Hollywood Zenith

Talia who was tired couldn't sleep. Both her mind and body was under extreme stress not to mention her body constantly hurt even if she tried to lay down.

She tried but when she made contact with cotton fiber of the bedsheet, her body would start to secrete poison which made it either melt or sizzle making it impossible for her to sleep.

In the end, she could only hurdle in the corner laying on cold ground trying to perch herself in comfortable position. She was grabbing her knees with her head over her arms trying to forget about everything.

She didn't know what time it was but it didn't matter to her. Her louds thoughts were enough to keep her busy for hours. She was disappointed but her spirit was still unbroken, no matter how she looked, she would continue to live on for sake of her mentor, Raani. Maybe she might even be able to meet Samuel again.

The thoughts of the young man filled her with some warmth that temporarily made her forget about her suffering. She knew she could never go near him but she would be satisfied with hearing that he was doing good.

She always felt there was a special connection between them as she felt he was near her but she shook her head thinking about her delusions. Hope was something she didn't want especially now that the damage to her body was irreversible.

With such conflicting thoughts, she drifted into sleep because of tiredness. Too much happened today and whether she want to sleep or not didn't matter as her body shut down to replenish her broken body.

She didn't even noticed slight rumblings that shook the whole facility. Samuel already surveyed the site and knew they didn't have any camares here probably because they didn't need them.

If someone really tried to dig their way in, they would need industrial equipment large enough for the whole town to notice but he was different. He kept manipulating the ground, shfting the dirt and stones to the surface as he made his way inside.

He had done it before when dealing with Clark when he made a underground bunker for his captive so it was easy for him to repeat the process with his elemental magic.

He would reinforce the tunnel and also made small grooves that could be used to climb up.He might not need it but others could use it to escape if there was an emergency.

It took him two whole hours before he stood in front of the reinforce concrete and steel structure that led inside Talia's room. He could see she was in the opposite site to where he would commense his drilling so he was assured she wouldn't be hurt by accident.

He didn't use earth magic but used fire to burn through everything. His body heated up impossible degrees as he practically made a life size hole appearing right inside the room.

The metal sizzled and burned even emited smoke but the tunnel acted as a chimney taking things out. He thought Talia would notice him but she was still in the same spot.

The first thing he noticed was the room's lighting. It was dark, without any light source but he could clearly see in it due to his night vision.

He explored the room and saw it was very small with only basic amenities, nothing fancy but there was a light in the room. The next thing he noticed was strange smell that filled the room.

It was different from the burning of steel something more familiar. The more he walked toward Talia, the stronger the smell became.

He couldn't see her face but he noticed she didn't have hair. Her lush black hair which she would occasion bounce around was gone and what replaced it was a charred skin with disgusting blisters and wounds.

Every exposed area of her body was same. Just looking at it gave him the chills. He knew it must be the weird poision, he was able to get through it because of his regenerative powers but Talia must still be suffering from it.

His mind reeled as anger began to rise in his heart making the whole room drop several levels. He really wanted to go there and hug her, pulling her closer into his embrace but he stopped himself at very last second.

He didn't know how she would react seeing him here. Would she be happy or would she be angry because he risked so much for her despite her warnings?

He decided it was best to simply heal her forst as he couldn't bear to see her in this state. He knelt down beside her and gently placed his palm on her head, his life force entered her body but she didn't wake up.

He could feel what she felt these last three days, the hidden wounds and internal injuries were enough to kill most people but somehow she persisted and was alive through all of it.

He grabbed her gently lifting her up. For some reason, she stirred comfortably in his embrace. He had to touch her the more the better so he took her to bed and activated his healing power fully.

This will really test his limits, he need to counteract the poison as well as heal her injuries simultaneously. She must have felt someone close to her, she opened her hazy eyes and looked up to see she was hugging him.

"Is this a dream? If so, I don't want it to end. I..." She pushed her face into his neck, where their skin touch sparks flew making her feel more comfortable.

Samuel hugged her tighter, not carrying about the poison that seeped into his body. He knew there was a lot of it and it would need hours to neutralize everything, he just hoped he could last to the end.

"I am here. There is no need for you to suffer anymore."

"Hmm...I am sorry. I should have said it when I was leaving. I blamed everything on you but I am very thankful for that day. Although, your methods were barbaric." She chuckled softly. Her hoarse voice only made his heart bleed.

Others might find her looks repelling but he knew her true nature. No matter the circumstances, she was part of him and he would let her leave his sight from now on.

"Silly girl. That was my way to show love." He whispered to her which made her blush. She still thought it was a dream because currently she felt her body was light and she couldn't feel any pain which made her relax.

"If we meet again. I really want you to show it to me again. But with the way I am, I don't think you will even recognise me." She said bluntly, it was more of a admission to herself than to him.

"You are not getting away this easy." He held both her cheeks lifting her face up before kissing her. She felt the sensation and leaned in without a care in the world.

She never had such a vivid dream but if this continues, she would welcome such event as these were few things that gave her strength to move forward!