Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 142

Chapter 142: The Ranch
The originally spacious interior felt a little cramped due to the number of people inside. Rayne watched as everyone quietly went about doing their jobs.

She felt that this community was tight-knit and a good example of how, when people band together, they can overcome disaster.

There were many wood-burning stoves placed around the house, keeping it relatively warm.

Frank noticed Rayne eyeing the stoves and chuckled. “We collected all the stoves from the surrounding houses and brought them over. You wouldn’t believe the amount of wood we’ve burned through already.”

Rayne nodded but stayed silent. Her nature wanted to help these people out, but she knew she needed to reign in that feeling. She decided to observe them a little more and see if there was a way to help them.

Frank led them into the kitchen, where it was slightly less crowded. Only Rita and a shy teenage girl with curly brown hair were inside, working their various jobs.

“This is Molly. She’s one of our newest members from the city. It was a miracle that she made it out,” Frank introduced.

Molly quietly looked over to see Rayne, Julian, and Frank looking at her.

“Hi,” she peeped out quietly and continued to peel the potatoes in the bucket in front of her.

“Haha! Don’t mind her. She’s a little shy, but she might be able to help you on your search for the chemist you’re looking for,” laughed Frank.

He excused himself, stating that he needed to check on the cattle and other animals.

Rayne walked over to Molly. “Hello, my name is Rayne, and this is Julian. We’ve come from the south to look for a younger man who works as a chemist. Do you know anyone like this?”

Molly silently continued to peel the potato in her hand, and after a few minutes, she finally nodded. “I’ve met someone who said they were a chemist. He helped me out of the city.”

Rayne couldn’t believe her luck! “Could you tell us where he is? We would like to talk to him!” she asked excitedly.

Molly’s face visibly dropped, and her eyes began to water. She shook her head. “I don’t know exactly, but he let himself get caught so that I could run away. He’s most likely at the Bloody Skull gang, the biggest one on the west side of the city.”

Rayne frowned at the news. If he was captive behind one of the biggest gangs in the city, getting him out would be more difficult than she had anticipated.

Julian walked over and held her hand. “We should try it at the very least. I think if we’re careful, we have a decent chance of getting him out.”

Rayne smiled, agreeing with his view.

Molly finally looked up from the potato in her hand with an astonished expression. “You mean you’re still going to go in to find him? That’s suicide! Those people kill for fun! It’s like a sport to them!” she cried out.

Rayne walked over and hugged the girl. She felt the guilt and hopelessness coming from her and wanted to help her release the pent-up emotions.

Molly began to cry her heart out, sobbing in Rayne’s embrace.

After a few minutes, she finally calmed down and looked up at Rayne with a determined expression.

“Please let me help you. I may not be skilled in much, but I do know the city well,” she said, hoping to be of use.

Rayne smiled. “Thank you. We would love to have you helping us.”

They set a time to talk after dinner, allowing Molly to resume her duty of peeling the potatoes and helping Rita in the kitchen.

This left Rayne and Julian free to wander around. Rayne wanted to see the animals, so they set off to the large barn that Fred had pointed out earlier.

When they arrived at the barn, they spotted a group of people surrounding a cow. Fred turned around, noticing them.

“Oh hey! Come on over. Ever seen a calf being born?” he called out joyfully. A new calf meant a higher chance of survival for the small settlement, so everyone around had a big smile on their face.

Rayne walked over just in time to see the cute calf come out. The experienced ranchers were ready to get it cleaned up and taken care of, as well as ensure that the mother was doing well.

The barn felt relatively warm due to the pellet stoves inside. Rayne could tell that these people were willing to spend more resources on keeping the animals healthy than keeping themselves comfortable.

After the calf was taken care of, Fred walked over to Rayne and Julian. “I’m not sure what your future plans are, but you’re both more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. Also, please join us for dinner tonight. We’re celebrating the birth of the new calf.”

Rayne and Julian accepted Fred’s offer since they were waiting for Molly to free up from her duties so that they could talk more about the situation inside.

“We came in an RV. Would it be okay if we parked it nearby?” asked Rayne.

Fred laughed. “Haha, of course! Not a problem at all! Come on over.”

With Fred’s permission, Rayne and Julian walked back to their RV, planning to drive it closer to the small settlement.

“They seem very nice. I’m happy to see people banding together like this… especially after our last encounter with the cannibals,” said Rayne as they entered the RV.

“Yes, they all seem like nice people. They’re doing the right thing by taking care of the livestock. I believe this small settlement will only grow in the future. I just hope these gangs don’t come to cause them trouble,” replied Julian.

Rayne agreed. She remembered the other man beside Fred mention giving a tribute. They must be paying a heavy fee to keep the peace.

“I just hope we can do something about these gangs. It sounds like a lot of innocent people are getting caught up in these gang wars,” said Rayne.

They quickly got into the cold RV. Rayne lit the coal-burning stove and plugged in the small space heaters while Julian went to start the engine.

They waited a few minutes for the engine to heat up before driving over to the ranch.