From the journal of Charlie Fast Fingers Pearson, May 7

May 7, 2017

We made it at least a quarter of the way down the mountain today.  Yesterday, the guys made a really awesome sled/sling. It takes at least two people, and it's better with four, but Melanie is not being dragged across the ground, hitting every bump. They tried it out, with her in it, last evening and it was so much better for her and we will be able to move down the mountain faster. Now, it looks like Buck and I will be setting the pace. The day and a half of rest really made my leg stop hurting as bad. But Buck is still having trouble breathing and he moves slower than any of us want to go. If he could sit back and be pulled, or carried, then it would be better for the rest of us, but he has a worse time breathing when he lays down. Hopefully, he can pick up his pace a little bit.
Terry and Martin spent yesterday collecting as much to eat as possible. We don't know if the natives planted fruit or vegetables between us and their village. We've had to plan for there not being anything for us to eat until we make it all the way down the mountain. And then, we don't know if there is any food that hasn't spoiled in the village. For all we know, they might have killed and eaten all their livestock and birds when the entire village turned into zombies. That would be our luck.
So far, we have seen the trees change from the high mountain fruit trees and large ferns to smaller trees that have nothing to eat and more small bushes and moss like plants. I wonder how much more the plants and trees are going to change when we get all the way to shore. We are all assuming that is where the village is going to be and fish was probably one of the main foods the natives ate. We might get lucky and find a boat that's able to be sailed on the ocean. Maybe we can sail to somewhere else, maybe even back to the fucking States, and escape this island.

Most islands have a limited supply of food on them and then people have to either bring in more food or fish or something. This place, wherever it is, probably hasn't had any food brought in since the pandemic started, and the people turned a while ago, so no one has been fishing. I just hope they have dry goods, like grains or flour, and then we can make something to eat. It might be the simplist bread and might not even taste good, but it will be filling and it won't be fruit.
Looks like almost everyone is ready to go. Some of the guys are getting Melanie in her rig and it looks like Marty cleaned up a walking stick for Buck. Maybe leaning on a stick will take some of the pressure off his ribs.
Here we go. We'll be coming down the mountain when we come. Here's hoping there aren't a bunch of undead natives waiting for us farther down the mountain.

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.

From the journal of Sarah Richards, April 27

April 27, 2017

Not much has happened since the last time I wrote. We've just been surviving. There hasn't been any sound that wasn't made by the undead or by us. There have been a few shots heard from the Towers. Most of the time, we'd hear a bunch of shots really fast and then nothing. Like the zombies got into one of the apartments where someone was still surviving and then the live person got overwhelmed by the undead and then silence. Every time it happens, we huddle together in a group and comfort each other. There's nothing else we can do.
Even if we made it back through the tunnel and back to the Towers, there's only a few of us and hundreds of zombies. There's no way we could rescue anyone and we would just die trying. At least, that's what we keep telling ourselves and each other. It still hurts though. The gunfire could be coming from someone we know, our friends or neighbors, and we are helpless to help them.

I miss the Towers and our apartment. It was warm and I miss being that warm. We've used wood, cloth, and any pieces of furniture we could find, to try to close in the space we are in. It's hard enough to heat one room without lots of holes for the heat to go out. We have to be careful to not fill our space with carbon monoxide, but we have a 55 gallon drum and have kept a fire burning in it since we got here. We got a grate to put on the top to heat food on and we use foil to keep the food from burning. There's a lot of wood around, since the building is falling apart, and we should be good for a while. We got most of the food, from both of our apartments, to our hideout, so we were good on food too. Water is the main issue. We put out container we cleaned in a bunch of the upper apartments to collect as much rain water as we can. It's not enough, but it has rained a couple of days and the water helped us save some of the bottles of water.

I was feeling so useless, I convinced Mandy to go with me to the port end of the tunnel. We made it all the way to the end and crept up, really quietly, to see what was out there. We could see some buildings, but neither of us spent a lot of time in the port, so we had no idea what buildings we were looking at. I was surprised to see that the streets in view were mostly empty. We only saw, like, fifteen or so in the two hours we watched the street. We tried to push the metal gate open and go search the buildings we could see, but the grate was padlocked and we didn't have the key. We'll have to come back another day with bolt cutters. Then we headed back to Buckner and told our parents we were searching apartments on other floors.
Mandy and I need to go back to the port and look for water. Mom will never agree to us going, especially without her, so we are going to have to sneak away. I talked to Mandy and we are going to have to smuggle things out slowly, over a couple of days. Tomorrow, we are going to try to get our backpacks out and hide them in the tunnel. The next day, we will get the bolt cutters out and then the day after, some food and a couple bottles of water. That way, if something happens while we're there, we can find somewhere to hide. The food and water would give us a chance to come up with a way to get back to Buckner. Mom'll be freaking out by then, but we need the water.

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.

From the journal of Jenna Bless, May 9

May 9, 2017

I am so excited! Williams and Gary found a group of young people, closer to my age! I have been wishing for some people around my age. All the people here are a lot younger or a lot older and I miss talking to people who understand where I am coming from. Movies, books, shows. No one understands my references and I miss that. I am really hoping they are cool.
Henry is starting to get better. He turned a corner and he is going to live, which is weird because no one has ever heard of someone surviving a bite. Doctor Ben says if we can find a compound to make secure, then he can try to set up a lab and study Henry's blood. Maybe even find a cure, or at least something that can save someone who is bit. Like a flu shot or something. But Henry is still not quite ready to move, so we have to stick around here for another day or so.

The kids don't mind. They have built themselves a playhouse like no other from the play sets in all the back yards. We had cleared some houses and then took our their fences between the back yards and it gave them lots of room. I even played games with them where the play structures were castles and we were friends sometimes and enemies at others.
We have plenty of books. That's one thing about rich peoples houses, they have books and toys and stuff like that. I had to borrow books from the library and I didn't get to keep them, not even my favorite ones. These kids don't know how lucky they are to get to have them. We even made space in the back of the truck to bring all of them with us when we head to Aspen.

I think we have enough stuff to fit out a place for us in Aspen. We found a construction site and it has a flat bed trailer of wall sections. Daniel was a commercial truck driver and would have no problem taking them with us. We can totally make a kick ass wall around any place, or make a wall already there even better. There are other materials that we can take too. Plus, this really large truck that can pull a trailer with those supplies. I am really feeling hopeful about finding a place in Aspen that is safe and secure for us. Somewhere we can settle and figure out what's next.
Is there someplace we should be trying to get to. Somewhere we could work together with people to bring the world back to the way it was? Could Dr. Ben come up with a cure or vaccine or whatever, especially if he had the help of other doctors? Or was getting stuff back the way it was only a dream, and not even a smart one at that? I'm just a teenager, but even I think about stuff like that, so the adults must be wondering about stuff, too.
For now, I guess we should all really focus on Aspen and getting a safe place to figure stuff out. And people around my own age, well it's a bonus.

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.

From the record kept by the twins Jenny and Barbie Crow, May 3

May 3, 2017

We did it! We made it into the security office after taking out the last 10 undead, including the monster.
When we went back down to there, I counted to three and we pushed through the door. It looked like a tornado had gone through the room with out barricades mostly knocked over and stuff thrown around. I am betting that when we got out the door last time, the monster was hungry and angry he lost his meal and threw a fit. I saw this in about five seconds and knew we were not going to be able to use the same idea of staying safe behind our barricades to take the rest of the zombies out. We both jumped back through the door and secured it. Then, we had to decide if we were still going to try to take the last of them out.
We grabbed our quiet weapons and checked our pistols before going back through the door ready for action. The monster was nowhere in sight, but five regular size zombies started shuffling towards us. They were easy to take out and only took a few minutes. Then, we heard the sound of a rhino coming down the hallway and knew the monster was on his way. I hid behind a knocked over metal filing cabinet and Barbie crouched behind a heavy oak bookshelf on it's side, hoping to catch him by surprise when he walked by us. That way, we would both be behind him.

He came barreling into the room and roared like some crazed thing. He started throwing furniture out of his way and stomped right by both of us. Barbie used her make shift spear and stabbed him in the back of his head, but all he did was shake his head like a bee had stung him. The monster turned, saw her and growled like a rabid animal before stepping towards he. I jumped up and used my spear to stab him through the eye closest to me, but again he just shook his head and kept going. I decided that enough was enough and pulled my gun. I lined up the shot, fired and kept firing until he fell to his knees before slamming his face into the floor. His arms were still moving and he tried to get back up. Barbie pulled her gun and put her full clip into the back of his skull. The monster was finally still.
Then I heard the last few zombies entering the room and we had to take them out with no rest. When we were done, we both collapsed onto the floor against the wall and looked around at what we had just done. I was exhausted and I knew that Barbie had to feel the same, but we got up and headed for the door to the security area. We hadn't made it  10 steps when pounding started on the main door we came through to take out the undead. We were going to have to fight our way out of here when we were done, but with a look, we kept going into the security area.

Inside, we found a lot of office space with nothing truely useful inside. The last office before security did have a water cooler with five unopened bottles and one on the cooler that was half gone. We would have to bring the cart down here to take them back to our apartment. We found a little bit of snack food in a couple of the desks and a carton of cigarettes in the bottom drawer of a desk. Barbie was excited about those although she has never smoked before. But hey, it's the end of the world. Having an occasional smoke might be nice.
Then we went into the security office. Monitors with blank screens formed a wall on the right. There were five desks around the office with filing cabinets and a sofa along the wall on the left. Next to the sofa on the wall was a locked gun rack with four rifles and seven pistols still on their pegs behind the glass. Jackpot! We moved to it and broke the glass, putting the guns in our nap sack. I opened the drawers below the rack and found boxes of ammo for all of the guns, which went into the bag, too.
Barbie grabbed my arm and pointed at a closed door on the back wall. We could see a shadow moving back and forth through the blinds of the windows andk knew our zombie killing job was not done yet. We used hand signals to make a quick plan and I stood in front of the door, ready to open the door. Barbie stood off to the left ready with her spear to stab the undead in the head of securities office. I turned the knob and tried to pull the door open, but realized it would have to be pushed in. I used a pantomine motion to explain to her what I was going to have to do and she nodded she was ready.
I turned the knob and pushed with all my might while jumping back to a safer distance from the now open door. The final undead security guard came barreling out with a loud snarl and Barbie slammed her spear through the side of his head. He fell to the floor and didn't more again.
We searched his office and found a couple of hand guns and some ammo, snack food galore and a couple of sets of handcuffs. We piled our supplies in the office closest to the main exit door and prepared to fight our way back to our place for our cart. We should have thought to bring it, but we were so worried about the monster that we didn't bring it along.
When we opened the door, there were like eight undead office workers mingling in the hallway and we drew them into the room we were in so we could use the furniture to our advantage. It took us around ten minutes to take them out and then we trudged up the stairs to our place. I knew we needed to go back to get the stuff we had gathered,  but exhaustion won out for an hour of napping. Then we carried the cart down the stairs and to the office. We piled our supplies into it and pulled it back up the stairs to our place. We had done it and I knew we would feel like we had accomplished something later, after we slept the rest of our exhaustion off. Mission accomplished.

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.

From the journal of James Cohen, May 10

May 10, 2017

Rebecca and I are still at the care home. We haven't moved on yet because this place has been so good to us. I have been helping with the immobile patients while Rebecca has been helping to cook make meals for everyone. Over the last couple of days, we have started to fit into this little community and feel like we are part of something larger.

Then, this morning, we heard the sound of bikes rumbling down a street near us. I immediately thought of the bikers that I took out the day I met Rebecca and I got scared for the people in the Care Home.  I immediately went to Jackie and explained my fears and she agreed that we needed to know who the people on the bikes were and if they were bad people like the ones Rebecca and I had dealt with. We called an meeting right away and Jim volunteered to go with me once the situation was understood.
We snuck out the back and Jackie let us through the gate. I made sure that my rig was not able to be seen from the street in front of the Care Home, just in case the bikers came this way. I had this horrible feeling that Rebecca and I might have been followed to this place and I really didn't want it to be true.
We went alley to alley, getting closer to the sound of the bikes with every step. It sounded like there were quite a few of them, all rumbling but the sound was not getting any farther away. Were they moving? Or were they stopping in this town?
We got to a point that there was only a line of buildings between us and the bikers, and I motioned for Jim to go into the remains of a clothing store. We ducked into the dressing rooms to make sure we couldn't be seen if anyone walked by the front or even stepped into the store. In there, I whispered that we needed a way to see them without being seen by them. Jim motioned that he wanted to show me something in the store. He took me to the back room and there was a staircase to the roof. We walked up it carefully, praying that none of the stairs would make too much noise. The door at the top of the stairs was, thankfully, unlocked and didn't squeal as we opened it.
I glanced around the rooftops to make sure that they hadn't put a lookout up there yet but didn't see anyone. We quietly walked to the edge closest to the bikers and cautiously looked onto the side they were idleing in. Wow, there had to be at least twenty of them. Then, I felt a chill go down my spine. At the front of the group was the Mr and Mrs Hairy in the middle of a group of seven men and he was obviously giving orders to them. Shit, we had been followed.

I gestured for Jim to go back to the door and we made our way off the rooftop. Back in the dressing room, I told him that it was the man who was trying to get his people into the building where Rebecca had been living when I found her. We needed to get back to the Care Home, quickly and quietly. And without being spotted by anyone from the biker group. We were really careful to check the street in front of the store and then beat a hasty retreat back the way we had come.
When we were back with the others, I pulled Jackie and Rebecca aside with Jim and we told them what we had found out. Rebecca started to shake and Jackie almost started to panic. I quickly explained that we needed to figure out how to either be unseen and not heard while the bikers were in town, or we needed to make a plan to get everyone out of here, and now.
We called another meeting and made sure right at the begining that all the windows were covered. I explained to the entire group what was going on and everyone agreed that leaving was probably the better option. We didn't know if the bikers had followed Rebecca and I looking for revenge, or if they were just headed in the same direction. But could we take a chance? Would they think to look for medical places besides hospitals looking for supplies? Jackie told everyone that she knew the time would come when they would have to leave the home, she was just hoping that it wouldn't come anytime soon. As the meeting was breaking up, the sound from the bikes died suddenly, which means the bikers were stopping for sure. We just didn't know for how long.
I pointed out that my rig was probably the safest way to get out of here, because it is large and we could just run over anyone in our way. But there was not way to fit all fourteen of us inside the cab, even with the sleeping area. One of the elderly men, Fred, suggested that Jim and I go look in the wherehouses to see if we could find a trailer that would hook up to my rig. Then, everyone else could ride in the trailer. I pointed out that it would not be very comfortable to rid around in an empty trailer, but if we could get some mattresses or something in the trailer, it would make it a lot better for those inside. Talk turned to what would be taken from inside the home and everyone split up to gather the supplies we were going to take.
Jim and I left right after the meeting to search the local businesses and it only took us about an hour to find a trailer that would work for us. It was already mostly empty but had a couple pallets of chips, crackers and soda next to the front of the trailer. Perfect. Now all we needed to do was get the rig here, only four buildings away from the home, get them hooked together and then get everyone and everything we needed inside.
We made our way back to the home to report what we had found. A debate started about whether we should leave right away or should we wait to see if they left in the morning. The group decided that we needed to wait at least over night because the rig is really loud and they would hear it start and come to investigate. Now, if they didn't rumble out in the morning, we would have to decide if we would take a chance on starting the rig and hope we made it out before they found us. But for tonight, we are going to be really quiet, not use any lights, stay away from the windows and pray they didn't come to this part of  town.
Here's hoping we aren't discovered tonight and make it out tomorrow, safely.

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.

From the recovered journal of the Battle of the New Alamo, April 30

April 30, 2017

It's been several days since we killed Samuel and have been on our own. Michelle and I have been eating, resting and recovering from our ordeal as his meat to be slaughtered. I just really wish we had taken him out before he killed Mary. I wanted to, but the others were scared and urged me to not do anything. I should never have listened to them. Samuel deserved to die and it should have been a more horrible death then he got.

Michelle and I have noticed that some of the undead who came over the walls have gone back over them now that there is nothing left to eat inside the fort. A few days ago, I watched through a crack in the boards over the window as a group of around twenty climbed up to the top of the walls and then fell over the side. I wonder if they saw something alive out there and that is why they went over, or if it is an urge to go look for food that drove them over the top? Then, over the last two days, I have seen a lot more do the same thing. There are still hundreds inside the fort, so we are still stuck in these rooms, but we have eaten better since we killed Samuel and are building up our strength to do something.

Michelle is really scared and doesn't want to leave these rooms, but I am not ok with just staying here until we run out of food and starve. I know there is more food stored in the chapel, but it is down the stairs and about 50 feet across the courtyard. If enough of the undead go back over the walls, we might be able to make it across and into the chapel. But we are bound to be seen by some of the undead and then they would beat on the doors and draw more of the ones in the fort to where we were. I need to find a way to distract the zombies while we make our move.
I searched to rooms to see if there was anything helpful, besides the food, fireworks and I also found a pistol with around 100 rounds of ammo. Samuel, the shit, had kept his own stash or bullets when he made everyone else give theirs up for the "good of the group". I guess it's now a good thing, but still, he was an awful person. I don't know how he got to be in charge, but he killed everyone inside the fort with his bad decisions, as far as I'm concerned. Why the hell was this place not stocked at the same time or even before the walls were being built? Then, when we all had to retreat here, there would have been food and ammo to keep everyone alive longer so we could come up with a way to survive as a group!
Now, Michelle and I are the only people we know, for sure, are still alive inside the walls of the fort. I think everyone that got stuck in the hotel died when it was overrun. The group of soldiers who went to try to get more supplies never returned. And there are thousands of people who were behind the walls of San Antonio when the big walls fell that we don't know their fates. I guess there could be pockets of people alive in buildings around the city. We are so screwed.

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.

From the journal of Charlie Fast Fingers Pearson, May 5

May 5, 2017

We got stuck right where the trail heads back down the mountain. The going was so rough that Melanie was really out of it from the pain. I was limping so bad, even my walking stick wasn't helping and Buck said his ribs felt like they were breaking with every step and he was having a lot of trouble catching his breath. Will and Marty talked it over and decided that it would be better if we took a couple days of rest before heading down the trail. Also, some of the guys are making a better sled to get Melanie down the mountain, hopefully with less pain.

Besides, our fruit supply is running low, so Terry and Martin are going to look for something we can eat. If they have to, they will go back up the mountain to get some more fruit. I know that they want to get moving, but some of us are still recovering from the injuries we got in the crash. Most of us that got hurt are doing ok now. Jessie and Mick are not in much pain when they use their arms and stopped using their slings. Will is still having headaches and his vision isn't back to normal yet, if it'll ever be. He was hit in the head really fucking hard and he might not ever be back to the way he was before. Not that any of us ever will be.
I know that I am grateful that I don't have to walk much tomorrow. My leg feels like it's on fire and every step is fucking agony! At least the cut is closed and doesn't look like it will open on it's own again. Although, I will not be entering any leg beauty contests, ever. Maybe, if the world rights it's fucking self, I can get a tattoo to cover the worst of it. I thought when it happened that it was one cut, straight down the leg. But really, it is a few cuts that connected and it has healed really jagged and rough. Shit, my last woman wouldn't be willing to look at my leg anymore, let alone touch it. I don't even want to touch it or look at it. But, we had to rip off the leg on my pants, so it is out there for everyone to see. Yuck!
The one I really am worried about is Buck. His bruising has gotten a little better, but his breathing hasn't been very good since the accident. I hope nothing was hit or punctured when his ribs were broken. He hasn't coughed up blood in a while, but what do I know about internal injuries? I played the guitar for a living. I didn't go to medical school or even have any training, even first aid. He has been slowing us down more even than Melanie on her sled. At least she goes as fast as the guys pulling the sled can go. With the terrain, they've had to lift the sled and her over branches more than they have been able to drag her. Good thing they're strong men, used to lifting heavy equipment.
Well, I need to stop writing and get a fire ring set up so I can start a fire. I guess I am just the fire tender now.

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.

From the journal of Marie Costa, May 6

May 6, 2017

We had a really bad argument this morning after breakfast. I brought up the need for us to leave and find somewhere else to survive, but about half of the people here didn't want to hear it at all. I pointed out how lucky we have been that no one has tried to break in here to get food, but they just said that no one has come so far, so it should be good. I told them that made no sense because the longer the world was in the toilet, the bigger the chance that someone WILL show up looking for food. No one wants to think about it, though. There will come a time, if we stay here, that it will become an issue when someone shows up, armed and dangerous.
I talked to Will, Jorge and Frank after the meeting and they both are on the same page as I am. Jorge told us that he had spent some time in his 20's as a truck driver and could probably remember how to drive the truck with a little practice. Now, we have to figure out where we want to head when we leave here. We decided to have a meeting with all the people here that think leaving is the better idea.
This afternoon, when we had the meeting, we found out the entire group is split almost in half. We have myself, Linda, Frank, Will, Jorge, Isabella and Alex. The group that wants to stay has Sarah, Jake, Alice, Andrew, Lisa and Jackie. The people who want to stay came to the meeting too, just to listen in. I think we may be able to convince a couple of them that leaving is a better idea, if we have the time. But, I really think we will not have time and that we need to get out of here as soon as possible.

I opened the meeting by saying we need to get out of the store and does anyone have any ideas or place to go. Alex said his family has a house right on the outskirts of town but he didn't know if anyone was alive there or not. Will and I both said that being on the edge of town was not going to be good enough. Lisa said that she knew someone who owned a piece of property about a half mile outside of town, but that there is nothing built on it. I told her we needed a place to go that had a building on it already. Then, Isabella told us that her grandfather had a cabin about 10 miles outside town and her cousin was living there until about six months ago. He had installed solar, built a greenhouse and added a hand pump to the well. Then, he got a job in the big city and ditched the cabin. I asked if anyone else had any ideas. No one came up with anything else. So, we all agreed that this was the best option anyone could come up with.
Next, Will brought up that we would need to gather supplies from the store and find a way to get the truck backed up to the receiving doors. We needed to figure out if the keys were still in the truck, or if we had to go through the bodies of the zombies we took out in the store. I volunteered to make the dash to the truck and see if it was unlocked or if the keys were visible. Will and Frank agreed to go with me and watch my back. We grabbed our stakes and headed for the door closest to the truck. I took a look and saw that there were only a couple of undead on the ramp and we went for it.

I took out one of the undead on my way to the truck and heard one of the guys take out the other one. I made it to the truck and found the door unlocked. I jumped into the truck and slammed the door when I felt a hand trying to grab my calf. When I looked out the window and down, I saw the truck driver was half under  the truck. He was missing most of the flesh from his arms and legs and it looked like he had tried to hide from the zombies by crawling under the truck. At least I knew where to find the driver if I had to search him for the keys.
I turned my attention to looking in the cab for the keys. I checked the ignition, the dashboard, the glove box and under the seat. Then, I remembered that in the movies, the keys are sometimes between the visor and the roof, so I looked there next. Bingo! We were in luck! I put them in my pocket and got ready to stake the driver when I opened the door, but saw that Frank had already taken him out and was waiting with his back to me, at attention, in case any other undead were attracted by the sound we were making.
I opened the door, jumped down from the cab and we dashed back to the door. Linda opened it and we slipped inside. I did look back right before the door closed and saw that a group of five teenage zombies came around the corner right as the door closed behind me. We would have to take them out to get back to the truck when we had the supplies ready to load.
We had done what we needed to do, so we ate something and then rested for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, we will start collecting what we wanted to take with us and hopefully be ready to go within the next two to three days. I don't know why I feel this almost overwhelming need to get out of this place really fast, but I have learned to listen to my instincts. Those of us that are leaving will ready and out of here soon. Those who are staying, well, hopefully nothing will happen.

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.

From the journal of Nathan Sanchez, May 7

May 7, 2017

I think the older generation is starting to come around to the need for fresh blood to be brought in for us. We have all been talking about it for days around the ranch and even Consuela is starting to soften her positition. Especially, since her own daughters are not married and if she wants grandchildren, they are going to need a man who is not related to them. And, believe me, even in the times we are in, she wants grandchildren.
The surveillance of the building supply place is almost done. No one has gone in or out since we started watching it, so I think we are going to hit it in the next couple of days. There are still a lot of supplies in the yard and the store is still full. We should be able to get everything we need to build the greenhouse and other supplies to help in the defense of the ranch. Fernando is maping out our plan and is going to go over the plan with the rest of the teams tonight or tomorrow. Then,we'll have to get everything we need to make the hit together and then we hit the place.
Darren and I have been helping out around here while we waiting for the surveillance to be done, making the changes to make us more secure. Diego has a lot of ideas about ways to make the ranch safer. He wants to build a wall and plant some kind of fast growing vine on it to make it look like it has been there since before the pandemic started. We'll have to look at the seeds we have and see if we have anything that will work for him.

Darren also has us all collecting and saving the glass bottles we have around here to make broken glass for the top of ihis wall and for putting in strategic places around the ranch, like between trees and bushes on the outskirts of our protected zones. He says the bigger the pieces the better the chance of going through someones shoes and stop them from walking in any further. He also has us to dig trenches that we can line with the broken glass and then cover over with thin branches and a light coating of dirt, so it still looks like the ground around it, and then when someone steps on it, BOOM! Down they go, hopefully all full of holes and glass.

He has other ideas, too. Some of them are a little out there, but we will probably try almost anything if it sounds like a good idea.
Time to go dig trenches.

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.

From the journal of Marie Costa, May 5

May 5, 2017

Well, yesterday was a really relaxing day. We cleaned up the mess we made when we took out the undead. Some of them had left slime trails as they came after us. Will was going to take out Mark, but I stopped him. I told him that jerk is going to spend some time as an undead cashier and think, or I guess, not think about what an dick he was to all of us before the pandemic. I feel joy when I walk by him and see him in that condition. I put some caution tape around the register area so everyone knows how far he can reach. I know we will have to take him out sometime, but  I want to enjoy his being undead for a while.

We used some of the little sterno cans to heat up some soup and it was so wonderful eating something warm! It was like velvet going down my throat and my stomach was all warm and fuzzy when we were done. I have so missed food that is not at room temperature.
I started covering up the windows on the sides of the doors. The undead know there are live people in here and are banging on the windows, and the sound is drawing more of them. I talked it over with some of the others and we are going to have to take out the ones already out front. Frank agrees and we are coming up with a plan. I think we are going to have to sneak out the receiving area and make our way slowly and quietly around the building. If we can get the attention of the ones on the edge of the group banging on the windows, then we can take them out in small groups that we can manage. When we asked for volunteers, Jake, Will, Alice, Jorge and I stepped forward to help Frank. We are going to go out and try tomorrow.
Tonight, I am going to make sure all our weapons are ready and we all know what we are supposed to do. I wish more of the others were willing to help, but they are all afraid to even step outside. I know there is the chance that we will run into a group we can't handle, but what else are we supposed to do? Hide in here forever? Eventually we will run out of food that is still edible. I don't want to spend the next several years in this place. I didn't even want to spend the time I was scheduled in this place before this began and now, I really want to get out of here and find somewhere else to spend the apocalypse. Almost anywhere would be better than a grocery store. We are lucky that no one has tried to break into this place to take the food already. It's pushing our luck staying here much longer.
There is one truck that was still in our driveway when the shit hit the fan, and I think we should load up whatever is still ok to eat and find somewhere else to be. I am going to have to find out if anyone can drive a big rig truck. I am going to bring this whole idea up when we have the next meeting.
For now, I am sharpening up my stake and making a couple of others to have in case I can't get my first one back after sticking it in some undead's head. Here's hoping tomorrow goes well and no one gets hurt while we kill all the zombies.

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.

From the journal of Correctional Officer Steven Williams, May 8

May 8, 2017

Two days ago, Gary and I went to scout Aspen. We figured with it being just the two of us, we could get in and out without being seen if anyone was already there. We drove to the edge of downtown and left my truck hidden there, we didn't want the sound to draw any undead or even anyone alive. We wanted to watch anyone to make sure if they looked like good or bad people. The group also gave us a list of stuff to look for that we might find easier in this rich town.
First, we went downtown and went through some of the stores. We used a couple of shopping carts to get the stuff back to my truck and stored. Then we started going down the streets and checking random houses for any signs of life.
We had only gone down five or so streets and were checking out this really sweet house when I saw a couple of young men walking down the street towards us. We ditched inside really fast and made our way quietly up the stairs to an upstairs bedroom. Gary handed me a granola bar, since we hadn't eaten yet, and we spent about 30 minutes watching them. They seemed to be on patrol, but were not  doing a great job of looking around. If they had, they would have seen our footprints in the yards of a couple of the houses they had passed.
Gary and I talked about it and decided to leave the house and try to follow the boys to see where they were staying and if they had anyone else with them. It was a good thing too! They must have seen movement in our window and although they tried to act all calm, we could both tell they were freaking out a little bit and figured they would come check out the house we were in. Gary said we should leave our garbage so they would know someone was here, for sure, and then we could see how they would react.
We had just ducked into the house across the alley when they came down the alley and went into the place we had been. When they came out, they immediately headed back the way they had come from. I could tell from the way they were moving that they thought they were being really suave about it, like there was nothing out of the ordinary. But, it was obvious that we had rattled them.
Turns out, they are staying in this compound three streets from where they saw something. They made it back there in like 15 minutes and shortly after, they came back out with three girls. They spent the rest of the afternoon reinforcing their fence, gates and house. We really must have freaked them out.

From what we saw, they seem to be good people. Most of them are pretty young, maybe a little older than Jenna, and they don't know as much as they think they do. It seems like they got most of their information from movies and T.V.
Gary and I waited until the sun started to go down and then snuck back to my truck. Then we drove back to our group and had a meeting to discuss what we saw. It has been decided that as soon as Henry is able to be moved, we are going to go to Aspen and see if we can get in touch with the people we saw there. The compound they are staying in would be perfect for both of our groups to stay in together and we can really help them get the place way more secure. I hope they are as nice as they seemed. I'm sure Jenna would enjoy having people closer to her own age around. I know she gets along with the kids and the adults, but she must miss people her own age.

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.

From the journal of Sean Glover, May 7

May 7, 2017

I haven't written anything lately because there really wasn't much happening. We have been scavenging more houses and have found some food and stuff. We even spent a day downtown looking through the stores. The girls got a real kick out of it because there are some stores that had some really high end stuff they would never have been able to afford to wear before the shit hit the fan. Elisabeth found a really great leather jacket that must have been made for some Hollywood starlette to buy, but everything fell apart and it was still in the store. I don't think she has taken it off since she found it, except to shower and sleep. Carol found this dress that reminds me of something one of those fifties housewives would have worn. It even has the puffy part under the skirt! She calls it her house dress and wears it when she is home. Carol found a couple of pairs of really cool cargo pants and a really thick jacket that will be great when it snows. Eric and I had fun looking at all the bikes and skateboards. We took one of each for us both and have been racing each other down our street and trying to learn tricks on the skateboards.
We found some really cool movies at this big house. We found a couple of awards and photos and I think it belonged to a director. He had a couple of movies on reels that were not done being edited yet and we brought them and the player back here. Eric seems to know how to set it up and we plan on trying to watch them this week, if he can figure it out. One looks like a western comedy and one looks like some kind of thriller. I can't tell who is in them from looking at the negatives, but I hope there are some big name actors in them!

Today, Eric and I were out doing our usual rounds, checking to see if anyone else alive has been around, checking the houses around us to make sure no one has been in one of them, that kind of thing. We want to keep an eye out, you never know who will just show up. We all know that we got lucky when we found each other and don't want to be caught with out pants down if someone bad shows up.
I could've sworn I saw something move in one of the windows in a house three streets over. I did a double check, trying to not be too obvious, and thought I saw something move again. I told Eric and we decided to keep moving, like we hadn't seen anything, and double back down the alley behind the houses.
It took us about 10 minutes to make our way carefully to the back of the house and when we went in, there were two sets of footprints on the floor in mud. We checked the whole house and in the upstairs room I had seen the movement in, we found some granola bar wrappers and an empty water bottle. There really had been someone there!
We made our way back to our house as quickly and quietly as we could, trying to stay as much out of sight as we could. When we burst through the door, the girls were suprised and had no idea what was going on. We told them what I had seen and what we had found. There will be more patrols now and we made a schedule so someone is always watching the gate to our place. We made sure no one can get through the back entrance and made sure the fence is really secure all the rest of the way around the property. It took us most of the rest of the afternoon, but we need to make sure we are as safe here as possible. I wish we had more people to keep watch, it would make us safer, but at least there are now five of us and not just me!
Carol and I are going to take turns walking around our neighborhood during the days, instead of the once a day that Eric and I have been doing it. Now, there will be two patrols a day and we are going to set up some booby traps in the house closest to us, so we will hear if anyone tries to get inside them. I said we should also set some up all along our wall around our place and Carol agreed. We are going to have to collect some cans and see what else we can find in the store tomorrow to use, maybe we will get lucky and will find something that takes batteries and will make lots of noise. One of my foster sisters had this little personal protection device that had a button that would make a really bad noise if you pushed it. It also had a cord with a little metal plate to put in a window and if the window was opened, it would make the same loud screeching sound. She used to use it in her bedroom door because our foster father had a habit of wandering the house at night and he would try to go into the girls rooms.
I sure hope whoever was in that house is a good person and not some mutant biker looking for a place to score supplies. I checked all the guns and we put them by the main doors and windows, just in case. I really hope we don't have to use them.

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.

From the journal of John Archer, the Archivist, May 5

May 5, 2017

We are still near the same place we have been for almost a week now, someplace called Basalt. Henry got really sick, really fast. He has been sick since the 29th, and I mean really sick. He had a fever, chills, nausea, throwing up, but he hasn't died yet. He just keeps suffering but he refuses to kill himself or have anyone else do it. Doctor Ben and Henry talked about it on our first day here. That night, Ben told us that in all epidemics and pandemics, around 2-5% of people are naturally immune. After Henry heard this, he decided to take his chances because he says he has always either not gotten a virus going around or it takes him half as long to get over it as everyone else.

The rest of us just scavenge the area directly around us. We found a small housing complex and have taken over one of the houses for our people. Henry and Ben took the den area and the bedrooms have been given to the women with children. The rest of us are bunking in whatever space we can find. There was some talk about taking more houses, but the best safety is in numbers, so we are staying together.
The houses look like they weren't lived in long, but we have found some non-parishables in the cabinets to help supliment what we have one hand. Two of the houses had small gardens that had been started in the backyards. We found a few scraggly vegitables that had been growing mostly wild and we served them to the children with their dinner. They are the ones who really need more veggies. The rest of us will just deal with canned corn and green beans.
It has been really hard to keep everyone from going crazy being this close to our destination, Aspen, but being stuck here. But Doctor Ben says we've got to stay and keep Henry resting. Doctor Ben says that after observing Henry for the last six days, he is starting to believe that Henry might be one of the 2-5% immune to the virus. He says that if we move him too soon, it might set him back or help to kill him, if not from the virus, then from the symptoms.

So, we stay here and Linda and Aaron send people out in teams to scavenge stuff we don't really need. It keeps us busy and helps the rest of us feel useful. Yesterday, Williams and Jenna found a really stocked medicine cabinet. It had aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, cough medicine, anti nausea and anti diarrhea medicine, and much, much more. It took a huge hiking back pack to pack it into. The rest of the house was a bust, but whoever lived there must have been a hypochondriac. Doctor Ben was happy, because the stuff they found can make Henry more comfortable and will help others who might get sick with the symptoms, if not whatever ails them.
Aaron is going to hold a meeting tonight to discuss taking a scouting party to Aspen in the next couple of days. That way, we won't be walking in blind. If it is too overrun, or if there are bad people already there, then we can go somewhere else. But we will know what we are getting into and I think it is a great idea. They can scout locations, check on the amount of stores and see if they have been cleaned out already. They can even hopefully find a place for us to secure into a compound for us to survive in. I am all for it and will say so at the meeting.
For now, I am going to rest, maybe even take a nap.

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.

From the journal of Marie Costa, May 3

May 3, 2017

The plan went down, just not quite as planned. Frank teamed up with Andrew and Will worked with Alex, that way, there was someone who was experienced on each team.  The signal was given and they all started out at the same time, but did not get to the doors that way. The rest of us spread out around them with out make shift spears and took down the undead that came at us.
The problem happened by the deli, a group of undead, that we hadn't anticipated, came around the corner from the bakery department and the people protecting Frank and Andrew were almost overwhelmed. We only had enough people for two of the two man pallet jack teams and two teams of five to protect them.
The group of undead from the bakery had seven in it and the protectors were hard pressed to keep them back. Then a couple came down the frozen food isle and added themselves to the hungry undead trying to munch on our pallet jack team.
By then, our group had completed our part by pushing the stack of pallets to block their doors and we heard the call for help from Lisa, who used to work in the dairy department. We turned our attention to getting to the other team and found at least eight zombies between us and them, then we went to work. We made good time and got to the others to find they had used some of the display cases to make a partial wall between them and the undead. They were trying to take them out, but the cases were pretty wide and some of the make shift spears were pretty short.
Will motioned for them to not draw attention to us and we snuck up behind them. It didn't take too long to take them all out and only with the last two did they even realize that we were behind them.
Frank and Andrew maneuvered their pallet stacks into place and we all turned around to go back and get a pallet of canned good to put behind each stack of pallets. Behind us, on the other side of the display cases, there were another six undead trying to get to us. We took them out and pushed the cases out of the way of the pallets and made it to the back. Then we took a short rest before doing it all over again with the pallets of cans. This time, we only ran across two undead and easily took them out.
Once the doors were blocked, we started a sweep of the entire store in teams of three, looking for any stuck or hidden undead or anyone that was still alive. We found three people still alive, Jackie in the pharmacy, Isabella in the office and Jorge in the deli storage room. We also found seven more undead, three in the employee break room, one in the mens restroom, one in the bakery proofer, one stuck in the freezer and one at one of the registers.

The one at the register, Mark Grundel, was the former store director and he had been eaten to the bone on all his limbs and his abdomen was just an empty cavern. His limbs no longer worked and he had been spread out on the conveyor belt like a sacrifice, unable to move more than waving his arms of bone still attached to his body by thin strips of muscle and tendon. When I looked at his face, at first I thought he was wearing a mask. But then I realized that I was looking at his skull showing through where his skin had been eaten away.
We now had the store secure and we had more people to work with. The rest of yesterday was spent resting and eating. We had a small party to celebrate our victory over the undead. Tomorrow, we will have to make plans for the future, but today we celebrate.

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.

From the journal of Rebecca Martin, May 8

May 8, 2017

We sure are lucky to have found the Frank T. Weathers Senior Care Center. My hand needed a lot of help when we got here and Jackie was able to take care of it. The glass was halfway through my hand and the floor of the car I got hurt in was really dirty.

This morning at breakfast with everyone sitting together, Jackie told us about all the people here in the Care Home and their experience since the world fell apart. Apparently, they had all been in here since the pandemic hit their city. Jackie Morton and Jim Johnson were Medical Assistants here at the Care Home, Brad Crosby and Rick Alda were orderlies, Melissa Burns was the cook and Brenda Cummings ran their front desk. They were all working the night shift when the horde of zombies stumbled through their town. They blocked up the windows, reinforced the doors and got all of the patients to the second floor. The first floor was abandoned and it was quite a chore moving all the kitchen appliances to one of the exam rooms, as well as all the food and medicine supplies.
There had been a doctor on duty, Dick Butler, but he was bitten by the first patient to die and turn. He in turn bit one of the two nurses on duty, Beth Hall. She scratched the second nurse the night she turned and Marcy Stubbs turned five days later. They were just the staff that turned. There were 18 patients placed in this Care Home when they barricaded themselves inside.

The first to die were the patients that were oxygen dependant, those that needed dialysis and those who had to have their medicine to survive. They lost four patients in the first three weeks and three staff in the first month. After that, they lost at least one patient every two to three weeks for a couple of months, then it slowed down and we haven't lost anyone in the last six weeks.
The Care Home had been there for over twenty years and when they were opened, it was a great neighborhood. But in the last ten years, it went downhill and most of the houses and apartment buildings were torn down and replaced with either buisinesses or wharehouses so there weren't many places for people to live around. This kept the number of undead down in this area, while other parts of town had been over run.
The people at the Care Home survived by sending a few people out the back to the stores near them.There were at least seven corner markets and two deli's to feed the people who worked in this part of town. It was good luck for them that the horde rolled through in the middle of the night when all the businesses and wharehouses were closed. The stores were still stocked and the wharehouses had food, water and supplies that were being shipped through Belle on their way to larger cities. They had only had to go through a couple of stores and one wharehouse so far and had plenty of places to scavenge up supplies in the future.
We were the first live people they had seen in months, which made them lucky. After dealing with those bikers the day I found Rebecca, I knew some people would do whatever they needed to do to stay alive, even kill others to take their supplies.
James and I told them about our journies so far. He told them about Dorris and had tears in his eyes when he did. I told them about the  Jaspar County Circuit Clerk's office and all the people I had been with there. Then James told them about the Greenbrier and the tunnels underneath. After that, it became a meet and greet while we were introduced to all the other people here. We have decided to stay here for a few days and go on a scavenging mission with them to stock up for our trip.
The plan for the rest of today is just to rest and keep my hand as immobile as possible. Jackie is going to change my bandage and check my wound at some point today. One of the elderly patients was an English Professor and had a small library. I was looking forward to checking out the selection and settle down with a book. I hope the rest of our time here is uneventful.

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.

From the journal of James Cohen, Somewhere around May 7

May 7, 2017

We ran into a little problem this afternoon while moving some cars out of the way. Rebecca had just steered a Toyota off the road and had gotten in the backseat to check for anything useful when she yelped. I got out of the rig and ran to the open door. Her right hand was bloody and a piece of glass was sticking out of the palm. I know basic first aid and it looked really bad. It is way out of my league and I didn't know if I should remove the glass or not. I decided that it would be better to remove it so the glass would not wiggle deeper or cut more of her palm. Then, I tore up my last clean shirt and used strips to bandage the gash as best as I could.

We were out of real bandages since I had used them all on Dorris before she died and hadn't replaced them. I should have listened to Dorris months ago and put together a more comprehensive first aid kit, but there always seemed to be more time.  Now, time had run out and so had the medical supplies. Hospitals were really hard hit with the undead since the bit were taken to there, at least at first. They turned and then attacked people who were too hurt or sick to fight back. The hospitals were one of the first breeding grounds for large number of undead, then they spread out from there. Once the undead went in search of more food, live people hit the hospitals for supplies and took whatever they could find.
I pulled out the map and looked to see what town was coming up next and see how big it was. We should be able to find someplace to get supplies. We pulled into Belle and I looked for somewhere that would have a yellow pages book to look for medical places but not hospitals. That's where I found the Frank T. Weathers Senior Care Center. It was even close to where we were and should still have some medical supplies, hopefully.
When we pulled up to the place, I could see at least five undead pounding on the front of the building. It seemed really wierd, since there were no other buildings we had passed had any undead doing the same. I thought I saw something move in one of the windows on the second floor, so I stared at the front of the building. It took a couple of minutes, but sure enough a curtain moved in another window on the second floor. There were people in there, live people!
We needed to get inside and I told Rebecca that if we showed the bandaged hand, maybe they would help. I had her stick it out the window and the middle curtain moved aside to show a woman in scrubs. She motioned towards the back of the building and I took the rig down the alley between the Care Home and the store next door. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it to the other side and pulled up next to a sturdy, six foot fence made of stone with an iron gate. There, the woman from the window was waiting, impatiently dancing from foot to foot. When she saw us, she motioned us to hurry and used a large key to unlock the gate. We ran from the now quiet rig to the gate and the lady locked the gate behind us before taking the lead up the path to the back door of the building.
The inside of the building was dark because all the windows were boarded up and covered. The lady whispered at us to follow her up the stair and be really quiet. Once up the stairs, we moved down a long hallway with rooms on either side. Most of them were empty, but I was really surprised to see at least five elderly people, a couple with wheelchairs, and at least the same number of younger people.
She took us into the last room on the left and it was set up like a medical examination room. We learned that her name is Jackie and that she was a Medical Assistant here at the home before the pandemic hit. She examined and cleaned Rebecca's wound, then she used steri-strips to close the gash before bandaging the hand in clean gauze. Then, she took us to a kitchen area where they made us the first hot meal we had eaten in days. By then, both Rebecca and I were exhausted, so Jackie assigned us rooms and told us we would talk more in the morning.
Man, what a day. I can't wait to find out how all these people, especially the elderly people, have survived this long. I am really amazed to see this place and see that the people here have kept their humanity and helped us when we needed it. Thank you to whatever is out there, whether God, or the Universe, or whatever!

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.