2 - E2 - Scavenger

In American Outer Life, my character's yellow is forced to survive alone after an earthquake destroys her city.

“Luckily, creating this audio drama wasn't a solo mission.”

I'm grateful I had a wonderful team with me. If you enjoy the story, it would mean a lot to us if you share and leave a review. Please enjoy this full, uninterrupted episode after this short ad break.

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Welcome to the podcast, American After-Like. This audio drama unfolds episode by episode, so to get the full experience, we recommend starting from the beginning. If you haven't caught up yet, now's the perfect time to go back and listen from the start. Previously, on American After-Like.

Hey everybody, talked about it since I first moved to Oregon.

The big one. The Earthquake that touched the whole West Coast. California up into Washington, total destruction. It wasn't as bad as you might think, not at first, but I was alone. I mean, when I guess the thought I was, I need you focus, and I need you to push.

But, sir, I have the bloody bodies of 10 guys inside of warehouse that was supposedly fully evacuated, and a teenage girl would tell us what happened. Alright. Alright.

“Were you telling me about where we found you, how you wound up at that warehouse?”

I don't want to talk about that. Do you know who killed them? Did you kill them? You're listening to American After-Live, a podcast series based on the best-selling book by Pedro Hofmeister, episode 2, Scavenger.

The third sweep, and it's a full-on Charlie Fox drive down there. Negative. It's a dead sound. Dang old Mac road ahead, pop smoke and pull back to life. Received on the rebound.

We don't have the luxury or need to spend this much time on some child. Find out what she knows. I'm working on it, Charles. Sir, she was just telling me about the helicopter's sweeps.

“Did you know they didn't even land in search on foot?”

They could have missed tons of survivors, not just her. This week, Lucas. I'm giving you tell the end of this week. Understood? Yeah.

Understood. Morning, Cielo. Come on in. It's a little early. Sorry.

Wanted to get a jump on it today. Have a seat. Write you something today. Supplies are limited, obviously, but I's not going to Charles' office and got us a good stuff.

I'm a stash. No, thanks. Who's Charles? My boss, the big guy, the big Kahuna.

He's the guy who's always calling you.

I love with him. Funny, Cielo. I know. Black cherry, huh?

“It's not it, but it might have snapped though.”

I got you. Grapes? Hmm, not bad.

Like I said, the good stuff.

Now, where were we? Cielo. Was that some kind of bribe? Fuck that. No.

No. Sorry. We figured you needed fiber. Keep eating. Fine.

What I really need is some air. Maybe you can. Let me take a walk.

We'll have to see about that Cielo.

Or we can just chill.

“This is going to be a very boring few hours Cielo if you don't.”

You know, tell us a bit more about what you saw out there. Boredom sounds real nice. A luxury for some now, right? Yeah. After the thing with Mr. Francois, I got my period.

Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm joking, God. But also that didn't just magically disappear because the apocalypse began. Thankfully, the people in my neighborhood were all big box shoppers. Costco's, BJ's, you know.

Finding tampons wasn't a huge issue. My mom would say Americans were used to buying too much. Lucky me. Your mom, what happened to her? That's what I wanted to find out.

When they were quick hit, it was like the calendar ended.

“I hadn't kept track of how many days it had been.”

Some days were so lonely. There was no reason to keep my phone on ever. Not like there was a service. I knew I should be saving my battery. But when I needed it, I really needed it.

I had powered it on, make sure it's on airplane mode, and go to my song catalog. There was this one song that a friend sent me once. Who's the friend? Was he in the Quake? Her.

Her family got out in time. Lucky you, right? Anyway, it was something I had turned on when I really needed it. And that night, I really needed it. I never cry.

During those days, I would. But not for long. I would tell myself just one hour. I need you to get up off your butt and do something. But that night.

I'd damn it. Ow, fuck! Ow! I thought I had just a few more in the bottle. Shit!

I needed to find someone ready to kill the pain. I felt like someone has scraped in my insides of tiny spoons. Oh, god. Sorry, but yeah.

Night time was always the best anyways, because there was less of a chance of being seen.

What were you scared of? The dogs. They'd be surprised how fast pets get hungry when their owners aren't around to feed them. I'd go through house after house. You have no idea how much shit people kept in their medicine cabinets next to their

bed. I found so much porn. So much gross porn. The kind that I always knew those guys looked at. Every pill you could dream of, except a couple of basic ibuprofen for my cramps.

I picked up some cash, some jewelry, and just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all, even the gun.

Not even a holster or anything.

“Just dumped in the drawer and ex just didn't loose change.”

There were three loose bullets growing around next to it. Freeze, pal, pal, pal, I got you a set of a bitch. You're coming with me. So this gun, is it the same gun that you, is this the same gun that you used with the men?

I said I don't want to talk about that. Oh, right. I know. I didn't kill anybody. Sorry.

I didn't mean... I mean, nope. Where you found me. Not there, not that. Then who did, Cielo?

“Who killed all the men in that warehouse?”

Any more soda? I...I'll check.

I never pee in my own place.

Outside, sure. Usually though, I'd just make sure I never use the same toilet twice. Oh, thank you. Thank you, Cielo. After that day, I've entered out more.

The West Coast Quake is just the beginning. The beginning of a new one known. I would say the government knows the real details, but at this point, I hate to say it. I hate to say it, but you know me. I am strong enough to admit when I am wrong.

I think they actually do not know.

There is no plan, no master scheme. I know what you're saying out there. This is a new one to me, too. We have to gather now. We have to come together.

We have to do as no legit. We know the Bible has an end. We know the signs of revelation. And we are alive at it's arrival. There are good folks out there, good men who know what I know, and see what I see coming

down the pipeline. In the devastation of the old, there is the new. There is the new new. Stop. Don't ask me why I turned in.

I may have missed my TV.

“Now, I think that would usually feel the quiet days of before, just a little bit.”

Here is to the new new. I had picked every house on my little hill, please. My days there were limited. I needed to venture further. So I began to search for something to get me across the floodwater.

That nasty, oily lake. The white folks in my neighborhood were those outdoorsy types. I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd find a kayak or something. They even take one of those stupid paddleboards. What the fuck?

It was a horse, just strolling down the street, black, shining with twinge of rainbow oil, shining like the lake, it was beautiful, completely unaware of the mess. I had followed him, not getting too close, trying to stay out of sight. I didn't know for sure if this was a strange wild horse or if he had a home. They're good 20 minutes one by, I thought about maybe growing up to him, saying hi, feeling

his black mane, until it happened so fast, he bolted in, I did too. A crazy pain ran deep into my leg.

took itself right in. That's when I heard him.

Where the fuck did you come from?

Don't move, God, we miss you.

“At first, I thought he was with the helicopters, FEMA or National Guard guys or whatever.”

But then I saw him. How many more out here, do you know? He had this gross red patchy beard and a bit of a belly, this wearing a coat covered in that camo that looks like twigs and fall leaves, even though this is Oregon, and it's all pine trees.

At Polly Rose before it, if it wasn't for the rifle, he was aiming at me. He's speaking English. "You're all you." Great. That's something.

I'm with the repo.

You've heard of the repo, right, little girl?

Where a mile or so just up this lake here, it's safe, there's food and shelter, blankets, warm beds, hot water. We even have satellite TV. You like TV, don't you? No.

“Well, there's internet too, you miss that, right?”

All you kids love your internet. You're fucking hate the internet. You're spunky, not like that. What are you? Mexican?

You sound pretty normal to me, you're going to fit right in. I'm good. That wasn't an offer. Get on up. Great.

The walk ahead of me, down to the water, I got a boat down there. I like was bleeding pretty bad from the fall. I could barely walk, so I knew I couldn't run, but it wasn't over yet. What are you doing up there? I'm just sipping up my backpack, God.

Whatever, keep moving.

“Adam said no one darker than a paper bag, but I think he'll like you anyway.”

You climb in first. There was no way I was getting into that boat.

I just needed the second for him to die.

He's got a fucking... I had a chance, so I took it. You bitch! It's not like that. The first was a mercy, the second was clearly self-defense.

She said it was one of the repo guys, too. Yes, sir. There we go. If she can shoot one of them, she can shoot them all, not like anyone's going to miss a warehouse full of those all-right fucks, someone's got to answer for it.

I really think there's more to the story. You're killing me here Lucas. She did it. Case closed. Just a couple more days, sir, that's all I need.

Just a couple more. You've been listening to American Afterlife, an audio drama by Benz Town Big Vay podcast network production, an association with Aurora Productions and in partnership with gamut podcast network. Based on the best selling book by Pedro Hofmeister, presented by pair of thieves.

Be sure to stick around after the credits for a post podcast interview with a member of the cast and crew, produced by Dave Chachy Dennis, Mike McVay, and William Stewart. Directed by William Stewart, podcast adaptation, written by Alison Dwyer, based on the best selling book series of American Afterlife by Pedro Hofmeister, published by Cricket Lane Books, featuring Scarlet Estevez, as Cielo, Joshua Messnick, as Lucas, and Ted Evans as Charles,

additional voices by Phil Levitt, Susan Axu, Magarion, Robert Gessel, narration by Sean Andre, Sound Design by Jacob Urbanick, studio engineers, Darren Silva, and Megan Vasquez, production manager and marketing, Susan Axu Magarion, additional marketing, Robbie Gessel, if you enjoyed American Afterlife, please consider leaving a review on Apple podcasts and following us on Spotify.

Hi, I'm Joshua Messnick and I play Lucas on American Afterlife.

neurotic, but I wanted to sink deeper than that and really feel into, who is this character,

how do I relate to Lucas?

“Really I think deep down Lucas knows that something's off about the situation.”

He wants to help and he doesn't know how and authority terrifies Lucas, and I also relate to that.

If I'm in a room with somebody who has that dominating personality or they're in a position

I want to be in, like I'm intimidated by who they are in the world, like Lucas is with

“his boss Charles, going through that journey with Lucas's character, we're in the beginning,”

he's just following orders, he's like a living cog in the wheel to then realizing and discovering that Lucas actually can play a role in doing something good and meaningful. If he just can get past his fear and anxiety and people pleasing, he actually might be able to do something significant and to help somebody.

“Lucas really risks everything, even potentially his life in Lucas's head, this was him”

committing the highest of felonies and I've never had to make one of those choices before.

So really this was me as Lucas having a new experience, making a choice that was life for death and feeling that thrill and feeling that fear. I don't want the audience to feel bad for Lucas, I don't want the audience to hate Lucas either. I don't want the audience to have pity, so I'm saying all the things I don't want the

audience to think about Lucas, which is kind of how Lucas would be, like, here are the things I don't want to happen, what I do want the audience to experience with Lucas is connecting with somebody who has found a sense of purpose and has actually gone through the layers of lies in himself to realize he's actually been pretending the whole time, he actually does have agency, he does have power, and he can do something good.

I would love the audience to think of Lucas as a hero.