CHARMED
"SISTERS"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG (for mild language)
PART TWO: MISCALCULATION
When Leo and the Charmed Ones get to the ranch to confront
Santerra, they find someone much more powerful than they expected.
With the aid of a magical stone, her powers are magnified to an
unbelievable level. Can even the Power of Three stand up against
Santerra and all of her power?
ONE
Leo and Paige orbed the sisters to the ranch where Santerra was.
It was pretty much as the sisters expected it would be. There was a
small, modest house, two stories in height. There was also a small
barn and three other buildings. Most likely, those buildings were
used to hold equipment for working on the ranch.
A small fence ringed the entire property, some three feet high.
The lawns were immaculately trimmed and several fruit bearing trees
dotted the landscape. Around the house were several rose bushes, as
immaculately tended as the grounds were.
Several people were out on the grounds at the moment. Some were
working on the grounds while others were tending to the trees and
bushes. Still others were working on repairing and painting damaged
areas of the fence. In all, it looked as the girls imagined any ranch
might look on a warm summer day.
However, there was something that betrayed the idyllic, peaceful
setting. Something that would have gone unnoticed by almost anyone
who might have seen the scene. Something that Leo and the girls
recognized almost instantly.
Standing on the porch was a black woman wearing her hair in
dreadlocks. She was dressed in a form fitting dress and seemed to be
directing the work. It didn't take them any time to realize that this
woman must be Santerra; the black voodoo priestess.
Piper's breath stopped for a moment. Santerra was not alone.
Standing next to her was a young woman. She was wearing the same suit
that Paige and Phoebe had seen her wear only days before. Even from
that distance, Piper instantly recognized her sister, Prue.
"My God," gasped Piper. "It's true. It's really true. That
woman has stolen Prue's body."
"Yes," said Leo. "And as you can also see, it's not the first.
All of those people down there are zombies. Everyone of them is a
dead person whom Santerra has stolen their body and reanimated it for
her own purposes."
"How can you know that?" asked Paige. "How do you know they
aren't just regular workers she might have hired?"
"Watch them," said Leo. "Then, you'll know."
The sisters watched the people in the yard intently. At first,
they didn't notice anything unusual. They all seemed to be going
about their work as if nothing was amiss. However, it didn't take
them long to realize what Leo had been talking about. Even though
they appeared normal in all respects, their movements were jerky and
uncoordinated. At a casual glance, they appeared normal. But on
closer examination, it was clear they were anything but.
All but Prue. Piper watched her intently. She was holding some
papers and occasionally handed some to Santerra. She often looked
around the ranch as if to survey what was going on. Her movements
were anything but jerky and uncoordinated. As they watched, Santerra
and Prue turned and walked back into the house.
"She's not like the rest," said Piper. "I don't think she's a
zombie. She must not have been dead. She was just unconscious.
Maybe she has amnesia. She doesn't know who she is. That's why she's
helping this mambo."
"Piper," said Phoebe, "you know that isn't true. She was dead.
We all saw the body. We buried her. She's a zombie just as the rest
of them are."
"No," protested Piper, "she's alive. All we have to do is get
her out of there and get her memory back. She'll be back with us.
We'll be a complete family again."
"Piper, honey," said Leo, turning Piper to look in her eyes,
"you know that can't be true. When Prue died, you lost your powers.
That wouldn't have happened if she had still been alive. And Paige
would never have become a Charmed One. That's not Prue down there.
It's just her body. Resurrected as a zombie."
Piper just looked at Leo. She knew he was right. She had taken
Prue's death very hard; even harder than Phoebe or Leo had. She had
finally been able to accept it. Now, this voodoo priestess had
brought back all those painful memories. She had grasped at any straw
that might make it all nothing more than a bad dream.
"You're right, of course," said Piper. "I have to remember
that's not Prue. Just her body. But we still have to free her. And
the others. Whatever this mambo is up to, it can't be good. She must
be getting all of these zombies for a reason."
"I don't understand how she has so many," said Paige. "The
information I found said that a mambo only has two or three at most.
And those were little more than animated bodies. What we're seeing
down there is much more than animated bodies. The work they're doing
down there couldn't be done by ordinary zombies."
"Then this is no ordinary mambo we're dealing with," interjected
Phoebe. "I say we make our way down there and find out just what's
going on. If we run into this Santerra, Piper can freeze her, and
then we use the power-stripping potion. Once we do that, this should
all end."
"Agreed," said Piper. "If those are just zombies, we shouldn't
have much of a problem with them. They probably do only what they're
instructed to. Which means they'll ignore us unless told otherwise.
And since this Santerra can't possibly know we're coming, it's safe to
assume she hasn't given them any such instructions."
"Just remember," said Leo, "we're here to stop her, not kill
her. Just make sure that you freeze her, not blow her up."
"Relax," said Piper, smiling, "I'm only going to freeze her.
The power-stripping potion will take away her power forever. Then,
she won't be a danger to any one ever again."
Cautiously the four made their way down to the ranch. As they
entered the yard, they stood ready to defend themselves against any
attack. But the people in the yard simply continued at their work.
None even looked up as they walked past.
"Looks like you were right about that," whispered Leo. "My
guess is that Santerra and Prue are still in the house. I suggest we
split up. Paige, you and Phoebe move around to the back of the house.
Piper and I will come in from the front. When we enter the house,
every body be on your toes. No telling what type of protection
Santerra has placed on the house."
"Right," said Phoebe.
She and Paige turned and moved around to the back of the house.
Leo and Piper stepped up onto the front porch and waited. They wanted
to make sure they had given the other two enough time to get around
behind the house before they moved in.
When Leo decided they had waited long enough, he checked the
handle of the door. It was not locked. Cautiously, he opened the
door and peered inside. No one was in the living room. It looked
like any other house. Apparently Santerra and Prue were in another
room.
Leo and Piper entered the house quietly. Two doors to their
right apparently led to bedrooms. A short corridor in the back of the
room led to a swinging door that was, obviously, a kitchen. The two
heard muffled voices coming from the kitchen.
They quietly made their way down the corridor to the kitchen.
They still heard the voices, but couldn't make out what was being
said. Leo looked at Piper who simply nodded her head. He took a
breath, then pushed the door open. They stepped into the kitchen,
ready for an attack.
"SISTERS"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG (for mild language)
PART TWO: MISCALCULATION
When Leo and the Charmed Ones get to the ranch to confront
Santerra, they find someone much more powerful than they expected.
With the aid of a magical stone, her powers are magnified to an
unbelievable level. Can even the Power of Three stand up against
Santerra and all of her power?
ONE
Leo and Paige orbed the sisters to the ranch where Santerra was.
It was pretty much as the sisters expected it would be. There was a
small, modest house, two stories in height. There was also a small
barn and three other buildings. Most likely, those buildings were
used to hold equipment for working on the ranch.
A small fence ringed the entire property, some three feet high.
The lawns were immaculately trimmed and several fruit bearing trees
dotted the landscape. Around the house were several rose bushes, as
immaculately tended as the grounds were.
Several people were out on the grounds at the moment. Some were
working on the grounds while others were tending to the trees and
bushes. Still others were working on repairing and painting damaged
areas of the fence. In all, it looked as the girls imagined any ranch
might look on a warm summer day.
However, there was something that betrayed the idyllic, peaceful
setting. Something that would have gone unnoticed by almost anyone
who might have seen the scene. Something that Leo and the girls
recognized almost instantly.
Standing on the porch was a black woman wearing her hair in
dreadlocks. She was dressed in a form fitting dress and seemed to be
directing the work. It didn't take them any time to realize that this
woman must be Santerra; the black voodoo priestess.
Piper's breath stopped for a moment. Santerra was not alone.
Standing next to her was a young woman. She was wearing the same suit
that Paige and Phoebe had seen her wear only days before. Even from
that distance, Piper instantly recognized her sister, Prue.
"My God," gasped Piper. "It's true. It's really true. That
woman has stolen Prue's body."
"Yes," said Leo. "And as you can also see, it's not the first.
All of those people down there are zombies. Everyone of them is a
dead person whom Santerra has stolen their body and reanimated it for
her own purposes."
"How can you know that?" asked Paige. "How do you know they
aren't just regular workers she might have hired?"
"Watch them," said Leo. "Then, you'll know."
The sisters watched the people in the yard intently. At first,
they didn't notice anything unusual. They all seemed to be going
about their work as if nothing was amiss. However, it didn't take
them long to realize what Leo had been talking about. Even though
they appeared normal in all respects, their movements were jerky and
uncoordinated. At a casual glance, they appeared normal. But on
closer examination, it was clear they were anything but.
All but Prue. Piper watched her intently. She was holding some
papers and occasionally handed some to Santerra. She often looked
around the ranch as if to survey what was going on. Her movements
were anything but jerky and uncoordinated. As they watched, Santerra
and Prue turned and walked back into the house.
"She's not like the rest," said Piper. "I don't think she's a
zombie. She must not have been dead. She was just unconscious.
Maybe she has amnesia. She doesn't know who she is. That's why she's
helping this mambo."
"Piper," said Phoebe, "you know that isn't true. She was dead.
We all saw the body. We buried her. She's a zombie just as the rest
of them are."
"No," protested Piper, "she's alive. All we have to do is get
her out of there and get her memory back. She'll be back with us.
We'll be a complete family again."
"Piper, honey," said Leo, turning Piper to look in her eyes,
"you know that can't be true. When Prue died, you lost your powers.
That wouldn't have happened if she had still been alive. And Paige
would never have become a Charmed One. That's not Prue down there.
It's just her body. Resurrected as a zombie."
Piper just looked at Leo. She knew he was right. She had taken
Prue's death very hard; even harder than Phoebe or Leo had. She had
finally been able to accept it. Now, this voodoo priestess had
brought back all those painful memories. She had grasped at any straw
that might make it all nothing more than a bad dream.
"You're right, of course," said Piper. "I have to remember
that's not Prue. Just her body. But we still have to free her. And
the others. Whatever this mambo is up to, it can't be good. She must
be getting all of these zombies for a reason."
"I don't understand how she has so many," said Paige. "The
information I found said that a mambo only has two or three at most.
And those were little more than animated bodies. What we're seeing
down there is much more than animated bodies. The work they're doing
down there couldn't be done by ordinary zombies."
"Then this is no ordinary mambo we're dealing with," interjected
Phoebe. "I say we make our way down there and find out just what's
going on. If we run into this Santerra, Piper can freeze her, and
then we use the power-stripping potion. Once we do that, this should
all end."
"Agreed," said Piper. "If those are just zombies, we shouldn't
have much of a problem with them. They probably do only what they're
instructed to. Which means they'll ignore us unless told otherwise.
And since this Santerra can't possibly know we're coming, it's safe to
assume she hasn't given them any such instructions."
"Just remember," said Leo, "we're here to stop her, not kill
her. Just make sure that you freeze her, not blow her up."
"Relax," said Piper, smiling, "I'm only going to freeze her.
The power-stripping potion will take away her power forever. Then,
she won't be a danger to any one ever again."
Cautiously the four made their way down to the ranch. As they
entered the yard, they stood ready to defend themselves against any
attack. But the people in the yard simply continued at their work.
None even looked up as they walked past.
"Looks like you were right about that," whispered Leo. "My
guess is that Santerra and Prue are still in the house. I suggest we
split up. Paige, you and Phoebe move around to the back of the house.
Piper and I will come in from the front. When we enter the house,
every body be on your toes. No telling what type of protection
Santerra has placed on the house."
"Right," said Phoebe.
She and Paige turned and moved around to the back of the house.
Leo and Piper stepped up onto the front porch and waited. They wanted
to make sure they had given the other two enough time to get around
behind the house before they moved in.
When Leo decided they had waited long enough, he checked the
handle of the door. It was not locked. Cautiously, he opened the
door and peered inside. No one was in the living room. It looked
like any other house. Apparently Santerra and Prue were in another
room.
Leo and Piper entered the house quietly. Two doors to their
right apparently led to bedrooms. A short corridor in the back of the
room led to a swinging door that was, obviously, a kitchen. The two
heard muffled voices coming from the kitchen.
They quietly made their way down the corridor to the kitchen.
They still heard the voices, but couldn't make out what was being
said. Leo looked at Piper who simply nodded her head. He took a
breath, then pushed the door open. They stepped into the kitchen,
ready for an attack.