Charmed Reborn Chapter Twenty-One, "Hell Has Broken Loose"
"The citizens of San Francisco are still under quarantine according to the president" a news reporter said on TV.
It then flashed to a speech from the president, who looked stressed, "I can assure the American people that I am doing everything in my power, sadly right now, that isn't very much".
Phoebe snorted as the news report finished, she looked around the street she was on, it was desolate, abandoned, one of many, though this store still looked fairly intact she noted.
It had been one week since The Seer had waged her war on humanity, countless people had lost their lives, the city was overrun with demons and all kinds of other nasty beings were roaming the streets, infesting the city like bugs.
She picked up the bag of food she had managed to cobble together and walked quickly down the darkening street, she gasped and darted to her right, narrowly avoiding hellfire from the sky, it had been raining down from the open portal above for about a day now, amazing how quickly you get used to things she thought.
She tried to stay undercover as she made her way back to the abandoned motel her and Piper had been staying at, still no sign of Prue.
Phoebe still hadn't mentioned the existence of Paige to her sister, Piper was worried enough, instead she had made Leo promise to stick with Paige to keep her safe, her and Piper could handle themselves.
"I should be out there" Paige mumbled to herself as she stared out the window, it was like a scene from the Bible, fire raining down from the sky, people running scared, she was a witch, she should be helping.
Leo paced up and down the kitchen, "you can't go out there" he said, exasperated, he must have said the same thing over a hundred times for the past few days.
"It's not safe" he pressed.
"That's exactly why I should be out there" Paige snarled.
Leo whipped around, his anger flaring.
"Don't you think I wanna be out there too Paige? My wife is out there! Your sisters are out there and I'm stuck babysitting you!" he growled.
Paige flinched.
Leo hung his head.
"I'm sorry Paige, I'm really worried about your sisters, and I still can't sense Prue".
"But Piper and Phoebe are ok?" she asked.
Leo nodded, "for now".
Paige had developed an irrational attachment to her sisters this past week, from what Leo said Phoebe was the only one who knew who she was, and that she wanted to keep her safe until after this blew over. She understood it, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Ok thanks Darryl, please let us know if you hear anything" Piper said, hanging up the phone.
The door slammed behind her.
"Phoebe thank God, are you ok?"
Phoebe shrugged, "I think I got a singed hair from the lovely heated rain but that's it".
Piper smiled, you could always count on Phoebe to lighten the mood somewhat, which was just what she needed. According to Leo he could sense that Prue was alive, though he couldn't sense where, but the former was all that mattered, all they had to do was find her.
"Darryl hear anything?" Phoebe asked.
"No, everyone on that bridge is still missing" Piper sighed.
She looked around the moth eaten motel room her and Phoebe were staying in, they couldn't just sit at home, they'd be sitting ducks, so they'd done their best over the past week to find somewhere inconspicuous and to try to use as little magic as possible, not easy when you have innocents to defend.
This was in fact, their sixth hiding place this week, they didn't want to stay more than one night in each place, just in case.
"I just had the TV on" Piper said, trying to make conversation.
"The Seer has set up base at city hall".
"Damn, and that was such a nice building too" Phoebe said.
The Seer walked around the building, this "city hall". Humans had such a strange taste for architecture, though she didn't disagree with their views on leadership, one leader to unite them all, and that would be her.
"Zankou, any sign?" she checked with her Lieutenant.
"Not yet my liege, The Charmed Ones appear to have cast some kind of protection spell over their home, preventing anyone from gaining entry".
"It won't last long I know that, only two of them cast it, so they didn't even use the power of three".
"You know where the missing sister is?" he wondered.
The Seer nodded and pointed to her forehead, "You forget, I see everything".
Titus snorted to her left.
"Something to say Titus?" she asked, her voice a deadly calm.
"Just that, I mean, you can't see the other two sisters right now can you?"
The Seer glared at him, "that is true, but only because their whitelighter has cloaked them, that magic will wear off soon".
"How do you know dare I ask?" Zankou asked.
"Because there isn't any magic cloaking him" The Seer purred.
Footsteps in the sand pointed in the direction of Prue Halliwell, she stumbled down a path, her leg hurt from falling down a small hill yesterday, or was it the day before? This morning? She had no clue.
She had been on the phone talking with Piper when that hole ripped open in the sky and sucked her through, she had no idea where she even was, the underworld?
That was her best theory right now, heck, it was her only theory.
She took a look around, just one big desert by the looks of things, grey sand, red sky, the odd cliff or mountain in the distance, she heard screams every now and then, but she couldn't tell which direction they were coming from, it was strange, she felt tired but since she'd been here she hadn't felt hungry or thirsty, maybe this was hell.
She shook herself loose and carried on, "get a grip Prue" she whispered to herself as she walked slowly up a steep hill, trying to gain a vantage point to see what was beyond, if there was in fact anything beyond at all.
As she made her way carefully up something burst from the ground in front of her, it looked like some sort of pink snake, or if she looked closely, a tongue. She waved her arm at it but it had little to know effect. The tongue struck and wrapped itself around her ankle.
Prue screamed as it tried to suck her down into the sand, she tried to grab anything she could to get some leverage above ground but it was no use, it was just dirt and grit, nothing to hold onto.
"Need some help?" a voice said as a hand clasped her and pulled her back out towards the light.
"Cole?!" she gasped in disbelief.
Cole had one hand in Prue's and raised the other, launching a massive energy ball at the tongue, it burst in flames and sunk to the ground, burnt to a crisp.
Cole helped Prue up but she pushed him away.
"Whoa, easy now, I did just save your life" he said smugly.
"God what is this? Community service?" Prue asked sarcastically.
"Help one sister you get your sentence reduced, help another and get off scot free?"
"Very funny, you always were the mean one" Cole said quietly.
"Mean?" Prue asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, I'm so mean, thinking my baby sister would be better off without a demon for a boyfriend" she snarled.
"You know what? Forget I came here at all! The Elders sent me here to rescue you because the world is dying, your sisters are in trouble and The Seer is winning!" he bellowed.
Prue sank back, gathered her bearings, "I'm sorry Cole" she said quietly.
Cole smiled, "well now that it's all sorted and we're back to being best friends, let's get out of here".
"Where even are we?" Prue wondered, eager for some answers.
"The demonic wasteland, where all evil beings go when they're vanquished, that thing I just killed is our executioner so to speak".
"I don't get it, why did that portal lead me here?" Prue asked, confused.
"This is where The Seer was keeping her evil army, away from prying eyes, away from detection, and you'll be happy to know the portal is still open, so we can get you back through it" Cole said confidently.
The next morning Phoebe awoke, the same thing had happened for over a week now, she'd be half awake in bed, and everything would be ok, no problems, no troubles, and then she jolted upright, peering across the room, good she thought, Piper was still safe.
She got up quietly and headed to the bathroom, thank God they'd picked a place with a shower this time, after getting washed and dressed she headed back into the main room where Piper was still sleeping, what was she holding?
Phoebe approached silently and took a closer look, she smiled, Piper was snuggled up with one of Leo's flannel shirts, her security blanket.
Phoebe gasped as she was sucked into a premonition, she didn't recognise her surroundings, two people were on the floor of what looked like an apartment floor, Phoebe felt a chill as she recognised the two, Leo was on the floor, dead, Paige sitting over him crying, the vision ended and she staggered back, no, she couldn't let this happen, not to Leo, not to Paige, she quickly scribbled a note for Piper and hurried out the motel to save her brother in law.
"Want some coffee?" Paige asked Leo, yawning.
"Sure, not like I can sleep anyway" he replied.
"Have you heard anything?" she wondered, feeling like a broken record at this point.
Leo was patient.
"No, not yet, but I can still sense them, they're ok, for now".
Paige smiled, relief flooding through her momentarily before a loud bang shot her front door off it's hinges and into the kitchen.
"Paige get behind me!" Leo yelled.
But it was too late, an energy ball sailed through the air towards her.
She gasped and orbed out of danger, the ball hitting the window behind her, smashing it to pieces.
"Who are you?" Leo demanded.
"I am Zankou" the figure replied, stalking into the room.
"And I will kill you".
A haze of black smoke appeared in Zankou's hands, forming a shape, Leo felt his blood run cold as he realised it had taken the form of a darklighters crossbow.
"With you out the way, The Charmed Ones will finally be vulnerable".
Before he could fire the arrow Zankou was knocked off his feet, sent flying back through the open doorway.
Leo looked around, Phoebe had come flying in through the smashed window, using all her force to kick Zankou back out.
"Phoebe what are you doing here?!" Leo asked angrily.
"It's not safe".
"I had a vision, like hell we're losing you too" she said.
"Where's Paige?" she wondered.
"She orbed out of danger, I don't know where" he answered.
"Did you say Phoebe?" Zankou asked.
"That means one of The Charmed Ones is here" Zankou said triumphantly.
"At last".
"Leo, go, find Paige and orb to safety, he still can't see me, I can deal with this" Phoebe said.
"I can't just leave you" he said, worry tinging his voice.
"Leo now go!" Phoebe yelled as she tackled Zankou to the ground, kicking the crossbow out of his hands and down the stairs.
At that moment the worst possible thing that could have happened, happened.
Paige orbed back in from her escape, right in front of Zankou.
Her eyes widened in joy, "Phoebe!" she yelled.
"Paige watch out!" Phoebe shrieked.
But she wasn't fast enough, Zankou grabbed her from behind, lifting her into the air by her neck with a single hand.
"Oh my God" Phoebe said, panicking.
Paige was choking.
"If you want to save your whitelighter friend here, I suggest you become un-cloaked" Zankou sneered.
Leo came rushing out behind Phoebe.
"I won't put you and Piper in danger" he whispered.
"Leo please, you can't let him do this, take the cloaking magic away, we can handle it" Phoebe said desperately.
Leo nodded and flicked his wrist.
Zankou looked on in interest as Phoebe slowly materialised in front of him.
"Happy now?" she asked.
"Now please, let her go".
"How can I be sure you won't just put the magic back on once I've freed her?" Zankou asked.
"You have my word" Phoebe said quietly.
Zankou spat, "as if that means anything, The Source locked me away years ago because he gave me his word, and then betrayed me".
"Well he was evil, and I'm not" Phoebe said.
"That's not what I've heard" he smiled.
"I've heard you have quite the dark side" he teased.
"If you kill her you will see my dark side" Phoebe hissed.
Paige kicked Zankou where it hurt most and scrambled to get to Phoebe once he dropped her.
"Come on sweetie, go with Leo, he can cloak you" she said, giving Paige a quick hug.
"I can't just leave you, I want to help" Paige said.
"I know, but honestly the best way you can help right now is to go with Leo so I don't have to worry about you, ok?
Paige nodded and took Leo's hand, "good luck, and tell Piper I love her" he said as he and Paige orbed away.
"Guess we have the place to ourselves" Zankou said, having recovered from his trauma.
"I guess so" Phoebe said.
She didn't waste a second, she charged at him, launching herself into the air and kicking him in the face, sending him reeling, "this is for my brother in law" she said, throwing him over the side of the stairs, sending him plunging down five flights of stairs.
"That oughta keep him busy" Phoebe said to herself.
She ran back into Paige's apartment and levitated back through the open window, down onto the street.
She ran as fast as she could, the hellfire rain had finally stopped for now, she took a left down an alley and continued running, suddenly she could sense a presence behind her, she turned and then threw herself on the ground just as a fire ball narrowly missed her, hitting a skip just in front.
"You can't get away from me" Zankou shouted, walking down the alley.
He stood above Phoebe, "go ahead, do it, my sisters will hunt you down" she sneered.
"Oh Phoebe, maybe I haven't made myself clear, I don't want to harm you, I want to work with you".
Piper awoke with a start, shaking her head free of any fuzziness, where was Phoebe?
She got out of bed and looked around, before finding the note she had left, saying she'd gone out to get more food.
"Dammit Phoebe it was my turn" she muttered.
Piper walked into the very small bathroom and took off the lid to the toilet tank, she let loose a sigh of relief, this was where they'd hidden the Heaven's Gate, Piper checked on it wherever they were about fifty times a day, it drove Phoebe nuts but Piper had to know it was where they'd put it, she was one of those people who had to always know what the time was and this was a similar thing, though on a much grander scale of course.
Enough was enough she thought as she put the lid back on.
She stormed out of the bathroom and pulled out the bags her and Phoebe had packed a week ago, she unzipped one of them and pulled something out, the future book of shadows.
"Let's see what you've got inside" she muttered, opening it to the first page.
"You know Prue, I know you never liked me very much" Cole said knowingly.
"Gee, what gave it away?" she replied sarcastically.
"I just mean that, I thought we always made a pretty good team you and I, like when we teamed up for the Wild West time loop".
"Oh you mean that time you killed all those cowboys while I saved Phoebe from being shot?" she asked, the sarcastic tone now permanently etched on her speech.
"Hmph, that's the kind of attitude I mean, always so negative" he said, faux disbelief in his tone of voice.
"Just tell me if we're almost there yet" she said.
"Almost".
"Thank God, I'd forgotten how much you liked to talk".
Cole chuckled.
"We may not have gotten along, but I always admired you, strong willed, intelligent, you knew right from the start that I was a demon didn't you?" he wondered.
"Did the electrical crystal cage give it away?" she asked, smiling at the memory.
"Yeah that stung like a bitch" he said, touching his neck tenderly, remembering the pain.
"But my point, is, death has made me less antagonistic, so while we're alone, I thought I'd give you a compliment".
Prue thought for a moment before Cole interjected, "anything nice to say about me?" he asked.
"Hmm, well me and Phoebe were talking one time as girls do and the topic of man-hood came up, and she was very complimentary" Prue teased.
Cole blushed, "I'm not speaking to you anymore".
"Oh come on I was only kidding, about the chat I mean, it didn't happen, I just can't resist taunting you" Prue said, sticking her tongue out at him.
A short while later the duo came to the top of a large cliff and peered down, a swirling hole was in the centre, it was huge, like a giant whirlpool, Prue could just about make out parts of blue sky beneath it.
"There's your ticket home" Cole said merrily.
"Say hi to the family for me".
"Wait, but how do I get down there?" Prue asked.
"Like this" Cole said as he moved a couple of paces back and pushed Prue over the edge.
"I'm so gonna vanquish you!" he heard her yell up from below.
"I've been dying to do that since I first met you!" he shouted back.
Cole laughed softly to himself and walked back the way he'd came, back to serve his sentence in the pits of hell.
"Phoebe! Where have you been?" Piper demanded as her younger sister walked into the motel room.
"I got a little side-tracked" she said, before stepping to the left, revealing Zankou.
"Hi" Zankou said, looking Piper up and down.
"Oh my God a demon!" Piper yelled, throwing up her hands and exploding Zankou to pieces, his particles swirled around the air before reforming into himself.
"Well that was bracing" he said cheerily.
"I'm Zankou, and you're Piper?" he asked.
"Phoebe are you nuts?!" Piper shrieked.
"Why would you bring a demon here?"
"Calm down Piper, he wants to help us, I can sense it" Phoebe replied.
Phoebe's face went pale, "Piper, tell me that isn't the future book of shadows open on your bed?"
"Oh, well, yeah, it is actually" she mumbled in reply.
Now it was Phoebe's turn to yell, "are you crazy!?"
"No I'm not, I just think we should have a heads up on what's to come is all" Piper said stoically.
"Well, is there anything in there?" Phoebe asked curiously.
"Could you wait outside please?" Piper asked the demon.
"We don't have time for this, if we're going to work together we need to share information, and eye for an eye" he said, shrugging.
Piper looked to Phoebe, who nodded.
Piper rolled her eyes, "fine" she said quickly.
"Most of it is actually the same, there are a few demons or cronies we haven't faced yet that are in here, some newer spells, but it seems like our future selves neglected the book after some time" Piper explained.
"I guess they didn't have much time to fill it in what with being on the run all the time" Phoebe said.
"There was this though" Piper said, pointing to a particular page.
Phoebe read the title, "To activate the Heaven's Gate".
"Wait, it needs a spell?" Phoebe asked.
"I just figured we threw it at The Seer and it sucked her away or something" she said.
"It gets worse, the incantation is in whitelighter" Piper confirmed bitterly.
"Oh no, not that clickety-click nonsense?" Phoebe wondered, dread filling her voice.
Piper nodded, "afraid so".
"Great" Phoebe sighed, sitting on the bed.
"But why did our future selves have this spell and we don't?" she asked.
"Remember what Chris said? Our future selves had everything but the gate itself, they didn't discover it in time for whatever reason" Piper said.
"But we need Prue back and soon, it's a power of three spell" she continued.
"Finally, something I know that you don't" Zankou piper up.
"You know where she is?" Piper wondered.
Zankou pointed up, "sucked into hell, so to speak".
"Into the open portal?" Phoebe queried.
Zankou nodded.
"Why do you want to help us anyway?" Piper asked curiously.
"What do you get out of it?"
"Revenge" he said simply.
"Centuries ago The Source sealed me away in his dungeon, for fear I was growing too powerful and could pose a threat. The Seer freed me, believing me to be a powerful ally".
"And you're not?" Phoebe asked.
"He may be dead but the essence that empowered him lives on in The Seer, I won't rest until she's been crushed" Zankou said fiercely.
"Well that settles that then" Piper said.
"How do we get Prue back?" she asked.
"According to The Seer, right around now".
Prue felt dizzy as she fell through the portal back to the human plane, her eyes grew wide as the ground got closer and closer.
She shut her eyes and concentrated, astral projecting ahead to the ground, once there her astral self slowly guided down her body with telekinesis, resting her on the ground.
"Home sweet home" she murmured.
"Sweet?" a piercing voice said behind her.
Prue whirled around, standing not five feet away was The Seer, and a hoard of demons.
"Not anymore" she finished, that evil smile cruelly painting her features.
"Surrender yourself to me, or face the consequences" she said simply.
"Go back to hell where you came from you bitch" Prue snarled.
"Have it your way then" she growled.
"Bring him!" she ordered.
Prue felt her blood run cold as the demons bought Darryl forward, limp in their arms.
He woke up and spotted Prue.
"Prue! Get outta here! Go!" he begged.
"I won't leave you!" she yelled, running forward.
"Too late" The Seer spat.
Prue looked on in horror as The Seer plunged an athame into the back of Darryl's neck, killing him instantly.
"No" Prue said quietly, sinking to her knees, unable to process what she'd just seen.
"Next?" The Seer asked innocently.
End of Chapter Twenty-One, stay tuned for Chapter Twenty-Two, "The Test of Man".