From the journal of Charlie Fast Fingers Pearson, May 11

May 11, 2017

Yesterday was spent searching all the huts in the village. We brought anything that might be useful back to our little huddle of huts. We found dried rice, corn, beans, sugar, flour, nuts, grains, dried fish, dried meat of some kind and dried fruit. We have the garden and the orchard and access to the boats, if we want to fish.

Besides food, we found lots of fishing nets and fish hooks, clothes, jewelry, and all the other personal possessions of the natives. From what we have seen, I don't think anyone was left alive when the whole village turned. I don't see how they were infected though. Did someone come here before we crashed on the mountain? There aren't any boats that don't look locally made, so how would someone else gotten here to infect the natives?
I think we got an answer to this question when Marty found a journal in one of the huts. It was written in English, in a childish hand, like someone practicing a second language. It was written by a teenage girl who was related to the village doctor. The begining of the journal was just about regular life. It was filled with gossip and things people had seen or said. She talked about school and the other villagers.
No one had come to the island, but people started getting sick. Her father tried to save them, but they died, five on the same day and at least one every day after that. The villagers buried their dead in a cemetary somewhere close by, and concentarted on the people still alive but sick.
Then, a couple of nights after the first five people died, one of them was seen stumbling towards the village. His family thought maybe he was buried while still alive and it just took him that long to unbury himself and get back to the village. But he attacked the first people who got close to him and had to be tied up. The doctor looked him over and proved to the other villagers that he was dead and had come back, somehow.
Then the screaming started. The other four had come back and were attacking and eating people. The girls father told the villagers to cut off their heads, which stopped the bodies but the heads kept moving: the mouth trying to bit, the eyes looking around. They figured out that night that you have to take out the brain to stop the entire creature.
But too many people were bit. They quickly got sick and joined those already ill, huddled around the doctors family hut. The ones bit became sicker faster and died faster. By then, others who had already died were trying to dig themselves out of their graves. The few villagers who had the strength went to the cemetary and took out the ones there, then burned their bodies.
It was too little, to late and the last entry was just three days after the first undead stumbled into the village. The last entry said that the doctor, after carefully studying all the information from the villagers, thought the infection started with fish.

After we finished reading the journal, we threw out anything that might have fish in, just in case, and have now settled in for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow, Dave and Terry want to go find the cemetery while Will, Marty and Dave check out the boats to see if any of them are fucking sea worthy. Like anyone here would know what that actually means or knows how to said a boat.
I'm just happy to have something to eat besides fruit. The rice is so good and the fresh vegetables are just heaven. I don't know what is next, but right here, right now if fine by me.

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 8

May 8, 2017

We decided that we should watch the other Tower to see if anything moves, like a curtain or a shadow. Then we can note down the approximate location of that apartment. We found a schematic of the entire building and we can use it to write down the apartment numbers where there seems to be something or someone inside.

I don't know if we are going to find anyone still alive. We have searched over half of our tower and only found one person alive. He was nuts and tried to eat us, so we had to kill him, which doesn't give me much hope even if we find anyone else alive. Barbie and I are lucky to have each other and that has gone a long way to keeping us sane. If someone survived alone, will they still be sane? I guess it depends on the person. Would I like it if we found someone else? Well, that would also depend on the person. It would be nice to have someone else to talk to, someone who has stories that neither Barbie or I have heard and who hasn't heard ours. Having a guy around would be really good because he could carry more than either of us.
We have been taking turns in two hour shifts, watching the windows across from us. It has been two days since we started and we have three apartment numbers written down. We look at all the windows but pay special attention to the ones we've seen movement in. Barbie is 90% sure that one of them, on the 12th floor, is a zombie that is slowly pacing back and forth. Barbie says she saw it and the zombie was not pretty. She thinks there actually might be more than just the woman in there, since something ate a good portion of her.
The window on the 15th floor had a curtain move yesterday in the afternoon. It moved in a way the didn't look like wind, it was more deliberate. But we haven't seen it since and it makes me wonder in it wasn't anything at all. We are going to concentrate on watching that apartment this afternoon to see if there is any more movement.
The last apartment with movement was one floor above the last one, on the 16th floor, but a couple of apartments over. We have both seen some random movement through the windows. Something or someone is moving around in there and not just pacing. Whoever or whatever it is, it has not come close to the windows, so we haven't seen it. Tomorrow, we are going to concentrate on this one to see what can be seen.
Really though, we won't know what is going on in any of the apartments in the other Tower until we get over there and we want to keep watching the other Tower for a few more days, at least. There could be people alive in a lot of the apartments but on the other side and we wouldn't know it. We are making a list of what we are going to take with us. We are going to pull the cart with us for bringing back supplies and we have a red wagon to take, too. We are going to put what we are taking with us from here in it. We don't know if we are going to have to stay in one of the places over there. We have no idea of what will happen once we get inside the other Tower.

For all we know, it could be overrun on some of the floors and we might end up having to fight our way through. If that happens, we could get stuck in one of the apartments. If something like this happens, we might have to leave the cart and wagon behind, so we are also taking some supplies in backpacks. Hopefully, this measures will increase our safety while investigating over there.
Barbie is putting together the list and then I am going to go over it. She is our in house expert on surviving. I know I used to make fun of her for watching all those prepping TV shows and reading all the survival books. But now, I am so thankful and she is the only reason I am still alive.

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 13

May 13, 2017

This is our third day on the road and we haven't heard or seen anything of the bikers. We have stuck to the back roads and are headed in the right direction, but it is adding more time for traveling. But that is better than getting back on the main road and running into that biker gang. Neither Mr or Mrs Hairy seemed like nice people and none of their group looked like they were willing to help anyone but themselves. I bet, if it came right down to it, they would kill and eat each other before dying or helping anyone.
Our  group is doing well. The elderly people have handled leaving their home better than I thought they would. None of them have complained about not being as warm or comfortable or about having to leave some of their lifetime possessions behind.I think they are handling it better than some of the others are, like Brenda and Melissa. The two of them are so jumpy, if a pin drops in the trailer, they jump a foot into the air! It's like they think the zombies can hide in anything, even a soda can, and they just don't know how to handle it. They complain all the time about not having their beds, space or stuff. Breanda even tried to stop cooking for everyone, but we put a stop to that. Everyone here has to contribute something, or why are they here. Melissa has been better about helping out, but complains so much, it makes me almost forget that. It might have been better to leave them behind, but I will only think this and write it here. I will never say it out loud.
I don't think Jackie knows what to think about it all. She had been their leader since it all went to hell and she feels out of her element now that they are no longer in the Care Home. I know she feels some relief at not being the only one in charge, she told both Rebecca and myself that at the Care Home. But, she is having trouble sharing the leadership role. Jackie starts to make snap decisions and then realises she needs to talk it over with the rest of us before a dicesion is made. She is trying to keep everyone on the same schedule; breakfast at 8:00 am, lunch at noon, dinner at 7:00 pm, then lights out by 10:00 pm. It's not working well.
I usually start the truck and get us moving as soon as I am awake. Sometimes it's 5:00 am, others it's after 8:00 am. She gets frustrated with me, but we need to make as much distance every day as we possibly can. Like I already said, sticking with the back roads is adding travel time and we only have a set amount of food and water. We need to make it to another town to resupply as soon as we can. Water is the main issue, since there was a pallet of snack foods and soda. But the elderly ones can't drink that much soda, it's bad for them. So, we need water and other healthier food items. I would love to be able to hit somewhere that would have canned veggies and fruits, but that might be asking too much. Most places like that are going to have been looted long ago.

For now, we need to keep moving and keep the morale as high as possible. Everyone is taking turns riding the cab with me, navigating by the maps we have and keeping an eye out for any signs of other living people. The trailer has been reorganized a couple of times now and is more comfortable than when we pulled out. During the day, a laying/sitting area is made with all the mattresses near the doors and that area is kept lit so people can read or play cards while we are going. At night, we move the mattresses out so everyone can have space to sleep and still get between them, if someone needs a bathroom break in the night. We have people posted to keep watch all night in shifts and so far, we have been lucky.

Walter, one of the former patients, said his grandson lived out this way for a few years and there are some pretty large ranches. We are going to have to stop at one and see if we can find any supplies if we don't run into a store to search soon. We might have better luck with houses and ranches, since stores would've been one of the first things looted and houses might not have been looted at all. We need to call a meeting tonight to make a plan and look at the maps to see what is coming up in the way of towns out this way. Hopefully, we find what we need and not something dangerous or deadly.
Right now, I am going to get up and start driving. It's still early, so Jackie will be annoyed, but better to put miles under our belt and we can stop for food a little later.

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, May 1

May 1, 2017

We finally have everything smuggled out that we think we might need for going back to the port. Mandy and I are going to leave first thing tomorrow and see if we can find some water for our families. The lack of water is the only thing that is becoming an issue at this point. Mom and Maria, Mandy's mom, have been collecting the little bit they can from rain and fog, but it's just not enough. We are down to the last gallon of bottled water and that is so not good. We have been rationing water for days now, and the other drinks just are not as good. The few sodas we had are already gone. Pablo had a few beers in his fridge, but he drank those right away. We had a few iced teas in cans and a couple energy drinks, but those were gone after the first few days, too.

We have to find more water and there just isn't any way to get it here in the old Buckner building. I don't think we can ever collect enough for all of us, there just isn't enough rain or clean containers. There's also no way to get back into the Towers to get some from there with all the zombies filling that place. Maybe some day the place will clear out enough for us to search the apartments for more supplies. But we will have to be ready to kill any undead we come accross, and that could mean friends and neighbors. For now, the building is too overrun with zombies and is off limits.
I know Mom will not be happy with Mandy and me when she finds out that we are going back to the port. But she has to come around and understand that it is the only option we have right now for supplies. We are going to have to make regular trips to the port for water and eventually for food, too. Where does she think we are going to get the stuff we need to survive? Maybe we can try to get to the school, but who knows how overrun it is. It's pretty close to the Towers and who knows if anyone tried to run there when the zombies broke in. That would draw undead to the school and make it too hard to get into for supplies. Our only option is the port and there aren't a lot of zombies in the streets there. Now, it has some, but I think that Mandy and me can either avoid them or take them out, if we have to.

The plan is for us to say we are going to search apartments lower in the building and disappear into the tunnel. We hope we can get in, out and back in just a couple of hours. There are buildings really close to the end of the tunnel and even a warehouse should have tap water for employees to drink. We found a pile of old water jugs and we cleaned and bleached the heck out of them, so they should be clean enough. We have some water purifying tablets from when my Dad was alive. They expired a couple years ago, but are better than nothing. We can use them and boil the water before we drink it, just to be really safe. We so don't need anyone getting sick right now. None of us have any medical training and we only have the medical stuff that was in our cabinets. If anyone needs an aspirin or something for diarrhea, we have it covered, but anything more serious and we are in trouble.
Food is not an issue, yet. We smuggled out most the food in our apartment and Mandy's apartment before we left. That last day, when we left, we brought the last of the supplies and still have a good amount of food. Thanks to Mom, we even have preserved fruits and vegetables, which taste better than the stuff in cans. Don't get me wrong, we have the stuff in cans and will eat it when the good stuff runs out. But I really like Mom's preserved food better and the others agree. We have cut down on the amount we eat for every meal, but not so much it leaves us hungry. Besides, we are the lucky ones. We are still alive and have a chance to survive this disaster.
There hasn't been any sound or anything to make us think anyone is alive in the Towers for at least two days. No gunfire, no waving at the windows, just undead shadows and death. I think everyone is dead and can't really process it yet. All the kids we went to school with, all their parents and familes. The mayor, all the police and fire department members. The teachers, doctors, shop keepers. Everyone I have ever known, dead or undead. Which is better? To be eaten so much you can't come back, or to roam around undead, looking for something to eat? Either way sucks.
How do we come back from this? How does our world keep going? For all we know, there are only the six of us left alive in this whole area! What are we supposed to do now? I have no idea what any of the answers are and I don't think anyone else here does either. Do we stay here in Buckner? Would we be safer in one of the buildings in the port? Or should we leave here and try to find one of the cabins farther out and away from the undead? For now, all I can do is focus on going to the port tomorrow with Mandy and not worry any farther than that. It doesn't do any good, anyway.

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 13

May 13, 2017

We spent the last couple of days getting ourselves set up here at the cabin.  All three bedrooms have a set of bunk beds and a full size bed. Isabella says this place became a meeting ground for her father and his two siblings, once the grandfather who owned it died. They would all get together in the summer and camp out in the cabin.
We decided that Linda, Lisa and I will have one bedroom. Jorge, Alex and Jake will have one of the bedrooms and the last one will go to Isabella, Alice and Sarah. Will and Frank are going to sleep in the living room. This seems like the best way to make everyone comfortable. Although, I don't know how long Jorge will be with us. He has a wife and two small children at his home and he really wants to go see if they are still alive. I think Frank is going to go with him, so if they aren't alive anymore, Jorge won't have to take them out by himself. Frank wants to go see if his younger brother is still alive, too.

There's an old pick up truck that was in the yard when we pulled in. It runs, roughly, but it runs. Isabella says it was her grandfather's truck and her cousin fixed it up when he was living here. I bet that Frank and Jorge leave in the truck within the next couple of days. I don't blame them. If I had family, like they do, I would want to go see if they were still around too.
We worked together yesterday to organize our food supply in the trailer of the big rig. We have a really good supply for the number of people we have. Of course, if the guys find any family still alive, that number could change. We collected firewood from the surrounding woods, so we're able to keep warm and cook food. Linda and I cleaned the cabin, room to room, and put staples in the kitchen area. That way, we don't have to walk out to the trailer for a little sugar or a tea bag.
It felt wonderful to sleep in a real bed the last couple of nights and to able to take a shower. We all have to keep the showers short, but warm water pouring over me was wonderful, way better than the sponge baths we took at the store.
This morning, I got up early, left a note and went for a walk. I took my spear and a machete I found in the shed out behind the cabin. I just needed to get away from the others and get some fresh air. It was wonderful being out in nature. I saw a jack rabbit and four wild horses. The thought crossed my mind that we might need to work on domesticating some of the horses. They could be handy for hauling stuff and riding. Gas is not going to last forever. Even if we had an unlimited supply, it does have an expiration date, somewhere around two years. If none if manufactured by then, the gas will be gone and we'll be back to horse power.

I walked for over an hour, roughly in a circle, and was back by the time most of the others got up. We fixed pancakes and ate together on the porch. We were all lost in our own thoughts, but came back together to continue setting ourselves up to survive here. It's better than the store and safer, too, being out of town. We can make this work, even if some of the people here find family members still alive. And,  there's room to expand the cabin and even build a barn. We are going to have to sit down and plan for the long term, very soon.
Well, back to work. It's my turn to help with dinner, since we're all taking turns on the meals.

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 10

May 10, 2017

We ran into a large group of the undead yesterday. We had made it most of the way down the mountain and had reached a line in the forest. The trees stopped and plowed land began. There was a twenty foot area of just dirt and then an orchard of fruit trees, mostly from the mountain. I did see some other fruit trees that would have to be brought to the island, too. Past the orchard, we could see more plowed land and a huge garden or vines and bushes. Most of it was looking kinda sad and like it needed watering, but there was still fruit and vegetables that we could see.
Marty had just said we should keep moving when I saw a shadow through the trees. I grabbed his arm, shushed him and we all stayed where we were, waiting. More shadows joined the first and soon there were at least twenty of those shuffling undead fucks coming through the orchard towards us. We were in deep shit.
The group pulled back into the forest and we made a plan. There were a couple of trees that had small forts built about ten feet off the ground. I guess tree forts are one of those things that are a worldwide way for kids to play. We climbed into the two we could see and into other trees nearby, above where we hoped the undead could reach us. Then we got ready with our make shift spears and other weapons. The plan was to wait until we are surrounded, then take them out one by one from above.
The plan was working fine until one of the platforms started to move in the tree. The zombies were pounding on the trunk and it was making the fort shake. The people in it, Sally, Martin, Shane, Dave and Amy, climbed up higher in the branches and were not able to keep killing the undead surrounding their tree. I yelled that it was OK, we'll take them out after the rest of us take out the ones around us.
It felt like hours, but was probably only around thirty minutes, when Terry took out the last one below our fort. I looked around and saw that everyone had finished off the zombies below them, except for the people in the other fort. The rest of us climbed down and quietly snuck up on the undead reaching for our friends. There was no contest, they didn't even look around when the ones next to them started to fall. It was only like five minutes later that we were done and the rest of us climbed down to the ground.
We cautiously walked back to the edge of the trees and then quietly discussed what we should do next. Should we make a loud noise to see if any other undead come to see what made it? Should we just go all gung ho and storm across the orchard and garden? Should we send in a couple of scouts to look around?
The vote settled it and we all yelled and screamed for about thirty seconds. Then we waited. Nothing happened. We waited for an hour, giving any zombies time to find us. Nothing. No zombies, no dogs, no sheep. Nothing.
After another half hour, we headed across the open ground, through the orchard and into the garden. It was a beautiful sight to see. Something to eat that wasn't fruit. Even if we didn't find anything else to eat or any animals, this was enough to make me happy and I bet I'm not the only one.
We found the village and we were right about it being close to the shore. From the top of the hill on the edge of the village, we could see around twenty huts, at least ten boats and nets strung up everywhere around the huts. I couldn't see any movement and we decided to search the village as a group, hut by hut. We didn't find anything else, alive or undead. When we were done, we gathered in the center of the village in the communal space. We built a fire in the large stone ring there and some of us picked vegetables while others found what we needed to cook on the fire.

Dinner was a quiet meal and everyone was really tired, so it was early. We had chosen a group of five huts in a tight circle that was slightly apart from the others. They probably belonged to the chief of the village and his family, but now, they are ours. We made a schedule for keeping watch and then settled in for the rest of the night.
This morning, we cooked some rice we found in our hut, picked some fruit and a few veggies. The plan for today is to search all the huts and collect all the food, as well as anything else useful. Then, we are going to set up some kind of fence or barrier to keep out any undead that might be left. I am so fucking happy to be off that mountain. Now, we just have to figure out what to do next.

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 14

May 14, 2017

I woke up this morning in a house in Aspen. This morning, Amanda, Jesus and Anthony made us and the other group breakfast and we all ate here in and around the house we took over. I spent the meal talking to Sean, Margaret, Elisabeth and Eric, the ones around my age. Sean is closer to my age while the others are just a few years older than us, they have already graduated from high school while Sean and I have not. It was really nice to talk to people who understand all my references and know the pop culture that I grew up with. I know that we were all talking and getting to know each other for over three hours, but it seemed like no time had passed when it was time to break it up.
The others had to send out a patrol, they have them scheduled, to make sure all is safe. Williams and Gary volunteered to go with the scouts, they said to get a better lay of the land. But I think they want to see how much these young people know about these things. Williams was a prison guard and Gary was a Deputy so they will be the best people to teach us all about patrols, scouting and anything else they think is needed or useful information.
The two of them left less than a half hour later with Sean and Carol, the scheduled patrol/scouts, and the rest of us decided to stick close to our new house. Elisabeth invited me to their place to watch a movie and I checked with Williams before he left. He said it was fine as long as I only went there and was even careful of the ones who were over there, at least until we knew them a little better. He made sure I had my knife, pistol and a walkie to keep in touch with the main part of our group.

We chose Happy Gilmore to watch since it was funny and had no zombies in it. I haven't laughed that hard in so long. We are popcorn, candy and chips while drinking soda. My sides hurt by halfway through and I had a really good time. Sean and Carol came back about minutes in and Sean joined us in the theater while Carol went somewhere else. After the movie was over, they invited me to stay for another one, but I had promised Williams to come back right after the movie, so I said my goodbyes and went back next door.

Mid afternoon, we were getting ready to eat a late lunch when they all came over with a giant bowl of mac and cheese. They stayed for lunch and that spilled into dinner. I think the decision has already been made. We all get along, they need more people and I need people my age. I don't think it will be long before we all are living in their compound. The guys have already started talking about how to use our supplies to make the wall/fence more secure. The kids are already questioning Sean about any play structures he remembers seeing and making their plans more complete with this new information.
I can't wait to move in there because they have hundreds of movies and books. Sean is really cute and nice and I want to get to know him better. Elisabeth, Eric and Margaret are nice too, but Sean is just a year older than me. Please, please, let this work out and not be a mistake. Let us all be able to survive together and live better here than on the road. Please, please, please.

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 13

May 13 2017

We hit the building supply place three days ago and we drove away in our vehicles and a big rig truck from the place with enough supplies to build twenty greenhouses. It went smooth and nothing unexpected happened. We were in and out in a couple of hours and no one was watching us, at least that our people could see. Consuela and Maria were so happy when we got back, they had already planned a huge feast and we were treated like conquering heroes by all the kitchen crew. I guess the thought of having fresh food just excites them.

Then a couple of days ago something started happening. We have several scouting parties, trained and constantly searching out new locations to consider for future scavenging. Twice in the last couple of days, these groups have spotted fresh footprints, a person ducking into a nearby building or behind a tree, or other signs of people. This has put us all on high alert and we have upped the number of patrols on the perimeter of our ranch property. The scouting groups have also put new protocols in place to better catch the people they are finding evidence for. We need to know more about them and we need to know it now.
We can't just assume they are nice people checking us out. We can't even assume they are always the same people. For all we know, there could be multiple groups that have found out about us and are trying to learn about our people. We are going to have to find them and find out what type of people they are. They could be like the bikers we had to take out or they could be nice people. I am hoping for nice people in their twenties and thirties. That would solve the problem of needing new blood for family members to have kids with.
For now, we are all taking extra patrols and filling all the lookouts all the time. When Darren and I are not on one of these duties, we are training with our teams, discussing new locations to watch, or building the greenhouses. Yes, greenhouses, not just greenhouse.

Consuela, Maria and some of the others have come up with plans for how to grow the most variety of food in the most efficient way they can come up with. One for vegetables, one for fruit on the bush or vine, one for herbs and lettuces, and a larger one for trees. At least, that is all they are requesting for now. I'm sure there will be other buildings they want constructed as we go, but thankfully, we have the supplies now and we have family with the experience the make the buildings strong.
Consuela even talked about us finding a beehive and moving it to the ranch to see if we can keep them alive. I reminded her that old man Ford had some hives in his orchards and Darren and I have been assigned the task of taking a scouting party over there to see if they are still around. Even if the bees are gone, we can bring the hives back in case we find other bees.
We are now making plans for the furture here, making this a real community and not just family. We have started a school for all the kids, even the teens. They gripe about having to go, but we need to make sure they have the knowledge they need. We have added some classes that they never would have had before the shit hit the fan, like firearms training and safety. They will also learn to cook and give basic medical aid. We need to get them prepared to survive, even if there are no more adults around. Hopefully, this will never happen, but better safe than sorry.
We have also set up a medical clinic. In our family, we ended up with one doctor, two RN's, three LVN's and four MA's. They take shifts, along with other duties, and the we set it up in one of the modular homes we brought back to the ranch. It has three bedrooms that have become exam rooms and can be used like hospital rooms if needed. Most of the medical supplies have been put there. We kept some in the basement of the main house, just in case we ended up having to use it again to hide in, in case of emergency or invasion, but most of the stuff went to the new clinic.
One of the larger trailers has become the food bank. It is right next to the house and is organized and cataloged so Consuela, Maria and their crew know exactly how much of everything we have on hand for food. They let the scouting parties know when we start to run low on stuff and we add the supplies to our list of supplies to search for. The system seems to be working really well.
This place is coming together now. Like I already said, it is turning into a community. We have a school, medical clinic, food bank, a trained peace keeping force, cooks, gardeners, people who take care of our livestock. Next thing you know, we'll have a fire department, as soon as we can find a working fire truck. This is where civilization is surviving during this pandemic. Thank god we have such a huge, extended family, to draw from.
Well, back to work.

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 Carol Evans, May 13

May 13, 2017

This morning started out like every other morning, how were we to know our world would change today. We were eating lunch and discussing what movie we were going to watch tonight when we all heard a male voice calling out to us outside. Eric and Sean jumped up and beat the rest of us to the door, grabbing their rifles on the way. They stopped in the doorway and pointed the guns at whoever was outside.
The next few minutes were really tense as as conversation took place with us inside and someone outside yelling back and forth. After whoever was outside answered enough questions from all of us, we decided it was safe to meet outside at the gate.

That's when we met Williams and Gary. They told us about their group and some of what they have been through. They explained that they had come to Aspen to stay and wanted to know if that would be OK with us. I think Sean is especially glad to hear there is a girl around his own age in their group. After we spoke for about an hour, it was decided that they would settle in next door for the rest of today and then tomorrow, our groups will meet for breakfast. They have a chef and she will make food for everyone. From there, we will see if we might be able to become one group.
The idea of combining groups makes me feel apprehensive. After red parka guy and his friends, I just don't trust people in the same way anymore. We'll have to take our time deciding whether to combine into one group, make sure they are good people and not hiding any evil.
There are only five of us and there are over 40 of them. They could kill us and take our compound and there would be nothing we could do about it. Jeez, they could just take our place and force us out if they wanted to. I really hope they are as nice as Williams and Gary seem to be. It would be nice to have more people around, some my age as well. It would make patrolling and keeping our place safe a lot easier.
Our place is a really big house that sits on a walled area of around 10 acres. Everyone would fit, but we'll have to wait and see. Although, I am looking forward to seeing kids, I've missed the noise they make just being kids. I used to love when kids would come into my music store and to hear kids playing again would be better than music to me.

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, May 3

May 3, 2017

Michelle and I have decided that we are going to go for the chapel in the next few days. This is no life, the two of us sitting in this two room hellhole, eating the supplies that good old Samuel squirreled away and waiting to die. Michelle doesn't want to go, she's really scared at the thought of going out there, and I don't blame her. I'm scared shitless, too. But there's nothing else to do. What's our other choice? Just sit here and eat the food until it's gone, then starve? Or throw ourselves to the undead below? Kill ourselves or each other? The supplies aren't going to last forever and we have to do something. I'm going stir crazy, stuck in these two rooms. I have to do something or I might just go nuts and then there's no telling what I'll do.

We've been watching the yard and seeing what the undead are doing. In the last couple of days more and more of the zombies have been going over the wall. I wonder what is drawing them back over the wall in groups. Is there a animal running around and making noise? Could there be anyone still alive out there making noise? Is that what is drawing them out? Is it because there is nothing left to eat in here, as far as they can tell? Will our going out into the yard draw them back over the walls? I just don't know enough about what draws them to know for sure. I'm hoping the fireworks I found will be enough of a distraction and draw them towards the other side of the yard, away from the chapel. Thanks again, Samuel, for being a dick and hording whatever you wanted from whatever anyone had inside the fort.
We are going to go though. Our food supply is starting to run low. All the fresh stuff is gone and we are reduced to eating canned soup. We ran out of firewood in here, so we had to eat it cold. I am getting really tired of soup, cold from the can. It's been chilly at night the last couple of days and we've huddled under the blankets together to be as warm as we can be.

The yard is about 50 feet across and the chapel door is open. We've watched it for hours and haven't seen any shadows pass the door, so it doesn't look like there are any undead in it. The group had put the rest of the supplies in it, gathered from all the survivors before Samuel lost his mind and we were put into the pen. I don't think anyone but Samuel had gotten into them, besides meals for his part of the group, since it was all gathered together. There should be a good amount of food in there and it would keep the two of us alive for a lot longer.
Eventually though, we're going to have to think about getting out of the fort. I have not idea where we would go. There are too many undead in San Antonio now and the remains of the walls are going to keep them here. Leaving the city will probably our best option, but where would we go from here? I've no idea and Michelle can't seem to think past trying to get to the chapel.

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 11

May 11, 2017

I thought we would just walk out to the truck and everything would go smoothly. I don't know why I didn't take the undead into account. The last time we were out here, we had like seven undead walk into the receiving area and we weren't making even a quarter of the noise that day that we were making today. Between the pallet jacks and everyone talking about how to load the supplies so they don't move.

We hadn't been out there for more than five minutes and the first pallet wasn't even all the way into the trailer when the first group of undead came around the corner of the store. We were ready, some of us had formed a half circle around the people loading the truck and we took out the group smoothly. But then, a large group, at least fifteen, and we were out numbered. I gave the signal we had agreed on, for if things got hairy. The entire crew came to attention and turned their attention to the group of undead. It took all eleven of us loading the truck, and going to the cabin, to take out the group. At this point, only two people were refusing to leave the store, Jackie and Andrew.
I am really worried about the two staying here, but they know the possibilities since we've talked about them in meetings. They also know, once we're gone, we're gone. Only Isabella knows where the cabin is at and we are not leaving a map with them in case someone comes here. It would lead them right to where more supplies are and where we happened to be. I can't believe that Andrew doesn't see the danger in staying.
Anyway, we took out the group and the loaders got back to work, but made sure to move a little faster and quieter. We got the truck loaded in the next half hour and only had to take out a couple of small groups of undead. Then we got back inside quickly.
We made one more sweep of the store to make sure we had everything we needed or wanted. I pulled Andrew aside and talked to him about staying and what could happen but he said he can't leave Jackie by herself. That's not a good reason to put yourself in danger and possibly die. But to each their own.
We left an hour later, after everyone else tried to get Jackie and Andrew to come with us. I knew there wouldn't be any changing of their minds, but I let the others try all the same. When everyone else finally gave up, we grabbed the last of our supplies and headed to the truck. We had decided to pack ourselves into the cab so no one had to ride with the pallets, in case they moved. It was a tight squeeze, and people were stuffed in like sardines, even in the sleeping area.
Jorge got us moving and we waved to the two standing in the receiving door. I was really sad, and sick to my stomach, that we hadn't been able to get them to come with us. But it's out of our hands.
It took us almost two hours to get to the cabin. When we first saw it through the windshield, it was magical. The sun was shining right on it and the solar panels were still in place. We piled out of the truck and streched out the kinks from being packed in the cab. Isabella went to the porch and pulled the family key from under the loose board. The rest of us had spread out to make sure there were no undead around the place. The coast was clear and we all joined Isabella inside.

There are three bedrooms, all small, but still there. We are going to be more crowded that at the store, but there is less danger of people coming to take what we have. We are far enough off the highway that no one should see our smoke from the cabin or hear us, as long as we kept it reasonable. There is even a small Honda here that runs. A couple of the people here are considering going to see if their families might still be alive. The chances are less than slim, but if I had close family, I would want to know.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting the trailer into position so it wasn't in the way and we can use it for storage. It makes it really handy to not have to get the pallets off the truck without a pallet jack or fork lift.
We figured out where everyone is sleeping and made up beds. We put food in the kitchen and collected firewood from the shed out back. Even the stove in the kitchen is a wood burning stove, so it looks we're all going to get a crash course in survival cooking. We chose soup as our first meal, to make it easier on everyone, and had a small celebration with a few beers after dinner. We made it. We're safer and still mostly together. Now, life can really begin for us.

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 13

May 13, 2017

We were going to leave yesterday, but Mike Cox, one of the former button pushers, wandered off on his own. It has been said and stressed so many times to not go off by yourself, no one thought anyone would just wander away. No one knows how long he was gone before it was noticed, but everyone had to stop getting ready to leave. We had to form search parties and spend yesterday looking through the housing complex and surrounding area.

It took us three hours just to search the houses and then we branched out to the area directly around the complex. There are a couple of strip malls and some grocery stores and we split into teams to search for him. After about four hours, we did find him in a liquer store about a mile from the complex. He had been bit trying to get a basket load of alcohol back to where we were by the cashier. He told us he was so excited that the store was still fully stocked and hadn't been robbed. Mike had his back to the counter, drooling over the high end liquer in a locked cabinet. The cashier heard him, or smelled him, and crawled around the end of the counter and latched onto his right leg before Mike could react. He took the zombie out, but too late and too loud, by using his pistol and he drew a few more to the store. They started pounding on the windows and he was stuck. He said he craweled behind the counter and lay there, waiting for someone to realize he was gone and come looking for him.
Aaron told the rest of us that he has been caught searching for alcohol when he was on scavenging missions before. He was pulled from going out on them for a couple of weeks when he almost got someone bit when he was supposed to be watching Larry's back. Instead, he was trying to break into a locked liquer cabinet in the next room over. One of the other guys was just walking something to the pile of supplies when he saw the undead about to pounce and stepped in. But just disappearing without telling anyone where he was going? When he knew we were supposed to be leaving today? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
We got him back to camp and into Dr Ben's care, then gathered the adults to discuss what would happen next. It was decided that we would spend the rest of the day where we were and then head to Aspen today. We will make Mike as comfortable as possible in one of the vehicles, but we can't let this keep us here any longer. We need to move on and find a more permanent place to survive.

The children need stability and we need to get them settled and set up a school for them. It would be, by necessity, a little different than before. Yes, they would learn the basics of English, Math, History and Science. But, other subjects would have the included now. Like firearms use and safety, or hand to hand combat and survival cooking lessons could go a long way.
This morning, we got up, packed the last of the gear still out, and headed to Aspen. It took us almost twice as long to get everyone there than it did for Williams and Gary to get to the trucks drop spot. Once we were there, Williams and Gary headed off to talk to the group already here and the rest of us are making our group secure while we wait. We circled the vehicles up, set up sentries, and got everyone else in the center area to wait for the men to return with news. Either we would be welcomed into their compound and make one group out of the two. Or, they would threaten us and a decision will have to be made to either move on or find a place to settle here anyway.  I am hoping for us to be welcomed.

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 10

May 10, 2017

Tomorrow is the day that everything is going to change. We have been working for the last four days to get ready to leave the store before something happens. I am so glad we are ready. I've been having nightmares that someone, or a group of someones, were going to come with guns blazing. They wouldn't care if anyone was alive in here, they would just want the food. Now, those of us leaving won't have to deal with any of the horrible things happening that have seen in my nightmares.
Linda, Frank, Will, Jorge, Isabella, Alex and I are still the ones leaving, although I think Jake and Alice are starting to waver. They both helped us to gather the supplies we want to take and both of them have asked a lot of questions. I think if Alex decides to leave with us, Alice is going to go, too. They have been making eyes at each other since Alice started and I think they are going to stick together. I would love for them to come with us, the more people we have, the better for defense. But I also want them to come with us because I have this overwhelming premonition that everyone who stays here is going to be in a lot of trouble and really soon.

We have a really good selection of food stacked by the receiving doors, as well as other stuff like batteries and Sterno cans to heat food up on. We made sure to grab half of the medical supplies on the aisle and lots of paper products. I don't want to have to worry about what we're going to be wiping our privates with, at least, not for a while. We went through the whole store and also took pens, paper, reading material and even dog and cat food. You never know if we'll find animals to take in and I want to be prepared. Dogs could be really helpful in alerting us if someone or something gets too close to Isabella's family cabin.
I made sure we have a good supply of cooking basics, like flour, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. I know most of us haven't done a lot of cooking in our lives, but looks like we are going to have to learn. The prepared, pre packaged foods won't last forever and we'll still need to eat when they're gone. I grabbed a couple of the cookbooks to make sure we'll have some recipes to follow while we learn.
Yesterday, we went as a group to help Jorge check on the condition of the truck we're taking. While he checked the engine, started the truck for a few minutes and checked anything else he felt he needed to check on, the rest of us formed a half circle around the truck. We took out any of the undead that came around the corner of the store and into the receiving area. Linda and Isabella were really nervous about being out side the store for the first time since this all began, but they handled themselves well.
We had been out there for less than five minutes when a group of seven undead teens came around the corner. They were dressed in 80's heavy metal band t-shirts. I would bet all our supplies that none of them had ever listened to any of the groups on their shirts, they just though they were cool. It struck me as hilarious that they were spending their walking dead days in those empty, trendy shirts. I started laughing and everyone looked at me like I'd lost it. I told them I would explain later and we took them out with out broom handle spears. Besides the teens, we had a couple of stragglers that wandered in, easily taken out, and we were done in less than 20 minutes.

Once we got back inside, Alice and Jake were waiting for us and said they're going with us. We told them to pack anything they wouldn't need tonight and be ready to leave first thing tomorrow. When Jackie heard they were leaving, she threw a royal hissy fit, crying, yelling, trying to shame them into staying. But, I was really proud they didn't give in. In fact, Jake told the rest of them they needed to come with us too. He said the same things I have been saying for days. People were going to run out of food and come attack the store. The food wouldn't be good forever and there were too many zombies to safely scavenge around the store. The undead could swarm and break through the windows around the doors if they were allowed to build up, and with less people to pull duty, this could really happen.
Nothing he said changed Jackie's mind, but I could see that Sarah was looking more and more uncertain and Lisa looked scared. Well, they have tonight and the very early part of tomorrow morning to change their minds, then we're  gone. Isabella said we should leave them a map, in case they change their minds after we're gone. I nixed that idea, though. If someone else takes over the store, a map would lead them right to us and the supplies we took.
I'm worried for anyone who stays, but if they decide to stay, there is no changing their minds after. Hopefully, Sarah or Lisa will come with us. If they don't, we just have to put them out of our minds and focus on the people who are smart and come with us. We're going to have enough to worry about just keeping us alive without feeling guilt or worry about anyone who stays here.

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 7

May 7, 2017

Barbie and I decided to have a small break after the stress of clearing out the security office. We spent all day yesterday just hanging out, playing games and we watched Practical Magic. The sisters in that movie always remind me of Barbie and I. They are so different from each other and Barbie and I've always been almost opposites, like them.

Today, we watched the undead milling about on the street out front for a while. Nothing has changed in a while. They mostly stand around and sway, unless they hear something or smell something live. Then, they start making that weird moaning sound, like a wounded or rabid animal. They all start looking around and snapping their teeth, searching for whatever woke them out of their dormant state.
We saw a couple of them think they heard or saw something and become active. But, they soon went dormant without really looking around very hard. It must happen pretty often because the ones around them didn't even react.
We spent several hours after this taking care of our little garden. It's the only spot of peace we have besides our apartment and I love spending time there. The pool is a giant, green mess now, but we get enough water from our collection bins and whats left in the pool to keep our plants growing. We had salad for lunch today. Think about that! Salad in the zombie apocalypse, and we grew it, too! I'll admit the ranch would've been better with real, fresh dairy. But we ate it made with powdered milk and water, and let me tell you, it was wonderful!

This evening, we started brainstorming ideas of what we should do next. We could continue searching the apartments in our tower. We've been getting enough to supplies to survive and even have a pretty good back up stash now. Or we could get into the tower next to us that had the more expensive apartments in it. They might have better stuff and possiblly even some gourmet foods we'll never find in our tower. But, we don't know the condition of the halls and stairwells over there. We spent at least an hour debating the safety issues versus the possible rewards before deciding to try to get onto one of the floors over there tomorrow,or maybe the day after.
Leaving the building and trying to find somewhere else to go is still not possible. The streets around us are full of undead and there hasn't been any thinning out. Even if we had a car or truck, there are just too many of them for us to drive through. Where would we go, anyway? We're in the middle of a city of undead and have no idea if anyone is still alive or sane out there. This apartment is the best option we have and while it might be lonely with just the two of us, we knew we were ok.

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 11

May 11, 2017

Dr. Ben says that Henry will be ready to travel tomorrow. His fever broke day before yesterday and he is starting to be able to eat and keep down soup and other liquids. His survival has made Dr Ben really want to get to Aspen to try to set up a lab and see if he can figure out why Henry survived while no one else has. According to the doctor, there probably have been a few who have survived,  but not so anyone has heard about.

We are spending the day packing up our camp, except for our beds for tonight. Anything that is not essential for us to have our today is being packed away. Only the food and items we need to prepare and cook for today are staying unpacked. All the extras we have gotten used to having out this last week or so have to be packed up. This means putting all the children's books and toys away.
The children were not that happy about moving on. They don't want to leave their play structures and give up their new games. But, we made them a promise that we will build them a really cool play area when we have a secured compound in Aspen. I even told them that with all those rich peoples houses, there should be some awesome structures to take and make their own. They started planning out the way they want their area to look as soon as I walked away, arguing as only children can about what hypothetical structure will go where. They are making a list of the types of play structures they want the scouts to keep their eyes open for. Now, they are excited about moving on.
I think that Jenna is the next more excited about getting to Aspen. Everyone keeps talking about the young adults that Gary and Williams but for Jenna, they represent the chance to have people near her own age around. I imagine that is priceless for her. To be able to talk to someone who understands all the slang and jargon she grew up using. I know she has been really good with the smaller children and also with the adults, but it will be good for her to have people her own age around.

I am looking forward to being in one place for longer than a week or so. I want to find some books about how to do useful stuff and sit in one place while I read to my hearts content. I know I will have to take my turn on scouting duty and patrol, but in between, reading and heaven. I want to learn to do something that will contribute to the group in a positive way. I feel really useless most of the time and I want that to stop. Whether it is electrical work or wood work or whatever, I need to make myself more useful to these people who have gotten me through thick and thin since this pandemic started.
We will be ready to go tomorrow morning. Williams and Gary are going to lead us to the place they left their truck last time and then go to the group already in Aspen. They are going to talk to them about working together and surviving together. I hope they will see the wisdom in combining our groups together. It will give them more people to do the things that have to be done to survive in this world and give one of our people others her own age. Hopefully, they will be willing to become one group. We will all be in a better position if we do.

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 11

May 11, 2017

We listened this morning to the sound of the bikers rumbling out of town. Last night, no one got much sleep because we were all worried they might send people out to check out the entire town, but they didn't. They had parked their bikes in front of a liqueur store and they stayed there the rest of the day and all night, drinking and hooting and shooting their guns into the air. At least, I hope they were shooting into the air and not at each other or other survivors in this town. The sounds died down around daybreak and then four hours later, they were riding out of town in the direction we want to head in, as well.

We stayed really quiet and didn't have any lights in any rooms near the front, just in case a crack of light gave us away. I know we were being paranoid, but better paranoid than dead or taken captive. Those bikers don't seem like the nice sort, so the women here know what would happen to them. They might not even spare the elderly women from their intentions, so we couldn't take any chances.
We got together as a group when we heard the bikes leaving to decide what our next  steps were going to be. We knew where the trailer was waiting and had piles of supplies ready to go by the back door. But did we really want to go in the same direction that the bikers were going in? They could set themselves up in a traffic jam and ambush anyone who comes along, including us. They would be thrilled to get their hands on James and I.
We decided that we would still get the trailer, put the mattresses down and get out of town. But, we looked at a map and found a route that headed in the right direction, eventually, but was not the way the bikers took.
James, Jim and Rick left right after the meeting and went to warm up the truck and get the trailer hooked up and back here. The rest of us were getting the last of the stuff downstairs and ready to go when they got back. Jackie and I even took the time to search the downstairs rooms one last time for anything useful. We would not be coming back to the Frank T. Weathers Senior Care Center. We were headed for the Greenbriar Hotel and were determined to get there.
The guys got back about an hour later and we loaded up all the mattresses, food, the few medical supplies left and whatever else people felt they needed to bring. It took us until past midday to get the trailer ready for passengers. We stopped, ate a meal, and then loaded up. Jackie and Brad rode up front in the cab with James since they were both born and raised in this area. Brad said he knew the way we were going and that they turn we needed to take was on a blind corner, so people used to miss it all the time. Better to have them up navigating and I was fine with being in the back with the others.

We had brought some of those battery powered touch lights and had stuck them to the inside of the trailer at regular intervals. We didn't use them all at once to save the batteries for as long as possible, but they did give off enough light for us to not be in pitch black. The mattresses made us more comfortable, but there wasn't much back here, except the couple of pallets of snack foods secured in the front of the trailer. At least we wouldn't starve on our way to the Greenbriar.
We drove for the rest of the day, made the turn thanks to Brad and Jackie, and James found an old gas station to park or rig out of sight in the truck wash bay. We decided to post guards and sleep in the trailer.
We are on our way, again, headed to the Greenbriar. Here's to hoping there are survivors there that are still human enough to take in more survivors. Also, here's to hoping we avoid those bikers and they turn to another destination.

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.