From the journal of Sean Glover, April 2

This entry was brought to me by the author, a young man named Sean Glover. He survived on his own from January until he met up with our group in late April.

April 2, 2017
   

     I just found this really cool, hand made, leather journal in some artsy store in Aspen, Colorado. Never been here before, but since I am heading West, I thought I might find some cool shit here. I was so right! I found a really cool minus temperatures sleeping bag and a really sweet crossbow, like the one Daryl uses in the Walking Dead with arrows for days. I replaced my crappy tent with a deluxe tent that woulda cost more than my last foster family got a month for "housing" the five of us foster kids. That place was a gold mine! I even took a bunch of MRE's and some cooking stuff. And then when I left, I replaced the old Toyota that I took from my foster home when  I left. There was this sweet Lexus SUV right out front with no one in it, but the keys in the ignition.
     I had only been in the Simmons' family home for six months when Shelby, the oldest daughter, came home from work at the urgent care clinic with a bite from some elderly homeless dude. It didn't take long for her to get really sick and she died the next afternoon.
     By then, the news was pumping out information being fed to them by stupid government employees. The wrong information they told us and the stuff they didn't say really fucked us all. I mean, no one knew that getting bit was a death sentence and a guarentee of coming back one of those things.
     Lyndsey, our foster mother, and Glenn, our foster father, didn't know what to do. When they tried to call for an ambulance for Shelby, the lines were busy. They couldn't reach anyone and so they just left her on her bed, covered her up and closed the door. Right after dinner, there was a weird moaning and growling noise coming from her room. Lyndsey walked down the hall and called out her name. Something started to banging into the door from the inside and the sounds became more like a hurt animal would make. The door was shaking in its frame with every hit and Lyndsey was leaning on the wall across from it, crying. Glenn pushed past us foster kids and pulled the door open. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
      The thing that used to be Shelby launched herself at Glenn and attached herself to her father, latching onto his neck with her mouth and wrapping her arms and legs around his torso. Blood squirted the hallway and Lyndsey screamed bloody murder over and over with every breath while sliding down the wall! Glenn dropped to his knees and Shelby turned to look at her mother but there was no recognition. She jumped on her mothers crumpled form and sank her teeth into her shoulder. The other fosters started running down the hall, I think to try to help Glenn and Lyndsey. Me, I dove into my room and shoved my shit into my backpack. None of us had much, so it only took me like a minute.
    When I looked out into the hallway, everyone was either dead or dying. Shelby was feasting, taking a bite from Glenn, then a nibble from Anna, one of the fosters, followed by a bite from someone else. It kinda looked like a zombie buffet. I waited until she turned her head to take a bite of Randy, another foster kid, and they I booked it down the hall, grabbed Lyndseys purse for the car keys and ran out the front door.
     I slid to a stop on the front porch and couldn't believe what  I saw! The house across the street was on fire and the lady was eating one of her kids on the front lawn. Next door, the car was on, the radio was playing Kenny G, and the guy was sitting in his underwear, eating his dog in the driveway. As far was I could see, people were running, fighting or being eaten. Screams were coming from most of the houses and smoke was coming from more than a few.
     I heard a wet, sliding sound behind me and when I turned, there was Lyndsey or what was left of her. She was dragging her upper body along and trailing a stump for one leg. Glenn and Shelby were following behind her. I guess the others hadn't come back enough to come with them, but the three of them were enough for me. I turned and ran to the car, got in, started it and drove away.
     That was January 12th. I have been on my own since then. At first, I went to the grocery store in town, but there were too many walkers around. So I asked myself, what Carl would do in my situation. I mean, everyone made fun of me for watching the Walking Dead, but now it has been , like, training for what to do to survive. I remembered him searching houses for food, keeping on the move, and being a bad-ass. I have tried to do the same. I even found a giant can of pudding, but I couldn't finish it all at once.

     Now, I am sitting in this primo house in Aspen. It has solar power and still had food that was edible in the freezer. It didn't look like the house ever lost power for long. I was so stoked to be able to take a hot shower. Whoever lived here had a huge movie collection, so I think I will just hang out here for few days, unless a horde comes through. I found some earphones, so I can listen to the movies as loud as I want without attracting any walkers in the neighborhood. Shit, I might just move from house to house here for while. These places are the shit!

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.