From the journal of John Archer, the Archivist, March 20

March 20, 2017

     Our group is still making slow progress. We left Eldorado Springs 3 days ago and arrived in Northglenn last night. We had to skirt the larger cities around Denver once we left Golden and so we had to go farther out than we wanted to. But, we made it without losing anyone or any of the cars we have left. Everyone was exhausted when we pulled over last night from 3 days of driving and struggling to move the snarls of cars off the roads to get by. We have decided to stay here today and decide tonight after dinner if we are ready to move on tomorrow.
     Yesterday, Aaron went ahead with a couple of the men to scout a location to set up camp while the rest of us stayed outside town for safety. They decided that Stukey Elementary School would be one of the safest locations to stay at. It had not been a designated emergency center because there is fencing and scaffolding around the building from ongoing remodeling work. I guess someone was worried about the children running around and getting hurt if people were staying there.

     We cut the lock on the gate to get through it and circled up the cars. We secured the gate behind us, set up sentries and assigned teams to search for undead inside the fenced area. Luckily, there were only two of janitors and two yard maintenance personnel who were easily dispatched. An exit point was chosen from the building and the cars were set up facing out as close as we could get them to the door.
     Amanda, Anthony and Jesus went to the cafeteria to see if anything was edible or in working order. I was secretly hoping that the fridge and freezer were still functioning, but alas, no such luck. Amanda put a sign on the doors so no one else would try to open them again and got to work setting up in the work space. There was a small cheer when she found the gas still on for the stove top and we knew we would be getting hot food for dinner that did not taste of campfire and smoke. Anthony found the supply of canned goods and non perishables and these were added to our food supplies.

     Chris, who used to work as a school custodian, set off with a couple of the button pushers to find other necessary items, like toilet paper and soap. The rest of us set up the beds in the cafeteria
on one side while others set up tables with utensils on the other side for when the food was done.
     Dinner was a happy affair with everyone laughing and talking since we were in a more secure location. The sentries were taken their warm food and extra clothing since the sun was going down. Candles were lit and Dave, one of the button pushers, pulled out his guitar and Rose, a medical assistant by training, sang. They played some of their favorites and then took requests for over an hour and they were able to play most of the songs suggested. I think it was the best night that I have spent since the start of the pandemic. No one wanted it to end so all the children protested and whined to stay up later when told to go to bed. The adults stayed up and talked while we can, as well as laugh and play music without the undead hearing and attacking our camp.
     It was agreed that we would stay here for a day and rest. The children were getting grouchy from traveling all the time. I know that it has been good to not sit in a car for a day, and sleeping past dawn was heavenly. The children spent the day looking through the classrooms for toys and forgotten clothes. I spent several hours looking through the library for books to read, both for the children and for myself. I found some classics and a couple of how to books that must have been put there for the teachers what elementary school student would want to read a manual on fixing electronics or HVAC systems repair. I took anything that looked useful or interesting. I ended up with two boxes of books that were put in the trunk of one of the cars for everyone to be able to look through.

     Today was like a mini holiday and was sorely needed by everyone. We are really hoping that when we get to the airport, there will be other survivors. It would be nice if there were some soldiers, as well. We are getting better at defending ourselves against the undead walkers, but it would be good to have some people trained in fighting techniques to teach the rest of us. If not, we will learn on the go, it will just take a little longer.
     We had another great night together tonight. Kim, one of our nurses, found the music room which made it possible for more people joined in. We ended up having a sing along and even threw in some songs for the children. Our group will be moving on tomorrow, first thing, so we are all going to bed early tonight. The everything besides our bedding is packed and ready to go. The time spent at this school will be a bright, shining memory for the rest of my life. We plan on locking the gate behind us, so if anyone else is in need of a safe place to stay here, the school will hopefully not be overrun.

As a writer and artist, I appreciate any readers and their comments. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Please, come read the other blog I write for our artisan collective, Raven's Castle Creations, on our website at www.ravencastlecreations.com. It includes posts on art, the mythology of symbols we use in our art, history and more! Also, come see the art we produce in our Etsy store at etsy.com/shop/RavenCastleCreations. Follow us on Twitter at @ravencastleart and on Facebook at @ravencastlecreations.