Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System

As Rayne pulled up to the ranch, she saw Fred and the rest of the residents running around, carrying boxes around.

There was a large pile of boxes stacked in front of the farmhouse ready to be loaded.

"Hey! There you are! We're almost ready, just getting the final things packed up now", said Fred, greeting Rayne and Julian.

"Perfect, we'll start getting things loaded on the trailers. We've reserved 3 Jeeps to transport the cattle", said Rayne, pointing to the three Alpha Team jeeps in the back.

Fred looked at the huge RVs with wide eyes, "You guys are very capable. With all of this, moving will be very simple".

He called over a group of people to coordinate with Rayne's group and begin loading supplies.

The two groups worked together to get everything loaded. They worked through the intense heat for the entire day, getting everything finished by the time the sunset.

"Okay, all of the supplies and usable items have been loaded, the last thing is to load the cattle.", said Fred.

He wanted to wait until the evening to load the cattle into the trailers so that they would tolerate the heat a little better.

There were many herders and experienced ranchers so loading the cattle didn't take long.

While the cattle were being loaded on the trailers, Julian was helping the residents get situated inside the RVs and vehicles.

The RVs were over max capacity, but there was enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. Once the cattle were loaded on the trailers, Fred and his group said their final goodbyes to the ranch and set off to their new home.

Even now they had no idea where their new home was. Everyone eagerly looked out the window, observing what the world turned into.

Most of the residents from Fred's ranch were locals of that town and had never left that town. To them this trip was more than a simple transport, it was filled with excitement to see the rest of the country they'd never seen before.

-

The evening quickly turned into the night and most of the passengers fell asleep in their seats. At the halfway mark, the drivers swapped with their counterparts and continued the journey without delay.

Rayne and the rest wanted to arrive home before the intense afternoon sun made an appearance. They were worried that the long drive, coupled with the heat would be dangerous for the cattle they were transporting.

-

A few hours later the early morning sun could be seen peeking over the horizon.

Rayne woke up from her short nap and yawned.

"We must be getting close", she said, looking at the somewhat familiar surroundings.

Julian smiled and patted her thigh, "Good morning. Yes, we're about an hour out."

"Oh good! I'm really looking forward to getting everyone settled in. I hope they finished the barn so we have a place for the cows", she smiled.

"I believe they should have. They were very far along when we left, an additional two days should have been plenty of time", he said, giving his opinion.

Rayne's eyes sparkled. If the barn was finished, that meant that they would be free to move on to the next project: the recreation center!

-

An hour later they found themselves at the base of the mountain.

Liam, per Julian's instructions, signaled for everyone to pull over for Alpha Team to scout the area, ensuring that no one was following them or spying.

Only after the all-clear was given did Liam lead the others into the forest.

The residents of the Ranch were shocked when their vehicle quickly turned into the forest, off of the beaten path.

"In the woods?", asked Fred, surprised at the location. He was riding in Rayne and Julian's car, and couldn't help but ask as he looked out the window.

"Yes, it's deep in these woods, right up against the mountain. It's a beautiful place, I'm sure you'll like it", said Rayne happily.

She's grown attached to this place. It was peaceful and secluded. There were no broken buildings or other daily reminders of how the world has changed.

Being surrounded by nature brought peace to her, helping with the stress and anxiety of surviving this apocalyptic world.

-

Each vehicle drove in one by one, parking in the large parking area at the entrance of the settlement.

Those who stayed home came out of their houses to greet the newcomers.

Mila and Brandon stood beside Noah and Reginald, ready to welcome everyone.

Fred hopped out of Rayne's SUV and looked around with wonder, the settlement was nothing like he had imagined. People were even given the luxury of having their own rooms.

Rayne walked over to his side and began pointing out a few key features.

"Towards the back are our main three warehouses. Anything from food to furniture could be found in one of those. We will be adding the supplies you packed with you to them."

She pointed at the houses and gave a quick overview of where key people lived, like Anna and Judy.

"Solar panels?! You have electricity!", exclaimed Fred as he looked at the roofs.

"Yes, they were just recently installed, but now each of the houses has the ability to cool itself with fans and air conditioning", explained Rayne.

She also gave him an overview of the RVs along the perimeter of the forest that served as mobile restrooms and showers.

Fred took everything in with amazement. He couldn't even imagine how they managed to get everything in here!

-

Lastly, Rayne walked him over to the lake and fields.

"Here are our fields. We will most likely need to expand them soon in order to keep up with the new population demands.", she pointed.

The fields were covered with a translucent plastic-like covering. Rayne took a peek inside and noticed that the seedlings were looking strong and healthy once again.

Beyond the fields was what Rayne wanted to see the most. It was a large, wooden barn with a large fence.

"Ah, yay! Looks like they finished the barn! We can move the cows over right away", she said happily.

Fred looked at the freshly built, majestic barn and felt tears well up in his eyes.

"It's beautiful. The cows will love it here. Thank you so much", he whispered.

Rayne smiled, "No need to thank us. This is your home now. We all work together to live a happy life".