Season five, Episode fifteen – “Cuckoo”

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode Twelve, “Partners”The old man spent the rest of the day with Bill. They were feeling each other out. Learning each other.The old man was sore and tired from the day’s digging. He figured another day of rest couldn’t do any harm. Another night of good sleep inside wouldn’t hurt either. A couple more good meals to refuel. Bill seemed less concerned now but was still following the old man around. Right on his heels most of the time. Watching him....Outro S1 E12 We are 12 episodes in my survivor friends! You have, ahem, survived this far into the story! Thank you – this is Chris your cruise director. Now we have Bill the dog and the Old man in a partnership. And maybe the old man is starting to step back from the brink of his fatalism? What happened to Janet? What happened to KJ the killer? What other characters are roaming the apocalypse with them? Stay tuned to find out! We are up to 2,390 listener downloads. That’s great. Up 41% since last episode drop. And I blame you. All of you who took the time to tell a friend or give us a like or a review. Keep it up! I will work my tail off to bring you a new chapter every other week, or fortnightly, for those of you who like that term. I commit to a steady release schedule so you can plan for it. I know I hate when podcasts are inconsistent. Or when they fade out after a few episodes. We’ve passed the one-year anniversary of when this idea of the Old Man in the apocalypse came into my head. It was the week the Pandemic started, and I was at a trade show in Atlanta. This picture of the old man popped into my head while I was running down by the Chattahoochee on a rainy morning. I wrote the first chapter on the plane on my way back home. That’s the last time I was on a plane! I have read a couple SciFi books since we last talked. I’m an avid and voracious consumer of books. I do like hard science fiction. I think I found a list of ‘best books’ or something so I bought a pile of them from Thriftbooks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Icarus_Hunt The first one was a novel called The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn. Decent book. It’s a bit of a who-dunnit caper in space. The tech was good. The characters were good. The action was good. The story moved right along. It kept your interest by creating tension around the big secrets and slowly teasing them through the narrative until the last act. It seemed a bit rushed at the end with the big reveal and I was left wondering ‘wait, that’s it?’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warchild_(Lowachee_novel) The second was a much bigger book called Warchild by Kiran Lowachee. The characters, especially the main character are very compelling, very deep. It has a bit of ‘Starship Troopers’ in it. It was 400+ pages but quite compelling. I have to admit that the pirate-child-sex-slave themes really creeped me out. On the one hand it’s a testament to the writing, on the other it’s just creepy and I don’t read escapist fiction to get creeped out. This is an amazing piece of work for a first novel. Links in the show notes, which you can find by looking at them in your podcast player or the website, which points to the website page on Acast, or of course, on the Patreon page. Both good hard SF novels. I’d recommend them. Tell you what, if you contribute to the patreon for the show I’ll drop ‘em in the mail to you. Still looking for supporters to help me finance this. I wanted to thank my friends Tim and Duane for being editors. They pick up stuff that I don’t and it makes the product better for all of us. The show is dedicated to them. And Tim, hopefully you’ll be able to download and listen to podcasts while you’re out on the Appalachian trail this summer. Hope everyone is enjoying spring, or fall, depending on which side of the planet you’re on. Reach out and say ‘Hi’ at cyktrussell at gmail. See you next time and Keep Surviving! Standard outro and linksAfter the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Mar 202125min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode Eleven, “Service”Bill the dog watched as the man he had brought to the house bent over and touched his fingers to the throat of the Corporal. Bill let the man touch the Corporal. He knew the man was trying to help. But Bill also knew that the Corporal was gone. He could smell that the body was without life. He knew death when he smelled it. He had smelled death many times when he and the Corporal were deployed. In the war....Hello my friends and welcome to the Apocalypse – this is Chris your Apocalyptic cruise director. Today’s episode is brought to you by my friend Ann who is a writer and owns a social media marketing company. She contributed to my Patreon! Which you can too at patreon/aftertheapocalypse – all on word. You can find links to all Ann’s stuff in the show notes. If you want to sponsor a show I’ll put your links in the apocalypse as well. Ann M. BrennanOwner of Ann's Social Media & MarketingCreator of Burgers & Bands for Suicide PreventionAuthor of A Running CommentarySubscribe to ASMM Digital on YouTubeI’m usually pretty good about putting links in the notes to anyone or anything I talk about here – so if I reference someone or something, like a movie, an author or a book - I link to it. I’m also post the episode scripts for members on the patreon page. I’m in this for the long haul but could sure use your help! We’re closing in on 2,000 listeners, which I know is a drop in the bucket, but with your help we will grow! Leave a review, tell a friend, let’s keep it going! We added 10 listeners from Japan, domo aregato. I have worked in Japan, but that’s another story. And we added Denmark, and Finland and Puerto Rico. I’ve been to Demark and Puerto Rico, but I don’t think I’ve been to Finland – so there’s something to look forward to. I think there are somewhere around 170 – 190 countries in the world, depending on how you count them – so let’s get them all. Feel free to reach out to me with any ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you! Cyktrussell at gmail dot com.When I first told Ann about this new project she said, ‘well, that’s nice Chris, but it’s not my cup of tea’. She surprised me with her Patreon contribution – I asked her what changed her mind and she said she loved KJ! I consider that a success. Did you like this week’s attempt to see the world through Bill the dog’s eyes? If I can make Ann like one of my female characters, maybe I can make you like my canine friend Bill. The other thing I’d be interested in some feedback on is the length. I’m purposely keeping these episodes to shortish 2000 word chapters. I’m curious how those string together in the narrative as you’re listening to them. Do you binge through them? Is it long enough to have you looking forward to the next one? I’d like to release more frequently than every two weeks, but I need some traction to do that so keep reviewing and forwarding. Let’s see if we can’t get some acceleration. Things are going to continue to get exciting here in the apocalypse. Let me know if you need anything. Thanks for listening – and Keep Surviving! LinksAfter the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Mar 202118min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode ten, “No friends in the apocalypse” The old man separated a leg from the cooked rabbit with his long blade and tossed it to the big dog. Since they had crawled out of the swamp, the dog had been laying prone, like a sphynx, a few feet away, watching the old man. The dog’s large curly head rested on extended paws; his expressive brown eyes under bushy eyebrows watched intently, like he was weighing the old man, assessing him in that impenetrable doggie brain. The dog sniffed at the proffered food and cocked an inquisitive glance at the old man, one eyebrow raised. ...OutroAfter the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 202122min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode nine, “Bill the Dog”Bill the dog watched the old man cooking over a low fire at the edge of a swamp. It wasn’t a fire that humans would likely see or smell, but a dog’s nose was different. Bill had picked up the scent of cooking game and followed it. It was an overcast, fall day. The days were noticeably cooler and most of the leaves had been blown from the trees with the approach of winter. Bill lay concealed in the underbrush and leaves. Silent. Watching. Curious.The old man’s dinner wasn’t the only scent on the breeze. There was, as always, the background smell of smoke and death that seemed to permeate the apocalypse, but there was something else, too. There was the smell of other dogs. ...Show notes: After the Apocalypse is a serial podcast that tells the story of the survivors of a 21st century plague that has catastrophically wiped out 90% of human population. Will they be able to survive? What happens to our modern world when the great plague comes? Can humankind survive and learn, or will it devolve into a dark ages nightmare of our worst traits? Listen to the story of After the Apocalypse and find out. After the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Feb 202117min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode eight, “West”Janet stopped the Range Rover and threw it into park. The big car had apparently taken enough abuse and refused to keep running. The engine choked and coughed to a rattling halt. Stepping out and shaking the last of the glass fragments from her hair and clothes she looked to see what was going on with her father’s truck. It didn’t look like it had crashed, more like it had simply rolled there. She couldn’t see any immediate signs of trouble. It was with a sense of dread that she climbed down into the ditch to check. She could make out a person inside through the back window. She was afraid of what she would find. ...OutroAfter the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Episode OutroOutro S1 E8Hello my friends, how are we surviving? This is Chris your writer and producer talking to you live from the frozen wastes of New England. Today we wrapped up the fourth chapter introducing our friend Janet – “KJ – the Killer” – What do you think? Would love some feedback. As always would love whatever support you can lend me through sharing the story with your friends, (or enemies), as we build our audience and community. I’m enjoying myself but I need your shekels, ducats, real, pounds and dinars to keep the lights on. So do us a solid and got to the Patreon page at patreon.com/aftertheapocalypse and make a donation to keep the story going. This week I’d like to thank Jim for pitching in. I appreciate the support Jim. I’ve always been a fan of science fiction and writing this story has led me to think harder about the genre. For a lot of people SciFi is the stuff of 10 year old boys or nerdy men with no social skills. It gets the short shrift, so to speak. But I’ve always been a fan. I like the way SciFi creates a safe space to explore new ideas. Sort of a sand-box for out-of-the-box thinking. It’s a place where authors can chew on ‘what-ifs?’ and not get beat up culturally for it. I just listened to a piece by Jordan Hill on the Libertarian History of Science Fiction which was thought provoking. He references the hard SciFi authors from the “Golden Age” of SciFi, like Asimov, Heinlein, and all those great stories. I can remember starting to read “Dune” by Frank Herbert or the Foundation books by Asimov and not being able to put them down. I’ll share another foundational, (pun intended), story that has influenced me. It’s a book, that started a pulp serial, written by L. Ron Hubbard – yes that L Ron Hubbard – before he went nutty with the Dianetics stuff - called Final Blackout, published in book form in 1948 and very much influenced by the world wars and that generation’s experience in those wars. It has a character named “The Lieutenant” that is one of the best apocalyptic characters ever written. It’s a bit dated now but it’s a fine piece of writing and I fully intend to lean on it in my apocalypse. Thank you for listening. If you can contribute some to the Patreon that would be great. I’m posting the transcripts of the shows there and other things, like these outros and character sketches – if youbcome a patron you get access to those. Please share with your friends. We are 4 weeks into our official launch and we’re just passing 700 listeners. If I can get a couple bucks from 100 true fans I can keep this project going. My friend Dave is offering to have his daughter do some fan arts on the characters. I love that. I have very clear sense or picture of them in my head but I’d love to see how the picture paints itself for others. I leave you with that my fellow survivors. Next show we introduce my favorite character so far, and I know you’re going to love him as much as I do. As always – Keep Surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jan 202120min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode seven, “Home Again”The skies were darkening now as Janet eased the Range Rover onto the entrance ramp to the expressway. Her hands trembled as she gripped the steering wheel hard, adrenaline still pumping through her body. “That man just committed murder right in front of me”, she said, not sure if she could believe it. What the hell was going on? What was this nightmare? Was it like this everywhere? ...Website -> http://www.oldmanapocalypse.com Buy me Coffee -> https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cyktrussellSubscribe page on Acast -> https://plus.acast.com/s/after-the-apocalypsePodcast on Acast -> https://shows.acast.com/after-the-apocalypseFacebook group -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldmanapocalypsePatreon to support the show -> https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseKindle Vella Story -> https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09LTRC8RHMerch Store -> https://www.teepublic.com/stores/after-the-apocalypse Twitter -> cyktrussell@twitter.comEmail List -> https://acast.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a02fed2a783fcc887760255a9&id=e15419e7be Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Jan 202120min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason One, Episode Six, “Anarchy”Janet glanced back at the nose of the Range Rover sticking out from behind the dumpster. She regretted having to leave it. It had become the center of her world since fleeing the city the day before. A safe harbor. A den-like space, comfortable and familiar where she had control. It couldn’t be helped. She needed fuel. She needed food and supplies. ...OutroAfter the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Jan 202124min

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode five, “Killer”Her name was Janet Kramer, (Pause)but her coworkers called her “KJ”. She didn’t know why. She supposed it didn’t matter anymore. The lines on the road flashed by and she started to fade from consciousness again, caught herself and focused. Who was she now? In this new landscape of chaos and death? ...Show notes: After the Apocalypse is a serial podcast that tells the story of the survivors of a 21st century plague that has catastrophically wiped out 90% of human population. Will they be able to survive? What happens to our modern world when the great plague comes? Can humankind survive and learn, or will it devolve into a dark ages nightmare of our worst traits? Listen to the story of After the Apocalypse and find out. After the Apocalypse is written and produced by Chris Russell (that’s me) aftertheapocalypse.meThe show is narrated by Robert Weinheimer who’s work can be found at https://commandvoices.com/The intro and outro music is by Bobby Quinn https://www.fiverr.com/bobbyquinncThank you for listening to After the apocalypse. Make sure to subscribe and please tell your friends. Because this show can only survive the apocalypse with your help. Be a good survivor and spread the word. Go onto your favorite podcast service and write a review. One of the best ways to directly support the show is through our Patreon page –go to patreon.com/AfterTheApocalypse https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseLinks to everything can be found in the episode and show notes.You can find out more about the show at our website www.aftertheapocalypse.meUntil next week. Thank you for listening and keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Jan 202116min