When they returned to the camper, it was already dinner ti. Rayne felt a little tired from the long walk, so she went inside and pulled out a simple al from her system.
She took out a pot of the homade soup she had made earlier, along with a fresh baguette from the fancy supermarket.
Julian saw Rayne bringing out the food and felt a little surprised. "You can sure cook quickly! This must be the difference between skilled and unskilled cooks."
Rayne averted her gaze. "Mhm," she responded quietly. She regretted being too hasty in bringing out the food. Now, all she could do was pretend that she had cooked it quickly.
Julian noticed her internal struggle and decided not to push the topic.
"Thank you, as usual. Everything you've made so far has been very good."
Rayne smiled at his complint. "Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my cooking."
After dinner, they cleaned up and watched an episode of the TV show Rayne had started, then got ready for bed.
Julian waited for Rayne to settle into bed before taking out his satellite phone. He noticed that he had received a ssage earlier but didn't want to expose having the phone, so he waited until now to look.
[Boss, we've arrived at the bunker. Team Alpha is here as well. We've managed to transport all of the prototype weapons from the main lab. Our n have also let know that Damien's n have started moving.]
Julian read the ssage. He was glad that the prototype weapons were salvaged because they could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
When he read the part about Damien's n being on the move, he knew he would have to return to the base soon.
[Got it. I'll be back soti tomorrow.]
After sending a ssage back, he laid down and stared at the ceiling.
"Why am I feeling so reluctant to leave?" he whispered. He was experiencing a flood of unfamiliar emotions and wasn't sure how to deal with them.
Closing his eyes, he kept convincing himself that dealing with Damien was more important than anything else.
---
When Rayne woke up the following morning, she saw Julian sitting outside on the bench of the picnic table.
"Oh, no morning exercises today? Or did you already do them?" she asked, smiling.
"Ah, no. I haven't done them yet. I was actually waiting for you," he replied, trying to appear cheerful.
Rayne felt like sothing was off and walked over to sit down across from him.
"Is sothing wrong? Did your ankle flare up from the walk yesterday?" she asked with heavy concern.
Julian shook his head. Her attentiveness and kindness made it hard for him to say what he wanted to, but he forced the words out anyway.
"I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving. My foot has healed enough for to walk, and I need to et up with my people."
He took a deep breath and continued, "Rayne, thank you for your kindness. These last few days have been really wonderful. I will rember them for a long ti."
Rayne sat there, shocked. She didn't expect him to leave so soon.
"Ah, no need to thank . You've been really nice company, and you've helped improve my shooting skills. If it's because I said you could stay until you're healed... that was because I didn't know you. You're welco to stay as long as you'd like!" she said, looking hopeful.
Julian looked at her hopeful expression and felt his heart break. He could tell that she enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers. He felt that a young woman living alone in the wilderness found comfort in having soone with her.
As much as he wanted to stay, or even bring her with him, he felt it would be very unfair to drag her into his war with Damien.
He took a deep breath. "I appreciate your invitation; however, I can't leave the people who are waiting for ."
Rayne's mind raced... Ah, he must have a girlfriend or wife and is anxious to get back to her.
While she felt a sharp sting in her heart, she put on a brave face. "In that case, let at least give you a backpack with a few supplies. The walk out of the forest is long."
Without waiting for his reply, she ran back inside the camper and flopped onto her bed.
"You knew this would happen. Why are you getting so upset now?" she mumbled into her pillow.
After a few minutes and a few deep breaths, she sat up and opened her system panel. She pulled out a copy of her black backpack along with a few water bottles, a pack of beef jerky, a packaged turkey sandwich, so painkillers, and an external hard drive that contained the TV show they were watching together these past few days.
She looked inside the backpack and thought for a minute. If he was heading back toward where people were, she wasn't sure if he would encounter any danger.
She took out a copy of her silenced pistol along with a small box of ammo and placed it in the backpack. Hopefully, he doesn't run into any trouble, and hopefully this can help him if he does.
A few minutes later, Rayne walked out of the camper holding the backpack. She walked over to stand beside Julian and did her best to smile.
"Here. It's just a few supplies like water and snacks. I also made a turkey sandwich, so eat that today when you get hungry. I hope you have a safe journey."
She handed the backpack to Julian. "Oh! Um... be careful around other people. I think when there's a lot of chaos and disaster, humans can be worse than rabid animals..."
She wanted to warn him more about the apocalypse but didn't know how to phrase it.
Julian accepted the backpack as he listened to her words. He felt her deep concern for him and felt even more reluctant to leave.
Looking up to et her eyes, he smiled. "Thank you, Rayne. I'll return your kindness one day." Carefully getting up from the bench, he turned to leave.
Rayne watched him leave and waved when he turned to look back. She felt lonely already but tried not to let it get to her.
"Julian, you're always welco to co back anyti!" she yelled, hoping that he could hear her.
Julian heard her words and waved back, acknowledging that he had heard her.
Shaking his head, he continued forward, his steps feeling heavy, as if his legs were made out of lead.
Rayne, you're not making this any easier for .
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