Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System novel Chapter 84

Anna still took the vials from Julian. "I can at least try to study them to the best of my ability in the meantime. Just no promises on any groundbreaking discoveries."

"Thank you, Anna. Just be careful; I don’t want this substance to affect you in any way," said Julian.

She nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to wear the proper protective equipment." Anna then turned her attention back to the microscope to continue studying the blood sample.

Julian turned to Noah. "We’re going to need to find a suitable chemist, the sooner the better. I heard that the government opened up a base nearby in the resort area. Can you send a few from the scouting team to check it out?"

"Yes, of course. I’ll make arrangements right away," said Noah, walking away.

Ian decided to stay with Anna and help her out in the lab. He was very interested in figuring out what his drug was about and enjoyed Anna’s company.

Rayne made her way back up to the living quarters with Julian, chatting along the way.

"So you said your ex-fiancé was holding this box and then passed it along to a sketchy man one night at a bar?" asked Julian. He was even more interested in figuring out the origins of this box and how closely related it was to Damien.

Rayne nodded. "Yes, it was exactly that. It was the night of the PRISMA gala, actually. I went to the bar with Ella; we both witnessed it." She felt a little weird talking about Dillon to Julian, but she noticed how serious Julian was about the box.

When they reached the communal living space, Julian placed his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Rayne. You’ve helped me out so much already. You’re my lucky star," he said in a low, masculine voice.

Rayne was a little surprised by the sudden hug but was very happy on the inside. She felt the hidden emotions behind Julian’s words. Although he hadn’t explained who Damien was, she knew that he felt strongly about this person.

Turning around, she placed her arms around his waist, hugging him back. "Don’t worry, we’ll find the chemist and get to the bottom of it," she said resolutely.

Julian felt very comforted by her embrace and words. Bending down, he rested his head against hers, giving her a big squeeze. "Mhm, we will."

----

In the countryside.

"Hey, welcome back, Dad! Were you able to find any information?" asked Ella. Reginald had been out for over 20 hours looking for information on the government shelters.

"Yes, I’ve finally obtained reliable information. We can head over tomorrow morning," he said as he took off his jacket. It was still raining sporadically outside, and he wore a jacket to protect himself from the rain.

"Oh, that’s lovely, honey! I’ll begin packing our things," said Ella’s mom, standing up to begin packing. Ella stood up to help her mom and began to fold the clothing and blankets.

Reginald walked over to the chair he brought down from the main house and sat down to relax. He had been walking non-stop for almost an entire day and was exhausted. Watching his wife and daughter working diligently to pack their things, he was happy that he was able to find a relatively safe base location for his family.

As she was making her way back to the basement, she walked past the dining room. Since this room was on the first floor, it was still relatively intact. She walked in, looking around for anything that could be salvaged when she spotted the wine cabinet in the corner of the room.

Ella’s eyes lit up! While wine was not a practical resource in the current economy, it would still be considered a luxury resource! Perhaps the value would go up even more with time. She quickly walked over and carefully placed the unopened bottles in a box, then placed them inside the car.

As she turned to head back inside the house, she spotted shadowy figures approaching from down the street. It was already night time, so she couldn’t make out who they were, but she noticed there was a whole group.

Ella quickly ran back inside, running down the stairs to wake her father up.

"Ella! What are you doing? Let your father rest!" scolded her mother.

Ella continued to shake her father and turned to look at her mom. "Mom, get ready. We need to leave now. There’s a whole mob of people making their way over here right now!"

Reginald woke up, hearing Ella’s words. "What?! Hurry up, get in the car now!" He sprang out of bed and ran upstairs to start the car.

Ella looked over and saw her mom trying to fold the blankets to bring with them. She ran up to her side and grabbed her by the arm to drag her up the stairs.

"Mom, leave it! We need to leave now! They’ll be here any moment!" urged Ella. Her mother listened to her words, dropped the blanket, and followed Ella up the stairs and into the car.