We have the guest room and the sofa folds out into a bed–” Daisy set a platter of fried chicken down onto the center of the table.  Sam and Dean sat across from Bo, Min and Daisy, while Luke and Jesse sat at the two ends of the table. They all bowed their head as Jesse said grace, then began to pass around the food.

“I’ll take the sofa bed–” Sam said as he accepted a basket of biscuits from Jesse; he gave the older man a small smile as he took a couple then passed the basket to his brother.

“Guest room for me then–” Dean also got took two biscuits then handed the basket to Luke.

“Thank you–” Luke set it down then picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Where are you both from?” He gave the bowl to Bo, who served himself some potatoes, then got a napkin and tucked it into the front of his red t-shirt.

“Kansas–”

“Really?” Min piped up; she had the chicken and put two pieces on her plate.

“We really haven’t been there in a while.” Sam reached over and got the tongs getting some chicken for himself.

“Yeah we travel around a lot,” Dean added as he took got chicken. He hadn’t had a home cooked meal in a long time, and his plate quickly becoming covered with food made his green eyes grow bright.

“Taking care of–” Min started to say, but then stopped when her uncle turned his gaze to her. The look on his face made the words stop dead in her mouth.

“Ghosts?” Daisy finished Min’s sentence, then picked up her fork.

The two brothers exchanged glances. Silently asking his Dean if the question should be answered, he raised his eyebrows. Dean gave a single nod in reply.

“We hunt supernatural creatures–” Sam said the words plainly, and then looked around the table waiting for a reaction. The only ones that expressed any kind of surprise were Bo and Jesse.

“Like vampires, werewolves?” Bo grinned, amused, but the faces of Dean and Sam remained serious.

“Like ghost cars–” Dean answered this time.

The reply made the smile slide off of Bo’s face. He suddenly found his plate interesting and stirred his potatoes with his fork.

“Ghost cars?” Jesse asked, and then turned his gaze to the two young men sitting to his left.

“Yes sir, like the one that went after your nephews–” Dean met the gaze head on, he could tell from Jesse’s cynical expression he didn’t believe what had happened to Bo and Luke.

“It was a ghost car Uncle Jesse, Sam and Dean shot at it and it disappeared like smoke–”

“You believe us, don’t you Uncle Jesse?” Min asked as she gazed at her uncle.

“I believe what you think you saw, but things like that ain’t possible–” He replied, his voice gruff. His gaze swept everyone around the table; his eyes reflecting a genuine fear that suddenly made him age right before their eyes.

“The Dukes have no enemies, no reason at all for us to get one now.”

Dean’s eyebrows rose as he watched him. He saw the fear in the older man’s eyes and the blindness and denial that went right along with it.

“You really don’t believe that, do you?” Jesse glanced away, turning from Dean’s stare.

“The Dukes don’t have any enemies.” His reply made the two brothers gaze at each other. Sam cleared this throat, seeing if maybe he could coax Jesse into talking.

“Maybe not now, but what about from the past?”
“That car looked like a night runner Uncle Jesse, almost like Black Tilly–” Luke piped up.

“I need to go do some chores–” Jesse wiped his mouth with a napkin then stood up.

“But Uncle Jesse, you’ve hardly touched your dinner–” Daisy glanced at his plate.

“I aint hungry just now, I’ll get something later. You kids eat up–” He then towered over Sam and Dean.

“You all are welcome to stay as long as you need to.”

Before another word could be said, Jesse took his cap from the hook near the door and left the kitchen, the screen door slamming as he went outside.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

?You think Jesse is hiding something?” Sam stood by the open trunk of the Impala; he got out the shotgun they had used and passed it to his brother.

“I think he knows exactly what’s going on–” Dean held the gun by the stock and barrel then bent it in the middle; the chamber opened and he pulled out the one spent cartridge and deposited it into the weapons case.

“You think we should try again to get him to talk?” Sam sat on the edge of the open trunk, folding his hands in his lap.

Dean sighed then plucked a fresh rock salt cartridge from a small box in the weapons case then reloaded the shotgun. He then gazed at his brother and shook his head.

“I’ve seen that look before, he’s not going to talk and we can’t make him.”

“Then what are we supposed to do Dean? The whole family’s in danger, you know whoever that is just isn’t going to give up.”

The uncertainty in Sam’s eyes made Dean straighten up; he set his jaw as he perched the shotgun on his shoulder, the double barrels pointing straight up into the slowly darkening sky.

“We’re here Sam. All we can do for now is keep an eye on the Dukes and try to keep them safe.”

“So we just sit and wait?” Sam stood up; he turned and dug out the box of rock salt shells, the second sawed off shotgun and deposited them in the floppy green bag. He then closed it and lifted it.

“We stick close to the Dukes and try to find out all we can about them.”

Exhaling audibly, Sam nodded as he set the big bag on his shoulder.

“Okay.”

Dean then glanced at the small, brightly lit house. The backdoor opened and Min came out, she stepped down the porch and crossed her arms over her chest as she wandered out into the yard. A smirk pursed Dean’s lips as he gazed back at his brother.

“Well, here’s opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” Sam creased his brow.

“Yeah…I saw how you were looking at her back at the bar. Kill two birds with one stone here,” He took the bag off of Sam’s shoulder and put it on his own.

“Why don’t you start with Min? See what she might know.”

Sam glanced at Min briefly then gazed back at Dean. “And just what are you going to do?”

“You start from the outside, I’ll start with the inside,” Dean also grabbed their bags from the trunk.

Before Sam could say another word, Dean slammed down the trunk lid. He walked to the backdoor of the Duke farm and went inside.

 

“You need any help with those?” Bo asked; the three Dukes inside were cleaning up from dinner. They all turned when they saw Dean come in.

“Umm no I got it thanks Bo–” Dean set everything just inside the door and nonchalantly slid the loaded shotgun into the green bag. He straightened up and saw what they were doing. Daisy had the faucets on, the sink filling with soapy water. Bo and Luke were clearing off the table and putting away the uneaten food.

“How about I give you a hand instead?”

“You don’t have to,” Luke commented, and then smirked.

“We usually don’t make house guests work for their meals.”

Dean returned the grin. “It’s the least I can do. This is probably the first place Sammy and me stayed that wasn’t some cheap crappy motel, and I can’t remember the last time we ate food that wasn’t fast food or from some minimart off the highway.”

He took off his leather jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. He watched all three of them with a combination of fascination and envy.

Bo and Luke saw Dean then exchanged glances. Luke cocked an eyebrow at Bo, who grinned.

“You look like you want to help.”

“I uh… I do–” The words came out with a little hesitation, then Dean grinned sheepishly.

“Well then Sugar–” Daisy shut off the faucets, then grabbed a dishtowel and tossed it at him.

“I’ll wash and you dry.”

The soft dishrag landed on the shoulder of Dean’s gray t-shirt. He plucked it from there and smiled.

“You act like you’ve never done this before,” Luke picked up a plate and leaned over; he scrapped the chicken bones into the trash with a fork.

“We really didn’t have much of a home life–” Dean went to the sink.

“Our Mom died when Sam was a baby, we’ve been on the road ever since.”

“Oh I’m so sorry,” Daisy put her hand on Dean’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze; a small sympathetic smile crossed her features as the two locked eyes.

 

Sam watched as Min walked around the yard then wander to the edge of the property. He glanced back at the house then sighed as he followed her.

Min reached the dirt road; she sensed someone coming up to her and her spine straightened. She whipped around fast then sighed audibly in relief when she saw who it was.

“Sam,”

“Hey, sorry I didn’t mean to scare you–” Sam put his hands up briefly, and then let them hang to his sides.

“It’s not your fault,” Min walked back into the yard then over to a few bags of feed covered with a tarp that sat beside the barn. She sat down on the blue tarp covered pile, and then once again focused her attention on the road. Sam watched her, and then casually joined her.

“You look like you’re expecting something.”

“Guess in some ways I am,” She smoothed some hair back and tucked a few dark strands behind her ear.

“Ever since all this started, I feel like there are eyes everywhere, like I’m constantly being watched. This terrible feeling of dread is over everything like a veil.”

Nodding, Sam folded his hands in his lap. “Yeah, I felt it too when we first came here.”

“Something’s here now Sam, something’s that’s never been here before. I know that with Halloween coming up, sometimes things automatically seem spooky, but not like this.”

As the night began to settle in, the sky went from navy blue to the first traces of black. The moon now began to grow bright as it rose high in the sky like a pearl. The wind began to pick up; it blew back the long ends of Min’s hair. She crossed her arms again over her chest and shivered. She then gazed at Sam beside her. The barn light cast a silver glow above them, lighting up the handsome features of his face: the chiseled jawline, mouth and especially, his bluish green eyes that held a quiet look of sympathy and understanding, but also a sense of wisdom beyond his age. Suddenly realizing her staring, Min cleared her throat.

“What is it?” Sam noticed her gawking; he got a good look at her too, her large, dark expressive eyes, button nose, full lips and smile. He felt his heart speed up as he gazed into her face.

“I, I just wanted to say thank you Sam.” Min reached down between them and placed her small hand over his.

“You and Dean saved Bo and Luke, that car probably would have killed them both.”

Sam started a little at her touch; there seemed to be a hint of electricity in the air around her that he felt when their hands came in contact.

“We do what we can to help.”

Min nodded, and then hung her head. Her small shoulders visibly slumped, and Sam heard the soft sound of her sniffling.

“Min?” He asked as he took her hand, then reached out and carefully cupped her chin. He lifted her face, his eyebrows going up at the wet tracks down her cheeks.

“I’m scared Sam,” She whispered as more tears pooled in her eyes.

“Who is doing this and what does he want? It’s like I’m cursed,” Her voice slightly muffled.

The sight of her crying made his expression soften with sympathy.  He knew all too well what it was like to be scared of the unknown: the creatures that called the dark their home, the evil that he sometimes felt seemed to encompass all aspects of his life.

“It’s going to be okay Min–” His voice low.

“I know what it’s like to be scared. I know what’s out there, things that come from nightmares, demons, vampires and—”

“Angry spirits that come back to take their revenge.” Min completed Sam’s thoughts.

Sam started, then pulled back to look down at Min. She had plucked the words from his mind as if they were grapes. Sam remembered how they had both said something at the same time back I the Impala. He stared at her in amazement; gazing into her dark brown eyes, he saw how strong her abilities really were, a hint of power and a sense of fear

“You’ve also dealt with freaks like me before.”

The statement made Sam’s mouth tighten and his light eyes flash in anger.

“You’re not a freak!” He said vehemently, his large hands gripping both of her shoulders.

“Yes I am Sam, I know I am! The things I can do! I–” She shook her head.

“I feel like I’m nothing but a burden to my family, like I should just leave them for their own good!” She looked at him, her brown eyes bright, the tears rolling freely down her face and dripping from her cheeks.

“I didn’t ask for any of this, it’s like I’m being punished.  I just want a normal life!”

He tugged Min into his arms, her face pressed into his dark blue t-shirt, visible through the open ends of his tan jacket.

“Shh, it’s all right, I know how you feel,” Sam whispered, he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his own emotions threaten. He took in a deep breath and rubbed her back gently.

“I’ve felt alone sometimes too, I’ve even tried to run away thinking Dean would be better off,” He sighed.

“But it didn’t work Min; you can’t run away from who you are.”

Min nodded; her tears tapered off; her eyes remained closed as she leaned into the embrace. Despite the fact they hardly knew each other, Min felt comforted; the arms that held her where powerful, lined with corded muscle beneath his t-shirt, the torso she pressed into also trim and solid. The steady beat of Sam’s heart thudded against her cheek, its cadence also a comfort. Min could get a feel for Sam beyond flesh and bone; she saw into his heart and soul, getting small flashes of his life: the death of his mother and girlfriend stood out prominently.

“We’re a lot alike Sam.”

Their common bond of tragedy and loss, the abilities that neither of them had asked for, and the day to day struggle of feeling like an outsider; Min understood Sam probably better than anyone else. Her arms came up, hesitated a moment before they slipped around Sam’s lanky frame.

She felt him stiffen suddenly, the body becoming rigid like a wood board.

“I’m sorry, it’s just been so long since…”

“You were held like this.” This time Sam finished Min’s sentence; the two of them on the same wavelength.

“Yeah,” She started to let go when Sam’s arms tightened around her and he relaxed.

“Don’t,” He whispered. “Don’t pull away.”

“Don’t want to,” Min said, her hands flexed a moment before they moved up along the material of his shirt.

Sam nodded, his chin pressed into the top of Min’s head; he leaned back, his forehead then touched Min’s as she raised her head. Their faces were close enough to breathe in each other’s air; their lips close enough to touch.

“Been a long time for me too, not since–”

“Jess,”

“Yeah,”

They both closed their eyes, the mouths a mere fraction from touching.

“Oh that’s awesome!” A familiar voice rang out, followed by running footsteps.

“Hey Sam, you’ve got to check this…” Dean came running up, his words stopped when he saw his brother and Min.

“Ooops!” He looked sheepish, then turned away.

Sam and Min both wrenched apart, Min smoothed her hair back then crossed her arms over her chest. Sam cleared his throat and rubbed his hands along his thighs.

“I better go help Daisy with the pie.” Despite how little light there was, the blush on her face could be seen. She stood up then ducked past Dean with a sheepish expression before going into the backdoor of the kitchen.

Dean raised his hand and rubbed the back of his head. He glanced over his shoulder briefly at the sound of the screen door closing then once again to his brother.

“Sorry man, I didn’t know you two were about to–”

“What was it you wanted me to see?” Sam stood up fast, his hands in his pockets. His rapid change in subject made his older brother grin knowingly.

“This sweet Charger!” Dean hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “You should see the engine in this thing.”

“Yeah, okay.” Sam walked with his brother around to the front of the house. As they passed the house, he glanced at it seeing the shadows from inside, and wondered to himself which one belonged to Min.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

Daisy bent over the oven and opened the door; she picked up two blue oven mitt squares and tugged out the wire rack that contained two browning pies.

“Giving Sam the tour of the farm?” She asked as she watched Min came in from outside.

“Not exactly, we were just talking,” She rubbed her arms suddenly chilled, then sighed at the warmth from the oven as she got closer to it and the smell of the warming pies filling the kitchen.

“You see Uncle Jesse out there?” Judging that the pies were ready, Daisy carefully lifted each one and set them on the counter.

“No, and we were right near the barn.”

“Mm hmmm,” Daisy said with a grin as she set the oven mitts down and got a large knife from the drain board.

Min could sense her grin. “Daisy, nothing happened.”

Going over to the wood and glass cabinet, Min got out a stack of small plates.

“He’s awfully cute though, and he’s the first guy you’ve been interested in since–”

“Daisy,” Min stopped her before she could finish her sentence, and then got a spatula out of the silverware drawer.

Her cousin glanced at her. “I know nothing happened, but you have to admit Sam seems nice and you haven’t been interested in anyone in a long time.”

“What makes you think I’m interested?”

A smirk tugged back the corners of Daisy’s mouth. “Your blushing face.”

She finished slicing up both pies, then went to the fridge and opened it, getting out a pitcher of milk. Min tried to ignore the warmth of the blood rushing back into her cheeks; she got the spatula and began dishing out the pie slices.

“Want to talk about it?” Daisy set the pitcher onto the table.

Before Min could answer, the backdoor opening got both of the girls’ attention. Looking up, they saw their uncle come inside and hang his hat back up.

“Uncle Jesse?” Daisy replied, the look on her uncle’s face made her stomach grow tight.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine Daisy, just seeing to Maudine.” He wouldn’t look at either of his nieces, though he felt their stares bore into the back of his head as he got a mug from the drain board and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“We were just cutting up the pies, you want a slice?” Min took him a plate. The two locked eyes, and a pang of worry settled around her heart. She gently touched his arm.

“Uncle Jesse, what is it?” She whispered, seeing his almost haunted gaze.

“I’m all right Min,” He gripped the plate she offered, then brushed passed her and got a fork from the drain board.

“See to our guests, I’m heading to bed,” He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Daisy and Min both exchanged glances, and then followed their uncle.

“But Uncle Jesse,” Daisy started to say, then stopped when Jesse took a book from the shelf. He tucked it under his arm then went into his room and closed the door.

Min stood next to her cousin. “What was that?”

Recognizing the book immediately, Daisy turned to see Min’s curious gaze.

“That was the Duke family Bible.”

Creasing her brow, Min glanced at the closed door to her uncle’s room and sighed.

“Why would he want that?”

“That book contains all the births and deaths that has ever happened in the Duke family.”

Daisy crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed them.

“Maybe he just wants to read it.”

“Or maybe he needs to read it.” Daisy whispered as she reached out to pat Min’s arm, then both girls went back into the kitchen.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“Whoo listen to that baby purr!” Dean grinned; he and Sam watched as Bo revved up the engine of the General Lee. The blond man grinned proudly at the sound the powerful engine made. On one side of the open hood, Luke too looked pleased, his arms crossed over his chest.

“We just had Cooter tune her up, he did a great job.”

“Your mechanic?” Sam asked, he moved away from Dean then placed both hands on the edge of the hood then peered into it. The four boys all stood under the big tree in the Dukes’ front yard. The huge old oak tree stood a few yards to the left of the front porch. A single bulb work light hung from the top of the open hood, the chrome of the big engine shining from the pale glow.

 

Bo shut off the engine; he reached up to grip the edge of the roof and slid partially out of the car. He sat on the edge of the window.

“He’s the best grease monkey in Hazzard.”

Luke scoffed at this and shook his head. “Nah Bo, Cooter’s the best grease monkey in the state.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that cousin.”

Glancing over towards the front of the house, Bo saw the big black Impala.

“What about your car?” He directed his question at Dean.

“I just rebuilt her.”

“Car wreck?” Luke turned to see the car.

“Semi.” Sam stepped back.

Both Bo and Luke winced, their faces scrunching up in pain as if they got pinched.

“You two are lucky you came out of that unscathed!” Luke replied and Bo nodded in agreement.

“Heck yeah! Where did it hit?” Bo climbed out fully from the General Lee.

The four men walked over to the Impala. Dean opened the driver side door and leaned over. He tugged on the hood release.

“The front passenger side,” Sam pointed out.

Bo and Luke went over to the side in question. The front porch lights now providing the only light, made the black paint and silver chrome shine.

“Will you look at that?” Bo said as he crouched down; he ran his hand along the passenger side door. The black paint smooth and cool under his touch; the feel of it made him grin.

“You can’t even tell! Luke look at this!” He said over his shoulder to his cousin.

Luke crouched down next to his cousin; he too ran his hand along the door and along the side of the Impala.

“A good job.” He said as he nodded.

“Here, take a look at this!” Dean went to the front of the car and opened the hood.

Both Dukes stood up and joined Dean.

Bo whistled, then grinned. “You put some serious work into this engine, didn’t ya?”

“Absolutely…this baby and me go way back. Rode in it as a kid with Dad, and now Sammy and me ride in it.”

Sam heard the backdoor slam and turned towards it. He walked away from the others and around the rear of the house. Peering through the screen door and the window in the wooden door, he saw the two girls alone, his senses flaring. A silent signal inside of him whispered that they were distressed; Sam’s stomach twisted in a knot.

“Something wrong?” Bo suddenly behind him made Sam start, then whip around. His face reflecting relief seeing it was Bo. He watched Sam curiously, his thumbs tucked into his belt loops.

“Hey…I think so,”

Stepping closer to the screen door, Bo too saw the girls. The look on Min’s face especially made him nod.

“Yeah…we can mess around with the cars later.” He glanced back at the Luke and Dean.

“Looks like the girls cut up them pies, what do you say we go in and have some?”

“Pie?” Dean asked as he slammed the hood down, then brushed off his hands.

“Yeah, apple pie.” Luke answered him as the two men walked.

“Homemade pie? Fresh pie? Not some square piece of crap from a fast food joint?” Dean’s green eyes were glistening, a silly grin lit up his features.

Sam’s brow creased as he saw his brother’s expression and patted his back.

“There’s a paper bag in the trunk if you need to breathe in it Dean.”

Bo and Luke both chuckled at that; Dean narrowed his eyes at his younger brother.

“Yeah well just for that you can sleep on the fold out sofa bed, I’m taking the guest room.”

“A bed is a bed Dean.”

“A private room all to myself… Sweet!” He grinned.

“I already said I’d take it.” Sam reminded his brother, then smirked as he watched the triumphant grin on Dean’s face deflate like a balloon.

“Oh.”

Luke shook his head. “I know how you feel Dean, aint easy having a roommate, especially this one!” He hooked his thumb towards Bo.

“Hey! Wait a minute now Luke, you aint the easiest to live with either!” Bo’s hands were on his hips as he gazed at his cousin. The two Dukes stared each other down, then finally Luke grinned and grabbed Bo around the neck in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles across his blond head.

“Luke!!” Bo laughed as he poked at his cousin’s side and back.

Both Sam and Dean started laughing.

“Hey maybe I should try that on you!” Dean gave his brother a light shove, smiling.

The backdoor suddenly opened; Daisy poked her head out and looked around the open door.

“Pie’s ready!”

She saw Bo and Luke, and then her gaze shifted to Sam and Dean.

“They were trying to decide who got the biggest piece, but then I volunteered to eat their pie for them.” Dean grinned; Daisy returned it and shook her head.

“Oh, I’m sure you did.”

“You did not, Dean!” Bo said, panting lightly as Daisy’s appearance brought their tussling to an abrupt halt. Luke let his cousin go.

“Yeah! You aren’t taking my pie!”

Stepping back, the four men came in. Their smiles and laughter stopped when they felt the air in the kitchen. Sam and Bo gazed at each other, their suspicions now confirmed.

“What happened?” Luke said first; his hand went to the back of his neck and rubbed it.

Min took two plates and placed them on the table.

“Uncle Jesse went right to bed.”
“We gave him a piece of pie and he took it along with some coffee.” Daisy went to the silverware drawer and counted out six forks.

“And the family Bible.” Min added.

That made both Bo and Luke straighten up, they slowly turned and looked at each other.

“Luke, he never takes that book with him, unless–”

“He’s looking for something.” Luke finished his cousin’s sentence.

Dean looked around at the face of every Duke.

“What’s in that Bible?”

Sam put his hands on the back of a green chair.

“Most families put all their information in Bibles like births, deaths, marriages.”

Luke ran his hand over his face. “Yeah, that’s what’s in ours too.”

“That aint all Luke.” Bo pulled out a side chair then sat down. He glanced up at the other people still standing all around him.

“What else is in there Bo?”

“Why don’t we talk about it? Try and figure out whose car that is.” Dean also gripped a green chair and slid it back along the linoleum floor.

“I think that’s a good idea. Maybe we can figure out what your uncle might already know.” Sam added as he too sat down.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“I never knew there were articles in that Bible.” Min picked up the silver coffee pot and poured herself a cup, then held up the pot. When a few cups raised, she stood and began refilling the mugs.

“Thank you.” Dean replied as Min gave him more coffee. He took a sip of it, and then glanced up at Bo who sat across from him.

“And you’re sure of what you saw?”

“Yeah,” Bo gave his sister a smile as she refilled his cup then met Dean’s gaze.

“Last month, the shelf in the living room broke. I was helping Uncle Jesse empty it so we could fix it. When I went to get the Bible it fell and a few news clippings came out of it. I picked up one and he about snatched it out of my hands.”

“He’s always been very protective of the family Bible.” Daisy answered, she took the small pitcher of cream and added a little of it to her coffee, then stirred it with a spoon.

“And where was I?” Luke asked, he leaned back in his chair then his eyebrow rose as he looked at his cousin.

“You and Daisy were in Atlanta, and Min was at work.”

“Yeah, I had to work that shift alone, I remember that day.” Min set the coffee pot down and began to clear up the now empty pie plates.

“Here Min, let me help with that.” Sam rose to his feet and picked up Dean’s plate. He walked around the side of the table and took Luke’s plate.

“Bo, you said there were articles, do you remember what they were about?”

Bo rested his elbows on the table, his hands folded in front of his mouth. He thought back to that day and the old and yellowed newspaper clipping he had held.

“There was this smashed up car and it said something about…”

Watching her brother struggle to remember, Min reached out and touched his arm.

“What about a year? A name?”

“What’d the car look like?” Luke added in.

“Was it here in Hazzard?” Daisy also spoke up. Now all eyes were glued to the blond Duke trying to remember what he had briefly read.

“Look over towards the shelf Bo, remember the articles all over the floor.” Sam motioned into the living room. Bo turned to glance at the shelf, then his gaze went to the braided multicolored round rug directly under it.

“Anything that will give us a clue, Bo.” Dean said gently.

The silence in the room almost palatable, Bo continued to stare at the rug. His memory took him back to that day and the sudden panicked look in Jesse Duke’s eyes as he took the article from him.

“Deadly wreck on Route 3 claims one.”

“That aint nothing that concerns you Bo.”

“Deadly wreck on Route 3 killed one.” Bo repeated what he had read, just as he had that day.

Dean and Sam both watched as the other Dukes all looked at each other, uncertainty painted on all of their faces. The two brothers exchanged glances then Sam cleared this throat.

“That mean anything to any of you?”

Daisy and Min both shook their heads, but then Dean’s gaze rested on Luke.

“What about you Luke?”

Bo had come out of his trip down Memory Lane. He took saw the look on Luke’s face.

“You know Route 3?”

“I do, but you’re probably too young to remember.”

The confusion remained on Bo’s face and Luke sighed.

“Back when everybody ran shine, Route 3 was one of the back roads used as a short cut.” He reached out and began to rotate his coffee mug in a slow circle.

“Pretty rough country up there; I used to hear the other runners talk about it, so I asked Uncle Jesse about it one day. He said if you don’t know what you were doing your runner could take a heck of a beating.”

“Our Uncle Jesse said that? Luke, he once dropped a barn on an ATF agent!” Bo snorted and shook his head.

“Luke, how come I never heard of Route 3 after I started running shine?”

“Uncle Jesse stopped using it long before you and I started running. Uncle Jesse said it was just too hard on the runners. That and there was something else.”

“What Luke?” Bo asked.

“I don’t know if this has anything to do with that article or not but, Route 3 has another name.”

“What name?”

“Superstition Road.”

“Maybe your uncle had other reasons for keeping you from going up there.” Dean suggested; the seriousness of his tone made the smirk slide right off of Bo’s face.

“You mean if someone died up there?”

“Could be that’s how it got its name Luke. Could be that’s why he stopped using Route 3, and made up a reason to tell you other than the truth.” Sam said and his words made Luke frown.

“He’d never lie to us, Sam.”

“But he would try and protect us Luke.” Min’s head turned in the direction of her uncle’s bedroom and she sighed.

“He’d do anything to keep us from harm.”

“Min’s right Luke.” Daisy put her hand on her cousin’s arm and gave it a squeeze.

“Yeah I know Daisy.” Luke gave her hand a pat then his attention shifted to the two brothers.

“First thing in the morning maybe we can check out the newspaper office both here and in Capitol City, they keep papers there from all over the state.”

“Good idea, or maybe we can split up and each cover an office.”

“Me and Bo and you and Dean.” Luke said to Sam.

Daisy crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

“What about me and Min? We’re going to come too and I aint taking no for an answer.”

Luke started to open his mouth when Daisy peered at him. The look in her eyes made him close his mouth. He knew full well that no one could argue with Daisy once her mind had been made up, and Min was just as stubborn.

The fire in Daisy’s statement made Dean smile. Sam saw it and nudged him with his elbow. Dean snapped out of his stupor and scowled at Sam’s grin.

“Right, good idea.”

“Glad you see things my way Sugar.” Daisy laughed as she patted Luke on the arm again.

“Like I had a choice!” Luke countered, but then laughed.

“Sure you do Luke, and the choice is, that you aint got one!” Min flashed her best smile. Both Bo and Luke rolled their eyes at that.

“Duke charm don’t work on other Dukes Min.” Bo said; he picked up a napkin and wadded it up then tossed it at his sister.

“Oh fine I’ll remember that Bo the next time you try in on me or Daisy!” Min caught the paper ball and threw it back at Bo. He ducked as it sailed over his head.

“Missed me!”

“How can you miss a head that big!”

“Me? A big head?” Bo reached out and put his arm around Luke’s neck in a headlock.

“Look who’s talking!” He rubbed his knuckles on top the dark head.

“Bo! Cut it out!” Luke tried to pry his cousin’s arm away from his neck, but his laughing made his efforts be in vain.

“Who you going to put your money on Daisy?” Min winked at her cousin.

“I’m not sure Min, how about both?”

The girls started laughing as the rough housing continued. Bo had managed to drag Luke out of his chair, and the two men moved to the living room. The girls, Sam and Dean got up to follow and were watching.

A bright light suddenly came pouring in through every window in the house. The beams cut through everything, literally turning night into day. The glare stopped everything as if it had been cut off with a big switch.

Bo and Luke froze where they were, both men turned towards the front door.

“What the heck is that?” Bo asked, he took his arm from around Luke’s neck as both men straightened up.

Sam and Dean both moved to the nearest window. Sam brushed back the lacy curtain and squinted.

“Too bright to see anything.”

“I’m going to open the door.” Dean reached out and wrapped his hand around the knob.

Min and Daisy both went over to Bo and Luke.

“Dean…don’t.” Min shook her head on her cousin as she took Bo by the arm.

As Dean opened the door, the sound of a powerful engine revving up came blasting through the small farmhouse. The force of it rattled the windows and the girls gasped at its intensity.

Daisy put her arm around Luke and leaned into him.

“Where is it coming from?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what it was like out on the road when that black car was after us.”

Opening the door now all the way, Dean and Sam stepped out onto the porch. They both raised their hands to shield their eyes.

“I don’t see any car, do you Sam?”

“No, I don’t.”

“To be that loud, the car would have to almost drive through the house.”

The engine revved again, this time shaking the house itself. The dishes and glasses in the cabinets rattled, the chairs around the dining room table fell over, a few books from the living room bookshelf fell out of it and landed on the floor.

Dean went back inside and over by the kitchen back door. He grabbed the green weapons bag and brought it into the living room, setting it on the floor with a thump.

“Sam,” He picked up one of the sawed off shotguns and tossed it to his brother.

Sam caught it easily and checked to see if it was loaded, then closed it. Now both brothers armed, they moved through the door. The instant both men stepped down onto the wooden porch, the light and noise were both gone.

“What the–” Dean gazed out into the night.

“Gone in an instant.” Sam shook his head.

“Just wanted us to know its still around.” Turning to look at his younger brother, Dean put the shotgun up onto his shoulder.

“I think we better take turns keeping an eye on things.”

“Right,” Sam nodded. “I’ll take the first shift.”

“Okay, I’ll get a few hours sack time then take over.”

Luke had his arm around Daisy then looked at Bo, who had his arm around Min.

“I don’t remember that out on the road Luke.” He reached up and winced as his fingers brushed the small bandage that sat above his eye.

“Well I do, Bo.” Luke’s jaw clenched.

“That car nearly killed us both.”

Min trembled as she leaned her head against Bo’s chest.

“Who is he? What does he want?”

“I wish I knew Min, but we’re going to find out.” Bo told her gently. Then the four Dukes moved to the open door, curious as to what the two brothers were doing.

 

Dean and Sam walked the length of the porch, then down the steps and out into the yard. The night air had become as cold as ice, and the white vapor of their warm breath visible. The darkness also took on a life of its own; the shadows seemed darker, and took on a sense of hostility.

Both men stood by the huge oak tree in the yard. Dean looked up at the aging tree; the twisted limbs stretched out like arms. Sam gripped the shotgun tighter in his hand. He could sense something in the air.

“Dean?”

“Yeah Sam, I feel it too. Let’s check the road.”

Nodding, Sam leveled the shotgun as he followed his brother. Dean kept his rifle straight out, gazing down the length of the altered barrel. He swept from right to left from the front as Sam swept the right and left from behind; walking slowly and cautiously along the road, the pair of brothers covered each other’s backs as they moved from the house to the barn and back again.

“They’re brave; I wouldn’t go near that road right now if you paid me!” Daisy replied; Min nodded, she too could feel something all round the farmhouse.

“Feels like we’re being watched.”

Bo had his eyes locked on the pair of brothers, then looked at his eldest cousin.

“Shouldn’t we be helping out Luke?”

At Bo’s words, a realization hit Luke and he stiffened. Though he appreciated the help of the Winchester brothers, the Dukes weren’t ones to back down from a fight, especially a frontal assault on their own property. The Duke family pride winning out Luke gave a nod, a look of determination in his cool blue eyes.

“Yeah Bo, we should.” Gently easing away from Daisy, Luke stepped aside and disappeared into the kitchen. He came back with a pair of flashlights, and tossed one to Bo then motioned for his kin to follow him.

“Think us being out here is stopping it from showing itself?” Sam and Dean were crouched down, both of them seeing the marks in the dirt road.

“Maybe or maybe not. We’re not the ones its after.” Dean replied as he ran his fingers along the tire tracks that were made by the two muscle cars.

“Could be its trying to lure the Dukes out.”

The appearance of two shadows suddenly made both men rise to their feet in an instant. Sam and Dean both raised their rifles, then instantly turned their rifles away when they recognized who it was.

“Whoa! Just us!” Luke said as he raised his hands briefly then lowered them. Bo too briefly put his hands up and grinned his most charming grin.

“Right, just us fellows, n-no need to shoot!”

“Well that’s one way to get a blast of rock salt.” Dean sighed as he lowered his gun.

“Find anything?” Luke crouched down. He turned on the flashlight and shined it on the ground, the gravel and dirt that marked the start of the road about a foot from where he and Bo stood.

“Not really, whatever that was is gone now.” Sam gripped his rifle by its stock, pointing the barrel downward.

“After all that, y’all didn’t find one thing? Come on, there has to be something.”

Closing the distance between the two men and the road, Bo took two steps. The instant his boot-clad instep touched gravel, the light and horrible rumbling returned. The two Winchesters whipped around. The wind started to blow and combined with the cold, the icy gusts through everyone chilling them to their bones.

“What the frig…?” Dean replied; the dual headlights started from the section of the road closest to the barn. Sam too seemed surprised, his eyes widening.

“We were just over there! What brought it back?” He shouted over the increasing growl of the engine, and the howl of the wind.

“I don’t know!” Dean called out, the noise near deafening.

“Oh God!” Min gasped then took Daisy by the hand, both women ran down the porch to the yard.  They ran to the road, the minute Min’s feet touched the road; the lights began to move towards the house.

“Dean! It’s coming!” Sam shouted as he ran back to where his brother stood. Both men raised their rifles, ready to deliver four barrels of rock salt at the oncoming vehicle.

Sam and Dean were side by side; their stance shifting as they took aim. From the sidelines, the four Dukes watched. Their frames rigid and trembling, not believing what they were seeing. The pair of brothers facing down what looked like an impossible scenario: the two bright beams from the black Fairlane hitting them both like spotlights.

“Get ready Sammy!” Dean shouted; his gaze blank.

“Ready Dean!” Sam answered; he too bore a serious expression.

Both men had aimed their rifles at the nose of the approaching vehicle.

“Shoot in 5…4…”

Daisy right beside Luke, she had her hand around his arm. They stood closest to the front of the house.

“God Luke, what if this doesn’t work this time? What if–”

“Don’t think like that Daisy! It’s gotta work!” Luke said, he too rattled by both the cold and this menacing car that seemed to be stalking his family.

 

The black runner now less than 15 feet from the Winchesters, the front door banged open so hard it hit the wall beside the door.

“You kids get away from there!”

Jesse Duke yelled then descended the stairs fast. He brushed past Daisy and Luke, nearly toppling them; he grabbed Bo and Min by the arms and dragged them off of the road.

“3…2…1!” Dean called off the numbers. When he got to the last digit, both rifles went off in a white, dusty burst.

The black runner disappeared right before the front end received its cloud of salt. The chunks of salt rained down onto the ground.

When the car vanished, both Sam and Dean glanced at one another then whipped around to see Jesse with a hold on Bo and Min.

Two sets of eyes first went to the road then up to Jesse with his niece and nephew.  When it occurred to the brothers were Min and Bo had stood, realization hit them both. Once again they slowly exchanged looks.

“Dean–” Sam started to say, and Dean nodded.

“Yeah,” He tucked his shotgun under his arm.

Regrouping, Sam and Dean joined the circle of Dukes, all eyes transfixed on the patriarch of the family.

“Uncle Jesse–” Daisy started to say softly, but Luke’s touch on her arm, and his gaze made her stop. Luke shifted his attention to Sam and Dean. Silent communication between he and them loud and clear, the pair of brothers nodded.

Sam cleared his throat.

“No one’s judging you Mr. Duke; we just need to tell us what you know.” He then gave Dean and sidelong glance, wanting his brother to agree and spare Jesse anymore guilt. Dean’s green eyes were sharp, but he gave a nod.

“Sam’s right, we just need the truth.”

Min and Bo were on either side of their uncle. He still had one of their arms in each hand and gave them both a squeeze.

Jesse felt the weight of their stares. His gaze tore from the Winchesters, then he met the eyes of his nieces and nephews. Bo and Min looked particularly perplexed; their confusion made the older man lower his head, his guilt palatable.

“I think we best go back in the house.”

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

 

The Dukes plus both Winchesters went back inside the farmhouse. No one both spoke. No one smiled. The questions they all had hovered in the air, and the one that had the answers seemed reluctant to talk. Jesse pulled his watch out of the front pocket of his light blue overalls to check the time.

“I’m going to change; I’m freezing.” Min whispered, rubbing her arms as she crossed the floor to the bedroom she and Daisy shared.

“Me too Min.” Daisy followed, the door closing behind them.

Daisy and Min sat in the center of the Dukes long white couch with the green vines, the both of them huddled together.

“Just can’t get warm,” Min said quietly.

“Me either, feels like my bones are ice.” Daisy wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

“I saw his face and it feels like he can still see me.”

“That’s how I’ve felt since the cornfield.” Min agreed as she too bundled herself up.

“Maybe something warm will help. I know I could use something hot.” Luke mumbled as he went to the kitchen.

Bo nodded in agreement.

“Coffee sounds good about now.”  He gazed at Sam, Dean, and Jesse a moment then left to get his coffee.

Dean watched the girls literally shiver and pointed to the fireplace.

“If you don’t mind sir, I think this place could use some heating up.”

Jesse saw where Dean motioned to and gave a nod.

“Go on, I think it’s going to be a long night.” He closed his watch, and then put it back in its pocket where he kept it. His red chair sat right beside the fireplace; Jesse sat down in it and folded his hands over his stomach.

Sam slipped off his tan jacket.

“I’m going to help Bo and Luke.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, and went into the kitchen. Both Duke cousins stood around the white stove. Sam saw their bags by the door, and draped his jacket over them.

“Hey…can I help you with that? I think everyone is going to want something to drink.”

Luke glanced over his shoulder at Sam.

“Tray’s on top of the fridge.”

“Right.” Sam retrieved it and brought it to the edge of the dining table. Bo took mugs from the drain board and began setting them in it.

“Hope everyone’s okay with coffee.” He said low.

“It’s fine.”

Seeing the obvious distress in both cousins, Sam sighed as he pushed up the long sleeves on his black t-shirt.

“It’s going to be okay, you know that, right?”

With silence as the answer given from both cousins, Sam glanced back at the living room briefly.

“Me and Dean have been dealing with stuff like this our whole lives. We’re not going to let any of you get hurt.”

The sincere words made Bo close his eyes briefly as he looked up from the tray.

“Just never dealt with anything like this Sam, we Dukes have had our share of enemies, but–”

“They always met us up face to face, and they sure as heck didn’t play games.”

Luke finished the sentence, then carefully took the big silver coffeepot from the burner and began filling coffee cups.

“Most ghosts have reasons for why they do things, Luke.” Sam answered. He waited for Luke to finish pouring and picked up the tray.

Bo opened the fridge and took out a small pitcher of cream and set it on the tray, along with a small tan lidded bowl full of sugar cubes, and a few spoons.

“What’s it want then?”

“Only one person can answer that.” Grasping the handles on the wooden tray, Sam lifted it and carefully walked towards the living room.

“Yeah…” Luke agreed, then crossed his arms over his chest.

“Question is, will he tell us?” He then gazed at his cousin.

Bo too crossed his arms over his chest, and rubbed his hand over his face.

“He ain’t got a choice Luke, not anymore.”

 

Dean knelt on the braided rug directly in front of the faded red brick fireplace. To the left sat a tall basket that contained pieces of wood, and folded up newspapers. Retrieving one from the basket, he opened it and read the headline.

“Hazzard Gazette.”

Setting the paper down, Dean reached out and lifted the screen off of the fireplace. Picking the newspaper back up, he opened it length wise, ripped off a long sheet, and wadded it up into a ball.

He had wadded up the paper into several balls then placed them in the grate. Next, Dean took several long pieces of split logs and placed them over and under the paper wads.

“You sure seem to know what you’re doing.” Daisy commented from behind Dean.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and shrugged.

“Sometimes Sam and I end up in places where a good fire makes all the difference.”

“Or can keep away bad things,” Min added.

Taking a silver Zippo out of his pocket, Dean flicked it to life then touched the flame to several of the paper wads. In a matter of seconds, the fire had spread and the logs began to burn. Again, Dean looked behind him. He caught sight of Min, his expression serious. The green eyes Min stared into showed a lifetime of experience hunting and dealing with supernatural creatures.

“You’re close to the truth then you know.”

She visibly shivered at his statement, and shrunk back into the couch. She thought of the pale face and dead eyes of the drive of the Ford Fairlane.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Coffee’s done.” Sam appeared from the kitchen. He held the wooden tray and sat down on the end of the couch. Nestled between the fireplace and the couch stood a small coffee table, Sam set the tray down onto it and began passing out the cups of coffee.

“Mr. Duke?” Sam asked as he held out a mug.

Jesse’s far off expression changed as he saw Sam’s offer. He sat up and took the hot drink before settling back against the plush red chair.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks, Sam.” Dean said to his brother as he got up and accepted the drink. He took the end of the couch beside Daisy.

Bo and Luke came back to the living room. The boys slipped around the couch, and sat in the two chairs beside it.

With everyone now feeling warmer from both the fire and the coffee, one by one the attention shifted to Uncle Jesse.

Calmly sipping, once again the Duke patriarch felt their stares and lowered his cup.

“Now I know you’re all wondering what’s been happening. I didn’t want to believe it but…” He trailed off.

“But now you do?” Sam interjected.  Jesse’s gaze snapped to the younger man, but unable to deny the truth, he slowly nodded.

“Why don’t you tell us about it? We can get to the bottom of this.” Dean scooted to the edge of the couch, and placed his mug on the edge of the coffee table.

“Harder than you know to talk about it, especially considering some of the people that it does involve are no longer with us.” He paused a moment and looked at his nephews.

“It involves your fathers,”

The statement made Bo’s eyes go round. He began to play with his fingers, then chewed on his thumbnail. Luke gave a sidelong glance to his cousin, shifted in his chair, and rubbed the back of his neck.

“When?” He asked, his discomfort visible.

“Back a long time ago, back when they was about the same age as you fellas now.”

“Uncle Cooper and Uncle Aaron?” Daisy gasped then whipped her head to look at Min.

Min closed her eyes at the mention of her father’s name.

“That sure explains some things.” She said softly.

“You’re right Min, it does.” Sam said beside her. His words got the attention of both Bo and Luke.

“What do you mean?”

Bo too looked curious as to what Sam meant. He thought of something and his spine straightened.

“He means on the road and what just happened here.”

Creasing his brow, Luke shook his head.

“Sorry cousin, I don’t get you.”

“Min and me was standing on the road Luke, as soon as Uncle Jesse pulled us off of it–”

“The car was gone.” Min finished, and Luke ran his hand up his face and into his hair.

“I wasn’t standing on the road.”

“But you were back up on Route 7.” Dean reminded Luke.

“And we just got to you before that car did.”

Jesse remained quiet as the conjecture bounced between everyone like a ping pong ball. When things settled down again, he continued.

“Me, Aaron and Cooper were all gonna do shine runs. Halloween was coming up, and the orders for shine had us on runs practically every night. We was all running shine, and making good money. We even had a partner, Marty Dunham.”

“Partner?” Bo asked.

“Always been told making shine was a family business.” Luke got up from his chair; he crouched down and took another log from the basket and added it to the fire.

“It was, and its also tradition for the Dukes to share good fortune with friends and neighbors. Marty could repair a still better than if it was brand new, and he had could outfox even the toughest revenuer.” A small smile came to Jesse’s face, in his mind eye he saw he and his brothers clearly, and a dark haired young man in overalls wearing a black Fedora.

“How he loved that hat.” He said outloud, and then blinked.

“Marty loved this old ratty black hat, never went anywheres without it.”

Getting a flash of the man behind the wheel of the black car, Min shivered again.

“Uncle Jesse, did Marty like overalls too?”
The question hung in the air like smoke. Again, all faces were turned towards the head of the Duke family.

“Yeah, it’s all he ever wore.”

“God that is him.” Luke whispered as he slowly shook his head. He remembered seeing the driver of the black car, just before it tried to run him down.

“Black hat and overalls.”

“Go on with your story sir, now that we have a name, what happened?” Dean steered the conversation gently back to the story, he knew deep down that the only way to get to the truth, and how to stop this spirit, was to get the whole story.

“He’s right, go on Uncle Jesse.” Daisy gave a nod to her uncle. She saw the worry lines etch deeper in his face. She could tell by the look in his eyes how tough it was to talk about, especially where his brothers were concerned.

Jesse looked down into the coffee cup he held. His stare lingered at the black liquid, his mind once again reaching back to that long ago time of fast cars, revenuers, woodsy hide-a-ways and bubbling stills.

“A big order came in from Atlanta, someone wanted a hundred gallons of shine, and Aaron, Cooper, Marty and me all agreed to split it up. We was in three cars, each carrying over thirty jugs. The order was a late one, by the time we got to it, it was well past midnight.”

“And how does Route 3 fit into all this.” Sam watched as Jesse visibly flinched. His eyes widened, then he slowly turned his gaze to Bo.

“You remembered that article, didn’t you?”

Bo swallowed hard, but nodded.

“Yes sir, and I remember that car in the picture all burnt and smashed up.”

He lowered his head, and then took in an unsteady breath.

“We wanted to make the run as best we could. To save time, and to avoid Revenuers, Cooper suggested we take Superstition. By this time, the night really began to settle in, Superstition was foggy, but we paid it no mind. We all had run in fog before. ”

Both Bo and Luke nodded silently; every job had its risk and fog while running shine was one of them.

“I can remember hearing Marty over the CB. You sure we can do this Jess? You sure it’s going to be okay? I told him that yeah, there were four of us, we all had been running shine for years, and tonight was going to be no different.”
“But you were wrong…weren’t you?” Min asked, she reached down beside her and touched Sam’s arm gently. Sam started at the touch then looked down at the small hand. He gave it a reassuring pat.

“What happened?”

Jesse set his coffee mug aside and moved to the edge of his seat. He brought his hands up. He bent one arm at the elbow and moved it across his chest; the other up towards his head as if snapping a salute.

“Now there’s two halves of Superstition Road… a lower half and an upper half. The lower half is the part that I mentioned with lots of rocky ground that can wreck a car. The upper half is smoother, a bit steep and narrow, but a faster way to get to Atlanta.”

Dean watched the demonstration of the road angles. His mind drew a conclusion as to what might have happened, but he remained silent, wanting Jesse to go on.

“And you took the higher road?”

The extended arms lowered slowly, the older man gave a nod. His gaze went to the braided rug at his feet.

“Cooper took the lead, then Marty, and finally me. Things were going all right till the visibility began to get worse about halfway up it. Cooper slowed down, and when they made one of the last turns, the road gave way under both the cars. They went down the embankment. They’d have gone all the way down into the ravine if not for some bushes and trees.”

Jesse! Jesse! We need your help!

Hurry Jess!

Get some rope!

Hang on I’m coming! Just don’t move! Don’t move the car or you’ll go over!

Jesse stopped talking, his words trailed off.  The past played out before him like a movie. He could smell his own fear, the sound of his brothers crying for help still just as loud now as they were that day.

Min watched her uncle; his words painted a picture that seemed to fill the entire room. She saw a younger version of her uncle scrambling up the hill, then looking down seeing two black cars nestled against brush and boulders. The runner duo sat about ten feet apart.

Jesse jerked the wheel; Black Tilly came to an abrupt halt ending up sideways. He got out and ran to the edge of the road, gazing down at the two black cars. Both of the runners had started to turn to the left, the road had crumbled under their tires and they had slid down over the edge. The drivers had fought the motion, and a turn of the wheel now had the two cars with their noses pointed in the direction of the ravine.

“Ropes! I need ropes!” He turned and ran back to the trunk of Black Tilly. His hands shook so bad he could barely fit the key into the tumbler. Getting the trunk lid up, a sight of a packed trunk full of clear jugs of shine made Jesse’s heart sink into his shoes.

Carefully moving the bottles from one side to the other, he found nothing beneath the load of liquor. Everything in the trunk had been taken out to make room for the moonshine.

“No! I need rope and I need it now!” He shouted out his frustration, and then raced back to the edge of the drop off. With only moonlight overhead and the headlights from the vehicles, he could make out the men below him.

“There aint no rope! My trunk aint got any rope!”
“Jess!” Marty shouted, he had managed to stick his head out of the drive side window.

“Backseat! Look in that backseat!”

“Backseat!” Jess repeated; a hint of relief in his voice. Practically jerking the door from its hinges, he found a few coils of rope on the floor behind the driver seat.

“Praise be the Almighty!” He said as he grabbed the bundles. Returning to the spot where the road had collapsed, he unbundled the ropes, the length looking like snakes coiling around his work boots.

“Can you grab the rope I throw down?”

“Yeah Jesse, we can get it and tie it to our bumper. You tie the other end to yours and pull us out!” He heard the voice of Aaron and nodded.

“I hear ya, Aaron! Get ready!”

Squinting against the darkness, Jesse had tied the rope into a lasso and swung it over his head. When the circle of rope rivaled his height, he said a quick prayer and let it go. The rope sailed from the road down to the car his brothers were in landing on the back window. He saw the dark head of Aaron emerge from the passenger side. The denim clad Duke crawled slowly and carefully along the roof of the car and laid down. He stretched out an arm; his fingers brushed the rope then were able to get a grip on it and pull it. Now with rope in hand, Aaron made it to the back window. Lowering his upper half down, he used the lasso and wound the rope around the hitch on the back bumper and gave it a firm tug. Raising his head, he waved to his brother.

“Got it Jesse!”

“I’m gonna pull you out! Just don’t move more than ya have to!”

Jesse than looked to the other car, he saw Marty and raised a hand to him.

“When I get their car out, you’ll be next! Just hang on!”

“I hear you Jess, get your brothers first, I’m not going anywhere!” He jested and gave thumbs-up.

“Less than five minutes Marty, then we can get out of here!” Jesse reassured his friend, then turned and ran back to his car.

“Never should have taken this road, time saving or not!” Scolding himself, Jesse crouched down and quickly secured the other end of the rope to the underside of his bumper than stood up. He got back behind the wheel of Black Tilly and started her up.

“Sweet Baby, get everyone out of this and I’ll treat you to high octane gas, a wash and a wax!” His foot on the gas, he revved the engine, then put it in reverse. The Mustang gave a lurch that made its owner wince.

“Come on Tilly, you can do it!” His foot began to press on the gas, the Mustang gave another lurch, the tires spun a moment, but then the car began to back up.  The rope tied to the front stretched taut with the weight of the both cars on both ends.

“That’s it Baby, you’re doing fine!”

The car slowly moved backwards, the rope held and after a few moments the back bumper of his brother’s runner appeared over the lip of the road.

“A little more Sweetheart! A little more! You almost got it!”

The back end of car teetered a moment, but then moved up and over the road coming to rest on it. Jesse didn’t stop there; he backed up until his brothers were back on more solid road.

Jesse shut the engine off, and then closed his eyes.

“Thank you Tilly, you sweet girl!” He said as he lovingly patted the dashboard. He got out of his car and hugged both his brothers at the same time.

“Thought I was going to lose you both!”

“You nearly did, Jesse.” Cooper said as he patted his brother on the back.

“We’re all right though, thanks for the help.” Aaron added as he nodded.

“We aint never using this road again, I don’t care how much time it saves!” Jesse stated, and both his brothers nodded in agreement.

“Amen to that!” Aaron said as he spotted the bundles of rope and untied it. He moved back to the road and glanced down.

“Marty, you ready!”

Cooper got the end of the rope Aaron held and tied the end of rope from his bumper to it.

Marty had crawled partially out of the driver side window. He waved his arms.

“Yeah! Toss it down!”

“Here it comes!” With a grunt, Aaron threw the rope down to Marty. He watched as the young man caught it.

“I’m going to move to the back now!” Marty called out as he held the rope in his teeth. He climbed up to the roof, and then slid his body along the top of it, over the back window, and down to the hitch. After winding the rope around the hitch, he tied the rope tight.

“Got it!” He then retraced his path and slipped back into the open driver window.

“He’s ready!” Aaron called over his shoulder.

“Go for it Jesse!” Cooper patted Tilly’s hood.

“One more time Till, one more time then we’ll be on our way.” Jesse started up the runner and put it in gear. Again, the Mustang jolted then began to back up. Cooper joined his brother at the end of the road. Together, the brothers watched as Marty and his car began to move away from the rocks and brush.

“It’s moving.” Cooper sighed, and then shook his head.

“Man this could have ended bad Aaron, if we had gone all the day down–”

“With that much shine, the car would have–”

The words stopped short as Marty’s car made it to the halfway point to the road. The extra long rope creaked; the knot that joined the two ropes grew tauter and an area just past it began to unravel.

“The rope!” Cooper shouted. He spotted the pile of ropes and ran to it.

“It’s not going to hold Aaron! From this distance, the car will go straight to the ravine if it breaks!”

“Jesse cut it! The rope’s breaking!” Aaron made a slash motion across his throat. When Tilly shut down, he joined Cooper and grabbed one end of the rope.

“Here, grab onto it!” He handed the end to Cooper and leaned forward.

“Marty! The rope! It’s not going to hold! We’re going to toss one down to you! Just grab it and we’ll pull you out!”

“What?” Marty gazed up at the line and saw the rope.

“Oh my God!” He realized where he was, where the road was, and worse yet…where he’d end up if the rope broke. Swallowing hard, he waved again.

“Hurry! Toss me the rope!”

“Here it comes!” Aaron threw the rope down toward the car. The line landed a few feet from the back of the car.

“Dang it!” Swearing, Marty started to climb out of the window again. The motion made the car drop a few feet back towards the rock. Marty gasped loudly and he froze instantly.

“Marty!!” Both Duke said at the same time.

“Don’t move! The rope could go any second! We’ll try and get the line closer to you!” Cooper began to bring the rope back up, working hand over hand.

Marty watched the road above, seeing the two Dukes scrambling.

His attention shifted to the rope; a single strand kept him from a long drop. Feeling the sweat break out all over him despite the cold, Marty breathing grew labored as fear began to course through his heart.

“Toss it down! Hurry!”

“Here it comes, Marty!” Cooper called out again as he let the rope fly. A much better toss this time, the rope sailed high, landing over the roof of his car.

“Thank God!” He said to himself as he reached out to get it.

Just as Marty’s fingers brushed the rope, the last remaining thread broke.

The snap of the rope echoed through the night, as loud as cannon fire.

The last thing Marty Dunham saw were the gaping mouths and wide eyes of Cooper, Aaron and Jesse Duke. The looks of horror and helplessness lingered as the distance between the Dukes and Marty widened…

 

“The car was up high enough that when the rope snapped, it rolled and smacked into those rocks, then flipped end over end. It blew up when it got to the bottom of the ravine. The fire was so hot, all the trees and brush started to burn. We called for help, took the firemen the rest of the night to put it out.” Jesse took in a shaky breath; he wiped a trembling hand over his face. His gaze had turned to the crackling fire, the glow of the flames reflecting in his eyes.

“I can still see Marty to this day, reaching out for us. When they brought up what was left of his car–” He shook his head slowly.

“You saw the picture, Bo.”

“Yeah, wasn’t much of nothing left Uncle Jesse.” Bo whispered.

The air in the room grew chilled. Whether from the weather outside or the story, no one knew. Dean got up from the couch. He took two logs from the basket and crouched down as he added them to the fire.

“Least we know why this spirit is after you.” He moved back from the fire, and sat on the end of the coffee table.

“Revenge?” Luke got up from his chair and stood close to the mantle.

“They did everything they could do save him.”

Sam nodded as he too rose to his feet.

“Spirits don’t always see things like that Luke. They only see that their death was before their time, and at the hands of someone else.”

“They’re trapped here because they can’t move on, and they have unfinished business here.”

Dean paused a moment. He could feel Sam’s eyes at the back of his neck, but ignored it.

“They get angrier and angrier as time goes on.”

“What does he want? To kill us? Why come back now?” Min spoke up, all gazes shifted to her.

“Could be for any number of reasons like–” Sam’s mouth opened, but then closed it.

“Wait a minute; you said it happened before Halloween?” He addressed the question to Jesse.

“Day before,” Jesse answered with a nod. He had his hands over his stomach and once again appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Daisy unwrapped herself from her blanket and went to her uncle. She sat on the arm of his chair and gently touched his arm.

“It’ll be all right Uncle Jesse.” She whispered.  He didn’t speak, simply covered her small hand with his.

“Anniversary?” Dean piped up.

“Yeah, could be this spirit is back to get revenge on the day he died?” Sam joined his brother on the coffee table.

“Could be, or maybe another reason. What happened after the accident?”

“Funeral. Marty was cremated and his ashes were buried in the Dunham family plot over in Sweetwater.”

“Cremated?” Both the Winchesters replied at the same time. When Jesse again nodded, they slumped and groaned.

“So much for remains.”

Their reaction got Luke’s attention. He did an about face.

“What do you mean remains?”

“The best way to get rid of a spirit is to get rid of what ties them to this world,” Dean spoke up and his brother nodded.

“Usually in cases like this we need to dig up the grave and salt and burn the bones.”

“Which is something we can’t do if he was already cremated.”

“But wait a second Dean, if he was already cremated, then what is tying here other than revenge? I mean, there’d have to be something physically here.”

“Right, but just in case we better see if Dad’s journal has another way to get rid of spirits other than destroying the remains.” He rose to his feet, and then stepped around his brother as he headed for the kitchen.

“Where’s the article? The one that you read Bo.”

“It’s in the Bible.” Jesse spoke up, and then got up from his chair.

“I’ll get it.”  Quietly slipping away, he walked out of the room. He opened the door to his bedroom, and then sat on the edge of his bed.

“Aaron, Cooper.” He whispered as he hung his head.

“What happened that night ain’t anybody’s fault, but your boys and me are paying the price. You all trusted me to take care of your boys, and now they’re in trouble over something that wasn’t even their doing.”

A shadow passed over his door; he quickly glanced up and saw Dean carrying a small brown book. The mattress creaked as he moved closer to the door.

 

“I’ve been through this Sam, all it says over and over is that something is tying a spirit to this world and only finding it and destroying it is the only way to get rid of it.” Dean sighed as he handed his brother the journal.

The Winchesters and the Dukes all gathered around the coffee table.

“So the question still is, what is keeping this spirit here and how do we get rid of it?”

“Other than me, Bo and Uncle Jesse dying.” Luke said. His words made both the girls look up.

“Luke Duke don’t you say stuff like that!” Daisy scolded as she swatted his arm with the tie to her robe.

“God no! Don’t ever talk like that cousin! I don’t care what this thing wants, but it sure as heck not going to get the three of you!” Min added, she too scowled at her cousin’s words.

“That ain’t funny Luke!” Bo too added his grievance and socked Luke in the shoulder.

“Okay okay!” Luke put his hands up.

“I won’t say it again!”

Sam shook his head.

“That spirit out there Luke, just might take up on an offer like that.”

“Offer?” Jesse watched from his partially opened door. He turned away from it and walked around the side of his bed. There on his nightstand sat an aging silver frame. He picked it up and ran his fingers down the picture of himself and all of his brothers. The weathered, worn Bible sat right beside it.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to those boys.” His voice determined, he carefully set the photo back down.

“And the last thing you need is to face that spirit alone.” Dean patted the journal on his lap.

“Our dad gathered information on how to deal with all kinds of supernatural things. The last thing you want to do is give a spirit more ammo.”

“Besides, that might not be what this spirit really wants. Sometimes spirits have ulterior motives to what they do and are just trying to get your attention.” Sam said then looked around.

“Wasn’t your uncle going to get that article?”

“Yeah, he said he was.” Bo got up.

“Uncle Jesse?” He poked his head into the bedroom door on the far left side. He shoved the door open, and it swung back on its hinges.

“Uncle Jesse?” He said again as he stepped into the room.

The room was empty.

“Oh no…” He whispered as he caught sight of the open bedroom window. The lacy curtains danced back and forth in the freezing cold breeze that now filled the room. Something just under the window on the wooden floor fluttered in the breeze.

“What is that?” Bo squatted and picked up the object. The same yellowed newspaper article he read long ago, he now held in his hand. His eyes roamed over the picture of the twisted and burnt runner, and a chilled finger of fear suddenly ran up his spine.

“Luke! Daisy! Min! Sam and Dean!” He shouted.

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“What the heck is he trying to prove?” Dean drove the Impala, the beams of his headlights cutting through the darkness that seemed to engulf everything.

From the passenger seat, Luke sighed; he ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled. He had tried to contact their uncle on the CB, before they all left the farmhouse, but got no answer.

“He’s trying to protect us Dean. He’s been one of the only real parents we’ve ever really known.”

“Getting yourself killed isn’t going to do anyone a bit of good.” He muttered in reply.

“It’s hard to explain Dean.” Daisy said from the backseat, then scooted to the edge of it. She had changed into warmer clothes, a pink long sleeved flannel shirt, her long jeans, and had borrowed a denim jacket from Min.

Dean caught her eyes in the rear view mirror.

“If you think I don’t understand what it’s like to want to do anything to protect your family. Believe me, I got more experience at that then you might think. All Sam and I have is each other, and we’ve both nearly died for the other more times than I can count.”

She put her hand on Dean’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He saw her gentle smile in the mirror; he moved his left hand from the steering wheel and placed it over hers.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

Luke kept his eyes locked on the scenery ahead, looking for any trace of his uncle.

“We ain’t got a clue where he went!” His voice sounded thick with frustration; he jammed his hands into his denim jacket pocket to keep from thumping his fist against the dashboard of the black Impala.

“If he’s trying to take on Casper the friendly Moonshiner, maybe we better start with Superstition Road.” Dean glanced at his passenger.

“Makes sense Luke, it’s where everything happened.” Daisy reached out and rubbed Luke’s shoulder. He eased down at her touch and nodded.

“Yeah, guess we should start there.” He leaned back in his seat, not that they had some semblance of a plan, he relaxed a little.

“Think Sam made heads or tails of that article?”

“Call him and find out.” Dean motioned to the hand-held CB radio that sat on the console between the seats.

“Sam’s a college geek; he’s good at all the research stuff.”

The comment made Luke laugh as he picked up the radio and pressed the mic button.

“Bo, Sam, Min? You read me?” He said into it, then released it waiting for an answer.

 

“Emergency vehicles were called in to the huge fire that started in Route 3 Ravine, also known as Superstition Ravine. Working through most of the night, the fire was finally put out in the early morning hours.”

Sam read outloud as his eyes roamed over the words. Though yellowed with age and somewhat fragile, he could make the words out clearly. He sat in the passenger seat of the General Lee. Bo drove the big orange Charger; he kept going from the road to Sam, hoping to get any kind of clue what he looked for. Though all he got was Sam’s stoic expression of deep concentration, Bo sighed as he steered the car.

Min scooted to the edge of the rear bench seat. She could tell how from the set of Bo’s shoulders how tense he was. Echoing the feelings of both stress and curiosity, she bent her elbows and leaned over the back of the front seat.

“Sam? Anything?”

“Hmm?” He raised his gaze from the newspaper clipping.

“Sorry, guess I just got lost in thought.”

“Find anything?”

“Actually, yeah I think so.” Sam started to open his mouth when the CB in his lap crackled to life.

“Bo, Sam, Min? You read me?”

“Guess me and Min aren’t the only ones wanting to know.” Bo felt better at the sound of his cousin.

“Now you can tell everyone at the same time.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Sam picked up the hand-held radio.

“We hear you Luke.”

“You read that article yet?”

“As a matter of fact I did, I think I found an answer.” He read the printed words again.

“Well don’t keep us in suspense Sammy.”  Dean’s voice came through loud and clear.

“God, he reminds me of Luke sometimes.” Min replied, and then covered her hand with her mouth, not sure if her comment would offend Dean’s brother.

Sam saw her do that and shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it Min.”

“She’s right though, he does sound like our cousin.” Bo added, and then winked at his sister in the rearview mirror.

“According to the article,” Sam said into the CB.

“The fire was so hot that it actually melted the car.”

“Gotta be from the shine.” Bo pulled the General Lee over. He turned in his seat and gave his full attention to Sam.

“You mean the alcohol content?”

“Yeah,”

“Bo’s right, nothing in the world can burn or explode better than moonshine.”

“Ain’t that the truth, cousin.” Bo shook his head.

“A still blowing up can kill a man.”

“Uncle Jesse said that there were 30 jugs in each car. That’s like driving around with your car loaded with dynamite.” Min added. She leaned over to one side and caught a glimpse of the article Sam held. The picture of the melted, ruined car made her gasp.

“Oh my God!”

“Pretty bad, I know.” Sam said then cleared his throat.

“So you’re thinking what I’m thinking Sam?” Dean piped up again.

“Yeah, here’s the proof Dean. Fire Department states that the victim, Martin Dunham, 29 of Hazzard County, was found inside the vehicle. The chief said that it was hard to tell which was man and which was machine.”

“That’s it, good job Sam. Now we know what we have to do.”

“We do?” Bo asked, and then shook his head slowly.

“Yeah Bo, if the fire was that hot, and the firemen that put it out couldn’t tell Martin from his car—”

Bo drew his own conclusions and wrinkled his nose.

“If part of him was in that car, then that’s what’s keeping him here?”

“They probably didn’t bury all of Martin, just they got what they could from the car.”

“Oh that’s awful Dean.”

“Yeah it is Daisy, but it makes sense.” Luke once again came through the CB.

“What we have to do now is find what’s left of Martin’s car.”

“Yeah, but that’s the part that worries me Luke, if it’s been 30 years or more, where would the car be? Would the car even be in a junkyard?” Sam spoke into the radio, but he also asked the question to Bo.

Bo thought a moment and stretched out his hand.

“Here Sam, let me have that.”

Sam handed him the radio.

“Cousin, if the wreck happened up on Superstition, that leaves at least two junkyards right?” He let go of the button, waiting for Luke to answer.

“Sure would Bo, Atlanta and Capitol City. Capitol City has been around a lot longer, I’d try there first.”

“But Luke, if he was a resident of Hazzard, wouldn’t it have been brought to Hazzard?”

“Not necessarily Min. Whoever was closest probably towed the wreck.”

“Sam, does it say anything about what happened to the car in the article?”

Scanning the article, Sam muttered to himself as he read it out loud again.

“No Dean, no mention.”

“We’re going to have to look at both of those junkyards. We think Uncle Jesse might be heading for Superstition Road, that’s where we’re heading now.”

“Copy that cousin, we’ll check out the junkyards.”

“10-4 Bo, good luck and be careful.”

Bo handed the radio back to Sam. He faced forward in his seat and started the General Lee back up.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

The old white beat up pickup truck slowed to a stop as the headlights splashed over a rusted, weathered sign.

ROUTE 3

An arrow pointed to the right, Jesse sat up in his seat as he looked over the top of the hood. The road up ahead seemed darker than the area around it, as if the mouth of a cave.  He hadn’t been down Superstition Road since that fateful night, and just the heaviness and dread in the air made him want to quickly turn around and get out of there as fast as he could. But no…the pickup remained stationary.

“You’re in there, ain’t ya Marty.” He whispered.

A flash of lightning crackled overhead, a breeze kicked up some of the dead leaves the covered the road and a handful hit the windshield.

Instinctively ducking, he watched as a single brown, twisted leaf slid down the glass and came to rest on a windshield wiper.

“You’re daring me, ain’t ya?”

The wind kicked up, the white truck rocked a little from side to side with the force of the gust, as in silent reply.

“Duke…”

The name accompanied the breeze; just the sound of it made Jesse’s heart began to pound. He glanced down at his CB radio. He had turned it off, and now a quick thought flashed through his mind that maybe he should call for help. He shook the thought right out of his mind.

“No. I’ve look after them boys ever since they was small. I can’t let their daddies down.”

He put the truck in drive, and headed down Route 3.

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

 

The first junkyard that Bo drove to was Capitol City. He pulled up the a pair of huge rusting wrought iron gates, and shut the General Lee’s engine off.

“Ain’t surprised considering what time it is.” He looked up at the overhead arch, the words CAPITOL CITY JUNKYARD had crooked letters, a combination of black and rust color, and the Y hung by its end, nearly falling off of the frame.

“Nice place.” Sam too looked up at the huge gates that were topped with barbed wire, and a BEWARE OF DOG sign secured to a few of the bars with twisted wire.

“Don’t worry about the dog sign, this place ain’t had a guard dog since Luke and me was kids.  The fella that owns this place says it ain’t a fitting proper junkyard with a beware of dog sign.” Bo tried to reassure Sam; he tucked the hand-held CB radio into his pocket then leaned out the open window. He grasped the edge of the roof, then snaked his body through the open window then swung his legs out.

“He makes that look so easy.” Sam replied as he started to climb out of the passenger side window. He slithered through the window, braced his hands on the roof, and sat his rear end on the frame. He turned his body to the side, his long legs slipped out, and his feet touched the ground.

Min watched and couldn’t help but smile as she climbed over the front seats.

“There is, it’s called being a Duke.” Now sitting in the passenger seat, she started to imitate her brother’s escape route when Bo came up behind her and sat her on the window’s frame.

“Just hold it there Sis, maybe you shouldn?t go.”

“What?” She sat side saddled, which put her a little taller than her brother.

“Bo, I can’t just sit here and let you all look for this car, I won’t just stay here. I’m in as much trouble as you, Luke and Uncle Jesse are. Now you need all the eyes you can get.” Without another word, she got out of the General Lee.

The air suddenly hit her and she crossed her arms, rubbing them.

“Whoa, is it just me or did it get colder all of a sudden?” She had on a thick blue long sleeve sweater and jeans, but now she felt like she had her waitressing outfit, the air cut straight through to her bones.

“You’re the one that wanted to help.” Bo looked at what his sister wore.

“I got some flashlights in the trunk, maybe my corduroy jacket too.” Bo took the keys out of his jeans pocket and walked around to the trunk.

“You sure you ain’t cold Bo?” Min followed her brother. She looked at his long sleeved grey shirt.

“I got on more than you do, and I’m freezing!”

“Just hot blooded I guess.” He grinned as he opened the trunk. The first thing that greeted Bo was the spare tire. Bo leaned over and moved it aside. Between two green rolled up sleeping bags, and two black long cases that contained their bows and arrows, sat a lantern and two silver flashlights.

“Dang, I don’t see my jacket Min.” Bo picked up the lantern and handed it over his shoulder to Sam, then picked up the two flashlights.

Sam set the flashlight at his feet; he changed from his tan jacket into a thicker black one before they left the farmhouse. He unzipped it, revealing a white and black flannel shirt he had put on over his t-shirt.

“Here, Min.”

“Sam, you don’t have to do that, I’ll be okay.” Min couldn’t help but smile at the offer.

“I’m okay; I’ve got this extra shirt on. I’m not cold.”

Sighing, Min took the black jacket and slipped it on. Though a little baggy, she zipped it up and crossed her arms over her chest.

“That does help, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Picking the lantern up, Sam opened it and took out a silver Zippo lighter. He touched the flame to the wick inside the lantern and turned it up.

“Here Min.” Bo handed his sister a flashlight. She took it and turned it on.

“Thanks.” Min went over to the big gate and reached out to touch the thick padlock and chain that held the gate closed.

“How are we going to get through this?”

“We’re not going to fool with that lock Min.” Bo shone his light up the length of the gate.

“Should be a piece of cake.” Sam held his lantern high.

“Up and over.”

“Up and over.” Min repeated as she gazed up at the gate.  There were patches of chain link fence where some of the bars had deteriorated, and some of the other patch jobs involved wide mesh chicken wire.

“Guess I can use some of this wiring as footholds.”

“Aw you’ll be just fine.” Bo said as he started to back up.

Both Sam and Min backed up and out of the way. Bo moved far enough away to get a running head start. He turned off his flashlight and tucked it into his back pocket.

He took in a deep breath and began to run, his long legs pumping. When he got to the point of almost crashing headfirst into the gate, he jumped up and grabbed the top of it. He waited a moment for the gate to stop shaking then started to move. Bracing his boots on the bars, Bo managed to pull himself up enough till his waist was above the top of the gate. He teetered, flipped over it and landed on the other side smoothly.

“Not bad!” Sam commented, then he began to walk backwards.

“Welcome to Duke family circus!” Bo laughed, then glanced over his shoulder at Sam and Min through the bars.

“Come on, we ain’t got all night.”

“I’ll go next.” Sam tossed his lantern over the gate to Bo before he too ran, leapt to the top of the gate, and then flipped over to the other side.

“Oh Lord.” Min sighed.

“I don’t know if I can do this Bo!”

“You can do it, come on Min. Just climb the gate; you don’t have to run like we did.” Bo motioned to Sam.

“He’s right Min, just climb to the top; we’ll catch you on this side.”

“I’ll try.” Min turned off her flashlight and tucked it into the jacket pocket. She glanced up at the gate and saw some of the wire about halfway up.

“So much for getting out of running and jumping.” She murmured to herself as she backed up about five feet. She took a few running steps then pushed herself off the ground and grabbed the bars, her small fingers gripping the chicken wire. Her legs scrambled, but after a moment she slipped her boots between the bars.

“That’s it! Now work your way up!”

“Come on Sis, you’re doing fine!”

Min didn’t look down; she kept her gaze on Sam and Bo on the other side. She raised her hands up, fingers gripping the chicken wire. She pulled herself up, then one hand stretched up till she found the top of the gate.

“You’re almost there!”

Having a death grip with one hand, Min’s other hand joined it and she pulled herself up. When her boots found the chain link, she had better purchase and her waist now pressed into the top of the gate.

Bo and Sam moved to just under her and raised their arms up.

“Just swing your legs over Min, that’s all you have to do.”

“Yeah… okay!” Min leaned over some, then grabbed the bars right below her. She tipped over to one side and stretched her leg out along the length.

“Just a little more with that leg!”

“I know Bo, I know!” She closed her eyes and started to move her leg when suddenly she stopped. Her eyes flew open.

Sam creased his brow as he saw her expression.
“What is it?”

“I- I’m stuck! The gate’s caught my jeans!”

“You have to work it free Min, just shift your leg back!”

“I’ll fall!” Min remained still; her heart began to pound out of fear. She realized that with every passing moment, their uncle could be deeper and deeper into trouble. She looked down and saw that Sam and Bo were directly under her.

She closed her eyes and tipped forward, letting her weight plus gravity not only free her, but get herself to where they were.

“She’s falling!”

“Grab her!”

They both raised their arms up; they locked wrists and caught Min right before she hit the ground. She landed face first then slowly opened her eyes and peered over her shoulder at two astonished faces.

“Hi.” She said, giving them both a sheepish grin.

“You about took a decade off my life Miranda Duke!”  Bo let go of Sam’s wrists. The action rolled Min into a bridegroom carry and he set her gently on her feet.

“I couldn’t think of what else to do Bo!”

Sam picked the lantern where he had dropped it and brought it close to her legs. He saw near her ankle where the jeans had been caught on the wrought iron.

“Are you okay?”

“Other than falling head first off a gate? Yeah, I’m okay.” Min rubbed her hands together, her fingers hurt from climbing; she bought them close to her mouth and blew on them.

Bo clicked on his flashlight and looked around.  His beam hit an arch made of car parts that were spray painted black. There were huge stacks of cars that flanked it on both sides. Right behind the left side of the arch, and first stack of cars, sat an old single wide trailer; the front of it had smears of grease and splatters of oil. It had a black wrought iron railing covered in hubcaps for the steps leading to the door. Just past the trailers, more tall stacks of cars towered over head and divided the path up ahead into three different sections.

“Looks like this is the end of the line. The cars get older the further in you go, so the oldest cars should be in the middle.”

“One trail for each of us.” Sam walked to the middle section.

“I think we best stick together.”

“Bo, we can cover more ground like this.”

“You both know what you’re looking for, right?” Sam turned in either direction to address both Dukes.

“Believe me, I’ll never forget that car, and the way it made me feel.”

“Give a holler if you find anything.” Bo sighed as he took the right fork of the road. Min took the left and that left Sam in the middle. Each person disappeared into the innards of the junkyard, in search of a proverbial needle in a haystack.

 

 

*******      *******      *******

 

 

The white Ford pickup truck came to a stop. Jesse had entered Superstition Road and had taken the higher road. He pulled over at the same spot where the accident had occurred, and shut the engine off to his truck.  The sound of the metal creaking sounded muffled as Jesse’s door opened all the way.  Something seemed to surround everything, like a thick fog that swallowed up the air and the sound along with it, as if Jesse had parked in the middle of the eye of a hurricane. His gut gnawed at him, and when his feet came to rest on the ground, a pain engulfed his right toe and shot straight up to his hip. He had to grab the door frame to keep from falling over as his leg gave out.

“Easy now…” He said to himself, closing his eyes against the pain as he straightened up. Jesse knew full well the pain in his toe was a warning sign, but he ignored it. There were more things at stake than just himself, and he knew it. He gingerly took a few steps, using the door, the side mirror and the hood as a guide. When the pain subsided some, he limped over to the edge of the road.

Risking a glance over the edge, he carefully leaned forward. Despite how much time had passed, things remained much as they had been that night.  There were a few remnants of the fire, the bases of some of the older trees that covered the ravine floor, had scorch marks, and some of the boulders too had blackened.

“Tried all we could to help you that night Marty, you gotta believe that.”

“Jess…”

The name sounded close, practically whispered in Jesse’s ear. He started at its proximity, still hunched over. He could feel a sudden blast of heat from behind him, and he closed his eyes. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nose, and he fought the urge to get sick that filled his mouth with bile. His heart jack hammered in his chest, his breathing audible now.

“We did all we could to save you Marty. You ain’t got no right to be doing what you’re doing.” He said firmly.

“Jess…”

Getting up enough gumption, Jesse slowly straightened up. The smell of burning flesh and hair nearly suffocating now, he swallowed hard. He took in a breath then whipped around.

The sight made Jesse back up fast enough that his overall covered back hit the side panel on the hood of his truck.

Marty stood a walking wall of fire. From the top of his brim hat down to his booted feet, every single thing on the moonshiner was burning. As he moved towards his long time friend, chunks of burning clothes and flesh dropped off along with burning footprints he walked.

The heat and stench kept the older man pinned. He stared at Marty with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

“We tried, you know we tried!” Jesse managed to get out, the extreme heat started to close his throat as Marty got closer. His face began to turn red and sweat broke out instantly along his hairline and ran down his face in rivulets.

“Marty!” He gasped out just as one burning arm reached out towards him, fingers splaying to grasp the opening of the tan shirt Jesse wore with his overalls, and the red long johns that covered his neck.

 

“Uncle Jesse!” Daisy screamed as she brought one hand to her mouth. She pointed straight ahead. Through the windshield, Luke and Dean both saw someone or something on fire, and what was about to happen to Jesse. Luke too had a horrified expression.

“Oh Lord, he’s got him!”

“Holy–!!” Dean turned to Luke.

“Take the wheel!”

Luke snapped out of his stupor and leaned over, taking hold of the steering wheel. Dean turned in his seat.

“Daisy! Give me one of the shotguns out of the bag!”

Daisy tore her gaze from her trapped uncle; she saw the big floppy green bag at her feet. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the handles, and finally got it open. Among a slew of weapons, she spotted two sawed off shotguns and picked one of them up.

“This?”

The answer came as Dean snatched the shotgun from her hands, and climbed partially out of the driver side window. The flames could be seen from a great distance, and the moment he stuck his head out into the night air, the overpowering stench of burning flesh and cloth made him want to gag.

“Luke hit the gas!”

The black Impala sped up the sharp incline, when it got to the curve; Luke jerked the wheel hard over, the car nearly slammed into the pickup as it spun to one side then slid to a stop.

“Jesse! Down!” Dean shouted as he raised his shotgun high and pulled the trigger.

Jesse ducked as a blast of salt rock sailed through the air, and hit Marty. An unearthly howl echoed as he disintegrated in a shower of burning flesh and bits of cloth.  Ending up on all fours, Jesse looked up as Dean, Luke, and Daisy came racing toward him.

“Uncle Jesse!”

Luke took a hold of his arm and helped him to his feet. Daisy launched herself at him, hugging him tightly.

“Oh you’re all warm!” She pressed her hands to his face, then his forehead.

“You okay?”

Dean still had the shotgun and looked around.

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t see him, guess he’s gone for now.” Luke sighed, shaking his head.

“Damn! If we hadn’t gotten here…”

“Yeah…” Satisfied that things were in the clear for now, Dean lowered his weapon.

“We need to get the hell out of here until we can find that car and destroy it.”

“Marty’s car? That’s in Capitol City junkyard.” Jesse finally felt more like himself again; he took a red bandana out of the pocket, and dabbed his forehead.

“Yeah, that’s what we thought, either one or Atlanta.”

“Bo, Min and Sam are there now looking for it.”

“We better let them know they’re in the right place.” Luke went over to the pickup and opened the passenger side door. He took the mic off the CB and held the button down.

“Bo, this here’s Luke, you read me?”

 

Bo whistled as he walked, his flashlight beam hitting pile after pile of wrecked junker cars. His boots crunched along the ground, the dirt covered with bits of rocks, oil, gas and broken glass. He glanced down then kicked at a pebble.

“Come on, you gotta be around here somewhere!” He said to himself as he paid attention to the make and models of the cars all around him.

“Cuda, Pontiac…looks like they’re getting older and older.”

“Bo, this here’s Luke, you read me?”

The voice of his kin nearly made Bo jump straight up in the air. He stumbled a moment, regained his footing and stopped walking. Taking a moment, he hunched over, put his hands on his knees and tried to calm down his suddenly pounding heart.

He reached behind him and took the CB out.

“Bo here, go ahead Luke. Any news on Uncle Jesse?” He let go of the button and slowly straightened up.

“Between you and Min, I’m going to die before my time!”

“Yeah, we found him.”

Closing his eyes briefly, he sighed in relief, then raised his head up to the black night sky.

“Thank you Lord!”

“We got here just in time.”

The smile slid from Bo’s face as his brow creased.

“Just in time, what happened Luke?”

“Marty almost had him, but Dean got rid of him with rock salt. Uncle Jesse did say that the car is in the Capitol City junkyard, so you’re in the right place.”

“Well that’s a relief.” Bo lowered the CB and slowly looked around. Totally surrounded by cars on all sides, including front and back, he sighed.

“Don’t suppose Uncle Jesse can narrow things down a bit?”

“Hang on Bo, I’ll see if he can give any clues as to where to look.”

“I’d appreciate it Cousin.” Releasing the button, Bo spotted a white car with a familiar shape; he stepped close to it and recognized it as a Charger, the same year as the General Lee. It sat off to one side of a huge pile of flattened cars, and he leaned in for a closer look. The car had no windshield, and four flat tires, but the rest of the body seemed intact.

“Look here General, I found a long lost cousin of yours!” He laughed.

“Least now we know where we can get body parts.”

A loud metal groan made Bo look up fast. He shone his light up the massive stack of cars.

“What the heck?”

“Bo, come in.”

“Y-Yeah I’m here.” He kept his gaze locked on the uppermost portion of the stack.

“Uncle Jesse said there’s a huge sculpture of two cars standing straight up, one with its nose in the dirt, the other with its rear in the dirt. He said after Marty’s services, he and the rest of the runners all met up there and gave Marty a memorial service. They made a little marker for it, since Marty’s ashes were scattered.”

“So look for a little grave marker next to two upright cars?”

“10-4 Cousin, should be close to the middle of the yard.”

“I’m getting close to it now Luke, I’ll give y’all a holler when I find it.”

“Bo this is Dean, you might want to stick close to Sam. Marty already tried to get to your uncle, you and Min could be next, especially if you’re trying to find the one way to stop him.”

Bo thought of the cars groaning over his head.

“Uh yeah, right. I’ll keep that in mind Dean.” Instinctively, he backed up a few steps, not trusting the pile to remain where it sat. His gaze transfixed on the stack, he cautiously moved around it, and didn’t turn his back to it till he was well out of range.

“Two cars sticking up and out of the dirt, nose first, rear first.” He repeated as he kept walking.

As he kept going, he passed a long row of highly stacked cars so tall and wide they resembled pillars of some massive holy Egyptian temple on the banks of the Nile.

At the halfway point, that long and low metallic groan rang out again. The sound stopped Bo in his tracks, and he slowly turned towards the row to his left. Dean’s words of warning ran through his mind, and he slowly began to side step, keeping the row in his line of sight. As he moved the groaning grew louder and suddenly the piles of cars began to shake.

RUN!!!

His mind shouted, and needing no further cue, Bo turned and ran as fast as he could just as the first pillar of cars fell, them the second, then the third, the stacks now falling like dominoes. Bo’s long legs were running at their full speed, the creaking sound reaching a high pitched crescendo that made his ears ring, a split second before the huge thump shook the ground.

Panting, Bo’s heart pounded so hard it nearly burst. Up ahead, he saw the end of the line and willed himself to kick his running up a notch.

Come on! Come on! You can make it!

Just as he came upon the last tall stack of cars, the pile began to shake and teeter. Bo caught sight of it in his peripheral version and closed his eyes. He pushed off with the balls of his feet, dove out of the way of the falling pillar, hit the ground with a thud then rolled a few feet. A massive spray of dust went up into the air; Bo quickly covered his head waiting to be flattened like a pancake.

“Bo!”

“Bo! Where are you?”

The sound of coughing now broke the silence, and two sets of hand grabbed at the back of the now dusty Duke.
“Oh God!” Min gently rolled her brother over onto his back.

“Bo! Bo say something!” She shook him gently.

Finally realizing he wasn’t dead or about to be squashed, he lowered his arms down and gazed up at his sister and Sam.

“Bo, hey, are you all right?” Sam helped Bo sit up.

“Yeah, I think so.” He brushed off his shirt, then coughed at the dust cloud he had created. He glanced over his shoulder at the scattered cars that now looked like broken columns.

“Guess Dean was right about Marty coming after me.”

“Dean?” Min asked as she touched her brother’s arm.

“Does that mean Uncle Jesse is okay?”

“Safe and sound.” He met Min’s eyes then once again looked at the toppled over stacks of cars.

“Wish we was.”

“Come on, let’s get you to your feet.” Tugging Bo up, Sam shook his head as he too saw the carnage.

“Yeah I’d say someone wants to even the score.” He then raised his lantern up, then glanced at what was up ahead.

“God Bo,” Min felt her stomach twist, the crash of the falling stacks of cars had gotten the attention of both her and Sam. They both came running, and now the reason why and the fact Bo nearly got squashed, made her blood turn to ice.

“We have to find that car, before Marty kills us all.”

Bo tucked the flashlight under his arm, and put both hands on her shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay Min, we’ll find that car. All we need to do is look for two cars standing straight up. Got that from Uncle Jesse himself, he said they made Marty a marker that’s right in front of the car. Soon as we find it, we’re home free.”

“You mean like that?”

Both Bo and Min looked up; Sam had wandered away from them. With only his lantern light as a guide, they moved to where he stood. Bo took his flashlight and flicked it on then raised it up. The beam traced up the underside of a pair of cars. He got to the top and saw the bumper of one, then the trunk of the other.

“Two upright cars.” Min whispered.

The three people than walked around the corner from the sculpture. Directly behind the buried nose of one sedan, sat what looked like a pile of burnt, blackened trash. Sam went over to the pile that sat about five feet high and about as long. He ran his fingers along what looked like a part of a door. Rubbing until he saw the glint of metal, Sam then wrapped his knuckles against it.

“Yeah, it’s a car.”

“And that must be the marker.” Min replied as she crouched down.

A small grey piece of sheet metal had been nailed to a wooden stack. The surface of the small metal square was surrounded by four moonshine jugs, each one filled with dusty, faded cloth flowers of every kind.

A huge grin came to Bo’s face, and he sighed audibly in relief.

“That’s it, we found it!”

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“This will keep us safe till we hear from Bo, Sam and Min.” Dean brought the green bag out of the passenger side of the Impala. He squatted down and dug into the bag, then dug out a big square metal can.

“What’s that?”  Luke sat on the hood of the pickup; he had taken out his pocket knife and whittled away at a small branch of a tree. Jesse sat in the open door of the driver side. He didn’t say a word, simply gazed at his watch.

“Salt, it keeps spirits away.”

“What is it Uncle Jesse?” Daisy stood next to him, she rubbed his shoulders gently.

“Nothing Daisy, just worried about your cousins. Don’t want them to get hurt.”

“They’ll be okay, you’ll see. Now don’t you worry.” She kissed his cheek and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Daisy winked at her uncle, then moved around him. She also gave Luke’s knee a pat as she passed him then stood over Dean.

“More surprises in your bag of tricks?”

He looked up at her with a smile.

“You could say that.” He straightened up, showing her the shining metal can.

“Salt, not really a trick though.”

Her gaze flicked to the can he held. She put her hands on top of his.

“If it keeps us all safe, then it’s a lot more than just salt.”

Dean met Daisy’s hazel eyes. He saw her small smile that made her eyes light up, and he gripped the can’s handle harder.

“I uh, I better spread this salt.”

She nodded, then stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

“Just my way of saying thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Dean cleared his throat, then side stepped her. He unscrewed the lid and tipped the can over. He poured out the salt, and formed a circle of salt around the pickup truck.

“There, now unless the wind kicks up and blows the salt away, we’re protected.”

Replacing the lid, he recapped the can and set it on top of the truck’s hood.

“Think they’ll find the car?” Luke asked. He brought his knife close to his lips, and blew away some debris and dust from the blade.

“If anyone can find it, Sam can.”

“Uncle Jesse! Luke! This here’s Bo! We found it!”

Luke grinned as he snapped his knife closed and tucked it into the pouch on his belt.

“You sure called that one.” He slid off the hood, then went around to the open driver side door.

“Bo, was it where I said it was?” Jesse asked into the mic.

“Yes sir, right where you said.”

Daisy smiled as she heard her cousin, she too had worried they were in danger, but now hearing Bo’s voice put her at least partially at ease.

“So what comes next?” She directed the question at Dean.

“Salt and torch that car.”

“Only one small problem with that Dean.” Sam’s voice now came through the CB.

“Problem, what problem Sam? You’ve done this a hundred times before.”

“Uh…You have the salt.”

Dean’s green eyes widened; he turned to see the bag on the ground, then the can that sat atop the hood.

“Well yeah, but you got the other shotgun, and you grabbed a handful of bullets!”

“Guess I’m just worried it won’t be enough.”

“It’ll be plenty Sam, don’t worry.”

“Just do it Sam,” He checked his watch.

“If Casper is going to do something, it’ll be soon and the only thing keeping him away is a protective circle.”

While the Winchesters had their salt debate, Daisy moved away from the truck. The circle of salt that Dean had poured gave them a few feet of movement, but not much more beyond that.

“Daisy.” Luke turned to see his cousin wander away.

“Don’t leave the circle.”

“Things are quiet for now Luke; I don’t think he’s around.” She said over her shoulder to him.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we need to invite trouble.” Luke went over to get her. Daisy stood on the edge of the circle, as soon as Luke got close to it, the air suddenly changed.

“Do you feel that?” She asked as he took a hold of her arm.

Luke looked around, he noticed how still and silent everything got, as if all the life had been sucked out the whole area.

“Yeah…” He said as he backed up, and took Daisy with him.

“This is how things felt before when Marty nearly grabbed me.” Jesse handed Dean the CB mic as he stepped down from the truck.

“Sam, you better hurry. I think Casper is about to appear.” He left the mic dangling over the half cranked window.

“We’re all right, long as we’re in the circle. He can’t get to us as long as its not broken.”

No sooner had the words left Dean’s mouth, the wind began to blow.

The three Dukes all turned slowly, their gaze fixed on Dean.

“Sammy, I hope you’re making with the salt and gas.” He whispered as the force of the wind began to grow. He caught a glimpse of the grains of salt beginning to blow away, and grabbed the can.

“If we run out of salt before Sam finishes burning…”

“We’re in trouble?” Luke finished the sentence.

“Yeah…” Dean whispered as he looked down at the metal can, wondering to himself how full it was.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“Sam!” Bo came running up with a few gas cans. He sat them down at Sam’s feet.

“Found these near the trailer, hope Old Man Guthrie don’t mind if we borrow them.”

“It’s for a good cause.” Crouched in front of the burnt car, Sam had a pile of white paper bullets at his feet. He tore open the makeshift ammo one by one and poured its contents into the can.

“Hope this is enough salt.”

“It has to be enough.”

Min stood over Sam watching him. She then shifted her attention to the charred remains of the car.

“Should Bo and I start dousing?”

“Not yet, I’m almost done.” Sam ripped open the last few bullets and emptied the salt into the can. He then dropped the paper shells, and straightened up.

“Sam! I hope you’re getting ready to burn!” Dean’s voice came over the CB that Bo had left sitting on the ground.  He could tell from the tone that something was wrong.

“It’ll have to do! Start dousing!” Sam also grabbed a gas can and uncapped it. He first dumped the salt on the hood. He went around the side and dumped the right on the drive seat.

“Min, get the inside, the driver seat especially!” Sam called out to her as she picked up one of the gas containers.

“Okay Sam!” Her legs felt like gelatin as she moved to the wretched open door. She got a flash of Marty burning, and squeezed her eyes shut against it.

She spotted what remained of the driver seat, there was the frame, some bits of material and springs; the metal melted and twisted, the material charred beyond recognition.

“Min! Just douse it!” Bo’s shout startled her. She splashed some of the liquid directly on the ruined seat, then watched as the gas formed a puddle directly where Marty had sat.

Using all her can held, she stepped away from the car. Sam and Bo were done, they threw their cans aside. Sam retrieved his lighter and flicked it to flame.

“Rest in peace Marty.” He said as he tossed the lighter inside the front seat, it landed on what little material remained and instantly burst into flame.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“Dean! Over there!” Daisy pointed to the right edge of the circle. The wind at gale force now, Dean had been running around with his can of salt trying to keep the circle intact. He relied on the Dukes to help him. Now to make matters worse, the black Ford Fairlane appeared at the bottom of the hill, revving its engine.

“He can’t get to us!” Dean shouted over the force of the wind.

Uncle Jesse, Luke and Daisy were huddled together. The harder the wind blew, the tougher it was for Dean to maintain his vigilance over the salt.

“Uncle Jesse, I’m scared.” Daisy had her arms around his waist. She had her head against his chest.

“I know, but we’ll be all right.” Jesse had his hand on her head, gently patting it.

“We’re going to be fine.” Luke concurred, though when he and his uncle locked eyes, their gaze told a different story.

The sound of the revving engine grew louder; Dean turned and stopped dead in his tracks with the appearance of the black car just outside the circle. He motioned for the Dukes to back up.

“Get in the truck.” He said calmly, knowing that the truck’s frame would shield them.

“Dean…?” Daisy whispered as she slid inside, sitting between Luke and Uncle Jesse.

“If that car charges,” Jesse started to speak, but then shook his head slowly.

“Don’t talk like that Uncle Jesse!” Daisy spoke up.

“It’ll be okay Daisy.” Luke patted her back, then watched as Dean backed up one step at a time.

“Sam…” Dean whispered as the salt circle at his feet disappeared in a massive gust. He dropped the can, it landed right beside him with a metallic thud.

The Fairlane lurched at him, the revving of the engine now sounding more like a growl then man-made.

“Steady now boy, easy does it! Don’t want to start off our relationship on the wrong foot, do we?” Dean joshed, then started when his back hit the hood of the truck.

He watched as the black car backed up a few feet. He saw the driver behind the wheel, looking exactly as Uncle Jesse had described.

“So you’re Marty huh? Nice to meet you. Wish it was under better circumstances.”

The wheels of the Fairlane began to spin.

“Sam…” He said again as he watched Marty grasped the gear shift.

“Oh God! Uncle Jesse!” Daisy buried her head in his chest.

“I know Baby.” Jesse whispered, then flicked his gaze to Luke.

Dean closed his eyes, the engine noise drowning out everything else. He heard the distinct click of the engine as the gearshift clicked down. He took in a deep breath and held it, knowing any moment now the car would be on top of him. Marty smiled coldly at him as he put the car in drive and the Fairlane took off in a burst of speed. Dean met the gaze straight on, his jaw clenched. His heart pounded hard in his ear, the last sight he would ever see about to be the front of the hood.

Just as the car reared up to hit him, the car burst into flame.

Dean dove out of the way landing on his side. He watched as the fire engulfed the charging car. The three Dukes looked on, they watched as the car went from bright orange to black, then crumbled like burnt charcoal. The pile in front of the truck burst into powder, and simply blew away.

“Oh God! Sam! I take back everything bad I ever said about you!” Dean flopped over onto the ground, panting hard.

“Dean!” Daisy climbed over Luke; she stumbled out of the trunk, and ended up on her knees beside him.

“Sugar, are you all right?”

He grinned up at her and gave a sigh.

“Never better! Someone better call Sam; let him know we’re still alive.”

“I’ll do it.” Luke sighed in relief. He patted his uncle on the back as he went to use the CB.

 

*******      *******      *******

 

“Let me see your pumpkins.” Min came into the kitchen carrying hers. She had the carved face turned away, not wanting to show anyone just yet.

The rest of the Dukes, plus Sam and Dean, all sat at the table.

“You know, we never really celebrated Halloween before?” Dean used a big spoon and scooped out pumpkin innards that he put in a big bowl in the center of the table.

Beside him, Sam nodded.

“Yeah, we never really have. I’ve always dreaded it.” He put the top on to his pumpkin. The front of it had a standard face, two triangle eyes, one round nose, and a jagged toothy smile.

“I know you boys have had lots of reason to not celebrate, but us Dukes see every holiday as being about family.”

“Never thought of it like that.” Sam said in reply.

“Maybe that’s because we really haven’t had much of one.” Dean added; he scooped more seeds and guts from the pumpkin.

“First our mom, and now our dad too.”

Daisy reached out and touched both Sam and Dean on the hand.

“Well you do now.”

“She’s right, you do now.” Min set her pumpkin down and turned it. The front of it had been carved with the 01 from the doors of the General Lee.

“Hey!” Luke laughed at the carving; he elbowed Bo in the side.

“We should get her to do the numbers the next time the General gets a touch up!”

“Yeah we should! That’s better than how Cooter does them!” Bo laughed.

“Thanks! That means a lot from you two.” Min went to the fridge and took out a pitcher of apple cider.

“Oh! Here let me get some glasses.” Daisy got enough glasses for everyone. She set one down near each person as Min poured the cider.

When the last glass was filled, Jesse stood up.

“We really want to thank you boys for what you did, and what Daisy said was right, anytime you need a home, you got one here.” He picked up his glass and raised it.

The brothers looked each other as the rest of the Dukes stood up and joined them, they too held up their cider.

“To friends and family.”

“Friends and family.”

Everyone repeated then touched glasses before they drank.

 

 

END.