Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Leaving the Bunker
The next morning, everyone woke up early to prepare to move their things over. Julian instructed that only the most important and personal items should be moved. He also ordered everyone to place their bins of important items in the communal dining room for “transport” purposes.

In reality, Rayne simply stored everyone’s bins, marking which bin belonged to whom on her system panel.

Julian made plans for everyone to move to the base in waves to avoid attracting too much attention.

Rayne filled backpacks with food supplies so that everyone would have enough to pay the registration fees.

After Rayne finished her tasks of storing everything, the bunker was left completely empty.

Everyone was told to wait on the upper level by the exit so they wouldn’t discover that everything, including the stove and refrigerator, was missing.

Noah broke everyone up into smaller teams and sent the first group to the government base. The first few teams were made up of Alpha Team members who traveled via the bunker’s jeeps.

Julian told Noah and Ian to include Jonah on their team and that they should take the RV to the base. The RV would attract a lot of attention, so Julian felt it was best to let Ian and Noah handle it.

Lastly, Rayne and Julian would arrive together. Since they were already registered residents, they wouldn’t have to wait in the registration lines like the rest of the team.

They spaced the teams a few hours apart so Noah and Ian’s team would only arrive in the evening. Rayne and Julian waited in the bunker until everyone was gone before they set off themselves.

Rayne pulled out two more snowmobiles to make it easier for them to get out of the forest and onto the highway.

Thankfully, the snowfall lightened up considerably, keeping it at knee height. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to drive to the government base.

When they reached the spot where Julian had parked the RV, Rayne stored the snowmobiles and took out her SUV. Since they had been seen driving this vehicle, it would have been strange if they came back in a different one.

Rayne’s SUV handled the snow much better than the RV, so driving to the base was a lot easier for them. As they approached, they spotted Noah and Ian in the luxury RV, waiting in the long line to enter the base.

Rayne drove past the line and to the entrance for registered residents. The checkpoint guard asked to see their resident cards and allowed them to enter once their identities were verified.

As they drove to the parking lot closest to their building, Rayne noticed that many of the tents were gone.

“I hope they moved somewhere…” she mumbled. The other option was that these people had died, which seemed more likely.

Julian didn’t reply and continued to drive quietly, silently giving her his opinion.

“I hope Ella and her family are okay,” Rayne said. She wasn’t sure how they had handled the cold snap and was worried they hadn’t had enough time to prepare.

When Rayne and Julian finally made it back to their room, they were greeted by the sight of the Soto family comfortably sitting on their couch, watching a TV show.

The interior was warm with multiple space heaters plugged in, and there wasn’t an ounce of tension in the atmosphere.

“Hey! You’re back!” Ella shot up from the couch and ran toward Rayne.

Reginald and his wife quickly stood up and nodded, greeting Rayne and Julian.

“We’re sorry; we basically moved in here ever since you left. We were here the night of the temperature drop, which basically saved us!” Ella’s mother explained.

She still felt guilty intruding on their home like this, but the situation wouldn’t allow them to move back.

Ella and Reginald had tried going to the housing office a few times to purchase electricity for their unit, but every time they went, the housing office was closed.

“It’s not a problem at all! I’m just happy you guys are safe! Feel free to stay as long as you need,” said Rayne.

Julian eyed Rayne for a second but quickly agreed. His desires could be put on hold for a while longer, as kicking them out would likely mean their death.

Reginald thanked them, promising to move out as soon as they could get electricity in their unit.

Julian also told Reginald that more people from his side were coming to the base, and they would set up a small hub here in the future. The men discussed future endeavors while Rayne and Ella caught up.

“So, did you find who you were looking for?” asked Ella. She knew that Rayne and Julian had gone north in search of someone.

“Yep! It was quite the adventure, but thankfully it all worked out in the end,” Rayne smiled. She then proceeded to tell Ella a little about the things she had seen on her trip to the north.

She avoided mentioning the really bad parts, like getting ambushed by cannibals or the situation with the bandit leader.

“What about you guys? Anything happen here while we were gone?” asked Rayne.

Ella looked at the floor. “Well, the night of the cold snap, many people froze to death. Most of the people who stayed in the tents ended up dying that night.”

Rayne frowned. “Did the base not finish building the dormitory building?” She was sure they would have finished by now.

“They did, only a day too late. What are the odds?” said Ella. She also felt bad for everyone who hadn’t made it. “I heard that the base plans on making rounds soon to check on the people who were renting rooms.”

“That’s a good idea. As horrible as it is, it will at least open up housing for new people to move into. I remember when we moved in, this was the only unit available,” said Rayne.

One of the things she worried about was where everyone from the bunker would settle when they moved over, but if housing opened up, it wouldn’t be a problem to rent more rooms.