Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Invitation

Rayne walked into her living room and laid down on her couch. She was a little tired after all the walking she did at the camping store, but overall she was happy with todays 'harvest'.

Her system was now filled with any kind of outdoor/camping item she could think of, making her even more excited for her solo camping trip!

While she laid on the couch and organized her system via the holographic screen, she felt her phone vibrate.

Sitting up, she looked at her phone seeing a text message from a girl she went to university with.

Hey Rayne, it's Ella from University! I hope you're doing well. I'm contacting you because I would like to invite you to PRISMA's architectural gala. I remember that you were always very talented in your designs and this event could help you establish a few strong connections in the industry. I believe REN Corp is planning on doing some sort of event there too.

The event is next Tuesday at 7pm. Let me know if you're interested!

Rayne read the message a few times. She remembered Ella!

Ella was the typical quiet girl in class who always sat by the window and kept to herself. She was even more introverted than Rayne at that time so everyone usually left her alone.

Rayne had one day decided to stay late in her design class and accidentally stumbled upon Ella's designs. They were very unique and creative, much better than the designs of the so-called 'top students' who always flaunted their work.

"This should be interesting, I should go", said Rayne as she tapped the reply button on her phone.

Rayne spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. It had started raining outside, cooling down the hot summer heat. The rain was pitter pattering softly against the windows, creating a relaxing ambiance.

After a few hours of watching outdoor camping videos and eating snacks from her system, Rayne finally succumbed to sleep.

She found herself in the same nightmare she had earlier, the only difference was that this time she was aware she was in a dream.

The scenes that played before her were just as awful as they were last time.

People were huddled together around a small open fire. They were all desperate for the warmth coming from the fire, uncaring if their frostbitten hands got burned by the open flames.

One mother was holding her young child while softly crying in the corner. There was no happiness, no hope, only suffering on the peoples faces.

There was only a little snow on the ground, but the temperature was colder than Rayne had ever experienced before.

The luckier people were huddled around an old wood burning stove and wrapped in worn out blankets. They were taking turns sipping on hot water they made by boiling the snow on the ground.

All of the people around were covered in dirt or dried blood. The cold temperatures made everyone too scared to bathe or even wipe themselves, causing many to get sick for reasons other than the cold temperatures.

Soft cries mixed with coughing could be heard within every group of people. The ones who weren't sick kept their heads down, knowing that their turn would be coming up next.

Rayne took in everyone's hopeless expression and a chill ran down her.

"What is happening? Why am I seeing these horrific scenes?!", yelled Rayne. She collapsed to the ground and started crying.

Rayne woke up with a few small tears in her eyes. "Why do I keep having these horrible nightmares? I used to never really get nightmares".

The rain outside picked up in intensity turning into a storm. The streaks of lightning lit up the dark apartment in bright flashes and the thunder made it feel like the building was shaking.

Rayne got up feeling a bit unnerved. She stood up rubbing her arms, feeling cold.

Walking over to the kitchen, she decided to make a hot cup of tea. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a jar of chamomile tea. The tea released a very nice and calming aroma, helping Rayne ease her nerves.

She scrolled through the list until she found the one thing she wanted, soup. Rayne frowned looking at the icon of the only soup she had stored, the hospital soup.

The next morning Rayne woke up early. She was happy to see that the rain had stopped, replaced by the bright summer sun.

Soon various hiking backpacks could be seen being filled with clothing. Rayne spent about an hour preparing for her upcoming camping trip. She wanted to have enough items packed so that it wouldn't be suspicious if she had to pull items out of her system.

As Rayne walked out of the apartment building, carrying a large hiking backpack and a cooler, she heard a snark.

"Looks like our pretty princess is still on vacation mode. Do tell us working folk, where are you heading off to now?", old Mrs. Barton sneered. She was enjoying the sun on the bench in front of the building, when she saw Rayne walk out with an expensive new cooler in her hand.

As soon as she saw this cooler her jealousy took over! She had been wanting this cooler for a long time!

Her husband used to work as a fisherman, and had always had a fondness for fish. Because he usually requests to eat fish a few times a week, she ends up taking long trips to the fish market in the neighboring city regularly.

This cooler was designed for comfort, style and reliability. She could place many fish in it and not worry about transporting them over such a long distance.

Because of this, she's been asking her son to buy her this cooler. But after discovering the super high price, she knew her son wouldn't spend that much on her. _{frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓}

"Hello Mrs. Barton", replied Rayne calmly. "I am indeed going out for a few days. The doctor told me to take my time adjusting to society, and recommended that I spent more time surrounded by nature. Therefore, I've decided to go camping".

"I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day", said Rayne as she continued on her way to the rental car.

She wasn't sure why she kept getting targeted by Old Lady Barton, but she made a mental note to try and avoid her in the future.

Rayne finally made it over to her rental car that was parked in the parking lot beside her apartment building. She was glad that she decided to only bring down one backpack and cooler, else she felt her arms would fall off.

She sat down in the driver's seat and reached back to place some tents, tarps, and a grill on the back seat. With everything in order, she set her navigation system to the park!