Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.
Warnings: Angst, Mild Violence
Rating: K+/FRC+
A/N: I'd like to thank HazzardHusker for her help as beta reader.
Summary: What could make a grown man quake in fear? You'd be surprised...
Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad...?
Bo lay buried beneath the pile of rubble that used to be a barn. He hoped Luke and Rosco found him soon; he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Bo could feel them crawling on him now, it felt like hundreds of them, though he knew there weren't really that many. It was as if God had decided that it was pick on Bo Duke day. Not bad enough that he was caught in the explosion that ripped the old structure apart. Oh no, God decides that it'd be even funnier to trap him under the rubble, unable to move or protect himself. Then to top it off, he adds the one thing that Bo feared the most. "Please God, just get me out of here. I promise I'll never get in another fight or shirk on my chores if you let Luke and Rosco find me," Bo prayed silently, doing his best to control his rising panic at the thought of being trapped and at their mercy. With nothing else to do, Bo found himself thinking about the events that had led to his predicament.
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The day had started out like any other, Bo and Luke had done their chores as always. After breakfast, they were planning to go into town to talk to Cooter about some ideas to improve the General's performance. When they got to town, Luke parked outside Cooter's garage. Before they had the chance to go inside though, they heard the sound of Boss Hogg shouting that he'd been robbed. Looking up the street, they saw two men in ski masks jump into a green sedan and take off. Without giving it a second thought, Bo and Luke turned back towards the General. Bo climbed behind the wheel and raced after the bank robbers, Luke by his side.
The chase had gone well, they weren't having any trouble keeping the green sedan in sight. Though when the passenger started firing at them, they weren't either one so sure that was a good thing. Bo grinned when he saw the road block up ahead. He couldn't hardly believe it, but he was glad that for once Rosco was using his head. Screeching to a halt, the driver of the green sedan wasn't fast enough and the car slammed into Rosco's patrol car. The two men in the sedan were thrown forward, where they slumped against the dashboard, unconscious.
The Duke boys had climbed from the General and rushed to the other car. Jerking open the passenger door, Bo leaned down to check on the man sitting there. He froze at the unmistakable feeling of a gun jammed into his ribs.
"Don't move," the masked robber growled.
"Yes sir," Bo nervously replied.
"Alright, now you holler at your friend and the sheriff, tell them to back away from the car."
"Uh, Luke, Rosco?"
"What Bo?" Luke asked. Looking across the roof of the car, he saw the look of panic on his youngest cousin's face.
"Y'all need to get away from the car," Bo replied.
"What are you talking about Bo Duke? I got to take these two in for robbing Boss' bank," Rosco protested.
"Rosco, do what he says," Luke said.
"Yeah, sheriff, do what he says," the gunman snarled. He slowly climbed from the car, never letting the gun leave Bo's side. Once out of the car, he wrapped one arm around Bo's neck, and backed away from the sedan. "How's my partner?"
"I don't know, but he's knocked out," Luke replied.
"Well, isn't that a shame, guess I'm gonna have to just leave him here." By this time, the man had gained enough distance from the car that he had a clear line of sight inside it. In a move that left the three Hazzard men reeling in shock, the man fired a single shot into the car, hitting his partner in the head. "That you're car?" he asked Bo, nodding towards the General.
"Yyyyeah," Bo stuttered.
"Good," the gunman replied. Pulling Bo towards the orange Charger, he paused when they came to the door. "Get the keys," he ordered.
Reaching inside, Bo pulled the keys from the ignition and handed them to the gunman.
"Very good...now Sheriff I want you to use them handcuffs of yours to keep you and our other good samaritan out of trouble."
"Huh?" Rosco asked, clearly confused.
"Cuff yourselves around the door post of your car," the man ordered. As soon as Rosco had done as ordered, the man pulled Bo to the rear of the General. "Open it," he snapped, handing the keys back to Bo.
Bo opened the trunk, pretty sure what was coming next. Standing at the back of the car, Bo glanced into the trunk.
Striking the blond in the back of the head, the gunman watched as he collapsed into the trunk. Stuffing his gun into the waistband of his pants, he reached down and folded the other man's long legs into the car. Using the towing chains he found in the car, he began to wrap them around the blond's body, trapping his arms and leaving him helpless. Slamming the lid shut, he went to the front of the car and pulled on the handle. Snarling in frustration when it failed to open, he finally just climbed into the window. "Y'all give me twenty-four hours to get well away and I'll call ya with where to find blondie. If you try to find him before that, I gurantee you won't like the results." Starting the engine, he put the car in gear and took off, leaving the other two men behind with his dead partner.
"Come on Rosco, hurry up!" Luke snapped. Frustrated and worried for his cousin, he watched with growing anger as the sheriff fumbled with the handcuff keys.
"You hush up now Luke, I'm doing the best I can. There," he cried in triumph as the cuff finally snapped free. Climbing behind the wheel of the patrol car, Rosco radioed for an ambulance. As soon as Luke was in his seat, Rosco started the car and tore off down the road after the General. It didn't take them long to find that the other car had disappeared from sight.
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Bo woke up in total darkness, his head pounding with the movement of the General. Struggling to move, he fought against the heavy weight that pinned his arms to his sides. He wasn't sure how long they had driven when he felt the car come to a stop. Laying in his dark prison, Bo tried not to panic. Sure that his life was about to end, Bo was determined that he would meet his death with dignity. It wasn't easy though, Bo soon discovered that even the strongest man when faced with his own death reacts with fear and panic.
Squinting against the sudden light as the trunk was opened, Bo tried to see the man who had taken him hostage. Before his eyes could adjust, he felt a hand grabbing his arm and roughly hauling him from the car. Dropping onto the hard ground, Bo couldn't help the groan of pain that escaped his throat as he felt a hard kick to his ribs.
"You and your buddy cost me back there," the gunman snarled. "Now I'm gonna make sure you both pay for it." Reaching down, he grabbed Bo by the hair, and began to drag him into an old barn. Smiling at the other man's cries of pain, he kept going until he reached a post in the center of the building. Pulling Bo up, he sat him so that his back was leaning against the post. Searching the area, he found what he was looking for: some old rope that he could tie the other man with. Wrapping the rope around Bo, he soon had him secured to the post.
Bo started to struggle, trying to free himself, the moment the other man left the barn. It was useless though; between the chains and the rope, there was no way he was going to do it. Resigning himself to waiting for Luke to find him, he leaned back and closed his eyes. When he felt the first of them crawling on him, Bo's eyes popped open. Looking down, he saw it and then he saw the others. "Oh God, no, please God get me out of here!" Bo cried out. Renewing his struggles with the ropes and chains, he soon exhausted himself and was forced to rest.
After tying the blond to the post, the bank robber went outside and began to arrange a surprise for whoever found him. Using the sticks of dynamite he'd spotted in the General along with the fishing line he'd also found, he soon had a nice booby-trap. Laughing to himself, he climbed back into the stolen Charger and left the abandoned barn.
Rosco and Luke had called for help soon after they'd started looking for Bo and the missing General. Now, two hours later there had still been no sign of either man or car. Just about to give up, Luke looked to the side just in time to see the General come barreling out of a side road.
"Oooo, I love it! I love it! Hot pursuit," Rosco chortled from beside Luke. Stepping on the gas, he took up the chase. Normally he wouldn't have a chance of catching the General, but today it wasn't one of the Duke boys driving. The man currently behind the wheel wasn't near the driver that Bo or Luke was, giving Rosco the chance to actually catch the General.
Luke watched in terror as the General failed to make the curve ahead. Flying off the road, the orange car tumbled end over end. Coming to rest against a tree at the bottom of the steep embankment, the General lay on it's side, steam pouring from under the hood. Luke jumped out of the patrol car before Rosco had brought it to a full stop. Running down the hill, he prayed for his cousin's life. As he approached the car, he noticed the trunk had popped open. Racing to the rear of the vehicle, he peaked inside, surprised to find it empty. Moving to the front of the car, he clambered up the side and leaned in the window. "Where is he? What'd you do with my cousin?"
Looking up at the brunette man, the bank robber sneered at the young man. "That's you're problem," he gasped out. Moaning in pain, he felt as though somebody were sitting on his chest, making it harder and harder to breathe. Giving Luke one last sneering look, the gunman closed his eyes just as he took his final breath.
"Noooo!" Luke yelled in despair. Hanging his head, he didn't know what they were going to do now.
"Luke?" Rosco called from the ground. The cry of despair had him worried. Thinking that the older Duke cousin had found Bo's body, he wondered how to get him off the car. He needn't have worried; a few seconds after uttering his cry, Luke slid off the General and landed on the ground next to the sheriff. "Luke, what is it? Is Bo...?"
"No," Luke replied, shaking his head. "The only one in the car is the bank robber, he just died. He wouldn't tell me where Bo is. What am I going to do? What if he..." Luke trailed off, unable to voice his biggest fear.
"You're gonna come with me and we're gonna find Bo," Rosco said. For the first time in years he was acting like a real sheriff, taking charge the way he used to do, before letting Boss run him. "Come on Luke," he said, taking the younger man by the arm.
"How? He could've left Bo anywhere," Luke pointed out.
"We saw where he came from, so that's where we start," Rosco calmly replied.
"Okay," Luke agreed. He was surprised that he hadn't thought of that himself.
"Enos, this is the sheriff, you got your ears on?" Rosco called on the cb as soon as they were back in the car.
"Yes sir sheriff, I still ain't seen no sign of Bo or the..."
"Never mind that right now Enos," Rosco interrupted. "We found the General and the bank robber, out on Cottowood Lane. I need you to get an ambulance out here for the felon's body, me and Luke are gonna head up Choctaw road."
"Choctaw road?"
"Yes Enos, that's where we saw the General coming from. The bank robber wrecked the car, he's dead and Bo's not with him. We've got to see if we can find Bo. So after you get the bank robber taken care of, you radio me and we'll set up a search area. I'm gone," Rosco ended his transmission, hanging the mic on the side of the cb.
As they traveled up the road, both men kept their eyes open for any sign of fresh tire tracks. "Stop the car Rosco!"
Bringing the car to a sudden stop, Rosco threw the gearshift into park and followed Luke to the roadside. "What did you see Luke?"
"Look, fresh tracks going up to the old Simms place."
"Let's check it out," Rosco said when he saw the tracks.
A couple of minutes later, the patrol car was pulling up near the old barn, the only building left on the old homestead. The car had barely stopped, when Luke was jumping from it and running towards the barn, calling his cousin's name. Thirty feet from the old structure, Luke tripped over something. As he fell to the ground, his foot pulled against the fishing line, setting off a chain reaction. The first explosion shocked him, and as he pulled himself to his feet, a second explosion knocked him back to the ground. "No," he whispered in horror as he watched the old barn fall in on itself. The noise was as loud as anything he'd heard in Vietnam, but it couldn't drown out the sound of his cousin screaming his name as the barn collapsed on top of him.
Inside the barn, Bo heard Luke calling to him. Before he could reply there came the sound of an explosion, followed closely by another. Looking up, he saw the barn coming down towards him and instinctively he screamed for his older cousin. "Luuuuuuuuuuuke!"
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Now, here he was, buried under the rubble and they were all over him. Why couldn't they have been killed when the barn collapsed? Laying there, he was shaking with fear as his worst nightmare came to life. He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't feared them, though nobody knew about it. Most of the time he was able to hide the fear, just claiming he didn't like the darn things. He had never wanted anybody, especially Luke, to know how completely they scared him. Bo knew the fear didn't make any sense, he just couldn't seem to help himself. Whenever he saw one, it took all of his willpower not to runaway screaming. The only thing that had stopped him was knowing how much everybody would laugh at him. As Luke and Rosco got closer to where he lay, Bo fought to control his panicked breathing. It was no use though, just as Luke pulled a large board from over his chest, one of them moved up to his face and Bo screamed in terror.
"Bo! What is it Bo? What's wrong?" Luke asked, frightened by his cousin's scream.
"Luke?" Bo asked, sounding desperate. "Get them off of me Luke! Please just get them off of me," Bo begged, no longer caring if Luke laughed.
"Get what off of you Bo? The only thing on you is..."
"I know what's on me Luke, now get them off, please," Bo begged, nearly sobbing.
Shaking his head, Luke reached down and removed one of the tiny things from where it lay near his cousin's face. As he removed more debris, tossing it to the side, he found more of the tiny things. Finally the last of the wood was gone and he began to remove the rope and chains from Bo as well. It didn't take long to free the younger man, who bolted to his feet and tried to run from the barn.
After several hours with chains wrapped around him, followed by having a barn fall on him, his legs refused to support him. He only made it a few steps before he collapsed to the ground, crying out in fear when they began to crawl over him again.
Luke hurried to his youngest cousin's side and immediately helped him to his feet, brushing aside the offending creatures as he did. With Luke supporting most of Bo's weight, they made it outside to Rosco's patrol car just as an ambulance arrived. Helping Bo, he manuvered the younger man into the open door and onto the seat. Stepping back so that the paramedics could take care of Bo, Luke saw his uncle's pick-up pull in next to the ambulance. Jesse and Daisy climbed from the truck and hurried over to Luke's side.
"How is he Luke?" Jesse asked.
"I think he's just bruised and shook up, thank God," Luke replied, glancing at the collapsed barn.
"Was he in there?"
"Yeah, the guy had it rigged. When I started towards it, I tripped over a wire and there was an explosion, then another and the whole place came down. It's a miracle he wasn't killed," Luke whispered, awed by the miraculous escape.
"Is he okay?" Jesse asked of the paramedic, as the man stepped away from Bo.
"Yes sir, he's going to be fine. He doesn't want to go to the hospital, but I would have your family doctor take a look at him, just to be safe."
"Thank you, we'll do that," Jesse said. Stepping away from the paramedic, he joined his kids next to Rosco's car. "How you feeling Bo?" Jesse asked, squatting down in front of his youngest.
"I'm ffffine Uncle Jesse," Bo replied.
"You sure?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah," Bo answered. Looking back at the barn, he thought he saw one of them watching him and he shuddered.
"Bo?"
"Yeah Luke?" Bo asked, he had a feeling he knew what was coming.
"You were pretty scared in there, you want to talk about it?"
For a moment, Bo didn't answer, that hadn't been the question he had expected. "Uh...no, I don't think so," he finally responded.
"If you change your mind, just let me know, okay?"
"There something I should know boys?" Jesse asked.
"No sir," Luke replied for them both.
"Alright," Jesse said, not convinced but deciding to let it go for now. "Well, let's get you home sprout," he said, helping Bo to his feet.
With help from his uncle and cousin, Bo walked to the pick-up. When Daisy opened the door for him, he balked at climbing into the cab. The thought of being in the small space, after the trunk and the barn, didn't appeal to him at all. "Uncle Jesse, would it be okay if I ride in the back?"
"I don't know Bo..."
"I'll ride with him Uncle Jesse," Luke offered.
"I suppose it'd be okay. You holler though if you change your mind, ya hear me?"
"Yes sir," both boys replied.
Once the two of them were settled in the bed of the pick-up, Jesse started the truck and headed for home.
In the bed of the truck, Bo leaned against his older cousin, thoroughly exhausted. "Luke? Thank you," he quietly said.
"For digging you out? Shoot if it hadn't been for me, you never would've been buried..."
"No, not for that. Though I am glad you got me out and it ain't your fault. I meant for getting them off of me and for not laughing at me," Bo explained himself, his face flushing with embarassment and shame.
"Bo," Luke said, sounding as though he couldn't believe Bo would think so poorly of him. "I admit I was surprised, but I would never laugh at your fears. I don't understand it, but it was pretty clear that you were terrified and I would never tease you for that," Luke assured the younger man, reaching over and giving his hand a gentle squeeze of support.
"I don't understand it either Luke. All I know is that for as long as I can remember I've been terrified of them and I'm wouldn't blame you if you did laugh. After all it ain't everyday you see a grown man terrified by a bunch of kittens."
"No it's not, but I ain't gonna laugh about it," Luke again said. He wrapped one arm around the younger man, smiling gently as the younger man laid his head on Luke's shoulder and fell asleep.
The paramedics were right and Bo was fine in a few days, though he did have a few nightmares. With time though and support from his older cousin, the dreams faded and life returned to normal.
The end.
This was written as an answer to a challenge on the Wonderful World of MakeBelieve. The challenge was to have your character confronted with a secret fear. When I first read the challenge I immediately flashed on Bo being afraid of kittens. Don't ask me why though, I have no idea. Sometimes I have strange muses. Please review and let me know what you think.