From the journal of Sean Glover, April 23

April 23, 2017

Today, I decided to go back to the sports store downtown. I hadn't been there since I first got here and I remembered it was a really cool place to spend some time looking around in. I drove the Porsche I had found at one of the houses I scavenged yesterday. I never thought I would get to sit in one, let alone drive one. Score one for living during the apocalypse!

I had been in the store for about a half hour when I hear another vehicle pulling up outside. I hid quickly and quietly, so I could watch and see who had just gotten here. I saw 3 girls and one guy get out of an official looking truck and walk up to the unlocked doors of the store. They came inside and I watched them for at least a half hour. They talked nicely to each other and helped each other. I liked seeing that, so I decided to come out of hiding. I cleared my throat and stood up from behind the clearance rack I had been hiding behind. They all pulled guns and pointed them at me and I put my hands up.
I said something like "Hey, it's just me. My name is Sean Glover. How are you?". I guess some of the manners the foster system tried to pound into me actually got through. That's when I found out their names and we started talking, still with me standing hands up and them standing guns out. It took about 20 minutes before they felt comfortable enough to put their guns down.  I waited and talked another couple before putting my hands down, slowly.
We spent an hour just talking and then, I told them about the house I had found. It has a wall, solar power, hot water and everything. We got everything they had chosen and the stuff I had stashed and they followed me back to the house.

They looked around and I could tell they were in shock, a little. Carol, the older lady, started laughing in the kitchen, when they saw the fridge and freezer, fully stocked. The others joined in and I couldn't help myself, I joined in, too. Then, I thought they were all going to cry when I showed them to one of the bathrooms upstairs and turned on the hot water. I showed the others to other, I guess they would have been called guest suites, or something snotty like that.  I showed them that there were lots of clothes in all the rooms and they all found something that, at least, kinda fit. I told them I would make some food and to take their time. I didn't see them for over an hour and when they all slowly wandered down, they were a lot cleaner.
We spent the rest of the day eating and watching movies. I know they felt like it wasn't real, but they will get used to it. I am just happy to have company and hear voices, that aren't mine and that don't come from a movie. Thank you, apocalypse!

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.