Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System novel Chapter 271

The next morning, Rayne woke up to gasps and murmurs coming from outside the nearby warehouses.

Everyone was discussing the overnight warehouse restock.

Julian walked over and looked at her, shaking his head.

"I don't even know how to begin explaining this one," he smiled.

Rayne laughed, getting out of bed. She looked over to face him as she got dressed, "Just say Santa came early."

"Oh! Good one, let me go tell that to Noah, I'm sure he'll buy it", laughed Julian.

They both laughed, not particularly worried about explaining where all of the items came from. Either way, people were very happy to see all of the new items, so there was no issue with a little mystery.

Rayne was more concerned with executing the first phase of their plan: finding and blending in with a settlement that Damien's men would raid.

"Shall we be on our way?" she asked Julian.

"Yes, I've already settled the matter with the weapons and spoke to Ian and Noah. The settlement will be in good hands."

They both smiled at each other and made their way to their SUV, slipping behind the mass of people that were gathered in front of the warehouses.

As soon as she got to the SUV, Rayne looked up in surprise. Ella was standing there, leaning against the vehicle.

"Ella? What are you doing here?" asked Rayne.

"If I weren't here, I wouldn't get the chance to wish you luck on your adventure. I'm not sure what's going on since no one is willing to tell me, but I can feel it in my gut that wherever you're headed is dangerous. Please be careful, Rayne."

Her voice cracked as she looked at Rayne. She tried prying information out of Noah, but he said that he had promised not to say anything.

Rayne walked over and placed her hands around Ella, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Ella. I appreciate it."

Tears poured out of Ella's eyes, "You better come back. Understand?"

Rayne nodded, wiping her own tears away. "Of course, I'll come back, I always do."

"Good, because if you don't, I'll do something stupid and drive out in the middle of the night to come find you!" she cried out.

Rayne smiled, nodding at her friend. She felt guilty constantly keeping Ella out of the loop, but she did it out of love.

"Okay, well, I won't hold you here. Go! And next time, don't hide this from me!" said Ella, stepping away from the SUV.

"I promise," replied Rayne.

She quickly hopped into the car with Julian and drove out of the settlement before the heavy feelings caused her to rethink the plan.

They made their way to the southern suburbs of the city, looking for a small settlement that they could assimilate into.

-

A few hours later, they finally made their way into the target area.

"We should walk the rest of the way. It would be best if we could use the sympathy card to get on the good side of the people. It should help us be welcomed as a part of them," said Julian.

Rayne agreed and pulled over in a secluded space. They both got out, and she stored the SUV in her system.

"Well, I see that you're at least not lying about taking anything. Please leave," she said after a brief pause.

Rayne fell to the ground, covering her face with her hands as if she were about to mentally break.

"Please! Take us with you. We've walked so long, and no one is willing to take us in. We're not afraid of hard work. We've even brought our own supplies, we just wish to be part of a group!"

Julian looked down at her, mentally approving of her acting skills. He bent over, helping her up off the ground.

"Sweetheart, don't cry. Maybe the next settlement will take us in. Please, don't cry."

The stern woman frowned. She looked at their large backpacks, which looked stuffed with supplies.

"We can bring you in on a trial basis. If you manage to integrate with the rest of the group, you can stay. But during this time, you will be relying on your own supplies. I don't want to see you begging for food either."

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, "Come. Follow me"

Julian helped Rayne off the ground and quickly followed behind her, hiding their victorious smiles.

They didn't travel far. The stern woman led them to an abandoned police station that was one street over.

"Come, I'll show you both to a place where you can stay for now. Remember, it's up to you to gain their trust. And if I so much as hear that you've tried to beg or steal anything, we will strip you clean before kicking you out!"

Rayne nodded at her warning, feeling that although the woman put up a cold front, she was in fact a kind person.

A/N: Thank you all for your continued support on this novel! I really appreciate the golden tickets and power stones! I see each and every one! <3

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