After the Virus - a Surviralist's Journal
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★ - 14 ratingsFrom the post-apocalyptic novel After the Virus - A Surviralist's Journal (available on Amazon). When a deadly mutated virus sweeps the globe, survival expert Will Scott knows that his only chance is in the remote Ishi Wilderness, once the domain of “America’s last wild Indian”. He soon finds that surviving the elements is nothing compared to the relentless pursuit of a failed-state militia bent on killing every “surviralist” existing outside of the quarantine zone. When he rescues a teenage girl named Hope, whose family has been slaughtered and trains her in wilderness self-sufficiency, her skills eventually exceed even his. His compassion is repaid when Hope becomes the provider and the warrior needed for them to endure. Told first-person in the style of a daily diary, each episode contains one or more day’s journal entries of nearly 12 months on the run in the wild.
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Episodes
Season 2 Episode 1: P.V.11 - Eleven Years Post Virus
April 21, 2021 22:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBContained here is a reading of Chapters one and two of Book Two of The Surviralist’s Series: Surviralist’s Birthright. As of March 14, 2034, it has been estimated that approximately four million humans remained alive in what had been the United States of America – roughly the 2021 population of Los Angeles. How many remained alive as of 2045? Where were they hiding? In between Canada and Mexico lay the skeletal remains of a once resource rich and beautiful nation. Who will rise to reclaim ...
BONUS Episode: Author Interview
April 17, 2021 01:00 - 31 minutes - 20.5 MBThis interview was recorded on April 16, 2021 by Gayle Kimball for her radio show "Ask Dr, Gayle" on KZFR public radio in Chico, Ca, She asks great questions that elicit answers about details of story and the motivation behind producing it.
Episode 27: Terminus et Exordium
April 15, 2021 16:00 - 13 minutes - 6.97 MB“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.” -Ariel Durant (1944). “The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ, a history of Roman civilization and of Christianity from their beginnings to A.D. 325” “But through eternal night, the twinkling of starlight so very far away, maybe it's only yesterday” Zaeger and Evans. “In the Year 2525”
Episode 26: Running the Gauntlet
April 08, 2021 18:00 - 12 minutes - 8.37 MBThere is no turning back as they fight their way towards the final resolution. A battle at a bridge nearly finishes them, but then suddenly they find themselves blocked by an obstacle they never imagined.
Episode 25: Deliverance
April 02, 2021 01:00 - 18 minutes - 9.78 MBWhile Keisha and her boatmates choose to stay on the river, Sheila leads a convoy of massive farm vehicles for a hellish ride through the Sacramento Bypass. They find DELIVERANCE at the Deep-water Shipping Channel, is the name an omen or a cruel joke?
Episode 24: Hopeless
March 26, 2021 00:00 - 19 minutes - 11.1 MBTime is running out and their pursuers are becoming increasingly deadly. Even as they meet new allies, the loss of a beloved comrade makes some question their purpose. “To live without Hope is to Cease to live.” Fyodor Dostoevsky
Episode 23: He DIED Defending Them.
March 19, 2021 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBHeroism is still heroism even if no one is left to acknowledge or remember it. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We know in our hearts that the answer is yes. “You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?” I asked as I closed the book’s cover and headed for the door. “They always end up dead.” ― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm
Episode 22: River Pirates
March 12, 2021 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBWith the PM searching closer and closer to the roundhouse, the family bugs-out sooner than expected. The river is their fastest route. Unfortunately, River Pirates act just like regular pirates, only on the river.
Episode21: War Pigeons
March 05, 2021 00:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBAn archipelago of resistance camps. Communication is vital. The grid is history. Tech is dead. From Julius Caesar’s messages to Gaul, to WWII’s British Air Ministry, when the going got tough the War Pigeons got going.
Episode 20: The Family
February 24, 2021 01:00 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBFirst it was just Will, alone. Hope gave purpose to Will’s existence. Providence led them to Laurel. The burned man meant to kill. Billy and Dusty betrayed them. Militia hunted them. Zekes wanted to eat them. Can they trust a jolly giant and his “family”?
Episode 19: Needed Help Dying
February 18, 2021 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBThe “fight or flight response” is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. Prey animals predictably choose flight over fight, while predators often choose the latter. But even the peaceful rabbit will respond with a purposely vicious attack when threatened with death. Beware the cornered ra...
Episode 18: The Best Defense…
February 11, 2021 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBThough the elements have challenged their wilderness skills, descending back into the domain of the hostiles will force them to call on Will’s combat skills and Hope’s marksmanship. The best defense is a good offense.
Episode 17: Breaking the Eradication Code
February 05, 2021 02:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBYour only contact with the outside world is six distinct sets of tones, repeated ad nauseam over a marine radio. What could they mean? It’s a code! Decode it and you may live, fail and you might not. The clock is ticking. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To experience more of the story, learn interesting facts about the setting, ask questions o...
Episode 16: A Change of Seasons
January 28, 2021 01:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBSometimes, change is the only constant. Allies and enemies come and go. Mountains lead to valleys. Streams become lakes, water becomes ice. Winter is coming and along with it comes new challenges. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To experience more of the story, learn interesting facts about the setting, ask questions of the author and more, visit th...
Episode 15: Tom and the Zekes
January 20, 2021 21:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBTom. Friend or foe? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. In the new paradigm of existence, enemies come in many new and evolving forms. But Zekes aren’t new…we just forgot about them. Enjoying the story? Kindly leave a brief review at https://ratethispodcast.com/afterthevirus Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To experience more of the story, learn i...
Episode 14: Infected
January 15, 2021 03:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBIt’s easy to think of survival skills as a panacea for thriving in the wild. In reality they are but a stopgap. If highly skilled and extremely lucky they may allow one to live at a basic level for a time. Illness, injury, misfortune or carelessness can easily change the odds from survivable to unsustainable. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To ex...
Episode 13: Buck Fever
January 07, 2021 01:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBAlong with the human Ebola pandemic brought on by the planets degraded environment and altered climate, other pathogens wreaked havoc on plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals. After temporarily evading their human pursuers, Will and Hope are suddenly faced with a new threat – anything warm-blooded and hairy. Cast: Scott Huber as Will Lola Parks as Hope Bird recordings and nature soundscapes by Greg Weddig Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut a...
Episode 12: The Quick and the Dead
December 30, 2020 23:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBOne man alone in the wilderness, no matter how skilled, is hard-pressed to survive the rigors of weather, predators, securing food and finding shelter. Add a second person to the scenario and the prospects for survival increase dramatically. But take away the man, and leave a 16 year old girl, no matter how well tutored…and what are the chances? Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGM...
Episode 11: As a Hunter Hangs a Deer
December 26, 2020 16:00 - 11 minutes - 7.62 MBFor a species to endure, there must be a continuum of luck, skill and conditions conducive to survival. The weak, unskilled or unlucky are culled, the agile or fortunate are left to carry on. The story goes on, but the story-teller changes. History is written by the survivors. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To experience more of the story, learn ...
Season 1 Episode 10: The VNC
December 21, 2020 21:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBSome of our most admirable human qualities, care and trust, can also be our downfall. How many times must Will learn that when you allow yourself to trust, you not only risk your own survival, you endanger those you love? In the savagery of the post-viral landscape, only two types of people escape: the quick and the dead. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397...
Season 1 Episode 9: A Distant Rumble
December 16, 2020 20:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBTrekking deeper into the wilderness, Will and Hope settle into a serene location overlooking Mill Creek. Before long, their peace is shattered first by distant bombs and planes, then by the intrusion of two haggard refugees. Just passing through? Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To enhance your experience check out the Facebook Group: After the Vi...
Season 1 Episode 8: Catching a Buzz
December 09, 2020 23:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBFire has consumed almost all of the supplies and equipment, and has driven the game out of the canyon. In order to survive the present and provision for the future the best option is to head northwest, to the even more remote Mill Creek Canyon. The terrain between the two creeks is rugged and the challenges are many, but along the path there is a sweet spot where a body can savor and reflect on one’s role in the fabric of nature. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are availa...
Season 1 Episode 7: The Simoom of Change
December 03, 2020 04:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBSurviving in the wild can be like playing a board game – the board (the outdoors) remains the same but the dice (your skills) can change your odds of winning. Thriving in the wilderness is dependent on knowing the constants of the game board: edible foods will remain edible, rubbing two sticks together can make fire, snow falls in winter, etc. But when climate change and centuries of man’s antipathy towards nature alters the constants of the game, the odds of winning are greatly diminished. ...
Season 1 Episode 6: Fast Learner
November 27, 2020 05:00 - 14 minutes - 9.76 MBIn addition to the many wilderness skills that Hope is learning and practicing, Will knows that self-defense skills may be the most important lessons. When he shows her the: eye gouge, groin kick, heel palm strike and elbow strike, she picks them up quickly and is “as fast as lightning”. But all prove useless against an attacker so small she doesn’t even know it’s there. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https:/...
Season 1 Episode 5: One and Done
November 20, 2020 07:00 - 13 minutes - 8.48 MBJust as Hope has given Will a renewed purpose to survive, a misguided paramilitary force seeks to destroy anyone existing outside of their quarantine zones. In this episode Will and Hope are systematically hunted from ridgetop to creek bottom. When soldiers get between the two and chase down Hope, Will’s bloodlust is ignited. But when a single shot rings out in the canyon below him Will knows the terrible reality of what that must mean. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook ar...
Season 1 Episode 4: Hope
November 15, 2020 18:00 - 14 minutes - 8.15 MBIn Episode 4: Will has begun to fall nicely into a pattern of sustaining himself from the abundance of nature, then once again he is jolted back to the reality of a post-viral world gone mad. When a military gunship shatters the tranquility of Deer Creek Canyon he’s sickened by the carnage it inflicts, but ends up finding hope in an encounter that will completely change his plans, his perspective and the trajectory of the story. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are availab...
Season 1 Episode 3: Tastes Like Chicken
November 13, 2020 00:00 - 18 minutes - 10.6 MBAs Will settles into his remote camp the threat of human violence is temporarily behind him, but now he faces the challenges of surviving all alone in the wild. The Ishi wilderness is full of things that can easily injure or kill a person who is unprepared: precipitous topography, poisonous plants, venomous snakes and mammalian predators. If he's up to the task there's plenty of wild game and an abundance of edible and medicinal plants to sustain him. Now is his time to synchronize with the ...
Season 1 Episode 1: Then I was Completely Alone
November 11, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 10.7 MBNarrated in the style of a daily diary, Episode One is Will’s recounting of the days leading up to his first journal entry, and explains the events that brought him to his cave in the wilderness. It describes how climate change prompted the mutation of the most aggressive virus the world had known, and how he escaped infection even as he watched his family succumb to it. Pursued by others also fleeing the pandemic, Will shows that in what has become a dog-eat-dog world, rugged survivalists l...
Season 1 Episode 2: Pistol Shots at 4 a.m.
November 11, 2020 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBAfter shuttling the remainder of his supplies to his new cave, Will finds that he’s not alone in the wilderness as shots break the stillness before dawn. Going to investigate the old hunting cabins downslope, he discovers that even here the virus has the power to turn men to violence. Want to read the entire story? Paperback and Ebook are available on Amazon (cut and paste link into your browser) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RRGMQXH?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 To experience more of the stor...