Season One, Episode Eleven, “Service”

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason two, Episode twelve, “Trust”Brad looked at the steaming pile of eggs on his plate and didn’t know what to think. ‘Eggs for dinner?’He loved eggs. His mom used to make them for him. And did the concept of ‘dinner time’ even mean anything anymore?John Tasker noticed his hesitation and said with a smile, “Go ahead, boy, dig in!”. We got plenty.” Brad did as he was told, bringing a greasy, savory forkful to his mouth. There was a time he wouldn’t have even thought about the taste of his food. But now, this mouthful of scrambled eggs felt like a warm explosion of joy in his mouth. His whole body shuddered. ...Podcast 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 -> http://tee.pub/lic/8MubRv7yeAw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Feb 202229min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode Eleven “John Tasker”The old man grabbed Brad’s arm and hissed, “Let me do the talking.” Brad felt the strong grip on his arm and watched, mystified, as the old man transformed. He hunched over and assumed the guise and deportment of a completely different man than he was, an aged and feeble man. With the old man shuffling and supported on his arm, they emerged into the daylight....https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldmanapocalypsehttps://shows.acast.com/after-the-apocalypsehttps://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypsehttps://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09LTRC8RHhttps://www.teepublic.com/stores/after-the-apocalypseEnjoy your week, spring is coming, the days are getting longer, (at least on my side of the planet) and Keep surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Jan 202227min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode Ten “Logistics”Mags looked at the old man with a tiredness that belied the weight of the world on her shoulders. She hadn’t been getting enough sleep. There was so much to do. There was always too much to do. She had to stay on top of the details. They couldn’t afford to lose any more people to this chaotic world. How had she been thrust into the leadership role of this small and broken tribe? She didn’t know if she was up to the task, but she would keep working to make something out of this and out of them. If humans were to survive and move forward, it would take groups of people working collaboratively. She thought that, just maybe, this group could be the start of something good.She wasn’t going to let that die on her watch. ...Outro S2 E10Hello my survivor friends. Had some interesting irony this week. I started reading ‘The Stand’ by Steven King. I’m 2 weeks and 700+ pages in. It’s a big book and takes a long time to build. I’ll have more thoughts on it when I’m finished. If I ever finish. The ironic part is that I picked up a cold over Christmas from my 87-year-old Mom. Which is ironic in itself because we’ve been trying so hard to protect her from the actual pandemic and she turns around and gives us all a bad cold. I was hoping to get a lot done in my week off – and that statement right there tells you a lot about me and my neuroses – but I was sick and spent a lot of time reading and resting, which was good timing to tackle the oversized tome that is The Stand. Here’s the ironic part; I’m lying in bed reading about all these characters who think they only have a cold actually having a superflu that wipes out humanity. At the same time I’m writing a story about a pandemic apocalypse where everyone dies from a virus and listening to the news about a raging pandemic. Talk about meta! I’m a character with a sore throat and a runny nose during a global pandemic, reading about a global pandemic apocalypse and writing about a global pandemic apocalypse. That was my week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Jan 202229min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode nine “Reunion”Bella watched as the big dog pushed his head into the old man’s lap. The dog was wiggling its butt like a puppy and the old man was pretending to be mad. “No”, the old man said, looking away from the supplicant dog, who was vigorously nuzzling at him. “You didn’t listen to me. You could have gotten yourself killed.” The dog gave a big push and the old man slipped out of the chair sprawling onto the linoleum floor. Bill pounced on the old man as he fell to the ground and licked at his face. The old man put his hands up for protection and laughed despite himself. ...Outro S2 E9Hello my survivor friends. Welcome back to the apocalypse. In this episode I wanted to give all y’all a bit of a breather from all the tension and action. That last episode where KJ has to escape across the river was harrowing. Death, destruction, fear, tension, cats and dogs living together – real end-of-the-world stuff!My editors and I had a multi-day discussion as to whether she would bring her boots with her. Tim said to tie the boots around her neck. I just couldn’t see how she could swim with the boots around her neck. I rewrote it 3 times. Tried a compromise. Long distance swimmers actually have these waterproof floaty bags they put stuff in and tie to their ankles. But it was getting to complex and awkward, so I sent them a text that read “I don’t care about the @#$%@ boots!” It’s running joke between us now. I figure in the Hollywood version of the story this scene will give them an excuse to have the heroine take her clothes off! Of course, by the time Hollywood is done with it there will be sea monsters, laser beams and aliens. So – I wanted to take it easy on you this week. And I gave you that tense reunion scene as a flashback so you would already know the outcome and it wouldn’t require so much stress. Then we got them all together back at the school. A bit of a holiday gathering if you will. The security of the group. The gathering. Not the quickening. The gathering. It’s odd how strangers can come together for a common purpose in times of crisis. ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Dec 202125min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode Eight “The King”<Editor notes: Slow cadence in this section, let it build and burn. >The King’s given name was Andre Bobette. No one called him that. No one had ever called him that. When he was a kid his hard-drinking, white-trash father had called him ‘Bubba’. At least he had, as long as that miscreant loser was still living with them in the double-wide trailer. ...S2 E8 The King – Outro Hello my survivor friends. Welcome back. How’s the apocalypse going for you these days? This was a long episode. 3500+ words. I thought about breaking it up into two episodes, but it seemed to hang together well enough, and it advances the story line in the right direction. I just listened to Roberts read of the King’s backstory – OH MY GOD! It was terrifying! Great work. Why does Janet care so much about what these bad guys are doing? Because she sees the bigger picture. She sees that this is one of those moments in the arc of time when direct action by a few individuals can determine or alter the broader outcome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Dec 202131min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode Seven “Industrial”It was slippery and tough going in the industrial rubble by the river’s edge. The old man pulled himself up over a concrete slab that blocked the trail. The slab had rebar sticking out of it like the broken bones of an old corpse that had been torn open by wolves. ...Hello survivors. Happy Thanksgiving! Let me say, first of all, that I have been dying to use the phrase “Arms akimbo” in a story my whole life. Akimbo is an interesting English word that means "with the hands on the hips and the elbows bent outward at sharp angles". They think the word akimbo has some relation to the word ‘bow’ like ‘bow and arrow’ – because the arms are bent like a bow. The first recorded usage was by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales in the 1400’s. I’m going to stop right there before I start waxing poetically about Richard III and Henry IV and Iambic Pentameter. All in good time. Back to the story… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Nov 202126min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode six “Scorpion”…Bill the dog was attuned to gunfire. It did not bother him as much as it heightened his senses to what was going on around him. Bill was trained to save lives. He was trained to sense danger and do what he could to protect the lives of his squad. He was a soldier first. He didn’t think. He acted in accordance with his training. He had no sense of bravery or heroism – only a burning sense of duty.The safety of the squad was his first priority. ...Outro S2 E6 – ScorpionThe patreon page -> https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseThe FaceBook Group -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldmanapocalypseThe Show on Acast -> https://shows.acast.com/after-the-apocalypse11/10/2021Hello survivors. Here we are, Episode 6 of the 2nd season of After the Apocalypse a Pandemic Survival Story. And we have our friend Bill back in play, so you can stop with the angry messages. But, we’re not out of the woods yet. We left you with a cliff-hanger! Or more like a grassy-knoll hanger. https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2021/09/26/writing-tip-23-never-kill-the-dog/Learned a couple things this week. First, and I already knew this, but it was hammered home by some comments on our Facebook page, is that when you’re reading or listening you create a picture in your head from what the author is telling you. That is the magic of reading or listening. That’s the advantage of reading or listening over TV or movies. You get to create your own visuals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Nov 202127min

After the ApocalypseA Pandemic Survival StorySeason two, Episode five “Forage”Janet braced herself against the doorway of an old brick mill building. She had worked her way through the back streets and vacant lots to the river’s edge. From this vantage point, downriver, she could see the bridge and the river foaming around it. She held her breath as the shuttle bus punched into the water and bounced unsteadily across the span. Janet uttered a small prayer as the men in the Humvees arrived and started firing on the bus from the bridgehead. Adrenaline mixed with fear and anger as she searched her mind for any action she could take to help them. ...Outro S2 E5The patreon page -> https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypseThe FaceBook Group -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldmanapocalypseThe Show on Acast -> https://shows.acast.com/after-the-apocalypse10/29/ 2021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Okt 202129min