ARGH! why did this idea have to come into my mind. just... WHY?! ugh, anyways, I'm kind of surprised I'm the first person to write a Deliverance fanfic. it's such a good movie! aside from, ahem... that ONE SCENE... I'm hoping you know which scene I mean, I'd rather not mention it :P so anywho, I got this idea in my head a few days ago after seeing the movie for the first time (and once the day before yesterday). I freaking fell in love with Lewis, HE'S SO EPIC! I can't believe Burt Reynolds was actually HOT once :O lol, I hope you enjoy this story... or my take on the story, shall I say xD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Deliverance or any of it's characters. I only own Kate

"Kate! Kate, get your ass down here!" Drew Ballinger called up the stairs.

"all right, all right, I'm coming, Drew! sheesh, don't have kittens" 17 year-old Kate Ballinger called down the stairs to her brother, rolling her eyes as she hurried out of her room, swinging her dark purple backpack onto one shoulder. "I'm coming, I'm coming"

"the guys are waiting, Katie" Drew said.

"well okay, I'm here" Kate said, jumping down the last few stairs. she and Drew headed outside toward two waiting cars. three men were standing there, waiting for them. two of the men Kate knew well, Drew's friends Ed Gentry and Bobby Trippe. the third man, a dark haired guy who was tanned and muscular and wearing an odd, rubber vest, Kate didn't recognize.

"Katie?" Ed said, looking a bit surprised when he saw her approaching.

"Ed!" Kate smiled and hugged him. Kate and Ed had always been close ever since she was about 10 years old. he and his wife, Martha, used to watch her whenever Drew had to go out of town (which had been quite often at one point), so the two had gotten pretty close.

"man, how are ya, Kate?" Ed asked, hugging her back.

"good, Ed, good. can't really complain, even though Drew is a pain in the neck"

Drew rolled his eyes and Kate just laughed, pulling away from Ed and turning to Bobby. "hey, Bobby"

"hey there, Kate" Bobby said, giving her a small wave. "you been keepin' Drew in line?"

"eh, as much as I can" Kate said, laughing.

"I thought this was gonna be a guys' weekend, Drew?" a deep, smooth voice said.

Kate and the others turned to the dark haired man.

"uh, well Lewis, Kate caught me talking to Ed last night on the phone about this trip..." Drew shrugged. "... she talked me into letting her come along"

"oh" the man nodded slowly, casting Kate a small smile. "well then, it's nice to meet you Ms. Ballinger"

Kate felt, to her annoyance, a blush creeping across her face. "n-nice to meet you too, uh..."

"Lewis, Lewis Medlock" he smiled a bit more, which just deepened Kate's blush.

"well, everyone get all their stuff?" Ed asked.

"yep" Drew said.

Kate nodded. "sure did"

"alright, let's get goin', then" Ed said as he headed over to Lewis' car, while Drew, Bobby, and Kate would take Drew's car.

"see ya when we get there" Lewis said, smiling at Kate.

she blushed again, much to her annoyance, as Drew took hold of her arm and steered her towards his car. "come on, we want to get there before dark"

"relax, dear brother of mine" Kate said, laughing. "it's only a little after 1:30, I think we'll get there in plenty of time" she got into the backseat, leaving Bobby and Drew to get in the front.

"well I'm glad you're coming with us, Kate" Bobby said, smiling at her in the rearview mirror.

"it's not like I had any other plans for my weekend anyway" Kate said, smiling as she looked out the window. she caught Lewis' eye just then, and she instantly looked the other way as she felt another blush coming on. "dang it!" she thought to herself. "so, uh... how exactly do you two know Lewis?" she asked curiously as Drew started the car and backed out of the driveway, following Lewis' car.

"well we don't, not very well" Drew said. "he's Ed's friend. this whole trip was actually Lewis' idea"

"really?" Kate quirked an eyebrow. "um... where is it that we're going again?"

"Cahulawassee River" Bobby said. "it's supposedly very beautiful this time of year. and Lewis wants to get a chance to see it before it's flooded within the next few months"

"flooded?" Kate was confused. "why is the river being flooded?"

"a dam's gonna be built" Drew said.

"ah" Kate nodded slowly, turning to look out the window. "well I appreciate you letting me come with you guys"

"not a problem, Katie" Drew said. "I'm glad you'll be with us. I'll be able to keep an eye on you"

"oh please" Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. lately she and Drew had been a bit at odds, ever since Kate started showing an interest in dating, which was something Drew refused to even discuss with her. his and Kate's parents had died when Kate was 10, and Drew had taken care of her ever since. and he'd always been very protective of his only sister. so her even mentioning the word 'date' would set him off. Kate just thought he was being ridiculous and should allow her to date if she wanted. but Drew held firm and refused.

Kate sighed again, leaning back in her seat a bit, her eyes slowly closing. "Drew's not going to have as much control over me as he may think... not anymore" she thought to herself.

...

"Kate... Kate, wake up"

"huh?" Kate opened her eyes.

Bobby shook her shoulder. "we're here, Kate"

"oh" Kate stretched, undoing her seatbelt and getting out of the car. her eyes widened a bit when she saw their surroundings. several small, rundown looking buildings that looked as though they'd seen better years. "wow... this is it?" she frowned a bit.

"Katie, can you hand me my guitar?" Drew asked from the front seat.

Kate sighed and nodded. "sure bro, here" she got Drew's beloved guitar from the backseat and handed it to him. "why the heck did you bring that on a canoe trip, Drew?"

"well why not?"

"just seems a bit silly to me" Kate said, shrugging. "after all, what if your guitar gets ruined from the water?"

"ah, I came prepared for just that, Katie" Drew said, pulling a large plastic bag from the trunk.

"of course you did" Kate said, shaking her head. Drew had always loved his guitar, and was very skilled with it. he had even taught Kate a few songs, and she was pretty good herself at the few she knew.

a few slams from behind told Kate that Lewis and Ed had just pulled in and she turned to see them approaching. Drew started strumming a bit on his guitar, while Bobby just seemed disgusted by the condition of the buildings. "Christ, Drew" he frowned at a pile of old, rusty junk at his feet. "Drew, look at the junk... look here" he kicked an old can out of his way, hesitantly stepping over the junk pile.

Kate followed. "sheesh, not to put anyone down, but you think they'd take better care of this place, especially if this is where they're livin'" she said.

"you said it, Kate" Bobby said, looking around. "I think this is where everything finishes up... we just may be at the end of the line"

"hey, not so loud, Bobby" Ed said as he walked over. "we don't wanna upset these people"

Bobby blinked, looking around again. "people?"

Lewis honked the horn of his car, hoping that someone would hear and come to help them.

"what people?" Bobby asked.

"this area may be evacuated already" Ed said.

"it certainly seems that way" Kate said. "it's like a freakin' ghost town"

Bobby suddenly spotted something.

"what is it, Bobby?" Kate asked, wondering what had caught his attention.

"that's my '51 Dodge" Bobby said, walking over by an old, rusted out car. at least, the rusted out shell of what used to be a car.

Drew snickered.

"no, that's my car" Bobby said, stepping closer to look at it. "that's my car" he walked a bit around it. "oh my youth and passion... spent in that backseat"

"uh huh, sure, Bobby" Kate said teasingly, grinning.

Bobby laughed, nodding toward the car. "it's all gone, ya see? all gone, rust and dust"

they laughed. Kate noticed just then that someone came around the side of the building they were standing near. a short, withered looking old man with suspenders and a tan floppy hat. Bobby turned slightly and saw the man approaching just as Lewis was walking over.

"uh, Lewis?" Bobby said, motionong toward the old man. "we got a live one here" he mumbled, motioning behind him.

Lewis and Ed walked over, the old man staring at the five of them, almost suspiciously.

"howdy" Lewis said.

"howdy" the old man said slowly.

"let me ask you somethin'" Lewis said.

"are you from the power company?" the old man asked.

Kate blinked, frowning in confusion. she and Drew looked at each other.

"power company?" Lewis asked. "what power company?"

"the one's buldin' the dam"

"no, no" Lewis shook his head. "look, come here a minute" he said, leading the old man around the corner, where his and Drew's cars were visible. "see that car there? and that care down there? we want someone to drive them down to Aintry for us"

"hell, you're crazy" the old man sneered, turning and walking off.

"no shit" Bobby said flatly.

"hey" Lewis said.

the old man turned back to look at him.

"fill that one up with gas, huh?" Lewis said, pointing to his car. "okay?"

the old man walked past him and headed over to the car.

Kate bit her lower lip, glancing over at Drew. "gee, real friendly folks around here, huh bro?"

Drew laughed a little, strumming on his guitar. "yeah, Katie"

Kate sighed and stretched, walking over and leaning against the hood of Drew's car, standing beside her brother. she sighed again, closing her eyes as she listened to Drew strum the guitar. she'd always loved listening to her brother play, he was one of the best guitar players she'd ever heard. the sound of a banjo caught Kate's attention, and she looked up and saw a boy standing on the porch of one of the rundown houses, a banjo in his hands. he slowly struck another chord, staring at Drew. Drew was staring right back, slowly playing another chord. Kate watched, interested with the wordless exchange that was going on. Drew then slowly began playing a guitar version of Yankee Doodle Dandy, the boy with the banjo repeating every chord he played. he slowly moved forward and sat on a porch swing, his eyes still locked on Drew, who had walked a bit closer to the building as he played.

Kate and Ed stood nearby, watching.

Lewis, meanwhile, was still trying to talk to the old man who was filling up his car. "I don't think you understood me... I want to get some drivers to drive this car..." he slapped the hood of his car. "... and that car" he pointed to Drew's. "... down to Aintry. drivers, do you understand?"

"you might get the Griner brothers" the old man said.

"where do they live?" Lewis asked, taking his jacket off to reveal a rubber vest that he'd been wearing beneath it.

"they live back over that way" the old man said, pointing off down the road.

Drew and the boy were still playing their banjo and guitar. Kate was simply fascinated by the way the two were playing in sync, almost as good as if it had been rehearsed. Bobby walked over by Ed and Kate. "talk about genetic deficincies" he mumbled to them. "isn't that pitiful?"

Kate glared at him, getting annoyed with the way Bobby was acting.

Drew and the boy continued playing, gradually playing their instruments faster and faster. "come on, I'm with ya" Drew said, smiling. he was doing pretty good at keeping up with the boy as they played faster and faster.

Kate smiled. "way to go, Drew!" she said, laughing. she could tell that Drew was loving every minute of it.

"hey, look" Bobby said, nudging Ed and Kate. the three turned to see the gas station attendant dancing along with the music.

Kate laughed a little, smiling. Bobby laughed too and began clapping along with the beat. another guy standing nearby began whistling. after a few more minutes of playing, the song got very fast, and Drew couldn't keep up with the boy anymore, who kept playing at what seemed like lightning speed. "I'm lost!" Drew said, laughing.

"wow" Kate thought. "I never thought there would come a day when someone would actually outplay Drew"

the boy was smiling as he and Drew played the last few chords of the song. Drew whooped and laughed. "man, I could play all day with that guy!" he said, smiling brightly.

"I believe you could, too" Ed said. "I believe you could"

Kate laughed. "nice playin', bro" she said, hugging Drew.

he laughed, hugging back. "thanks, Kate. boy, I haven't played like that in a long time!" he hurried back over to the boy. "damn, you play a mean banjo!" he said, holding his hand out toward the boy. the boy frowned suddenly, turning away from Drew in disgust. Drew's smile faltered. "uh... hey, y-you wanna play another one?"

"give him a couple of bucks" Bobby mumbled.

"hey guys" Lewis said. "Ed and I are gonna see if we can find the Griner brothers' place"

Bobby nodded. "alright"

"I'll go with you" Kate said. she didn't feel like sticking around the old rundown gas station anymore.

"but Katie..." Drew started, but Kate was already getting into the back of Lewis' car.

...

one thing Kate learned right away about Lewis Medlock was that he drove like a maniac. she'd barely gotten her seatbelt on before he was driving off down the dirt road.

"can that chubby boy handle himself?" Lewis asked.

"who, Bobby?" Ed asked. "he's rather well thought of in his field, Lewis"

"insurance?" Lewis said, scoffing a bit. "shit..." Kate sighed, wishing that Lewis would slow the heck down as he drove around a sharp turn in the road. they pulled up to anothe rrundown building that had an old faded sign outside: 'Griner Bros. garage'. "I've never been insured in my life" Lewis said as he parked his car. "I don't believe in insurance... there's no risk" he, Ed, and Kate got out of the car and headed toward the house.

"I have some" Ed mumbled as Lewis knocked on the door.

when no one answered, Lewis made his way across the road. "Ed, Kate, over here" he called.

the two hurried over to him. they could hear the sound of clanging metal, like someone was hitting it with a hammer. it was coming from an old shed. Lewis slowly opened the door. there was a man inside working with some metal. "shit!" someone cursed from inside. a ragged man came out of the shed, glaring at the three. he ran over to an old truck and kicked it in anger, obviously having hurt himself somehow.

"uh, anything we can do for ya?" Ed asked.

"no... it ain't as bad as I thought" the man said.

"your name Griner?" Lewis asked.

"what you wanna know for?"

"um, c-can you and your brother drive two cars down to Aintry for us?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"drive 'em down there for what?" the guy asked.

"well, me and my friends here..." Lewis said. "... are gonna take a canoe trip down the Cahulawassee. we'd like to have those cars in Aintry when we get there. be there about Sunday, noon"

"canoe trip?"

"that's right, a canoe trip" Lewis said, obviously getting a little ticked off.

"what the hell you wanna go fuckin' around that river for?" the man demanded.

Kate swallowed nervously, stepping a bit closer to Lewis and Ed.

"because it's there" Lewis said.

"it's there all right" the guy said. "you get in there and can't get out... you gonna wish it wasn't"

"listen, Lewis" Ed said. "let's go back to town and... play golf"

"yeah" Kate thought. "this trip is starting to seem like a bad idea"

"I'll give you $30 to take the cars down to Aintry" Lewis said, ignoring Ed.

"I'll take $50"

Lewis smirked a bit. "50 my ass" he mumbled.

"Lewis!" Kate said sharply, glaring at him. no way did she want to tick this guy off.

"Lewis, don't play games with these people" Ed muttered.

"what'd you say?" the guy asked, narrowing his eyes at Lewis.

Lewis didn't back down. "I said 50 my ass"

"I'll do it for 40" the guys said after a minute.

Lewis turned to Ed. "you good for 10?"

Ed sighed and nodded. "sure"

Lewis nodded to the Griner. "you got it" he said as they headed back toward the cars.

as they came around the side of the garage, Kate saw Bobby and Drew. "Lewis, you guys alright?" Drew turned to his sister. Kate, you okay?"

"yeah, Drew, I'm fine" Kate said.

"it's all set, guys" Lewis said as he got in his car.

the Griner brothers got in their rusted old truck and followed after Lewis and Drew's cars. Lewis cut the truck off and drove off ahead, driving as recklessly as ever. "good lord" Drew said when he saw the way Lewis was driving. he was the complete opposite of Lewis when it came to driving, careful and slow. he was sure to keep behind the Griner's truck. "I don't want you riding with him anymore, Kate" Drew said, glancing at his sister in the rearview mirror.

"ugh, alright, Drew" Kate said, rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking. she was just going to be glad when they finally reached the river and could get their trip underway. little did she know the dark turn of events that would come...

oh man, THE PLOT THICKENS! well, not yet anyways... BUT IT WILL! I know Kate didn't really say much in this chapter, but she'll be more involved in the chapters to come. hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!

-FreddysNightmare1984