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“In great loss there is often the freedom of discovery.” - Isherwood Williams … It was midmorning on a rainy day when the traveler knocked open the door of the Siren Café. A few months had passed since Delores joined Jolene at the store. A few months since they’d cleaned out all the corpses and moved on with the basic, hard business of surviving.  Jolene had stopped pretending to run the store as if nothing had happened. She’d come to grips with the loss. Even so, the Café was still her locus of gravity in the apocalypse, and she and Delores showed up each day and swept the sidewalks. They needed something to do and minding the Café was as good as anything else in the apocalypse. So, as supplies dwindled and weeks passed, they showed up every day and did what they could for the occasional survivors who stumbled in for the small number of survivors who stumbled in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Viking BurialAn After the Apocalypse Story Read by Syvia Glory“What do you need me to do?” Delores asked.  Jolene had provided Delores with a company-logo green sports shirt. Unisex. Small. And a fresh visor with the mermaid logo from the supply cabinet.  And, finally, the ubiquitous green apron, which was the most identifiable part of the café uniform. You could be missing all the other bits, but if you had that apron, everyone knew you were there to make drinks and wait on customers.  Jolene wore it like a magic cape, like a standard of power and belonging. Now she tied the strings of strength around Delores, stood back and appraised.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Delores – An After the Apocalypse StoryThe Café door chime sang its song of arrivals. Jolene watched a woman enter the café.   The woman was furtive but otherwise unremarkable. She stayed close to the door, seemingly unsure whether her decision to enter was a good one, and, at any moment, might turn and flee back to the anonymous safety of the apocalyptic street beyond.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Intro – The apocalypse Café Hello my survivor friends. Today we are presenting a story called ‘The apocalypse Café’ written by yours truly and read by our old friend Robert. You’re going to get all sentimental hearing it I’m sure. The story is set in the same universe as the original After the Apocalypse series, but this is a standalone storyline with new characters.  I expect to do three of these. I gave myself a little more rope than usual so this story reads out to around 30 minutes. I’ll come back after with some brief comments, Enjoy,  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick's Contest Story - Read by Austin BakerAnd Then There Was JanieThe sun was quickly disappearing behind me as I stood in front of my cabin in southern Iowa, watching as a brand new, silver ‘65 Cadillac rocketed down the long dirt driveway, spreading a fine layer of dust on the prematurely rotting pumpkin patches on both sides. The car eventually slid to a stop a stone's throw from my front porch, and out of it stepped a smartly dressed man in his late 40's. Lean and tan, with close cropped salt-and-pepper hair, he was the picture of health and vibrance that often goes hand in hand with wealth. It was in stark contrast to myself, despite being five years his junior. I was too thin. Malnourished, maybe. Anemic, for sure, and the limp I had moved with for most of my life had only gotten worse as hard work on the farm had begun to take its toll on my body. How old was I now? Forty-five? Six, maybe? It may as well have been a hundred. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello my survivor friends.  For new listeners you should go back to season one episode one to start the five season After the Apocalypse story. You have a wonderful 100 episode journey in front of you. Enjoy. It took me 5 years to produce, it will probably take you 5 days to consume. So go get started! Or you can listen to the trailer which should be the first episode in the feed. Today, for my ongoing and habitual survivor friends we present the first of two stories that Patrick and I wrote for a story contest that my publisher hosted in the fall.  It was a 24 hour story contest. We were sent a prompt and some instructions and had 24 hours to write and submit a story.  I had Austin read them into audio for us.  I’m going to start with the story I wrote. Fair warning, this is a short story, only 900 words, because that’s what the rules were. If you went over 900 words, you got disqualified.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

"Widespread Mechanical Failure" - Episode 2 of the Dean and Cordelia series Written by Jesse Daniels Read by Shannon Stockwell Produced 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.

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.

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 patrickrushbrookwrites But 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.

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 patrickrushbrookwrites But 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.

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 patrickrushbrookwrites But 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.

Ad-Free: How to get Ad-Free episodesHello my survivor friends. Thank you for being part of the After the Apocalypse Family. I have set up Ad-Free versions of all the 5 seasons and 100+ episodes of the After the Apocalypse story on Patreon. Go to the After the Apocalypse Patreon page and you will have access to all the episodes without commercials.  This is Chris, the author and producer speaking to you from the end of August 2025 The podcast will continue to be free to listen to with programmatic ads inserted on any podcast feed, but, if you despise commercials and want to help me get paid directly instead, I have posted all the episodes and seasons on the Patreon page.  So, now, through the miracle of modern technology, you can subscribe to the Ad-Free membership tier  and get unlimited access to all episodes and seasons as long as your subscription is valid.  Or you can buy the individual digital audio files and seasons directly And, I’m assured that you can also subscribe to an Ad-Free RSS feed directly from Spotify. You’ll also have access to scripts and extra episodes and you can even chat directly with me. Give it a try and let me know if you have any problems. A little something to help you survive the apocalypse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interview: Fran TaborHello my survivor friends. Today we present a 25 minute interview of science fiction author and all-around interesting thinker, Fran Tabor. Don’t worry, we are getting close to the end of our summer vacation. Soon, you and I, and countless others, will be walking hand in hand towards the blinding sunlight of Season 5.  I am working on the script for season 5. And by ‘working on’ I mean running out of time and worrying with intense apprehension at how we are going to extract ourselves from the story.  We need to give our characters compelling finality to their arcs, we need to resolve a number of tensions, we need to answer several questions and do it all in an entertaining and fulfilling way.  A world class way.  I always get it done. I will power through and I’m sure we’ll all be satisfied.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.