Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Horribly Timed Explosion
Boom!

A large explosion startled them awake from their moment of passion. Julian quickly pulled away and ran down to the living room to see what had caused such an explosion.

In the distance, he could see a small smoke stack rising beyond the forest.

Rayne came down to see what was happening. “Do you see anything?” she asked curiously.

Julian pointed toward the pillar of smoke in the distance. “Looks like something blew up over there. Should we go check it out?”

Rayne nodded and brought over another small space heater to use in the driver’s cabin while Julian started the RV.

He drove the RV down the winding mountain road, careful to avoid frozen sections. It took them a few hours to fully descend from the mountains and reach the first small village where the smoke pillar was coming from.

Julian drove through the center of the town while Rayne held on to her pistol, ready to shoot if there was any danger.

He parked in a small, empty parking lot not far from where the smoke was. “Get dressed, let’s go check it out,” he said quietly.

Rayne was already dressed in many layers and only took another thick winter coat from her system to put on. She then gave a similar men’s coat, hat, and gloves to Julian.

After they were fully bundled up and armed, they carefully made their way over to the area where the explosion had happened.

“It looks like the smoke is coming from inside that brick building,” said Rayne quietly. She then looked around before proceeding forward.

As they got closer, they heard voices coming from inside. “Did everyone make it out safe? Is anyone in critical condition?” asked an older man’s voice.

“Everyone seems to be doing okay. We brought everyone back to the ranch,” replied a younger man.

Just then, the two men walked out of the brick building, only to be met with Rayne and Julian pointing their pistols at them.

“Whoa! Whoa! We don’t want any trouble,” said the older man, quickly raising his hands above his head. The younger man followed his movements, visibly scared.

“We just paid our tribute. Why are you back already?” asked the young man angrily.

Rayne lowered her gun and took a step forward. Julian kept his gun aimed and ready in case of any signs of danger.

“Who are you guys? What happened here?” asked Rayne. Her voice was slightly muffled by the scarf she was wearing.

“We’re locals of this town. Some of us are from the city. One of our youngsters tried to start this old generator in the shop, but he wasn’t careful and ended up blowing the place up instead,” explained the old man.

He then looked up at her and then at Julian. “I don’t recognize you folks. Are you from the city?”

“We’re from the south. We’re on our way to the city just up ahead to look for someone,” replied Rayne.

The old man shook his head. “No, I don’t recommend you go there. That city has always had gang issues since it was a university town, and now it’s only gotten worse since there’s no police to stop them anymore. The whole city has basically been taken over.”

Julian finally lowered his weapon and walked over to stand beside Rayne. “They’re telling the truth. I can tell by his microexpressions.”

“How can a gang take over a whole city? If I remember correctly, City R is a larger city too,” asked Rayne.

The old man shook his head again. “No, it’s not just one gang. There are multiple. The whole city is like a warzone, each one fighting against the others.”

Rayne couldn’t believe it. She felt the world was already plunged into chaos with the natural disasters. She couldn’t understand why so many people fought against each other instead of banding together.

“Who are you guys looking for anyway?” asked the old man.

“A chemist. We got a lead that there was a talented one here, working for the big pharmaceuticals company,” explained Rayne.

The old man lowered his hands. “Well, if you’d like, you’re welcome to come back with us. There might be someone at the house who knows something about your friend. We’ve recently taken in some folks from the city.”

“Leader! Are you sur–”

“Yes. These people aren’t here to hurt us,” said the older man. He turned to greet Rayne and Julian. “I’m Fred, by the way. I’m the elected leader of this small town settlement.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rayne, and this is Julian,” answered Rayne, motioning to Julian.

Fred smiled. “Nice to meet you. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s head over before we freeze to death out here.”

Rayne felt a little guilty. While she felt the cold air outside, she was dressed in many layers and nanofibers, while these two men were wearing only a sweater and a coat.

“Yes, let’s go,” she said quickly.

She followed Fred down the street and toward a large open field. Fred pointed to a large white farmhouse. “That’s it over there. Our little home.”

As they continued to walk down the long driveway, Fred pointed out a few areas of interest on the ranch.

“That over there is where we keep the cattle. It’s not a large herd, but enough to continue breeding and milking,” explained Fred.

Rayne listened as he told them how the majority of the residents were currently in the barn, ensuring that the animals survived the cold. Outside of cows, they also raised chickens and goats.

“Most of us grew up on a ranch or a farm, so we know a lot about it. The city folk mainly help us out with other tasks, like cooking and laundry,” he continued.

When they finally approached the entrance of the house, Rayne spotted a lot of movement inside the white farmhouse.

“Hey, Leader. How’s the generator looking?” asked a robust woman with a long red braid. Her face was rosy, and she was holding a large wooden bucket of grain.

Fred greeted her. “Hey, Rita. No, unfortunately, it looks like the generator is done for. I’ll ask Sky to take a look at it later, but I’m doubtful anything can be done.”

“Aw, that’s unfortunate. It would’ve been helpful,” she said, looking over at Rayne and Julian. “Oh, who are these two?”

“Rayne and Julian. I found them outside the machine shop with the generator,” said Fred, leading them inside.