Season One, Episode Eighteen - “The Shot”

Season One, Episode Eighteen - “The Shot”

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason One, Episode Eighteen - “The Shot”

(Narrator)

What runs through the mind of a dog?

Not just a dog, but a soldier and a veteran.

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BILL THE DOG (think of him as a soldier grunt. He speaks simply and mostly in the present tense, but with urgency:

Now.

It is quiet. I am alert.

My pack is safe.

I see them on the roof of the building. The large cat waits below.

The pack is my duty. I protect the pack. I fight and die for the pack.

I hold here out of reach of the cat, waiting. It is hot. I am thirsty and hungry.

But I will wait. Until my new man says otherwise.

The new man commands less than my soldier.

The new man gives commands.

But the woman acts like pack leader.

There is only now. There is only the mission.

I can fight. I can harass. I can run.

But I must protect the pack.

...

Outro S1 E18 – The Shot

Hello my survivor friends. How’s the apocalypse going? The is Chris your host fro this apocalyptic after-party. Thank you for showing up and joining the old man and KJ for an adventure!

https://shows.acast.com/after-the-apocalypse

I really liked Robert’s read of this one. I think he got the dialogue just right. I had written these two chapters about the animal farm in 2020 during the height of the pandemic while I was experimenting with this universe to see if it merited the effort of my attention.

I wrote it originally as a two-parter with the cliff-hanger. This time around I tried to cram it into 1 episode but it would not be crammed so we left the original 2-parter structure with the cliff hanger and fleshed out the dialogue a bit.

I think it works.

We are 2 episodes away from wrapping up season 1. Like I said before, we are going to take a break after episode 20 and turn the first season into a paperback, ebook and audio book. The mechanics of this are not unfamiliar to me. I have done it before, but not for a couple years.

I contracted a starving artist to work on a cover for me and another to edit it back into book form. The difference between writing for an audio read and a regular read is minor but I think it’s worth the help.

When I write for audio I break up the paragraphs into smaller chunks and phrases to reinforce the cadence. So I’m having a nice lady from Jamaica go through and pull some of those back together for readability. Also she’ll delete all the audio instruction notes, look for typos and blatant grammar issues, like dangling participles.

I would love to have any of you who are readers support the book launch if you’re game. I could use typo hunters. You get a pre-release of the book. Come over and join the FaceBook group for After the Apocalypse and join the team.

I’ll apologize for making you work hard, but There are a bunch of Facebook groups and pages called After the Apocalypse, mine is https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldmanapocalypse/

Another thing I’ll be recruiting for is a book launch team. In couple months when all this comes together I’ll need help in, for lack of a better word, marketing. Again, FaceBook, After the apocalypse.

Since we last talked I’ve been reading a Robert Heinlein, retrospective called Requiem, which if you are interested you can procure on Thriftbooks for $5.29. It a collection of “unreleased” stories and other stuff. One of the stories is a novella he wrote in 1950 called Destination Moon.

You may know him from his more famous works, Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

This novella or short story depending on your appetite is followed by piece, penned by Heinlein about the making of a movie from the story.

So I, curious as I am for the literary obscura, of course went out and hunted down the movie, which you can watch on Youtube.

It’s interesting because it is such a time capsule, (pun intended), of a sort of religion of hard science that came out of American engineering culture in this post world-war 2 time. This golden age of science fiction.

Heinlein was involved in the movie production and they worked really hard to make sure that the science of it made sense. That the gravity and the exit velocities and all the other stuff actually made sense. It ends up as almost a documentary of sorts.

These guys were one of the big influences in turning the American cultural knobs towards space. Cheerleading, if you will, that going to the moon was not fantasy, not fiction, but science. And if the incompetent bureaucratic government would just get out of the way of industrialists and engineers it be done. And it could be done before the Russians did it!

But, it’s a great example of what the sci-fi of the time was all about. They loved hard science. They thought every problem could be solved by smart, brave, independent minded engineers. It was this vision of reimagining the world as a fact-based, science-based libertarianism.

Heinlein is famous for the following quote:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” ― Robert A. Heinlein

And, yes, if all this sounds sort of pseudo religious, religions were founded based on this scientific-libertarianism. These guys believed that the soft-sciences of psychiatry and religion could be fed into the logically precise meat grinder of science, and that what came out the other end would be free of all the emotional clap-trap of society.

I bet you’ve all heard of Dianetics which grew out of this process by golden age sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard. But, you probably haven’t heard of the Church of All Worlds a neopagan religion that was founded in California (of course, because all the crazy head for the coasts) based on the writings of Robert Heinlein.

So, I guess the moral here is be careful what you imagine, be careful what you write, be careful what you believe because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. These golden age writers, by pouring their beliefs and realism into their writings made them compelling, more than stories for boys, and, quite literally, changed the world.

Sorry for the long screed, but I find it all very interesting and thought you might too.

Remember to make a donation at the Patreon Group, I am reading extra credit stories into audio for members there.

Join the Facebook group and volunteer to be a typo hunter or a member of the book launch team.

Maybe you and I can change the world.

But above all else, put one foot in front of the other, confront each morning with joy and Keep Surviving.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(129)

Dean and Cordelia Wrap-up with Jesse and Shannon

Dean and Cordelia Wrap-up with Jesse and Shannon

Welcome back survivors! How have you been? Have you missed me? Today, we have a conversation with Jesse and Shannon to wrap up the Dean and Cordelia series. If you’re new to the feed, the original After the Apocalypse story ran for 5 seasons. It’s an story about survivors of a viral apocalypse and I recommend you start with Season one Episode one. · Notes: from conversation: · Jesse’s website https://www.piedraven.com· T. Kingfisher books -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_Vernon· Tamson Muir -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsyn_Muir· Game Changer -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Changer_(game_show)· HealthRight360 -> https://www.healthright360.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Nov 35min

AC S1 E6 Not Patchouli

AC S1 E6 Not Patchouli

Hello my survivor friends…Thick, oily, toxic mist rises from a crack in the village center. The bone crushing coldness has caused the turf to dry and die. The earth below contracts and splits to reveal its deathly inner workings. All is cold and death. Yup, that’s pretty much the way it is at my house too. Winter and darkness have rolled like an exhausting dystopian ghost over the land. What’s new survivors? Today I’m going to talk about the Dean and Cordelia series and what we’re doing next on the feed and I’ll give you a fun book review I wrote for my new book club. I suspect I’m going to go a bit longer – so you might want to refresh your smokey old fashion with a shot of bourbon. Chris, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Nov 37min

AC S1 E5 Widespread Mechanical Failure

AC S1 E5 Widespread Mechanical Failure

"Widespread Mechanical Failure" - Episode 2 of the Dean and Cordelia seriesWritten by Jesse DanielsRead by Shannon StockwellProduced for the Apocalypse Cafe by Chris Russell...Cordelia and Dean rumbled on the hood of his car as a small plane flew in overhead. The proximity to the landing aircraft shook her small frame and blew her hair in every direction. They hollered, but couldn’t hear one another, and gazed up as the plane passed. It grew louder when it backfired, sending a quick burst of flames and soot out the exhaust. Thankfully, the odor drifted off due to the draft. The plane wobbled as it came closer to the ground, first touching down with only one wheel, then bouncing a few times before gaining traction with both, and landing safely a short distance away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Okt 29min

AC S1 E4 Cherry and Star Anise

AC S1 E4 Cherry and Star Anise

Introduction to “Cherry and Star Anise – Episode one of the Dean and Cordelia series. Hello and welcome survivors to the next story in the Apocalypse Café. Today we present to you the first episode in the Dean and Cordelia three episode arc titled “Cherry and Star Anise.” I’ll come back with comments at the end, but allow me, survivors, to quickly introduce the author and the performer. Jesse Daniels is a tree-climbing Virgo with an amazing whistling ability. He can often be found at the peak of a mountain with his dog and wife in tow. He enjoys storytelling, drawing, painting, and creative endeavors of all types. He is working on a fantasy novel with a creative take on classic monsters and a unique magic system, hoping to get it out and into the world within the next couple of years.Currently, Jesse has a non-fiction book out through Storey Publishing focused on tabletop game design, titled Make Your Own Board Game. Look to his website, PiedRaven.com, for more information on his other work including Hibernation, a bear-centric card game that is available for purchase, and Between Realms, a celtic-mythology themed, worker-placement card-game coming soon.Our audio artist for today’s piece is Clara McCouch. Clara is an aspiring young actor, fresh out of high school, all set to leave behind the pastoral farmlands of central Pennsylvania in pursuit of her BFA in acting at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey. And she does an outstanding job on this read. Additional thanks to my thespian survivor friend Duane for putting me in touch with Clara. So…my survivor friends, grab a glass of good merlot, a handful of silverware, and sit back and enjoy “Cherry and Star Anise.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Okt 28min

Exterminator Wrap up Interview

Exterminator Wrap up Interview

Patrick Rushbrook is a self-described “middle aged white guy in Kentucky with a beautiful wife and two teenage daughters, who writes silly stories to entertain himself instead of doing more productive things with his spare time.” Patrick had always been interested in writing but isn’t exactly a self-starter, so he didn’t take up the craft until age 39, after finding Reddit’s nosleep page. Growing jealous of some of the wildly successful, yet terribly written stories there and craving reddit upvotes to satisfy his fragile ego, he ventured into the game where one of his early stories was the first iteration of the Exterminator character. In 2024, Patrick achieved the title of “professional writer” by earning an incredible $400.In addition to his literary endeavors, Patrick is also a professional drummer and an un-professional guitarist, where he’s earned a grand total of $75 and a t-shirt that was three sizes too big. You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor …Patrick and I worked together to vet an audio performer for this series and landed on the voice you will hear today reading the work – Austin.Austin C. Baker is a storyteller and experience designer from Plymouth, Indiana, with a lifelong passion for narrative and creativity. From writing comic books and filming backyard skits as a kid to designing immersive events and ghostwriting fiction, Austin has always sought out meaningful ways to connect with audiences.He holds degrees in Experience Design, History, and Strategic Leadership & Design from the University of Indianapolis, where he also spent several years teaching. Alongside his design and writing work, Austin is an actor and voice actor, bringing characters to life across screen and audio.Today, he runs BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio, while also continuing to write and teach professionally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Sep 26min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Three, The Equalizer

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Three, The Equalizer

Hello, my survivor friends, The sun is setting now in behind the protective ring of iron hills as we wend our way down the slick shale to the village. It glows orange in the opaque, ravaged horizon. As we approach, we see there is an old man squatting on his haunches in front of a warming fire. He turns to us with yellowed eyes and says “Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you…” So that was the 3rd episode of the 3-episode arc of the Exterminator’s Apocalypse Read by Austin and adapted for the apocalypse by Patrick. It’s been fun working with these guys. They are real creatives that love what they do. And I think we need that as the world continues to sync into mediocre machine generated content. We are transitioning the feed over to this new story telling format. And I like the 3-episode format because it gives enough room to tell a story and introduce the characters, for you, the listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Sep 35min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Two, Exterminate!

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Two, Exterminate!

The Apocalypse CaféThe Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Episode two, Exterminate!Welcome Survivors to the second episode of “The Apocalypse Café”. This is a series I’ve created as a follow up to the After the Apocalypse 5 season run. Her we feature new artists with new stories. If you are looking for the original five seasons of the After the Apocalypse story arc then you need to start at Season one, Episode one.I’ve decided to tweak the format after listening to the first episode. I found the commercial break after the introduction to be an awful experience, so, instead, today, I’m going to read this short introduction then we’ll fade right into the story episode, and I’ll throw a commercial break at the end followed by a more traditional outro, where I can provide additional updates. So, when you hear the outro music you can skip ahead. Today we present episode 2 of a 3-episode arc written by Patrick Rushbrook. And performed by Austin C. Baker – The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part 2, “Extermination.” ...You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor Austin can be found at BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Aug 27min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats

Introduction: Season 6, Episode oneWelcome Survivors to the August 1, 2025 inaugural edition of “The Apocalypse Café”. For those confused, befuddled and wandering pilgrims that are wondering what exactly they are listening to, let me ‘splain’. Let me sum up! After the Apocalypse is an apocalyptic story that I created and published 100 plus episodes over five seasons. That story started with episode 1 season 1 at the beginning of this feed – so if you’re new, go back to the beginning and state there. Since we completed the narrative arc that we had planned now we are presenting stand-alone apocalypse stories that we plan to drop monthly. So, for my surviving listeners, give it a listen and let me know what you think. Today, format-wise. I will read an introduction, insert an ad-break to pay off the jailers, and then step off stage to let you enjoy the story. So let’s get on with it! Today’s offering is the first of a 3-episode story arc by Patrick Rushbrook that introduces a couple of fun characters struggling to survive and make sense of an apocalypse that is alternately comical and horrifying. It is written and adapted by Patrick Rushbrook.…Patrick Rushbrook is a self-described “middle aged white guy in Kentucky with a beautiful wife and two teenage daughters, who writes silly stories to entertain himself instead of doing more productive things with his spare time.” Patrick had always been interested in writing but isn’t exactly a self-starter, so he didn’t take up the craft until age 39, after finding Reddit’s nosleep page. Growing jealous of some of the wildly successful, yet terribly written stories there and craving reddit upvotes to satisfy his fragile ego, he ventured into the game where one of his early stories was the first iteration of the Exterminator character. In 2024, Patrick achieved the title of “professional writer” by earning an incredible $400.In addition to his literary endeavors, Patrick is also a professional drummer and an un-professional guitarist, where he’s earned a grand total of $75 and a t-shirt that was three sizes too big. You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor …Patrick and I worked together to vet an audio performer for this series and landed on the voice you will hear today reading the work – Austin.Austin C. Baker is a storyteller and experience designer from Plymouth, Indiana, with a lifelong passion for narrative and creativity. From writing comic books and filming backyard skits as a kid to designing immersive events and ghostwriting fiction, Austin has always sought out meaningful ways to connect with audiences.He holds degrees in Experience Design, History, and Strategic Leadership & Design from the University of Indianapolis, where he also spent several years teaching. Alongside his design and writing work, Austin is an actor and voice actor, bringing characters to life across screen and audio.Today, he runs BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio, while also continuing to write and teach professionally.So without further data loss, after the break, let’s sit back and enjoy “The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Aug 17min

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