The silver locket, after what felt like an eternity of painstaking mental manipulation, finally bumped against Carter's non-corporeal foot. He couldn't feel its weight, couldn't grasp its smooth surface, but its presence was a tangible link to Natalie, a small beacon of hope in the overwhelming darkness of his new reality.
He knelt down, his ethereal form passing through the floorboards, and focused on the locket. He willed the water vapor in the air around it to shape, to form a tiny, invisible current that would lift it. It was an arduous process, like trying to sculpt with smoke, but the memory of the wave, of the strange connection he had forged with water, spurred him on.
Slowly, the locket trembled, then lifted a fraction of an inch off the floor. Carter held his breath, his concentration absolute. He guided the tiny current of moisture, lifting the locket higher, towards where his hand would be if he were still fully corporeal. He couldn't hold it, but he could keep it suspended, a shimmering droplet of condensed air cradling the silver.
With the locket floating gently beside him, Carter turned his attention back to the hotel room. He scanned every corner, every surface, searching for any other sign of Natalie, any clue the police might have missed. The lingering scent of her fear still clung to the air, fainter now, but still present. It seemed to lead towards the hallway.
He moved out of the room, the droplet of moisture carrying the locket drifting alongside him. He followed the faint scent, his enhanced senses picking up the echoes of hurried footsteps and hushed voices from the previous night. The trail led him downstairs, towards the lobby.
He paused at the reception desk, the receptionist and her coworkers still engrossed in their chatter. He focused on the water within their bodies, a vast, intricate network he could now sense with unnerving clarity compared to before. A shiver, a ghost of a feeling, ran through him. This new sense was both fascinating and deeply unsettling.
Ignoring them, he followed the fading scent out of the hotel and onto the street. The green-tinted moonlight bathed the surroundings in an eerie glow. He looked down at the locket, still suspended in its watery cradle. It was a tangible link to his past, a reminder of what he had lost and what he was fighting to regain.
He started running again, the locket floating steadily beside him. He followed the general direction he had seen the police van take, his enhanced speed allowing him to cover ground quickly, despite the mental strain. He kept his senses alert, searching for any sign of the van, any trace of Natalie's fear.
Hours passed, the sky slowly beginning to lighten, the green tint gradually fading into the pale hues of dawn. He ran through deserted streets and quiet neighborhoods, the locket his only companion. The mental fatigue was mounting, the constant effort of manipulating the water taking its toll.
Just as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, he saw it. A faint green glow, almost imperceptible in the dim light of dawn, flickered in the distance. It was the same strange hue he had seen surrounding his body after his death, the same color that had glitched the police footage.
Hope surged through him, cutting through the weariness. He recognized that glow. It was connected to the creatures of the veil, to whatever had changed him. Could it also be connected to Natalie, to the suited figures who had taken her?
He pushed himself harder, his ethereal legs pounding against the asphalt. The green glow grew stronger as he approached, resolving into the faint outline of a large, nondescript building on the outskirts of the city. It was surrounded by a high fence and patrolled by figures in dark suits.
This had to be it. This had to be where they had taken her.
He approached the fence cautiously, his ethereal form allowing him to pass through the metal bars without resistance. Inside, the air thrummed with a strange energy, a faint psychic force that made his head ache. He could sense the presence of many people inside, and among them, a faint, familiar signature – Natalie.
Relief washed over him, so potent it almost felt physical. She was here. He had found her.But the relief was quickly replaced by a cold dread.
The energy in the air, the guarded perimeter, the suited figures – this place felt dangerous. He could sense other presences too, something alien and unsettling lurking beneath the surface.
He got closer, phasing through the walls of the building, trying to pinpoint Natalie's exact location. The interior was a maze of corridors and rooms, filled with children of all ages. He could sense their fear, their confusion, their psychic energies, the water in their bodies.
Then he saw her. In a large room filled with bunk beds, huddled on the lower bunk, her small frame trembling. Cassandra, Sadie, and Jackie were beside her, their faces also etched with fear.
He floated closer, his heart, or what remained of it, aching at the sight of her distress. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch her, to reassure her, but his fingers passed right through her hair.
"Natalie," he whispered, his voice a silent plea in the crowded room. She didn't react, her eyes fixed on the opposite wall, lost in her own fear.
He looked around the room, at the other frightened children, at the oppressive atmosphere of the place. He knew he couldn't just walk in and take her. These suited figures, whoever they were, wouldn't let him. And the strange energies in the air, the unsettling presence he could sense – he didn't understand it, but he knew it was a threat.
He looked down at the silver locket, still floating beside him. It was a reminder of his past, of his love for Natalie, of the promise he had made to protect her. He might be different now, neither living nor truly dead, but his purpose remained the same. He would find a way to get her out of here. He had to.