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After the Apocalypse
Season One, Episode Twenty - “The Road Ahead”
A pandemic survival story
Season One, Episode Twenty - “The Road Ahead”“Ear Wax.” The old man said.
“Here we go again...” Janet rolled her eyes and lay back against the rock outcrop using her pack as a rough pillow. She arched her back like a cat, stretched her arms out over her head and relaxed to look at him.
“No, seriously…” The old man continued, “How do you deal with ear wax in the apocalypse? You can’t see into your own ears…”
“I’m not touching your disgusting old ears.” Janet responded, hoping this was the end of this particular conversation.
They were on a bluff a couple hundred feet above the river. She looked down and across the muddy flow at the smoke rising from another burning town. The bridge spanning the watercourse was dotted with abandoned cars and trucks. The trailer of an 18-wheeler was sticking half out of the water, near one shore, jammed against a bridge pylon.
...
S1 E20 - Outro
So here we are my survivor friends. The end. But, it’s not the end. Think of it like those old SciFi movies where they’d put up the words “The End” and then tag a question mark onto it.
Don’t worry it’s not a question. “We’ll be back.”
It’s one of the strange ironies of these stories is that the more you do it the more ideas you have. It’s like a perpetual motion machine.
Because I am super psyched! Really. I am so pleased with the way this season came out. I am in love with these characters and their arcs. I’m in love with this universe that we’ve created. I’m in Love with Robert’s audio performance. It really came together and beat all my expectations.
And you! Nothing happens unless you show up my survivor friends. I am so grateful for your attention, especially in this attention scarce world that we live in.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I just went over to A-cast and checked; we’re at 13,000+ downloads. Which is amazing. Thank you to all of you who have left a review or shared the show with your friends.
I hope you’ve noticed that I’ve tried to keep the narrative smart. Not just string together action and dialogue. Assume that you folks don’t need me to explain everything. I can reference history, or philosophy or literature and you are going to get it.
So, again, thank you for being a smart audience. Pat yourself on the back. You earned it.
Hopefully you liked episode 20. I know it was dialogue heavy. I wanted to fill in some gaps and cement the journey of these three characters. Coming up in season 2 we’ll introduce some new characters, and we’ll raise the stakes as this universe starts to coalesce into centers of gravity.
I did a fun interview with Mike from the Apocalypse Post podcast this weekend. We had a blast talking about the characters and the show. I’m going to get the recording of that and we’ll stick it on the feed here so that you can listen to it.
Hey Mike, thanks for having me.
His universe is more of a Mad Max universe. I remember Mad Max. I actually saw the Road Warrior first, which was Mad Max 2. It had everything a good apocalypse movie should, a good anti-hero, a dog and lots of action in the wastelands.
Road Warrior was a great movie. I loved it. Mad Max was a pretty good movie too. The original Mad Max movie cost $200k to make and made $13M. That makes it one of the most profitable movies of all time. I guess there is money to be had in the apocalypse.
Anyhow, Mike and a few thousand others get costumed up like Mad Max characters and go out into the desert to a festival called “Wasteland”. If any Wastelanders are listening – welcome thanks for spreading the word, have fun this year, it’s coming up in 10 weeks.
I’ll give you a little fan-boy trivia. There was a role in the Road Warrior called warrior woman that was played by Virginia Hey who was also the blue skinned alien Zotoh Zhaan in the cheesy SciFi show FarScape.
Next up I’m going to hit ‘pause’ on the show production for a couple months. We’re sitting at the middle of July 2021, Let’s shoot for starting Season 2 in September. So don’t’ delete us, stay in touch.
In the meantime, I’m going to convert season one into a book, e-book and audio book, if I can swing it. I’ll be posting various progress reports and looking for help from readers and spell checkers on our Facebook page. Join me - “OldManApocalypse”.
As always I am working to a tight budget, like the first Mad Max film! – so if you can go to the Patreon page for After the Apocalypse and throw me some money it makes everything easier. Just to be fully transparent, we are not talking about a lot of money here, but currently the variable costs per show are about double the income.
As they say in the startup world – we’ve got a negative burn rate. With your help I can turn that around!
That’s it for this season my friends.
I feel a bit sad having to say goodbye to you for a couple months.
Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to fill in some of that dead space.
So chin up, one foot in front of the other, and above all else – Keep surviving!
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Two Minute Trailer - After the Apocalypse
01:48|Below are all the Links -> Subscribe 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 -> http://tee.pub/lic/8MubRv7yeAwMy Twitter -> cyktrussell@twitter.comEmail List -> https://acast.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a02fed2a783fcc887760255a9&id=e15419e7beA Quick Introduction for New Listeners
01:55||Season 0, Ep. 0Hello my survivor friends. Welcome to a quick introduction to the After the Apocalypse podcast story. I am putting this first in the feed to save you time and trouble. I am the producer of the story, and you can call me ‘Maddog’. What you will find here is an audio drama about the survivors of an apocalypse. It is professionally produced and narrated. The story is presented in seasons of 20 episodes each. As of this writing we are in the 3rd season. We plan to have 5 seasons in the story arc. Each episode is 15 – 20 minutes of the story followed by 5-10 minutes of commentary. By default the shows have commercials inserted by the hosting provider, Acast. If you want to avoid these commercials there is now an Ad-Free option you can subscribe to at https://plus.acast.com/s/after-the-apocalypseIf after a few episodes you dig the show and want to find any of the extras, like the subscription, the facebook group, etc, I have put all those links here in the notes of this message. All you have to do is click “show notes” or whatever the equivalent is in your podcast listening ap of choice and you’ll see all the links. Thanks for considering our show, we look forward to hanging out in the apocalypse with you!Subscribe 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 -> http://tee.pub/lic/8MubRv7yeAwMy Twitter -> cyktrussell@twitter.comEmail List -> https://acast.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a02fed2a783fcc887760255a9&id=e15419e7be1. Season one, Episode one - The old man
11:16||Season 1, Ep. 1After 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.2. Season one, Episode two The Ford of Death
12:35||Season 1, Ep. 2After the Apocalypse - A story of pandemic survivalSeason one, Episode two The Ford of DeathThe old man looked around. The river, the smoke, the light drizzle and the soft hump of the body making its way down stream to feed the rats of Atlanta. He’d seen his share of death. He’d seen worse than this when he was in Africa and the far east where, until not too long-ago, death still stalked the muddy streets in the old ways. ...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.3. Season one, Episode three, Home and Castle
13:07||Season 1, Ep. 3After the Apocalypse - A story of pandemic survivalSeason one, Episode threeHome and CastleThe old man pushed on as the dirt road turned away from the river and drifted westward. That was a plus because he really didn’t want to go into the city. He was still on the outskirts of the great sprawl of Atlanta. There were more buildings here, not directly on the dirt road but visible through the pine trees draped with kudzu. ...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.4. Season one, Episode four, Home Invasion
14:44||Season 1, Ep. 4After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode four, Home InvasionThe old man was awakened by the sound of men shouting. It took him a minute to shake off the haze and remember where he was. He had to pee but that would have to wait. “Nothing in the basement!” the first man shouted from the house. “Check the garage!” The other man shouted back from further away. “The tracks led this way. He was here. Watch yourself.” ...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.5. Season one, Episode five, Killer
16:47||Season 1, Ep. 5After 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.6. Season One, Episode Six, “Anarchy”
24:12||Season 1, Ep. 6After 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.7. Season one, Episode seven, “Home Again”
20:10||Season 1, Ep. 7After 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