From the journal of Manny Stone, June 6

June 6, 2017

     Yesterday, we pulled into this little town that looks like most of the other little towns we've driven through. I slowed down and we drove down main street, looking to see what there was to see. At the far end from where we started there is a little diner and that's where I stopped the truck.
We'd been on the road for four days without resting more than overnight in any one place and I knew I was exhausted. We got out of the truck and I told Alex and Marny to wait outside, but be prepared for the undead to come along. I went inside the diner and there had to be more than a dozen zombies waking up from that weird, waiting state they fall into when there's nothing to stimulate them.

     I used their slight hesitation to my advantage and took out four of them before the moaning started. From then on, it was just slash, stab, and move, slash, stab and move for what felt like hours, but was really only about 10 minutes. When I came back to myself, I looked around and saw that all the zombies had been take out and I was covered in their black blood and viscera. I shook my head to clear out the last of the battle haze and then checked the rest of the diner from the kitchen to the restrooms.

     Once I was sure the whole place was clear, I went out the door and brought Alex and Marny into the diner with me. We had Marny wait in the store room while Alex and I took all the undead bodies and put them out the back door and into the dumpster. I checked the gas stove and found that it was still working, then we searched the kitchen and store room to see what food was left to eat. Marny loves to cook and took over planning the meal with what was on hand. She had both of us opening cans and helping her get all ingredients she wanted together, then she put them all into a pot and made the meanest stew I've ever eaten. Thank God the woman can cook.

     We took the food out to one of the clean tables and sat down to eat. That's when I saw the three people walking down the street. I told Alex to cover me from the door and went outside to confront whoever it was. I went through the door and once I was out from under the overhang, it became even harder to see clearly, with the sun shining in my eyes. I called out to them to identify themselves and they said they were the only survivors in town. The three of them held their hands out from their bodies and started across the street. I took two steps back and then I could see them clearly. They're teenagers!

     I felt a smile break across my face and I motioned behind me for Alex to stand down. I opened the door and we welcomed them in. We spent the next hour listening to the horror of their Prom night and everything that they had done since. Then, Kelly, the girl who seemed to be their spokesperson, hesitantly asked if they could go with us when we left. We immediately agreed and Marny made sure they had something to eat. While that was happening, Conner told us how they had secured the post office and we decided to stay the night there. Then I suggested we find bigger vehicle, preferably an RV.

     We packed up all the food that was still edible in the diner and then made our way to the post office to settle in for the night. Today, I went out really early while everyone else still slept and found an RV behind a house on the other side of the town. When I drove back to the post office, I didn't see any other living or undead soul the entire time. I pulled the RV into the alley behind the post office and went inside. We all talked and decided to stay one more day so Alex, Marny and I can rest. Tomorrow, we keep heading west in our new RV. We have enough food between the food from the diner and what the kids have on hand. We're just going to fill the water tank in the RV from the hose in the alley and be on our way.

     It's a good thing we ran into the kids, if they hadn't come forward, who knows who would pull into this town next. It could be the men from the mountains or even men like the ones who destroyed that town none of us can forget. Thank God they ran into 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.