Chapter 5

Bo and Luke were at the Boar's Nest enjoying a couple of beers after a long hard day working on the farm (if you could call the watered down swill that Boss served beer) It had been three days since the incident with the Carsons and so far things had been quiet. Luke didn't mind Uncle Jesse's restrictions against him going anywhere by himself since he hardly ever went anywhere without Bo by his side anyway. It had been that way since they were kids. They were always together.

Luke had discovered who his real friends were. They stuck by him and refused to listen to the rumors about Mindy and why she had killed herself. The rumors ranged from her being pregnant with Luke's baby to Luke having pushed her off Widow's Peak himself in a jealous rag because she was the one who wanted to break up with him. Luckily, Luke had more friends than enemies. Still, there were a few people who could always be counted on to believe the worst possible scenario and unfortunately, Ernie Ledbetter was one of those people.

Ernie and Luke had been fighting with other ever since they were kids. They just flat out rubbed each other the wrong way. Ernie didn't like Luke and whenever he saw him, he went out of his way to insult him and aggravate him in any way he could. Their confrontations usually ended up in a fist fight and Ernie generally got the worst end of it, but he still kept coming back for more. Luke had already broken Ernie's nose a couple of times and a few ribs here and there but Ernie just never seemed to learn. The only time he had ever gotten the best of Luke in a fight was when he had two of his friends with him and they ganged up on Luke. And of course, most of the time Bo ended up getting in on it too and Ernie found himself dealing not with just one pissed off Duke but two. Not a good combination if you were on the receiving end of their punches.

So, when Bo saw Ernie saunter into the Boar's Nest, he automatically expected trouble. And he didn't have to wait long for it to happen. Ernie got himself a beer and ambled over to the table where Bo and Luke were sitting. Smiling down at Luke Ernie said “So Duke…is Widow's Peak gonna be your new make out spot now? Take all your girlfriends there so that when you get tired of ‘em they can just jump over the edge.”

Bo saw the fire flash in Luke's eyes and the muscle tighten in his jaw as he jumped to his feet. Ernie outweighed Luke by at least 30 pounds but Luke was quicker and his punches were a lot harder. He responded to Ernie's taunts with a pile driver to his stomach. Ernie doubled over struggling to catch his breath. With an angry snort Ernie head butted Luke sending him sprawling backwards over the table where he'd been sitting with Bo. Other customers scrambled to get out of the way but once they were safely out of the way, they stopped to watch the fight.

“Come on, Luke!” Bo yelled from the sidelines. He wouldn't interfere unless someone else tried to or unless Ernie tried to use any kind of weapon besides his fists.

Ernie tried to pin Luke to the ground, but Luke easily slipped out from under him and hit him with a strong right hook. Ernie raised his leg and kicked Luke in the side of his left knee, bringing him to the floor. Pinning down Luke down, Ernie got in a couple of good punches before Luke slammed his fist into the bridge of his nose. Roaring with anger, Ernie grabbed his nose which Luke had just broken for the third time.

Suddenly a gunshot rang out in the room, quieting down the crowd who had been yelling for their personal favorites to win. “Alright, you two!” Roscoe yelled as he made his way to the two fighters “Break it up!” he fired a second shot into the air for good measure to make sure he had everyone's attention. Ernie scrambled to his feet, glaring at Luke as the blood streamed down his face. Rosco reached down and grabbed Luke's arm pulling him roughly to his feet. “Alright, Luke Duke! You're under arrest!”

“Come on, Rosco!” Bo protested knowing that it wouldn't do him any good “Luke didn't start it! Ernie did!”

“Don't matter.” Rosco said “Luke's going to jail. Khee Khee Khee….I love it, I love it.” He grabbed Luke's arm tightly and began half pulling and half shoving him towards the door. Luke didn't resist. It wouldn't have done him any good if he had. Rosco led him outside and shoved him into the back of the squad car, slamming the door.

Luke slouched in the back seat and stared out the window as Rosco drove him to the jail. Luke knew that Bo would tell Uncle Jesse what had happened and that Jesse would be there to bail him out as soon as he could. Sometimes it seemed as if the Hazzard jail was his home away from home. But Luke had never been one to back down from a fight, especially one with Ernie Ledbetter.

At the courthouse on Hazzard Square , Rosco led Luke into the Sheriff's office and had Enos put him in one of the two cells downstairs. “Sorry, Luke.” Enos apologized as he shut the door and locked it.

“It's okay, Enos.” Luke said, sitting down on the uncomfortable cot that was bolted to the floor. “Just let me know when Uncle Jesse gets here.”

Once Enos had gone back upstairs, Luke finally felt the aches and pains from the fight with Ernie. Ernie had got a good shot in on Luke's jaw. He could feel a loose tooth and a place on the inside of his lip where his teeth had cut into the soft tissue. His left side was also tender where Ernie had gotten in a couple of shots in his ribs. He'd be sore for a day or two but it wasn't nothing new.

Forty-five minutes later, Jesse bailed Luke out and he was free to go. Normally, he would have had to listen to lecture from Jesse about fighting but not this time. Jesse knew how badly Ernie antagonized Luke and he didn't condone Ernie's behavior at all. He didn't exactly excuse Luke's either but he couldn't lecture him for defending himself or his honor when Ernie was the one who started the fights.

When they got to the farm, Luke went upstairs to the bathroom to take a long hot shower to soothe his aching muscles and to relieve the pent up tension in his body. Glancing in the mirror, he noticed that he had a bruise on his left cheekbone and his jaw on that side was red and swollen. Stripping off his clothes, he saw the bruising on his left rib cage. Damn, he was going to have to remember to watch out for Ernie's right hook the next time.

He turned on the shower and adjusted the spray to a comfortable temperature, then stepped under the water. He lifted his face into the spray and stood there for a moment letting the water flow over his body, relaxing him. He could feel his muscles starting to loosen up as the tension drained from his body. By the time he had finished with his shower and put on clean clothes, it was time for supper. Since Daisy was still at work, it was Jesse's turn to cook and he had made pork chops with white gravy, baked potatoes and corn on the cob. The boys sat down at the table and bowed their heads while Jesse said grace, then they began to eat. Their conversation during the meal consisted of some work that the boys needed to get done around the farm the following day. After supper, the boys did the dishes while Jesse read his paper.

Later that evening, Bo watched TV while Luke and Jesse enjoyed a game of Chess. Jesse liked the game and had taught Luke and Daisy both how to play (Bo had no interest in learning) Luke was an excellent player and Jesse enjoyed the challenge of playing a good game with his oldest nephew. They all turned in shortly after eleven o'clock that evening.

Chapter 6

The next morning after breakfast the boys got ready to mend a fence in the back field. Sometimes it seemed like half their time was spend mending fences (and sometimes it was especially the ones they drove through with the General) Daisy was working the early shift at the Boar's Nest and Jesse had gone into town to pick up some groceries so the boys were alone on the farm.

“Dang it!” Bo said in an irritated voice

“What?” Luke asked glancing up from where he was nailing a bottom board in place

“We're out of nails.” Bo told him

“I thought you grabbed some more.” Luke said in an annoyed tone, as he straightened up

“I thought you did.”

“I'll go get some more.” Luke said, walking over to the General and sliding beneath the wheel to head back up to the barn after more nails. Bo nodded and turned his attention back to the second of fence he was trying to repair. Neither one of the boys thought about Jesse warning to Luke about going anywhere by himself. They figured Luke was safe as long as he was on Duke property.

When he got back to the house (which was about a mile from the fence they were mending) Luke pulled the General up next to the barn and climbed out. Going into the barn, he started rummaging for the box of nails he had seen earlier that morning. He had no idea that he wasn't alone until he felt the barrel of a shotgun pressing against his back and a voice hissing in his ear “Don't move and don't make a sound. Put your hands behind your back.” Luke did as he was told, wincing as he felt someone tying his hands tightly with a piece of rope. A little too tightly, he could feel the rough fiber of the rope cutting into his wrists. Then a gag was tied tightly around his head forcing his mouth open and making it impossible for him to yell out. A hand grabbed him roughly by the arm and spun him around. Luke felt an uneasy tightening in his belly when he found himself staring at Cyrus Carson and his two sons.

“I told your Uncle we'd git you sooner or later.” Cyrus said with a cold laugh. “Now you're gonna pay for hurting my little girl.” Billy grabbed Luke by the left arm, and Tommy grabbed his right arm and they followed their father out of the barn forcing Luke to go with them. They had parked their car on the road that ran in front of the farmhouse so that Luke hadn't been able to see it when he came in from the field. He realized that they had to have been watching the farm, maybe for days, waiting for their chance to catch him alone. Cyrus unlocked the trunk and glared at Luke pointing his shotgun at his belly for good measure. “Git in.” he ordered.

When Luke didn't move fast enough to suit him, the boys roughly pushed him into the trunk and Cyrus slammed down the lid. Luke lay there in the darkness, trapped and cursing himself for being careless enough to let himself get ambushed. He didn't know what they had in mind for him but he knew it wasn't going to be very pleasant. He was in trouble. A lot of trouble.

When Luke didn't come back in a reasonable amount of time, Bo started to get annoyed and then he started to get worried. Cursing under his breath, he started walking back towards the house to see what was taking Luke so long. When he got closer to the barn, he saw the General but no sign of Luke. He checked the barn but he wasn't in there. Thinking that he might have gone into the house to answer the phone or something, he went into the house to look for him but he wasn't there either. Now Bo was really worried and more than a little scared.

He ran back out to the General and leaned in through the window on the passengers side, grabbing the mike to the CB. Pressing the transmit button, he said anxiously “Lost sheep to Shepard….you got your ears on, Shepard? Come back”

A few moments later Uncle Jesse's voice said over the radio “This is Shepard. You boys got that fence done yet?”

“Uncle Jesse, this is Bo. I can't find Luke anywhere. He came up to the barn to get some nails and now he's gone….”

“I'm on my way.” Jesse said

Bo paced anxious back and forth in the barnyard while he waited for Jesse to get home. Ten minutes later his battered white pickup truck pulled into the drive. He skidded to a halt beside the General and climbed out of the cab. Bo looked at his Uncle with eyes that were filled with both concern and fear “I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse.” He said “Luke was just coming up to barn after some nails. I didn't think anything of it…”

“It's alright,” Jesse said putting a comforting hand on his youngest nephew's shoulder “You'd reckon that a body would be safe on his own danged property! I called Rosco and that pea brain had better do something to help us find Luke.” With nothing else to do but wait for Rosco to arrive, that's what Bo and Jesse did.

Chapter 7

It was hot and stuffy in the trunk and Luke found it hard to breath because of the gag in his mouth. Plus the exhaust fumes that were leaking into the trunk was giving him a headache. He tried to shift positions but no matter how he moved, there was no way to really get comfortable. He had no idea where they were taking him but they had been driving for quite awhile. Luke estimated that it had been at least an hour. They had been on a paved road most of the time but a few minutes ago, the car had turned onto a badly rutted road with deep potholes. Every time the car jarred down in one, Luke slammed his head against a rim with no tire on it which didn't help his headache any.

Finally, the car jerked to a halt and Luke heard the doors slam as the three other men got out of the vehicle. A few moments later, the trunk lid opened. After being confined in the dark cramped space for so long, it took Luke's eyes a second to adjust to the glare of sunlight. He blinked as Billy and Tommy grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the trunk, none too gently. He winced as he felt his back scrape against the trunk latch on the way out.

Standing him up, the boys got two shotguns out of the trunk. Now all three men were armed. As his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, Luke looked around and realized that they were at the edge of Hazzard Swamp . If they were planning on taking him into the swamp Luke knew that they didn't plan on having him come back out alive. He wondered if anyone would be able to find him before it was too late. If not, they may never find his body. The swamp was a dangerous place even for someone who knew it as well as Luke did. It was full of snakes, alligators, and quicksand.

“Let's go.” Cyrus ordered, giving Luke a shove to force him to move forward into the swamp. Luke started walking, keeping his eyes down so he could watch where he was stepping. Copperheads could easily be mistaken for a fallen tree branch if you weren't careful and the last thing he wanted right now was to get snake bit. As they moved into the swamp, the heavy foliage and trees blocked out the sun making it gloomy and poorly lit in spots. There was also a noticeable drop in the temperature of the air.

When Luke didn't move fast enough to suit Cyrus, he slammed the butt of his shotgun into the small of Luke's back knocking him to his knees. Luke grunted in pain and struggled to catch his breath. “Git up!” Cyrus growled “And keep moving!”

Luke struggled to his feet. He realized that Cyrus didn't really care how fast Luke was going or how slowly for that matter, he just wanted an excuse to hurt him. He had a feeling that they planned on hurting him a lot worse than that before they were done with him. They kept walking with Cyrus or one of the boys hitting Luke in the back occasionally with the butt of their shotgun. Unable to protect himself from their abuse, he could only grunt through the gag in his mouth and fall to his knees, then stagger to his feet again and keep going. His back ached from being hit.

Finally after walking for a couple of hours, Cyrus said “This here's a good enough place.” He motioned with his shotgun in Luke's direction. “Billy's gonna untie your hands for a minute and if you know what's good for you, you ain't gonna try nothing.” Cyrus told him “Cause if you do, you're gonna get a belly full of buckshot from me and Tommy both. You got that, boy?” Luke nodded. With two shotguns aimed at him, there was little he could do but comply.

Billy used a hunting knife to cut the ropes tying Luke's hands behind his back. “Put your hands in front of you” Billy ordered. As Luke did as he was told, Billy used another rope and tied his hands again, this time in front of him instead of behind his back. Laughing, Billy threw the loose end of the rope up over a tree branch above Luke's head. Jerking on the rope, he forced Luke's arms up in the air above his head. He tied the rope securely to the base of the tree. Picking up the rope that had originally bound Luke's hands behind his back, he used it to securely tie Luke's feet together. When Luke was securely bound, Billy took off the gag.

Luke swallowed and licked his dry parched lips. He swallowed a few times to get some moisture back in his mouth. “You'll never get away with this.” Luke said with more bravado than he really felt.

“But I already have.” Cyrus told him with a sinister laugh “And even though I'm sure Jesse will figure out that we're the ones that have you, he has no idea where to even start looking for you. And out here, you can yell and scream all you want and there nobody around to hear ya.”

Luke glared at the three men. They could do anything they wanted to him out here and nobody would be able to hear his screams. And when they were finished with him all they had to do was leave him for the gators to get and there wouldn't even be a body left for anyone to find. Cyrus smiled and moved around so that he was standing behind Luke. He tried to turn his head so he could see what Cyrus was doing but the older man stayed out of his line of vision.

. “You know, Luke…” Cyrus said in a mocking voice “I bet your Uncle Jesse tanned your hide real good more than once. And right now, I'm gonna tan you like you ain't never been tanned before for what you done to my little girl.”

Luke felt the butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he realized what Cyrus was going to do. His muscles tensed involuntarily as he waited for the first blow to fall. He knew this wasn't going to be like the whippings he got as a kid when he did something wrong this was going to be much worse. There was a swish and a crack then Luke felt the heavy leather belt cut into his back. His thin cotton shirt offered no protection from the strap. Luke gasped aloud at the searing hot pain that shot through his body. Cyrus drew back his arm and swung the strap again. He had a strong arm and could cause a lot of pain with each blow which was exactly what he intended to do.

Luke clenched his teeth even as his body jerked in response to the next whack. He struggled not to make a sound even though it hurt like hell. Three more whacks landed across his back and hind end each one more painful than the last. Luke's body felt like it was on fire and in danger of being torn to shreds. “My boys can usually take 8 whacks before they started yelling, let's see how many it takes for you” Luke managed to hold out for 10. Still Cyrus continued to beat him. Luke gasped and cried out, his body jerking against the ropes that held him prisoner. There was no escape from the relentless beating, only more pain. Finally, Luke felt the darkness creeping in around the edges of his mind and he retreated into it willingly. He had found a way to escape at least for a little while.

He was forced back to consciousness by the sudden chill of cold water being thrown in his face. With a start, he opened his eyes, choking and trying to orient himself.

Tommy was standing in front of him with a leering grin on his face. Luke felt Cyrus grab his shirt collar in the back and jerk hard tearing the shirt. The older man smiled in pleasure when he saw the heavy welts that covered Luke's back. Most of them had broken the skin and blood was oozing from the wounds. Some of them were already turning black and blue.

Luke screamed in agony as Cyrus reached out and rubbed his hand across the welts and open wounds. The sudden flare of fiery pain took his breath away and made the darkness swirl around Luke's mind once more. Cyrus grabbed Luke's hair and jerked back on his head, hissing in his ear “This is only the beginning, boy!” When he let go of his hair, Luke's head fell forward, his chin resting against his chest. Luke took several long slow breaths trying to find a way to manage the pain that threatened to overwhelm him.

Cyrus and his boys ignored Luke for the next hour or so as they set about making camp. Tommy pitched a tent while Billy built a fire ring and started a camp fire. Cyrus sat on a rock watching his boys work and smoked a cigarette. Occasionally, his eyes would drift in Luke's direction as he pondered ways to torture the man he held responsible for his little girl's death. He wanted him to suffer as much as Cyrus was suffering. There was a certain sense of power in knowing that he alone held Luke's fate in his hands.

Chapter 8

Bo and Uncle Jesse had searched around the barn and found four sets of footprints in the dirt. They both knew what had happened but they had no proof. Bo was the one who found the tire tracks on the road in front of the house. It didn't help much but it did prove that a car had been parked there recently which would have hidden it from view unless you were in the front of the house. Jesse had called Daisy at work and she had insisted on coming home immediately.

Bo looked up as Roscoe's car pulled into the drive and the sheriff climbed out of the cruiser. “All right, Jesse…” he spluttered in an annoyed voice “What's going on that's so danged important now?”

“Luke's missing!” Jesse growled, his eyes narrowing at he looked at Hazzard County 's excuse for a lawman. “That's what's going on! And I expect you to do something about it!”

Rosco looked surprised at the news. “Are you sure he's missing?” he stammered

“Of course we're sure you danged idiot!” Jesse snapped too upset to be polite. “And I want him found before something happens to him! You know as well as I do that Cyrus Carson and his boys are behind this!”

“Well, I can't arrest ‘em without any evidence.” Rosco said defensively. He didn't want to rile Jesse any further than he already was by arguing with him. Roscoe shifted his weight from one foot to the other nervously. “I can run over to the Carson place and talk to them, I guess…...”

“Roscoe, they won't be there!” Bo said in an exasperated voice. “They done took Luke and they sure ain't gonna take him back to their place.”

“Now Jesse….Bo,” Rosco said, his tone softening “You know I don't want nothing bad to happen to Luke. I'll put out an APB on Luke and on the Carson boys and their car. That's about I can do till we get a lead on where Luke might be….”

“Meanwhile, me and Bo will be getting us a search party together to look for Luke ourselves.” Jesse said

“You do that, Jess and I'll send Enos out to help you get things organized.” Rosco told him. He turned and walked back over to his car. Glancing back at Jesse before he climbed under the wheel, he said sincerely “We'll find him, Jesse.”

Jesse sighed as he watched Rosco drive away. At one time Rosco had been a decent honest cop and a good one. And when it was a real emergency, he still was a good cop and Jesse knew that. “Come on, Bo” he told his youngest nephew. “We got some phone calls to make”

The first call Jesse made was to Cooter Davenport, the local mechanic in town and a close friend of the Duke family. “Crazy Cooter coming at ya. Talk to me.” Cooter said answering the phone on the first ring.

“Cooter, it's Jesse Duke. Luke's missing and we need some help looking for him.”

“You think Cyrus and his boys got him?” Cooter asked his concern sounding clearly in his voice

“That's what I'm afraid of.” Jesse admitted

“You hang in there, Uncle Jesse. I'll git hold of everybody I can and we'll meet ya'll at the farm in an hour.”

“Thanks, Coot.”

Just as Jesse hung up the phone, Daisy came bursting through the door. Tears were glistening in her eyes as she hurried to her Uncle's side and threw herself into his arms. “Now, Now…it's gonna be okay, Daisy girl” Jesse told her in a gentle comforting voice “We're gonna find him.”

“What if they hurt him, Uncle Jesse?” Daisy cried

“Then they'll answer to me.” Bo told her fiercely “I'll kill ‘em if they hurt Luke!”

“Now, Bo, you just settle down.” Jesse told his youngest nephew who was the most volatile of the three cousins. “Us Dukes don't take the law into our own hands.”

“Yes, sir.” Bo said sullenly

Within the hour Cooter arrived as promised with half of Hazzard County in tow, including Doc Pedicord. Jesse found himself praying that they wouldn't need Doc's skills when they found Luke but he was also grateful that Doc was going to be part of the search party just in case. It would save a lot of time if Luke needed medical attention when they found him.

They all gathered in the living room to discuss how to conduct the search and where to start. The problem was there were a lot of deserted buildings; farms and still sites in Hazzard County and Luke could be at any of them. Not to mention the swamp. There were also abandoned mine shafts and caves to be considered as possible hiding places too. They had their work cut out for them and very little time to search. If the Carsons had Luke, Jesse knew that they wouldn't keep him alive indefinitely.

“The way I see it, the best thing to do is split the county up in sections with each one of us taking a different area to search.” Cooter suggested “We check out every place we can think of……abandoned buildings, still sites, caves……and hope we find something.”

“What about the swamp?” Daisy said “It's gonna take more than one person to search there.”

“We'll just have to check out the other places first” Cooter said “Then if we don't find anything any place else, everybody can work on searching the swamp together.”

“I think Coot's right.” Jesse agreed “And we need to get started. We don't know what they got in mind for Luke.”

“That's right,” Cooter's cousin, L.B. said “We wanna find Luke alive…not dead.” He looked at Jesse sheepishly immediately regretting his choice of words “I'm sorry, Jesse…” he apologized.

“That's alright L.B.” Jesse said somberly “We all know that Cyrus and his boys probably plan on killing Luke….that's why we need to make sure we find him before they do.”

They quickly divided up the county into sections and everyone prepared to start their search. They divided into groups of two and picked out the areas they wanted to search. They would keep in touch with each other by CB and eliminate all the other possibilities before meeting at the swamp to start searching there.

Chapter 9

Night comes early in the swamp and it gets cold quickly as the sun goes down. Cyrus and his boys sat comfortably around the fire, while Luke shivered from the chill of the night air. His mouth was dry and parched but he doubted if they would give him anything to drink even if he asked. As long as they were ignoring him, Luke didn't want to draw their attention back to him. He was still in a tremendous amount of pain from the beating earlier that day. He was also tired and hungry but he knew that sleep was out of the question. And he doubted if they planned on giving him any food. Luke was relieved when they went to sleep without hurting him any more, at least not for tonight.

During the night Luke had a new torment to deal with along with the cold. The insects and mosquitoes that swarmed around him, biting him and crawling over the open wounds on his back. The only thing he could do was jerk his head to keep them away from his face but the rest of his body was vulnerable and being bitten relentlessly.

_______________________

A shadowy figure watched from the dense foliage. The figure had been watching the camp site ever since the four men arrived. It was obvious that three of the men were there to deliberately torture and probably eventually kill the fourth man. It wasn't the first time that someone had used the swamp to kill someone. It was the perfect place to leave a body. There wasn't anything that could be done to stop was going on. Pulling the hooded cape that hid their features closer around them, the watcher disappeared back into the shadows.

  ______________________

Luke tried to shift positions somehow so he could relieve the cramping in his shoulders but it useless. He couldn't move enough to do any good. His hands had gone numb the circulation hampered by the tightness of the ropes that bound him. Cyrus and his boys were up and fixing breakfast. The smell of fresh coffee and eggs filled the air. Luke's stomach rumbled insisting on reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since early yesterday morning. Billy walked over to Luke, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. “Hey Duke,” he said with a sneer “How'd you like a cup of coffee to wake you up?” With those mocking words, he threw his coffee in Luke's face. Luke cried out, jerking his head to one side as the scalding hot liquid hit the right side of his face and splashed down on to his right shoulder.

“Billy, git your ass over here!” Cyrus growled “Help git this mess cleaned up then you can have your turn at him…”

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath wondering what they had in store for him this morning. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Billy quickly helped clear the left over mess from their breakfast, then sauntered back over to Luke with a cocky look on his face. Leaning in close he growled “How'd you like doing it to my little sister? Was she any good?” Without warning, he slammed his fist into Luke's flank causing him to grunt with pain at the blow to his kidney. “Did you like making out with her?” With each question, Billy hit Luke again, concentrating on the area of his right kidney. Smiling and obviously enjoying himself, Billy continued “Was she hot? Did she like doing you too?” He punched Luke again, this time in the stomach. Luke gasped and struggled to catch his breath. “Did you go all the way? Was she a virgin?” He punched Luke again, three rapid punches this time that left no time in between for Luke to regain his breath. His lungs burned and screamed for oxygen as he gasped and struggled to catch his breath. “Come on…you can tell me…” Billy said, hitting Luke one last time, a vicious blow to the stomach that hurt like hell. Then he seemed to lose interest and simply walked away leaving Luke simply trying to breathe. Luke had to concentrate to keep his legs from giving away beneath him. If he did that it would leave his weight totally supported by his bound hands.

Cyrus walked over to Luke and said “You should never have messed with my family…especially my little girl.”

“And you should've never messed with my family.” Luke snapped back, his ragged nerves stretched to the breaking point.

“You always have had a smart mouth, Luke….” Cyrus said, backhanding him viciously with enough force that Luke's head jerked to one side. He cursed as he bit his tongue hard enough to make it bleed.

Luke turned his gaze back on Cyrus, his eyes cold and deadly. “You're going to kill me anyway so why not just get it over with?” he said defiantly

“Because I'm not through with you yet.” Cyrus told him with a mocking smile. He backhanded Luke again just as viciously as the first time, splitting open his bottom lip. Luke shook his head to regain his senses. His ears were ringing and his vision went blurry for a moment. Luke was a strong man physically and he was able to endure a lot of pain but even he had his limits. And he could feel his endurance starting to crumble. Bo…..Uncle Jesse……please help me! Get me out of this! Turning his head, Luke spit out the blood that had gathered in his mouth. Cyrus wandered back over to the fire and sat down leaving Luke alone for the time being.

Luke watched warily as Billy walked towards him wondering what the youngest Carson boy had in mind this time. As Billy slipped around behind him, Luke tried to turn his head to see what he was up to but he was out of his line of sight. Suddenly, Luke felt a nylon cord slip over his head and around his neck. Before he could react, the cord tightened choking him. Luke struggled against the ropes that bound him, his body jerking helplessly as his lungs burned, screaming for air. Blackness swirled around him just as the cord loosened. He took a painful gasp, filling his lungs with much needed oxygen, then the cord tightened again. Again and again, Billy played his sadistic little game, choking Luke almost to the point of unconsciousness, then letting him catch a breath and fill his lungs with air before choking him again. Finally, he got tired of tormenting Luke and walked away. Luke was left hanging there, gasping for air with his heart pounding frantically in his chest.

Cyrus walked over to Luke and grabbed his chin roughly, jerking his head up so they were looking in each other's eyes. Smiling grimly, Cyrus pressed his thumb and forefinger against Luke's jaw, forcing him to open his mouth. He poured something in Luke's mouth and then tilted his head back leaving Luke no choice but to swallow whatever he had been given. Without a word, Cyrus turned and walked away. Within minutes, Luke began to feel nauseated and then became violently ill. With nothing in his stomach to vomit, he began to retch which was just as bad. His body shook with the violence of his retching. After what seemed like an eternity, the retching finally stopped, leaving Luke's muscles trembling and him gasping for air.

___________________

Hidden away, the watcher saw the latest abuses the Carson family had heaped on Luke. They seemed determined to torture him as much as possible before they killed him. Hopefully there were people searching for him but the question was if they would find him in time. The trail wouldn't be hard to follow once they found it. Till, all the watcher could do was watch and wait.

Chapter 10

Cyrus stood eyeing Luke with a critical eye. The duke boy had lost consciousness again after another vicious beating with the belt, reopening the previous wounds on his back and tearing the flesh to pieces. His breathing was labored and Cyrus knew he'd had about as much abuse as he could take. It wouldn't take much more to kill him.

“We gonna finish him off, Paw?” Tommy asked in an excited voice. He had never liked Luke and he wanted to be the one to kill him. He'd already made sure he got his turn beating him and he'd gotten a thrill from hurting Luke. Now he wanted to experience the ultimate thrill. He wanted to look into Luke's eyes one last time as he took his life.

“He's already as good as gone…” Cyrus said. “All we have to do is cut him down and let the animals finish him off.”

“But Paw…”

“Don't but Paw me! Or I'll take the belt to you!” Cyrus snapped “We've been here long enough! Jesse and his kin are gonna be looking for him and the longer we dilly dally around here, the more likely we're gonna get caught!” He glared at his oldest son “Now help your brother break up camp so we can git out of here!”

Tommy scowled at having the chance to finish Luke himself thwarted but he knew better than to argue with his father. Sulking, he started helping his brother like his Paw had told him to. Cyrus walked over to Luke's unconscious body and pulled a knife from the pouch on his belt. Reaching up, he cut the rope that was slung over the branch above Luke's head. Luke fell heavily to the ground and lay there motionless. His hands were still tied together and so were his feet, so even if he did happen to regain consciousness, he wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Later that night the animals of the night would finish him off if he was still alive, and if he wasn't, they would dispose of the body.

It didn't take long to take down the tent and kill the fire. Looking around to make sure they hadn't left any thing important behind, the three Carson men started to make their way out of the swamp. They had only gone a short distance when Tommy suddenly said, “Damn, I forgot my knife.”

“You dang fool!” Cyrus growled “Hurry up and go back and get it, then you can catch up.” Tommy smiled to himself as his father and younger brother kept moving on down the path. Tommy watched until they were out of sight, then he quickly hurried back to where Luke was lying on the ground.

Kneeling beside the body, Tommy pulled his hunting knife from beneath his jacket and hissed “This is for my sister, you bastard….” With those words, he plunged the knife into Luke's stomach, twisting the blade viciously. Luke moaned but did not regain consciousness. Smiling triumphantly, he wiped Luke's blood off of the blade with the edge of Luke's torn shirt and stuffed the knife back under his jacket. Standing up, he hurried to catch up with his father and younger brother.

Chapter 11

They called her the Swamp Witch. She was local legend in Hazzard County . An urban legend. And she intended to keep it that way. It kept people out of the swamp. It kept them from looking for her to find out if she was really real. She was a ghost story told over the camp fires at night and under the covers at sleep overs.

She slipped out of the dense foliage and walked over to where the young man was lying on the ground. He looked dead but as she reached out and touched her fingertips to the side of his neck, she felt a pulse. It was weak but it was still there. And as long as he was still alive, she would do everything in her power to keep him that way until someone found him.

She pulled the hunting knife from the sheaf strapped to her leg and cut the ropes binding his hands and feet. She started to move him onto his back until she saw the condition his back was in. Wisely, she decided to leave him lying on his side. She knew that she couldn't move him, he was too heavy and it was too dangerous to try anyway. She would have to care for him here. But she knew the swamp like the back of her hand and she knew where to find the roots, the herbs and other things she needed to make her medicines. Medicines that were over two hundred years old. Medicines she would need to help him stay alive long enough for help to arrive.

The immediate task at hand was to stop the bleeding from the knife wound in his stomach. She had been hiding watching the men as they broke up camp and she had seen the one man return to the site and stab him. Using her knife, she cut off what remained of his shirt and pressed it tightly against the bleeding wound. Using her teeth to tear a thinner strip, she used it to tie the makeshift bandage in place. It would control the bleeding long enough for her make a poultice that would stop the bleeding and pack the wound. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do if he was bleeding inside other then keep him as comfortable as possible until help arrived.

She removed the heavy cape she was wearing and used it as a blanket to cover him. Opening the bag she carried with her, she took out a large metal bowl and went into the swamp to gather the herbs and other things she would need to make her medicines. When she returned, she checked his condition. He seemed to be resting quietly and was breathing a little easier but his pulse was still weak.

With a practiced hand, she quickly made the poultice for his stomach since that was the most serious wound and needed treated immediately before he lost any more blood. She gently packed the wound with the mixture, covering it lightly with wet leaves to keep it moist. Next she prepared a suave for his other wounds. With a gentle touch, she spread the suave over the welts on his back and into the open wounds. Even in his unconscious state, his body quivered when she touched the welts and severely torn flesh on his back.

Finished tending to the most serious injuries, she looked at him with a practiced eye, noting his other injuries. He had numerous bruises and some mild second degree burns on the left side of his face and his left shoulder. His mouth was busted open with both lips split and swollen and there was an ugly red welt that had broken the skin around his throat where he had been viciously choked. He was lucky to be alive. If she hadn't been watching and come to his aide as soon as she possibly could, the knife wound would have been enough to kill him.

She walked a short distance away to a hidden spring and filled the bowl with water, carrying it back to the injured man. Sitting down beside him on the ground, cross legged Indian style, she gently dipped her fingers in the water and rubbed her fingertips across his lips, moistening them and letting a few drops drip into his parched mouth. She repeated the same motion several times until the water was gone. He was severely dehydrated and this was one way to get some much needed water back into him. When the bowl was empty, she returned to the spring and filled the bowl once more. This time, she used the water to gently clean his other wounds.

When she was finished, she gently picked up one hand and then the other and began massaging his fingers and palms to get the circulation going again. His skin was dry and hot, another sign of severe dehydration. In a little while she would give him some more water but not just yet. She let her eyes linger on his face momentarily. In spite of the mild burns and the heavy bruising on one side of his face, she could see that he was a handsome young man. No matter what he had done to the other men who had brought him here, he didn't deserve what they had done to him.

She lifted her head and listened to the sounds of the swamp. Hearing nothing unusual, she turned her attention back to the man. She gently pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. He was starting to run a slight fever but it wasn't serious enough to worry about yet. He flinched and tried to move away from her touch because it hurt but not because she was the one who had hurt him.

She went back into the swamp and gathered some more herbs. This time she would make up a medicine that would help with his pain. Even though he was unconscious, she sensed that he was still in pain. And as long as she had it in her power to ease his pain then she would, using the knowledge and the medicine from ancient times. She gave him some more water giving it to him the same way she did before. When she had finished, she gently used the same method to give him the medicine she had made for his pain. It didn't take long for it to take effect and the change was noticeable. He quieted down and seemed to relax, his breathing growing slow and easy. When she checked his pulse again, it seemed a little stronger than it had been before. She smiled the medicine was beginning to work.

When she was confident that it was safe to leave him alone for awhile, she left for a time and then returned to his side. She had made another fire ring closer to where he lay and now she checked to make sure the fire was burning brightly so he would stay warm. In his weakened condition, a chill could cause pneumonia. As darkness fell, she kept a close eye on him and on the night that surrounded them. The gators came out on land at night. The fire should keep them away but she still kept a watchful eye. Towards dawn, her eyes grew heavy and she dozed off. Soon she was sleeping soundly and yet aware of everything going on around her. Always alert even when she was sleeping, that was the Cherokee way.

Luke slowly opened his eyes, not much just a crack. It was dark, it was cold and it hurt. Everything hurt so much. He tried to move but his body refused to respond. His head throbbed and he felt dizzy and lightheaded. He was surprised to discover that he was still alive. Somehow he had gotten untied and was lying on the ground in front of a roaring fire. That didn't make any sense but he was too tired to think about it right now. His mind seemed strangely detached somehow and he felt as if he'd been drugged but in a good way, not a bad way.

He saw someone leaning against the tree where he had been tied, apparently sleeping. “Bo…” he whispered in a ragged voice. The figure shifted positions and turned their head slightly, facing him. Luke was shocked to find himself starting into the face of a woman about his age. He couldn't make out her features clearly in the darkness but he saw the long hair that curled softly around her face and half way down her back. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, Luke closed his eyelids and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 12

One by one the various search parties checked in. The reports were always the same. No sign of Luke and no sign of the Carsons . After all the other locations in the country had been checked without success, the search party gathered at the swamp, the last place they had to look. Because it was too dangerous to separate and search, they decided to stay together. They would form one long line and search that way. Everyone in the search party was an expert tracker. They knew what to look for to follow a trail, no matter how small or insignificant it might appear to someone else.

Bo and Jesse were in the middle of the line with friends and neighbors on either side of them. The line of searchers stretched out for a good mile or more. It was decided that Daisy would stay with the vehicles so she could CB for additional help if they needed it. Cooter had a walkie talkie so he could get hold of Daisy and let her know if they found Luke. Slowly, the searchers began to move into the swamp.

They had only gone a short distance when one of the searchers yelled out that he had found what appeared to be a trail leading deep into the swamp. The other searchers quickly joined around and agreed that there did seem to be evidence of a trail and a fairly recent one too. And it looked like it had been made by at least 3 men on foot, maybe more. The searchers tightened up their line to concentrate on following the trail they'd found. It seemed to be leading into the deepest most dangerous part of the swamp.

After following the trail for almost an hour, Cooter found a scrap of material clinging to a branch. “Look at this!” he exclaimed pulling the scrap of cloth off of the branch.

“That's from Luke's shirt!” Bo said in an excited voice recognizing the scrap of blue plaid material.

“Looks like somebody's trying to tell us that we're on the right track.” Cooter said in a satisfied voice

“But who?” Bo asked in a puzzled voice “It couldn't be Luke and it sure wouldn't be any of the Carsons .”

“Maybe it's the swamp witch.” L.B. said with a chuckle, amused at the idea.

“The swamp witch?” Bo said with a frown “Uncle Jesse, isn't that the story you told us when we was kids? To keep us from going into the swamp by ourselves?” He glanced at Uncle Jesse but Jesse seemed to be preoccupied and didn't seem to hear him “How's that story go again?”

“Legend has it that the Swamp Witch is the spirit of a Cherokee Squaw that used to live in this swamp with her family.” Cooter told him, remembering the story he'd heard as a child “They were forced out with the rest of the Cherokees in the 1800's and forced to go on the march to Oklahoma .”

“The trail of tears…” Bo said, starting to remember the story. “She died along the way and her spirit came back here to the swamp.”

Cooter nodded “And ever since then she's helped people who get lost in here to find their way out or she helps people who get hurt by caring for them until someone finds them. And she always leaves a Cherokee rose behind to let people know she's been there.” Cooter grinned “But I doubt if it's the swamp witch who's telling us where to find Luke. That's just a local legend.”

“All legends have some truth in them…” Jesse said somberly, a far away look in his eyes. “Let's find my boy.”

They moved farther along and found another scrap of Luke's shirt, and then another. Jesse took the precious pieces of cloth and stuffed them into his pocket. He just hoped they would find Luke before it was too late. Suddenly without much warning, they came into a small clearing. They saw the campfire and the body lying on the ground beside it. With a whoop, Bo took off running and dropped to his knees beside his older cousin. He called out Luke's name as he gently cradled his cousin in his arms. Luke's eyes were closed but he was still breathing. He was still alive.

Doc Pedicord hurried over to Luke and quickly began checking his vital signs. His pulse and respirations were weak but steady. He needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible but first they would need to make some kind of stretcher to get him out of here. An ambulance would never be able to get to their location. Doc's face blanched when he saw the poultice on the stab wound in Luke's stomach. He had heard of the poultice before but had never seen one used until now. He felt a chill go down his spine as he noticed other things too, the suave that had been used on the wounds and welts on Luke's back and the old fashioned way that the fire ring had been built with a higher wall in back to keep the main heat from the fire focused in Luke's direction. There were faint signs that someone else had been here caring for Luke but they were gone now. He caught Jesse's eye and realized that Jesse noticed the same things too.

Doc stood up and walked over to Jesse, keeping his voice low so that he wouldn't be heard by any of the others, “Luke's in pretty good shape considering everything that's been done to him. He's unconscious but I don't think that's anything to worry about. I think someone gave him something so he'd sleep until we found him.” Doc paused then continuted “Jesse, somebody's been here and they've been taking care of him. And they've been using the old Indian ways.”

“Of course they have.” Jesse said in a strangely calm voice as if it were the most natural thing in the world to find Luke and find him like this “Or Luke wouldn't be alive right now.” Jesse ignored Doc and turned his attention on his two nephews. He watched as some of the other men quickly fashioned a make shift stretcher so Luke could be moved using some of their shirts and long thick tree branches.

While the rest of the search team was busying getting ready to transport Luke out of the swamp, Jesse slipped away and walked over to the tree where Luke had been tied. He looked around and finally found what he was looking for. A single Cherokee rose lying on the ground at the back of the tree. With a thin smile, he took a crumbled five dollar bill out of his pocket and laid it on the ground underneath the rose as his way of thanking the swamp witch for saving Luke's life.

Chapter 13

An ambulance was waiting when the search party reached the edge of the swamp with Luke. Cooter had called Daisy on the walkie talkie as soon as they found Luke. The ambulance attendants quickly transferred Luke to their gurney and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. Doc Pedicord climbed in beside him, along with Bo who wasn't about to leave his cousin out of his sight. Cooter and Jessie climbed into Dixie beside Daisy to follow the ambulance to the Tri County Medical Center in Cedar City . Roscoe had been notified and he was looking for the Carsons .

At the hospital, Luke was rushed into the emergency room. Doc Pedicord followed behind, promising to let the Dukes know as soon as he had any word on Luke's condition. Jesse, Bo, Cooter and Daisy, along with several members of the search party sat down to wait for news about Luke.

It was almost three hours before Doc Pedicord finally rejoined them in the waiting room. He looked tired with dark circles under his eyes. “Luke should be fine.” He told the anxious friends and family members. “There was some internal bleeding but we managed to get that stopped and we're treated the other injuries. He's going to have to stay here for at least a few days so we can keep an eye on the stab wound and the injuries to his back, but I don't anticipate any complications or problems.” He motioned for Jesse to join him in one corner of the room, out of earshot of the others. “Jesse, Luke would have bled to death from that stab wound before we even got there if someone hadn't found him and made that poultice. As matter of fact, he'd probably be in a lot worse condition than he is right now if someone hadn't taken care of him so well before we got there.”

“What are you trying to say, Doc?” Jesse asked, although he already knew the answer

“I'm saying that whoever took of Luke knew exactly what they were doing and they used the old Indian ways to do it, ways I've read about but never seen until now.” Doc shook his head “I can't explain it….I was hoping maybe you could.”
“Maybe he was saved by the swamp witch.” Jesse said quietly

“Jesse, you know as well as I do that's just an urban legend. There is no such thing as the swamp witch.”

“Believe what you want, Doc.” Jesse told him “My boy's alive and that's all I care about. Can I see him?”

“For a few minutes, so can Bo and Daisy. But only family tonight. The others will have to wait until tomorrow.” Doc said “He's in room 210.”

Jesse walked back over to tell Daisy and Bo that they could see Luke for a few minutes. The three of them went down the hall to find Luke's room. Doc stared after them, not quite satisfied with Jesse's answer to his question. He had a feeling that Jesse Duke knew something he wasn't telling anyone.

They found Luke's room without any problem and went inside. Luke was lying on the bed, apparently sleeping. He didn't look bad all things considered. The mild burns on the left side of his face were red with some blistering on his neck and his mouth was busted but other than that the only marks on his face was some bruising. A bandage covered the mark on his neck left by the nylon cord Tommy had tried to strangle him with. But the more serious injuries on his back and stomach were hidden from view by the hospital gown. Still, all of the Dukes knew what he had been put through and, although they were thankful that he was safe and alive, they were angry at the things that had been done to him.

“Luke?” Jesse said softly, reaching out to touch his nephew's hand gently. “Luke, can you hear me?”

Luke slowly opened his eyes, his sapphire eyes were cloudy with pain but alert and oriented. “Uncle Jesse…” he said in a soft voice attempting a feeble attempt at a smile. He was heavily medicated but still in some pain from the knife wound and the injuries on his back.

“How are you feeling, sugar?” Daisy asked with a smile, bending down to kiss his forehead.

“Like I got the hell …knocked out of me.” He answered “Did they get Cyrus…. and the boys?”
“No, not yet.” Bo told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder “But they will…don't you worry about that.”

“The girl….” Luke said, struggling to stay awake long enough to get the words out “Who was she?”

“What girl?” Bo asked with a grin “Cuz, there wasn't no girl there…”

“Yeah, there was…I saw her….” Luke insisted

“Luke, there wasn't anyone there when we found you.” Jesse told him firmly “You must have imagined it.”

“There was…” Luke said, his words trailing off as he fell back to sleep. The three other Dukes left his room so that he could rest. They would be back the next day to see him. Daisy and Bo both noticed that Jesse seemed preoccupied on the way home, lost in his own thoughts but they assumed it was just his relief that Luke was safe and going to be okay.

Chapter 14

The next day, Luke was more alert but still obviously in pain from his injuries. He smiled when Bo, Daisy and Uncle Jesse came into his room. He moved carefully, wincing whenever his back rubbed against the sheets or the stitches in his stomach tightened as he changed positions. He knew that he was lucky to alive.

“Hey, cuz…..” Bo said with a grin “You're looking better.”

“Thanks….I'm sure if I feel any better or not…it still hurts like hell.”

“Watch your mouth, young man” Jesse said automatically

“Yes, sir.” Luke replied with a crooked smile. He looked at his Uncle questioningly “Did they find the Carsons ?”

“No, Rosco said it looks like they hightailed it out of town.” Jesse told him “They probably figured you were dead and didn't wanna be around when folks started asking questions.”

“I thought I was dead too….” Luke admitted “I remember a girl….she helped me…”

“Luke, I done told ya, “ Bo said “There wasn't no girl there. You must have just imagined it.”

“No…” Luke said shaking his head “She was there…I saw her…”

“You were hurt pretty bad.” Jesse told him “You must have just thought you saw her.”

Luke looked at his cousin and his Uncle with a puzzled frown. He didn't really remember much about what had happened until the search party found him but he did remember waking up and seeing a girl sleeping next to the tree and him lying on the ground in front of the fire. He couldn't have imagined it, it was too real in his mind.

“Some of the guys from the search party are saying you were saved by the Swamp Witch.” Daisy told him with an amused smile.

“The swamp witch?” Luke repeated with a thin smile “That's just a local legend. The swamp witch doesn't really exist.” He looked at his Uncle “Does she, Uncle Jesse?”

“You're alive and that's all that matters.” Jesse said gruffly without answering Luke's question directly. He had never lied to his kids and he didn't intend to start now. Sometimes the easiest way to avoid a lie is just not to answer any questions. “If you say you saw somebody there with you, then maybe you did. Or maybe your mind made somebody up so you wouldn't be alone. The legend of the swamp witch is over a hundred years old…if she existed she'd have to be pretty old by now.”

Luke looked at his Uncle with a frown. He didn't believe in legends but he found himself wondering if his mind had played tricks on him. Had there really been someone there or had his mind brought to life an urban legend to help save him. He wondered if he would ever know for sure.

Luke had to stay in the hospital for another two days, then he was finally allowed to go home. His injuries healed but his mind still remembered how close he had come to dying in the swamp. The Carsons were never found, they had disappeared completely. And all Luke could do was hope that they never returned to Hazzard County . Sometimes, he found himself visiting Mindy's grave. He still felt guilty over what had happened to her but he knew that he was not to blame for what she had done. And sometimes, late at night, he found himself dreaming about another girl with long curling hair, a legend they called the swamp witch.

THE END?????????