Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System

At the forest base, Rayne and the others have been making good progress.

Lenny and the rest have finally settled in and gotten used to their new routines, helping out wherever they can.

Rayne walked over to the field that had been completely tilled and sown.

"Julian, look! The greens have already begun to shoot out of the ground!", she said happily, pointing and the tiny little green stems that were poking out of the ground.

"Yes, it seems like we will finally be able to eat some fresh produce here soon", he said smiling at her.

The weather was quickly getting warmer and warmer. Everyone was now wearing shorts and t-shirts, trying to stay cool, especially during the day.

The plants, however, loved this new level of sun and warmth. Thanks to the nearby lake, watering the fields was an easy task, and the growing seedlings were coming out very strong.

Everyone who was assigned to work on the farmland had a big smile on their face. They were able to see the fruits of their hard work so quickly, granting them both relief and satisfaction.

"I hope that we can enjoy many more days like this", said Rayne, looking around happily.

Along with Lenny's group, a young boy who was about 5 years old was also brought over. Nurse Judy was taking care of him initially, but when Laura laid eyes on him she fell in love.

Every day she would spend hours with the young boy, playing and teaching him numbers. Everyone on the base already considered the boy to be part of her and Davids family.

The young boy was very shy and scared at first, but after spending a few days with Laura he finally began to show the occasional smile.

The biggest change for the newcomers was the availability of resources and food. Even people like Lenny who had arrived at the government base very prepared, suffered from extreme weight loss and muscle loss.

They had eaten through their meager supply and were left to chew on stale bread and other preserved foods.

Now, they all had access to many varieties of food, even frozen meat, and vegetables, allowing them to feel healthier even after just a few days.

Julian continued his walk with Rayne, occasionally stopping to greet others. They made their way around the entire settlement when Rayne remembered Noah's request.

"Oh guess what?", she said with a smile.

Julian looked at her gossipy expression and lifted an eyebrow, "What?"

"Noah finally put in a request with me", she said, trying to build suspense.

"Was it a new clipboard? He never goes anywhere without his", laughed Julian, taking a quick guess.

Rayne laughed but shook her head, leaning in she whispered, "He asked for a small trinket to gift Ella. Something like a necklace or bracelet!"

"Oh? Looks like he's finally getting somewhere. I thought him working daily with Reginald would give him ample opportunities to court Ella openly, but I guess not", he shrugged.

Rayne giggled, "Maybe they like it...hidden"

Julian placed his arm around her waist, "Oh yeah? Maybe we should go hide somewhere, what do you think?"

"Yeah we should so I can beat you up!", laughed Rayne, throwing a pretend punch at his arm.

They laughed together as they continued to walk around the base.

"Well I suppose it is about time we went on another 'scavenging run'", said Julian.

Rayne nodded, "Yes, and with the addition of the new people from the government base, I will most likely get new item requests."

They made their way over to Noah, who was currently taking inventory inside of the warehouses.

"Hey Noah, we are about to head out on another trip to scavenge for resources. Do you have a new list ready of requests?", asked Rayne.

Noah greeted them both and pulled out a slip of paper from his clipboard, "Yes, I just recently finished going around and seeing what we are low on. There are also a few requests from the residents"

Noah handed Rayne the slip of paper so that she could look it over.

From the list, the clothing supply was getting low and people were requesting more summer clothes.

There were also a few food items that were getting low, such as canned tuna and chicken.

Rayne nodded, feeling like she had everything on the list until she reached the bottom.

[I wish to put in a request for a chick or chickens. I used to have a small farm of chickens and feel like getting a fresh source of eggs and poultry would benefit the settlement]

The person who requested the chickens was part of Brandon and Mila's group.

Rayne looked at the request and felt like it was such a good idea, however, she did not have live chickens or chicks in her system. She would need to go out and find them.

Noah watched her read the list and waited for any feedback.

"Most of these should be doable, the only thing is the live chickens. We will try to stop by some farms and see if we can catch any. I think it's a great idea!", said Rayne, looking up from the paper.

Noah nodded, "Very well. I will put in a request for the carpenters to begin making plans on building a chicken coop in the meantime"

"Ah, that's a good idea! I just hope we will be able to find the chickens to fill it", laughed Rayne. She was confident in everything else, but finding the animals would be a challenge.

After settling the rest of their affairs at the base, Rayne and Julian began to make preparations to leave.

Rayne was on the couch in their living room, looking at the pre-downloaded maps on her laptop. She was looking for places that used to operate as poultry farms.

"Any luck?", asked Julian from the kitchen.

"Umm, yes, but it seems all of the best places to search are on the opposite side of the city. It will most likely be at least a three-day trip", said Rayne, memorizing the best route over to the farms.

Julian nodded, "Well that shouldn't be an issue. In fact, it would be strange if we didn't take a few days to search for everything."

"You're right. Either way, I'm not complaining! I look forward to our excursions!", she said, smiling brightly.

"Oh, for sure. I definitely do, especially if they're like the last one we went on", he teased and walked over to place a kiss on her forehead.

Rayne blushed, remembering the scenes from the hot tub and everything afterward. "No hot tubs this time!", she quickly said, hiding under the blanket.

"Mhm. Whatever you say", he laughed.