by: Essy Jane

Two months later…

Well back in Hazzard, things weren’t going so well for the Dukes. The two
crooks were hidden well in the Indian caves. No one knew where they were
exactly. But Cooter had been looking for them desperately. He wanted them in
jail for what they had done to the boys. When he saw them that day, he
listened in on their conversation.

“From a dirty cop in the force I got some key information. The Duke boys are
in Canada. Where I don’t exactly know, but this I do know. They need to be
killed. If not we will be sent to prison right along with the cop. We’ve got
to kill them,” Kevin exclaimed.

“No, I don’t want to do this anymore. This isn’t right,” Cal retorted.

“You will do it or you will be killed!”

“I haven’t killed anyone. You forced me to shoot Luke! I didn’t want to rob
those banks either. But you got me into it. Now I’m in this with you? I want
out. I hate this more than life.”

“Well this is your life so get used to it.” The words pierced through Cal
like nails. He hated being involved in such sinister plots such as this one.
Cal wanted to be normal, even if it meant spending a year or two in prison.

“I’ll do it but that’s the last run and then we’re through. You can’t
control me anymore.”

Cooter’s eyes widened. He knew he had to do something fast or his friends
would be killed. Cooter had to work fast. There was no way he’d let Daisy
and Uncle Jesse be involved. But he needed a weapon to help him in his
quest, The General Lee.

Over at the Duke farm…

Jesse and Daisy looked at their empty home, staring at the empty rooms which
lied before them. The people that once occupied them were no longer present.
Uncle Jesse longed for a lecture or at least a hug. Daisy wanted to take a
picnic or at least hug her dear cousins. Both missed them dearly.

It was silent until they heard a loud revving engine pull up. They looked
out the window and sure enough it was Cooter. “Hey Cooter,” Daisy called
out. Both Uncle Jesse and Daisy walked out of the house.

“Jesse, you know I haven’t asked you for much and I’ve always been there for
your family. But I have to say one thing. You’re gonna think I’m insane,”
Cooter told the elderly Duke patriarch.

“You’re Crazy Cooter, why would we think any different?” Jesse questioned.

“I want to buy the General. I’ll sell him back later but I need to buy him
off of you.”

“He ain’t ours to sell.”

“Bo and Luke would agree with me if I explained to them my tight spot. I
can’t tell you otherwise y’all will get in trouble. Just please, I’ll give
him back I promise.”

“This is against my better judgment. I know how you would never ask for such
a request unless it is important so…” -Jesse pulled the pink slip out of his
back pocket-“Here you are.”
Cooter started up the General and asked Jesse to watch the Garage for him
and help with services. Jesse again agreed.

Cooter had to work fast. He painted the General black. He didn’t want it to
be recognized at all. Cooter knew the battle wouldn’t be won until he found
those Dukes. He knew they were in Canada. But there was one thing Cooter
understood better than the crooks, they weren’t in the east. He knew that
the cops weren’t that stupid.

So Cooter headed off for the western provinces. He would check in every
medical facility until he found them. He did it by night. Cooter was crafty
that way. He didn’t want Bo and Luke to know they were being watched and he
didn’t want to scare any unwanted guests.

But that day when he found Bo and Luke, he permanently parked himself two
blocks away. He would watch them everyday. He laughed at Bo as he saw him
use crutches to help himself get around. Luke also laughed but not from a
distance.

“Bo, you got to use it right,” Luke laughed.

“Look whose talking? You’re still in a wheelchair. I’m using crutches,” Bo
commented.

“Well that’s one step up from a walker.” Bo started going faster on them. He
tripped and fell. “I told you Bo, it’s not a race.”

“Maybe not.” Bo started walking faster again.

“You want to race on those things? It might be good on your legs to try.” Bo
thought about the advantage Luke would have if he used his arms. Bo wasn’t
stupid maybe not as quick witted as the next man but never stupid. He knew
what Luke could do with his arms now. He would beat the pants off of him.

“Why don’t we just go for a walk? I’ll go in the racers but let’s think of
it as a jog. You have an advantage over me.”

“Really?”

“My legs aren’t as fast as they used to be. I can barely walk yet let alone
make my legs speed. I mean that would be difficult.”

“Everything’s difficult,” Tara said as she came out. Tara and Bo kissed each
other for a moment. Bo’s half saddened face turned into a smile. He was
happy with Tara’s approach to life. Everything is hard, but it’s those who
try that feel like royalty. Amazing ideas found in one woman.

“You have been amazing with him, Tara. I can’t believe his progress. You
trained the un-trainable and you didn’t even use a rolled up newspaper,”
Luke joked.

“Funny,” Bo replied.

Cooter looked at the two and wondered where Jud was. They never would look
at Jud and leave him. Bo and Luke were better than that. Cooter was proud of
the boys. He remembered how they looked at the hospital. They had no color
and were almost lifeless. But now both boys were full of life and ready for
the day.

On one of the days Cooter was on watch, his hunger got the better of him.
Why he was so hungry he would eat the bottom of his shoe. Though this wasn’t
his first choice. So Cooter left to get some food for his poor grumbling
tummy.

What a bad time to do it. Bo and Luke went outside for their daily fresh air
when who was to show up but Cal and Kevin. “We found them and it only took
us four months to do it,” Cal grumbled.

“If you hadn’t taken your sweet time maybe…” Kevin began.

“No, if you hadn’t have done what you did in the first place we wouldn’t be
in this mess. It’s a wonder why you even dragged me into this.”

“We needed money.”

“But then you had to go and shoot the guy!”

“Well aren’t you, Mr. Humanitarian. I’ll tell you Calvin, you have so much
hate for me huh?”

“No, I just wonder how you could’ve killed so many people.”

“Well its easy, ace. I was scared the first time. The second time gave me a
rush of fear that you wouldn’t believe.”

“Then why do it Kevin?”

“Because…I don’t know what else to do.” Cal looked at Kevin. He had tears
in his eyes. Kevin wiped them away quickly. He had to play it cool. “Okay,
enough male bonding, let’s get them.”

Bo was walking around while Luke circled him in his wheelchair. “What a
pretty day huh Barry?” Luke sighed.

“Sure is Lar.” Bo heard the engine of a car. It was natural for a Duke to
look up with that sound. “Lar that’s…that’s…”

“That’s what?”

“Kevin and Cal.”

“Shoot! They found us!”

“What do we do?”

“Get on! And pass me your cane. Hold on tight and away we go.” Bo got on the
back of Luke’s wheelchair. Luke began to crank up the speed with his arms.

Though the bad guys had the car and the Dukes had a hand operated wheelchair
they knew that they could manage. Why? Because Luke had that good head
attached to his shoulders.

He made a turn, ending up in a park. The men couldn’t drive their car
through there so naturally they got out and ran. Bo and Luke hid with all
their might hoping not to get caught.

A sudden turn made everything seem quick. The boys found an old shack and
hid in it. Not to come out at all.

They didn’t make a sound. “Y’all can’t be far and I know it. Give it up
Lukas, you could never get away, not with the way I got you in the back.
You’ll never get far,” Kevin stated. Bo was ready to go out and give Kevin
the beats but naturally, Luke held him back.

“And shooting Bo was entertainment. Either that or the best revenge I’ve
ever had.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Luke murmured.

“You held me back and now you want to kill him?” Bo whispered back.

“Pretty much.”

Bo rolled his eyes. He knew his cousin didn’t have much of a fuse left.
“You’re more to me than anything. He almost stole you away from me. It’s not
fair.”

“We can’t do anything.”

“We could but they have guns and we have wheelchairs. Boy if you had the
General now…we’d sure show them.” They both giggled softly to each other
hoping that they wouldn’t be heard. After about 20 minutes of waiting and
searching around the park Cal and Kevin got bored and thought they weren’t
there. Bo and Luke spent the night in there still afraid, still worried.

The next morning, at the physical therapy hospital…

Cooter waited for Bo and Luke to come out to have their walk but they never
did. He wondered because they were always out at that time. As the time went
on, he got worried at went inside. He looked at a nurse that was crying.
“What’s wrong ma’am?” Cooter asked.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Tara stated calmly.

“I was wondering if you could help me, I’m looking for Larry and Barry.”

“They’re not here. I’ve been looking for them since yesterday. I called the
police and they say it’s not a missing person’s report until they’ve been
missing for 48 hours.”

Cooter’s eyes widened. “Their cousin has been quite worried about them.”

“Who?”

“Jared.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“Sure I’ll page him right now. What are you to these boys? A father, brother
or close friend?”

“Very close friend, ma’am.”

She paged Jud and he came running. As he saw Cooter, Jud cried his eyes out.
There was someone he hadn’t seen in a long time. He smiled with that big
cheesy grin. Jud filled him in about all that had happened in the time that
Cooter hadn’t been there.

“And that’s about it. They wouldn’t just run off though Coot, they wouldn’t.
You know them better than I do,” Jud finished.

“They wouldn’t do it unless…” Cooter started.

“Unless what?”

“Except if they was in trouble those boys wouldn’t stick around. They’d be
running like the wind. Those two can’t be pinned. I’ll find them. You’ll
see.” Cooter ran off. He wouldn’t let Jud go with him in fear that poor Jud
might be hurt. He saw enough blood to last him a lifetime.

Cooter drove close to the park, wondering if Bo and Luke could be there
still. He beeped the horn of the General.

Bo’s head popped up from the deep sleep. He elbowed Luke hard. “What?” Luke
screamed. Cooter beeped the horn again. Bo opened the shed door. “Could be a
trap.”

“I know our horn,” Bo snapped. He walked out and saw Cooter sitting in the
car. Bo let out a big yahoo and hobbled over to Cooter. “Hey!”

“Where’s Luke?” Cooter questioned. Luke rolled out. Cooter smiled at got out
of the General. “You’re driving right Bo?”

“Does a cat have whiskers? A Duke is made to drive. I don’t care what
anybody says. Move over, Cooter.”

Bo was more than just eager about using the General he was ecstatic. Cooter
helped Luke in and quickly put the wheelchair in the back. There was a
sudden amount of gun fire. “Ah, Cooter get in!”

Cooter jumped in the car as fast as he could.

The same car was on their tail. Bo and Luke feared for their lives. They
wondered what was going to happen. But with Bo in the driver’s seat they
wouldn’t be caught one bit.

“Did you bring any back up Cooter?” Luke questioned.

“Actually, if you can slide your but out of the window you can shoot some
arrows at them,” Cooter replied. Cooter passed him bow and a set of dynamite
arrows. Luke smiled.

“I’m on it.” Luke pulled himself out of the window. He wondered if he could
possibly keep up. Luke lit the arrow and shot as close to the car as he
could. In the other car, Cal was getting worried.

“They have fire power!” Cal tried to reason.

“I think that you are afraid,” Kevin reacts.

“Well I am and I think that they’re gonna kill us.”

“You always were weak.” Kevin sped up a little. He may not have won the
nascar but he was still a very good driver. Bo saw a dip, the chance to fly
was there so naturally Bo went for it. He went up pretty high landing 50
feet away from the car.

“We’re going for the mountains,” Luke commanded.

“Why?” Bo questioned.

“Because they can’t find us there, think about the area Bo, it would be
impossible for them to manage that.” Bo made the turn for Banff, a place
filled with mountains, ski resorts and souvenir stores. A place with good
golfing, that’s where they would recuperate, that’s where Luke would have to
try to learn how to walk.