A/N:

Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 7

The search

Paige opened her eyes and the mud that covered her face made her feel like she was wearing small weights on her eyelids. It was morning now and she was still firmly stuck in bug infested, sulfur smelling mud. Her voice was hoarse and her throat extremely dry that made swallowing even the smallest amount of saliva sting on its way down. She looked up at the rising sun it was a small amount of relief as it brought heat with it. She had no idea how long she's been asleep but wished she still was as her body made it very clear that it was not liking the situation. She could feel things crawling around on her skin, on her legs, her back and everywhere in between. They would bite or drink what was left of her. "Please help," she whispered as yelling was too much effort.

Prue slept very little as keeping the fire alive was difficult alone. She looked at the mark she made earlier where the white Beacon was and gathered her few things and headed off. Her arms were covered in cuts from the tall grass as she made her way into the swamp again to head to the Beacon and look for any signs of her sisters.

Phoebe has been walking for a few hours as sleep was almost impossible to come by. Sleeping in the swamp at night by yourself, reminded her of when she was a kid and the night like would go out. The fear of something lurking in the shadows and her only defense was the blanket she put over her head. She too was heading for the Beacon and would periodically yell for any of them as the sun lit up the area. She stopped as something crossed her path. It looked like a dinosaur or something she'd only seen in horror movies. Its long tongue shot out like a snake but this was more like a 6 foot lizard. The thought of killing it and having it for breakfast crossed her mind, but she had no idea what it was. "This is Florida for gods sake, not the Amazon or some other far-off place, retire here my ass," she said and waited for it to pass before continuing.

Piper's head was leaned back as she fell asleep using a fallen tree as a back rest and her head was resting slightly over the curve of it. She cringed as this was not the best position for it to be in. She rubbed the back of her neck as the pain from her finger began to kick in full force. She was afraid to even look at it while the fire needed much attention. She felt nauseated and extremely weak as she put some wood on the fire to get it back up and going again. The thought of trudging through swamp or any kind of terrain was just to much at the moment. She drank what she had left of the water but it did little to take care of the overall problem. She took the wrapping off her finger and her heart sank as it seemed worse than before. She knew that if she did not take care of it now, the infection would work its way up.

Prue was walking and all seem to blend together as she made her way to the white Beacon that was no longer in the sky and hope she was going the right way. She made it to a clearing just outside of the swamp and looked at the sun shining on her and was not paying attention to where she was walking. She tripped over something and landed face first into mud. "Dammit," she said as she recognized the sinking sensation, but luckily she was on her belly and was sable to get leverage. A voice broke through her grunting.

"Hay watch where you are walking," Paige's raspy voice got out as she was losing consciousness.

Prue turned around to see her baby sister covered in mud up to her neck. "Paige, oh god," she said and crawled over to her. She was filled with both relief and worry as she saw the condition she was in. "Paige are you ok?" Prue cried as she kissed her head over and over again.

"No," Paige half replied as she was too weak to do much of anything.

"Its ok, I will get you out," Prue said and maneuvered herself to get behind Paige. The ground was solid and she could get some leverage. "Ok Paige I am going to pull you out," she said and put her arms under hers and began to pull. It did not take long to figure out that suction was a major issue. Paige said nothing as she could feel her sister try to pull her free. "Come on dammit," Prue said through her teeth as she could feel a little give and Paige slowly was coming out of the mud. It took over 20 minutes to free her sister and once on dry land, she tried to clean off the dried mud that was stuck to her sisters face. "Paige talk to me," she said but Paige was so dehydrated and exhausted, that opening her mouth was too much effort. Prue pulled out her canteen and lifted Paige's head to drink. The clean wet water seeped slowly into a parched mouth and Paige seem to come to life as her shaking hands grabbed the canteen. "Slowly sweetie," Prue softly said while moving the mud encased string of hair away from her face. Prue could see the numerous bite marks on Paige's hands and on her face. "I will make a fire and get you cleaned up," Prue said as Paige kept her eyes closed and let her oldest sister take care of her.

Phoebe stood near the water extremely hesitant to step into it. She hated walking through the swamp especially by herself after her last experience of falling through and almost drowning. But from what she could tell there was no way around and she needed to get to the Beacon. She took a deep breath and stepped into the mossy covered water. It was impossible to see anything underneath it from a distance and it almost looked like pristine grass. She looked for bubbles or any other signs of movement just under the surface. She was hot and running out of water quickly as she used a stick to poke in front of her searching for any holes. She even pulled out her machete just in case something decided to make her a meal. She felt a sharp pain in her leg and then felt something wrap around it. She tried to see what took hold of her and it did not take long to know what it was. A large python about 15 feet was wrapping itself around her and pulled her under. The machete was now against her chest as she held her breath while it squeezed. She used the machete to cut its massive body that was the size of her leg and it let go as it to felt a sharp pain. She managed to come up for air and take a breath before the weight of the Python dragged her back under. Even though it no longer had its razor-sharp teeth Into her leg, the rest of its body was wrapped around her. She had to cut more off to be able to get air again. The struggle seemed epic and happened extremely fast but not fast enough for her as every moment under the water was terrifying. Finally she managed to cut through enough to get above the surface and make her way back to land. She crawled onto the hard surface as her leg was feeling the result of hundreds of teeth. "Dammit!" she yelled while continuing to crawl away, wanting to get as far away as possible from the water's edge. Once she felt she was clear, she sat there for a few minutes as her entire body shook. She then took off her pants to examine the damage. On the outer part of her thigh, there were teeth marks and even a large cut that probably needed stitches in order to close. She used what was left of her water to clean the wound and then uses some of her shirt to wrap it. She needed a fire badly, not just to purify water but to keep the cut clean from infection. She stood up and used a branch she found as a walking stick and decided to stay on land for the time being.

Piper was staring into space as she looked at the fire. She wasn't hungry mostly because her stomach was so upset and she knew what she needed to do in order to save herself. She has already called out to the elders but she has used her one heal and wished she saved it for this. She pulled out her machete and ran her hand on its sharp edge hoping it was sharp enough. She knew that it would need to be cauterize in order to stop the bleeding and that meant a hot fire. " I better get this back," she said while wiping a few tears away knowing what was coming. There were other provisions she would need to make. Plenty of water and plenty of wood to keep the fire going. Hunting for food was going to need to wait as her injured finger made every task extremely painful and difficult. Piper got a area ready for her to pass out on that was near the fire but not close enough to burn her. It took over an hour to get everything prepared, but nothing can prepare anyone for cutting off a body part. She put her hand on the fallen tree and took her machete and placed it under her other fingers and was going to do a rocking motion in order to have a clean cut. Her mouth was filling with saliva as the need to vomit was already starting. She has been in pain before and after giving birth to three children her tolerance was much higher but it was the whole active of it all that would make anyone hesitant. Her heart was racing and her hand was shaking as she felt the blade on her skin. With a loud yell she forced a large part of the machete down and hard near the knuckle of her index finger. She screamed as the pain was much more than she expected and blood was coming out quickly. She did manage to cut it off cleanly and fell to her knees holding her hand close to her stomach. She then made her way to the fire and readied herself for even more. She put her wound into the flame and could smell burning flesh and the sizzling sound that normally came with cooking meat. After it was done she ran some clean water over it and wrapped it the best she could. She then fell onto her back and let her eyes close into darkness.

Prue propped Paige up against a tree and went to making a fire. "Your ok Paige its going to be ok now,"Prue said while rushing to get it going. She gathered the necessary materials and started the long task of getting it to ignite. Paige was still completely covered in dried mud and she looked like a stone statue against a tree and was barely moving. Once the fire was going, Prue went and got some water that was close by and started to clean off her sister. She also needed to find food as Paige has been without for almost 2 days. She used Paige's canteen to boil water after cleaning it off and used hers to boil water to drink. Paige had small red bumps all over her skin that was not covered by clothing. She had no choice but to take off her clothes and try to clean them and get any of the bugs that hitchhiked out. Two hours passed and Paige was still unconscious or sleeping from what she could tell. The day was at least halfway through and again she basically made no headway, but finding a sister was better than getting to the Beacon. Paige was cleaned off and Prue sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her to keep her warm. she still had some meat left over from killing the pig and would give some to her when she woke up.

Phoebe was struggling to walk and fell many times doing such a simple task. Her leg was going slightly numb as the string she used around her upper thigh to stop the bleeding, was also stopping circulation. She stopped and had to loosen it, so she sat down on a tree stump and did what she needed to. At first she thought she was seeing a hallucination when her I said on a blue Beacon that was near the ground and only a few feet from her. "The medical one," she said and smiled as she limped over to it. She maneuvered quickly having to jostle over fallen trees and branches until finally she reached the Beacon. She put her hand on the diamond shaped object and a large medical pack fell out and the Beacon disappeared. It was a large bag and filled with everything anyone would need in the Everglades, including anti-venom for numerous snakes. "Now I find it," she said as she recalled using a heal to save her from a venomous snake bite earlier. She rummage through it and found some sutures for closing wounds. There was alcohol and other antibiotics in the bag as well. She pulled out the sutures and took off her pants so she could clean the wound and close it up. It was not something she was ever trained in doing, but having any kind of open wound out here was dangerous. She started the task of taking care of her injury as the day was giving way to evening.

Paige opened her eyes and her blurred vision slowly began to focus on a dark-haired woman in front of her. She thought she was hallucinating as she squinted and blinked heavily.

"Paige its me Prue are you ok?" Prue asks as she knelt down in front of her.

"Prue is that you?" Paige asks and stretched out her hand to touch flesh and hopefully not air.

"Yes," Prue replied and put her hand on hers and guided it to her face. They both cried as they hugged each other.

"I thought I would never see you or my family again," Paige sobbed.

"We are the charmed ones Paige, we don't die that easily," Prue sobbed as well. "Are you hungry?"

"Hell yes," Paige replied as her stomach was feeling the result of two days without food.

"It's not much, but it will help," Prue said and gave her some of the wild pig she had left over.

Paige looked at the overcooked meat and was afraid to ask. She put it in her mouth and let the juices of the meat fill her senses. "This is good," she said and finished up the small amount. Prue gave her some water and Paige could feel herself come back to life. Her body was extremely sore from all the bug bites and her clothing was still covered in mud even though Prue tried desperately to clean them.

"How did you fine me?" Paige asks.

"I tripped over you," Prue replied.

"At least you didn't step on me, I think it would've pushed me down into the mud," Paige said and giggled.

"Did you fall into that when we ran from the fire?"

"Yeah, how long has it been?" Paige asks.

"Almost 2 days," Prue replied and sat down next to her.

"Did you find the others?" Paige asks.

"No and I have no idea where they are," Prue replied as she drank some water.

"They probably went to the Beacon," Paige said.

"I hope but we will need to wait until nightfall. I lost where it was and I don't want to travel at night if we can help it," Prue said and Paige nodded.

"Thank you for saving me," Paige said and leaned her head onto Prue's shoulder as they got ready for bed.

"Any time sis," Prue said and put some wood on the fire.

Piper opened her eyes and wished she did not as pain rushed from her hand all the up her arm. It felt like she stuck her hand on a hot tray that just came out of the oven. She sat up but immediately had to lay back down as a rush of nausea came over her. She closed her eyes and willed it to go away. It took sometime but it did subside. She sat back up slower this time and grabbed the water she had prepared before she removed her finger. She drank and then just looked around stunned at her surroundings, she was in the middle of nowhere and had no idea if her sisters were okay or not. All she could think about was her children, her husband and the life she wanted desperately to get back too. The halliwell were not easily dismissed and never gave up on anything. It was just a finger, she could still walk and could still do some task. She needed to find one of them and get some food in her belly or she would die. She was not about to give them that satisfaction. She stood up and even though night was coming she decided to do some hunting and headed towards the white Beacon. She tore off her pant leg using her machete to make the cut and made a torch with the remaining fire that luckily stayed mostly let while she was unconscious. Her hair was a tangled mess her clothes were soaked with sweat and blood and she was covered with dirt and mosquito bites. She looked up to the night sky and could see the white Beacon but also could see the red one to her right. She thought maybe one of them would be there as it was closer to her but the thought of leaving them alone was a decision she just might have to make. She headed off into the direction of the red Beacon as night became her company and mostly unwelcome.

Phoebe finished making a new fire and was like a kid in a candy store as she opened up new packages. Some were M.R.E ready-to-eat meals and a thermal blanket. The nights seem to be a little chilly but with the fire was manageable. She ate one of the meals and could not believe how good it tasted as her stomach has been empty for over a day. There were also some small packets of clean water. There was also morphing and other painkillers in the bag. She took some of the pills as her leg was hurting from the cut and the stitches. She felt as though she hit the jackpot and even smiled a bit as the pills kick in. The fire lit up the area around her and she looked up and saw the Beacon. It was closer than before but it will have to wait until daylight came. She glanced over and saw something odd in the bag, she pulled it out and it was a flare gun. She put in one of the flares and pointed it up in the air towards the direction of the water. The last thing she wanted to do was catch the woods on fire.

Piper made it to the red Beacon and went to her knees as exhaustion and the fact she found nothing to eat in over three hours of walking was finally taking its toll. She looked at it and wanted to be home, wanted to hold her children, wanted to be healed, but all of that would come with a cost of leaving her sisters behind. She stretched out her shaking hand as her heart felt like it was going to break, just before she touched, there was a red flash in the sky. "Flare," she said and stood up feeling a burst of hope. "Phoebe," she whispered as she felt her presence. She changed direction and ran towards where she believed the fire was fired from.

Prue was awake taking the first shift as Paige was sleeping. She saw the same red flash in the sky and although was distant it was something. "Paige wake up," she said and shook her baby sister who reluctantly opened her eyes.

"What?"

"Phoebe its Phoebe I know it," Prue said and pointed to the sky as the flare was dissipating. They both got up and ran in the direction of the flare.

Phoebe fired another one hoping someone would see it as the pills were making her extremely tired and sleepy. She saw the flare go up and dissipate and felt the need to sleep as she waited for someone to yell or some noises to approach. Her eyes closed as she could no longer keep them open and then what felt like just a few seconds was actually a few hours. Her fire was much lower and was about to go out. She rushed to get it lit again and as the flame rose so did the light. She could hear growling and even feel hot breath on her face. She looked up from the fire and saw large teeth a few feet from her. It was the black bear that ran past them two days ago and either the flare or the fire, or the smell of food brought it right to her. She tried to remember what she learned when she went on that survival trip, but for some reason her mind went blank. She was afraid to move as the fire was the only thing that separated them. She grabbed a branch that was in the flame and was ready to use it. The bear stood on its back legs and was ready to come down on her. She crawled backwards and took the branch with her as she heard another noise that was not animal. It was a piercing yell that made the bear change its focus. Phoebe grabbed the flare gun and fired it so she could see more of what was going on and hopefully scare the bear away. The sky lit up and she could see a silhouette of a woman standing a few feet from them holding a machete. She screamed again, not out of fear but more of anger and the bear was not certain what to do. It looked from her to the other and then backed away into the darkness of the woods. Phoebe let out the breath she was holding and then limped over to the woman who was standing there. It took her some time to make out the features as the person's hair was covering most of her face and her clothes were tattered. She moved some hair out of the woman's face and then hugged her.

"Piper," she cried.

"Phoebe," Piper's cracked voice said back. Phoebe pulled away and looked her over. She could tell that her sister was not in the best shape. Besides being covered with dirt and grime she could see a dirty covering on her hand.

"Come on sweetie," Phoebe said and took her over to the fire. She sat her down and used the light of the flame to look at her wound. "I found the medical Beacon so we can cleaned this up, ok," she said and gasped when she saw that Piper was missing a finger. "Oh god, what happened?" she asks but Piper just collapsed on her back and was out cold.

To be continued...