Awakening in the shadow
A water drop on his forehead.
Then another on his cheek.
Enos opened slowly his eyes.
It was dark around him.
When he tried to stand up a sharp pain in his left leg stopped him.
He flopped down, leaning against a damp and uncomfortable wall.
The deputy took a deep breath, trying to remember where he was and why.
The pain in his leg was terrible, and he felt sick.
He huddled on the wet ground, in the shadow, trying to breath slowly and deeply to stop the nausea and the dizziness.
"Where am I?", he whispered, then he closed his eyes.
Rosco's patrol car, followed by the General Lee (a strange thing, since it was usually the opposite), was roaming in Hazzard's streets, more similar now to streams than to streets.
They were getting ahead very cautiously, looking at that ghostly and sad scenery.
It was night, but all around there were several feeble lights, showing Hazzard's people roaming in those streets.
The mud, the moonlight, the torches in people's hands: everything contributed to make the scenery even more ghostly and sad.
In the General nobody talked; Bo, Luke and Daisy (impossible to leave her at the farm) were looking outside the car, scared and shocked.
"Do you think someone… is dead?", Bo's voice broke the silence.
Luke shook his head, "I don't know, I really don't know, for sure there's a lot to rebuild", he shivered, "We're lucky. Our farm is OK, and we are OK too".
Everyone nodded, thanking God in the deep of their heart for their safety, and praying Him for Hazzard's safety.
"We're near Mill Road" Bo pointed out, but there's no need to specify it.
The road was interrupted by a lot of rocks and it was impossible to go on; on one side of the road a noisy and terrifying river, and on the other side the rock face.
They stopped and they got out their cars.
Rosco approached them, "We need to clear the way …. for ambulances and for help. This is the main street, and other streets are now mud's streams, so it's the only way to cross Hazzard"
Bo and Luke nodded, realizing how difficult and hard was that work.
Cooter's voice reached them from the other side of the rocks, "Bo, Luke, glad you're OK".
Bo smiled for the first time since they left the farm, "Hey buddy, glad you're OK too. Hope you brought your ol' truck, it will be very useful to remove all those rocks".
"Of course I'm here with my truck".
Daisy was looking at the men , "And me?".
Rosco looked at her, "I've said you there's nothing you could do actually".
Daisy looked around, her arms folded because of the cold.
Luke looked at Bo, then he looked at Daisy, "You could help us removing rocks, the smaller ones, OK?".
Daisy nodded, grateful to think of her work and not of devastation 'round her… and of Enos.
At sunrise, several hours after, they were still working and the street was now almost clear, or at least it was possible to go ahead.
The four men, reached by other men from the both sides of the landslide, and Daisy, finally had a brief break to catch their breath.
The sun was lighting only destruction, and the devastation around them seemed even worse than in the shadow (in effect nothing was now hiding it).
A man spoke sadly, "In Hazzard's square I saw a lot of ambulances, and paramedics, and tents for first aid", he stopped, then he continued after a brief pause, "and a lot of injured persons… and someone dead".
"Oh my God", Daisy closed her eyes.
"And it's only the start; there're a lot of people 'round here injured, scared…. or dead", Rosco murmured, "but at least, now, ambulances can reach them because the street is clear".
Daisy's hand reached Luke's one, squeezing it, "Maybe Enos is in Hazzard's square… injured, but alive".
Rosco curbed her hope, "He's not there. Boss told me Enos is not there. Enos is missing. But if he's still alive, I'll find him and I'll save him".
Everyone was surprised by Rosco's affection.
"Time to go to find Enos ", Bo was right, they couldn't stay there crying. Not now.
They nodded and they reached their cars, heading to Hazzard's square and looking carefully the scenery around them to find a sign of Enos's fate.
And unfortunately they found it: his patrol car sunken in the river, only the flashing light on it outside the boiling water.
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