Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System novel Chapter 50

Julian was surprised by her invitation. He felt that Rayne was too kind for her own good. If he were a man with no morals, she would have invited disaster into her home. Julian felt a pang of unease; he didn’t like the thought of her getting into danger because of her kindness.

"I will graciously accept your kindness," he said, thanking her for the trouble. He still had time to kill before Damien made his move, so he figured, why not spend some time with Rayne? He was curious about her; something felt a little different about her.

She seemed very prepared, almost as if she had planned her trip here in advance. Either way, he wanted to make sure she was safe for as long as he could.

After their late lunch, Rayne cleaned up the table, pretending to bring the dirty dishes inside to wash them. As soon as she stepped through the door, she tossed them into the trash bin of her system.

Rayne looked out the window and observed Julian for a few minutes. She noticed that he looked like he was in pain. He must have been putting on a brave face in front of me, she thought. She opened her system and took out a small bottle of extra-strength painkillers and a bottle of water.

She walked over to Julian and presented the pills and water to him. "I’m guessing your twisted ankle must be causing you a lot of pain. Here’s a bottle of basic painkillers; hopefully, it can help ease your pain."

Julian looked at her worried face and felt really warm inside. It had been a while since he’d felt someone’s genuine concern for him, causing him to let out a small smile. He accepted the painkillers, swallowing two pills right away.

"Thank you for these. I’m sure they’ll help with the pain," he said, motioning for Rayne to sit with him.

"So, tell me a little about yourself, Rayne."

She looked at him and smiled. She was worried they would just sit there awkwardly, but it seemed that Julian had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Well, let’s see. I’m 24 years old. I like to cook... well, I guess it would be more accurate to say I enjoy eating good food."

Julian nodded, remembering her blissful face at the restaurant that one time.

"...I am an architect! Just recently, I got to work on a big contract with REN Corporation!"

Julian looked up at her. "Oh! I’ve heard of REN Corp! What sort of project did you work on?" he asked curiously. A part of him wanted to test her to see if she would disclose information about the bunker.

Rayne smiled. "Oh, it was an interesting project indeed! I got to design the president’s newest vacation home! I heard that he purchased a private island somewhere to have it built!"

Julian’s smile grew upon hearing her answer.

"Oh, that’s exciting indeed!" he said.

Rayne frowned immediately after. "Well, it’s unfortunate that he will probably never see it. I’m sure you’ve seen the news all around; he passed away about a month ago." She felt bad that they had hired her for such a top-secret project, but it seemed like it was all for nothing. Even with her short design deadline, she felt that it would’ve been impossible to finish the bunker construction before the president’s passing.

Julian tried not to give himself away with his smile. He lowered his gaze, looking at the table. "Yes, I heard about that. Unfortunate that he was killed like that."

"Yes, I agree. I heard that the killer was immediately arrested. It seems like the president’s family is really pushing to get him life in prison," said Rayne.