A/N: Hey ya'll! Well...I'm gon'na try it. I've never written a 'remake' story before, but, well...what can I say? I've been inspired. As mentioned in the summary, this is a 'what if' story based on the 'Dukes in Danger' episode of season 4. So, in light of the lit'le fact that I've never written one'a these before, please review, k? Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Like I always say, ya'll already know I don't own the Duke's. If I did, well...I wouldn't be sittin' here, that's for sure. But, if yer the kind who likes to sue jus' for the fun of it, let me give ya' a warnin'. It ain't worth it! You'd probably come out poorer in the end then ya' were at the start.
Warnings: Ehh...what can I say? It's an angst story. Nothin' too bad...I ain't in to writtin' disturbin' graphics. But still, these are the Duke's we're talkin' about here...I'm ratin' it T jus' incase.
The Luck of a Duke
Chapter 1: Disaster
By: StriderX
Duke Luck is exactly what it was. The day had started perfectly. The golden sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky, the red dirt was kicking up dust as the famous General Lee sped across all terrains, and the Duke boys had not a care in mind. Unbeknownst to them, that was all too soon to change.
It wasn't even noon yet when the problems began. In an act of sheer good fortune, two deadly convicts on their way to life behind bars at the Atlanta State Penitentiary found their way to freedom in the form of a car accident caused by none other then the Dukes boys themselves…with some help from Sherriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, of course.
It didn't take long for the runaway con's—by the names of Leeman and Hammer—to find their way to the Duke farm. Now, being Dukes, Daisy and Jesse had their fare share of the Duke Luck too. Just as they readied themselves to bring the mortgage to the bank, they found themselves held at gun point by the ruthless cons.
Now, nearly an hour and a half later, not only are Daisy and Jesse being held captive by the fugitives, but so are Luke, Bo, Boss Hogg, and Hazzard County's one and only K-9 team, Sherriff Coltrane and his faithful hound, Flash.
oooooooo
Leeman was beginning to rethink his decision to stay at the Duke farm. Originally, it was his idea that the country farm would have been a perfect place to hide and stay out of sight until the heat died down from his and Hammer's escape. But little did he know that the Duke farm was of the busiest in all of Hazzard.
Despite his dislike of the situation, Leeman made sure that he and his partner in crime kept well trained eyes and loaded pistols on their prisoners. Everything was under complete control until that stupid Sherriff and his mutt came charging in. Suddenly, to Leeman, the company grew from a minor annoyance to a large problem.
The Duke boys did not miss this slip in their captor's attention. As the convicts were preoccupied with the recent events of the day, Luke shot a glance to Bo with a new idea of escape. Following Luke's silent direction, Bo looked toward the kitchen door and leaned toward it stealthy. Stealing one last glace toward Luke, Bo reached for the door and bolted outside!
Leeman saw Bo's action and, outraged, snapped for his partner's gun. After catching said weapon and tripping angrily over two kitchen chairs, the convict ripped open the door and took off after Bo.
Inside the small farmhouse, Luke felt his heart drop as he forced himself to watch the events outside through the window. Another gun held close to his back by Hammer, he could do nothing but watch the inevitable unfold. "Com'on, Bo, you can make it," he whispered softly; silently reprimanding himself for instantly thinking the worst first.
'Jus' a little further,' Bo urged himself on as the General came into sight. He heard the Leeman screaming after him, but he ignored every word. Once in reach, Bo leaped into the driver's seat of the Charger stock car just as fluidly as he's done so many times before.
Starting the engine, shifting gears, and gunning the accelerator in one swift motion, Bo felt a small burst of hope blossom inside. 'I'm gettin' away! It actually worked!'
Suddenly, that flowering hope was replaced with the most paralyzing fear as the sound of a gunshot rang over the roar of the General's engine. In a crashing instant Bo was sure never to forget, a blazing, white-hot jolt of pain struck through his entire body. Forgetting about everything but the ever increasing pain, the General slid to a stop and stalled, as the gears were never changed upon stopping.
For a moment, Bo's vision went black and his head felt fuzzy; like a hundred pound weight that he simply could not lift. 'No, I can't pass out now, they need me,' Bo determined at the first lucid thought: his family. Slowly, he forced himself to shake his head of the comforting blackness and accept the overwhelming pain ripping through every nerve against his skin. Hands still plastered to the steering wheel, all Bo had to do was glance at his left shoulder to undo the glue that held him in place. Instantly, he felt nauseas; so much blood! In a growing stain covering his light yellow shirt, the sticky liquid warmed the burning skin of his shoulder and arm. 'Oh, Lord...please don't let this day be my last...I don't want to—'
"See what you've done to yourself, plowboy?" The convict smirked cruelly. "If you would have just behaved, you wouldn't have gotten hurt," the man's disposition suddenly changed as a change in the wind struck his last nerve. "Git' out'ta that car, now!"
Bo was tired. He was tired and fed up with these men holding his family hostage for no good reason. "You got no call holdin' us prisoner—!"
Before Bo could finish, a sharp pain stole away his breath; Leeman was sure to take pleasure in this. "Get. Out. Now!" he spelled out slowly, but furiously.
Bo knew had had to get out of the car, or Leeman was sure to kill him right then and there. Testing the waters, he gently lowered his hands from the steering wheel. In just the simply movement, Bo had to bite back a scream filled with tears and bile. 'I can't do this!'
"Out, plowboy, or I'll kill you right here,"
Fear exploded through Bo as he thought for the first time the real prospect of dying right here, in the General Lee; alone and bleeding to death. It was not a thought he cherished. "Alright, alright," Bo finally breathed wearily—he could feel the black spots framing his vision growing by the minute. Taking a deep breath, he forced his legs to do the work and pushed himself up; pulling himself to sit on the window frame with the help of his good arm. The effort of the movement alone was enough to make anyone loss consciousness, but Bo would not allow it; not now. Drawing in another deep, prayerful breath, Bo swung his legs through the open window to land on the dirt ground beneath. He could barely believe how heavy his own body suddenly felt. Feeling himself swaying uneasily, he placed a good hand on the General's hood for support.
"Get in the house!" the convict yelled like a drill sergeant on a bad day.
As the pain mixed with a severe frustration, Bo could actually feel his temper snap and remaining nerves split. "You got no call holdin' us prisoner in our own house!" he yelled furiously.
The convict snarled and pointed the gun not four inches from Bo's mouth. "You try that again, and I'll make sure you won't live to take another breath! Now, get inside!"
Outraged beyond senses and reason, Bo straightened as best he could and stared at his captor with nothing but wrath and hate shimmering in his steel blue eyes.
"NOW!" Leeman ordered again; this time backing up his threat with a cock of his pistol.
Suddenly realizing this was a fight he could not win, Bo pushed his weight off the car and stood tall; despite the pain threatening to tear down all his strength. Placing a ginger hand against his injured arm, Bo risked one last defiant glare against his captor before taking the first of many, painful steps back to the farmhouse. 'Please, Lord, help me do this,' Bo prayed silently; focusing his eyes on each step ahead of him. He had to make it...he had made it this far; he couldn't lose it now.
oooooooo
Inside the farmhouse, Luke felt as if all the blood had rushed out of his skin and onto the floor beneath. He had heard the gunshot and swore he'd heard Bo scream, but refused to believe what the worst was telling him. 'No, no...please, not Bo,' he prayed; squeezing his eyes shut against the morbid vision flashing before his mind's eye.
Ironically, in the very instant Luke forced his crystal eyes to peak out of the window, he saw Bo, trudging defiantly back to the house. At first, Luke could see nothing wrong. But then, he caught the pain in his baby cousin's eyes. Slowly, Luke's eyes drifted downward to the dark shadow covering the far-side of Bo's shirt. "Oh God, no," he mumbled to himself as his eyes widened and realization dawned. Blood…and much too much of it.
Behind Luke, Daisy and Jesse instantly realized something was wrong when Luke bolted to the door; even despite the gun honed and cocked toward his back. Looking to each other, fear of unknowing grew to possibly the worst feeling they would ever face.
As he reluctantly pulled open the old door, Luke was nearly overwhelmed as all his greatest fears came true. There, slowly limping up the porch stairs and coming to a stop just in front of him, was Bo, grasping his bleeding arm and looking at the beginnings of the most sickly pale. "Bo!" Luke whispered unconsciously before starting to reach out to the young blonde.
The walk to the farmhouse had been difficult, but climbing the stairs of the porch proved to be the worst for Bo. The searing pain had escalated to a numbed sensation that everything was wrong; every fiber of his being was screaming out for relief. But just then, when all was beginning to seem hopeless and agony taunted the very shatter of hope, Bo looked up and caught the panicked, but forever loving, eyes of his cousin; his big brother. "Luke..." he managed to breathe with the last of his strength before finally closing his eyes against the cruel world.
To Be Continued...
A/N2: Okay, two apologizes. First, sorry it's so short. Second, sorry 'bout the cliff-hanger. Actually, this chapter was originally much longer, but then I got the idea to make a cliffy for the first chapter...heh...I couldn't resist. So, if you wan'na see what happens, go ahead an' click that little button right there to yer right and lem'me know what you think. I accept all reviews and thoughts, but I will warn you, flamers and unnessessary critisizers are liable to end up bein' chased off the net with a tail of smokin' buckshot and Bo 'n Luke's dinamite arrows. Thankx!
Till next chapter,
Keep it 'tween the ditches!
Strider