Episode 1

full
Published on:

31st Jan 2021

1 - Meet Doctor Crenner

In which we meet the man behind the apocalypse and learn two things: His experiments don't always end well, and his efforts are not always confined to the lab. 

This is how the Zombie Apocalypse begins.

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Credit and Attribution

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

"Volatile Reaction" by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5014-volatile-reaction

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Distortion and voiceover applied.

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Transcript

0:01

[Music]

0:12

human

0:14

extinction level loss

0:21

new test subjects

0:24

the white panel van rolled to a stop

0:27

the driver's movements cautious and

0:30

observant

0:31

the length of the alley was demarcated

0:34

with large trash cans

0:35

filled to overflowing

0:38

multi-colored ambient light from the

0:40

surrounding sprawl broke up the darkness

0:43

creating intermittent shadows

0:46

there was only one other present

0:48

a vagrant in threadbare pants and

0:51

t-shirt sat against the wall

0:53

his head down

0:55

knees against his chest a tattered and

0:58

soiled trench coat hung off his

1:00

emaciated frame

1:03

abner freeman wasn't always like this

1:06

but he was weak

1:07

unable to resist certain carnal urges

1:10

it was two in particular that were his

1:13

downfall

1:14

alcohol and gambling

1:16

like the devil's one-two punch

1:19

the drinks were complimentary as long as

1:21

he was playing

1:22

abner freeman was eventually tossed from

1:25

every casino in the city

1:27

the number for gamblers anonymous on a

1:29

business card stuffed into his hand on

1:31

his way out the door

1:34

even now a handful of them lay crumpled

1:36

in the pocket of his coat

1:39

life on the streets was hard and like

1:42

the rest of the human flotsam and jetsam

1:44

he had heard the stories of young punks

1:46

filming their bum fights or playing

1:48

knockout

1:50

once he heard of bums being doused and

1:52

set ablaze

1:54

it added paranoia to the mix of

1:56

dependency and homelessness

1:58

so when abner freeman raised his head

2:01

and saw the van idling in the alley

2:04

its lights off and the driver staring at

2:06

him through the windshield

2:08

he ran

2:11

inside the van dr wilhelm krenner

2:13

gripped the steering wheel

2:15

this was not his area of expertise after

2:18

all

2:18

he was a scientist and a researcher his

2:22

best work was done inside a lab not a

2:24

panel van

2:26

but if there was one thing his

2:28

experience taught him

2:29

it was that science could often lead you

2:31

in places you never thought you would go

2:35

like the dank underbelly of the city in

2:37

the middle of the night

2:40

seeming satisfied that his efforts would

2:42

go unobserved he saw the vagrant raise

2:44

his head and look at him

2:46

dr crenner cursed under his breath as he

2:49

watched him rise and shamble off down

2:51

the alley

2:52

dr krenner hit the gas and gave chase

2:55

the harsh glare of the van's high beams

2:57

washed over the sickly frame of abner

2:59

freeman as dr krenor clicked on his

3:02

lights and tried to negotiate the maze

3:04

of trash cans and garbage lining both

3:06

walls

3:08

the van swerved left and right down the

3:10

alley its top heavy design making it

3:13

cumbersome as a chase vehicle

3:16

as abdul freeman propelled himself out

3:18

of the alley and into the deserted

3:20

street the van careened after him in an

3:23

uncontrolled turn

3:25

he let out a single yelp as the van's

3:27

left fender hit him in the back

3:30

even as the van came to a screeching

3:32

halt abner freeman went flying

3:35

his body rolled across the street

3:38

ending up against the far curb in a

3:40

crumpled heap

3:41

unmoving

3:44

in the van dr krenner clenched and

3:46

unclenched his fingers on the steering

3:47

wheel whipping his head around as he sat

3:50

across two lanes of traffic

3:52

his breathing became rapid

3:55

throwing open the door he hung his head

3:56

out his mouth opened wide

3:59

he dry heaved once but nothing came up

4:02

he took a breath

4:04

wiped his mouth and climbed down out of

4:06

the van

4:08

seeing nobody his attention was again

4:10

drawn to the vagrant

4:12

he needed him but things had not gone

4:15

according to plan

4:16

a plan simple in design but decidedly

4:19

more complicated in its execution

4:22

what was supposed to be a simple grab of

4:25

a forgotten member of society had turned

4:27

into probable vehicular manslaughter

4:30

dr krenor could not be detained or

4:33

questioned about his activities

4:35

there was too much at stake

4:38

he debated within himself

4:40

in the alley his chance of being seen

4:42

was next to nothing

4:43

but out here any passerby would

4:45

certainly witness his illicit actions

4:48

what was worse

4:49

now it appeared that the vagrant was

4:51

severely injured

4:53

maybe even dead

4:54

and that changed everything

4:57

or did it

4:58

what might be learned by testing the

5:00

agent on a subject mortally wounded or

5:03

already deceased

5:05

the pure science of it was enough and dr

5:07

krenor made his decision

5:09

he climbed back in the driver's seat and

5:11

brought the van alongside the vagrant

5:14

putting the van in park but leaving the

5:16

engine running he crawled out of his

5:18

seat and burst through the back doors

5:21

working quickly he hauled his ill-gotten

5:23

cargo into the van

5:24

pulling the doors closed behind him

5:27

seconds later dr krenor sped away and

5:30

was gone

5:31

with no other sounds to disturb it

5:34

the city slept on in indifferent silence

5:39

animal testing

5:42

it practically glowed

5:45

the green translucent fluid in the auto

5:48

injector

5:49

seemed to pulsate with a life and power

5:52

all its own

5:54

at least that's how dr krenor thought

5:56

about his creation

5:58

and he did call it his creation

6:01

he might admit begrudgingly that his

6:03

life's work was still in its adolescent

6:06

stage

6:07

and not without its problems

6:10

what adolescent didn't experience

6:12

growing pains

6:14

all would be well in time however

6:16

his creation his life's work would

6:19

thrive and fulfill every ounce of its

6:22

potential

6:23

of that he was supremely confident

6:27

corpsman cindy jones inserted a blank

6:29

video disc into the console

6:32

and hit record taking a thick black

6:35

marker she wrote

6:37

test subject e

6:39

on a blank sheet of paper

6:42

tessie is ready doctor corman jones said

6:45

standing still

6:47

her hands holding the paper in front of

6:49

her

6:50

tse please miss jones

6:53

we must not allow ourselves to view

6:55

these creatures as anything but what

6:57

they are

6:58

test subjects for a greater

7:00

good gorman jones frowned

7:04

yes dr krenner

7:05

you may begin

7:07

dr krenner said

7:09

corman jones looked up into a video

7:11

camera suspended from the ceiling

7:14

and held up the page

7:16

having categorized the experiment she

7:19

activated the auto injector

7:22

in an airtight enclosure an adult female

7:24

chimpanzee sat

7:26

calmly observing the clean brightly lit

7:28

laboratory through the glass

7:31

tse gave only passing interest to the

7:34

robotic arm that swung on its servos

7:37

the metallic appendage turned and

7:39

unceremoniously plunged the needle into

7:42

tse

7:43

the auto-injector doing its work quietly

7:47

having fulfilled its program the

7:49

auto-injector swung up and away

7:52

docking itself at the top of the sealed

7:54

chamber

7:55

dr krenner his eyes full of hope and

7:57

anticipation watched for any reaction in

8:00

tse

8:02

the irony was that if his latest tweaks

8:04

to the agent were even remotely

8:06

successful

8:08

then nothing observable would happen

8:11

only when it was allowed to join the

8:13

others would he know if advancements had

8:15

been made

8:16

would the chimp exhibit increased

8:18

fidelity to his troop

8:21

even in the threat of attack

8:23

though not one to needlessly harm an

8:25

animal in the name of science dr krenner

8:28

intended to do just that

8:31

the psychobiological effects of trauma

8:33

on the beast should be minimized under

8:35

the influences of the agent even if the

8:38

injuries themselves were severe

8:41

corman jones stood beside dr krenner

8:43

ready to assist

8:45

the seconds ticked by and the nothing

8:48

that dr krenor hoped for

8:50

seemed to be achieved

8:52

he smiled as he approached the enclosure

8:54

and put his hands up to it

8:56

tse recognizing the social gesture did

8:59

the same on the other side of the glass

9:03

raised a petition

9:04

dr crenner said

9:06

corman jones pressed a button and the

9:08

wall behind tse rose

9:11

revealing a habitat area

9:14

several other chimpanzees milled about

9:17

sensing them tse turned and scampered

9:20

away from the glass rejoining her kind

9:24

are the men ready

9:26

dr krenner said

9:28

yes sir corman jones said checking a

9:30

monitor showing three men in protective

9:33

suits with cattle prides just outside

9:35

the habitat

9:37

dr krenner and corman jones watched as

9:39

tse joined her troop

9:42

all seemed normal as they welcomed her

9:44

in

9:45

dr krenner was about to signal to let

9:47

the men in when he hesitated

9:50

his smile faded as through the glass he

9:53

watched tse began to first shake her

9:55

head then beat her chest and howl

9:58

the rest of the troop began to react

10:00

nervously and screech alarms to each

10:02

other dr krenner went to the glass and

10:05

watched as tse became aggressive

10:09

tsc reached out to the nearest member of

10:11

its troop and tackled it to the ground

10:14

at first nipping and snapping

10:17

tse seized its terrified companion and

10:20

bit down hard on the fleshly part of its

10:22

thigh

10:23

the animal screamed out in pain even as

10:25

it managed to break free and drag itself

10:27

away

10:29

wasting no time tsc turned and chased

10:32

after another raking its teeth down the

10:34

fleeing animal's back

10:36

corman jones gasped as she watched the

10:38

carnage being perpetrated in the

10:40

enclosure

10:41

dr krenner's shoulders fell

10:43

his face too as he watched the

10:45

chimpanzee with the wounded leg drag

10:47

himself up

10:49

seemingly forgetting his injury and give

10:51

chase to a smaller adolescent female

10:53

chimp

10:55

seconds later the smaller chimp's arm

10:57

hung broken and limp by its side a gash

11:00

bleeding freely

11:02

dr krenner what do we do

11:04

corman jones said her face pale

11:07

dr krenner only stared seemingly too

11:10

taken aback to answer

11:12

a second cry from the corpsman stepped

11:14

him out of his fugue state

11:16

let them in put them down

11:18

he said

11:20

corman jones leaned over and shouted

11:22

into an intercom go euthanize the

11:24

subjects

11:26

on the screen she watched as the three

11:28

men in protective suits abandoned their

11:30

cattle prods and drew nine millimeter

11:32

pistols

11:34

in the habitat every monkey bore some

11:36

injury and all had become horrifyingly

11:39

aggressive

11:40

seeing the men enter the troop hung

11:42

together and worked as a unit to attack

11:44

their enemy the chimps ripped and tore

11:47

at the protective suits of the men

11:49

biting and trying to sink their teeth

11:50

wherever they could

11:52

the men tried to fight them off hardly

11:54

managing a tactical retreat firing their

11:57

guns as they backed away from the

11:59

aggressive chimpanzees

12:01

dr krenner and corman jones jumped at

12:03

every report from the guns as the

12:06

panicked men fired now in defense of

12:08

their lives

12:10

the men continued to retreat as they

12:12

witnessed the high velocity rounds

12:14

ripped through the chimps but not slow

12:16

them down

12:17

only when it was realized that headshots

12:19

were the single injuries stopping them

12:21

did the tide turn minutes later the

12:24

three men stood still their suits in

12:27

tatters

12:28

around them lay the torn and

12:30

bullet-riddled carcasses of 20

12:33

chimpanzees

12:37

before you go

12:38

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12:51

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12:52

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12:54

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12:56

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12:58

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12:59

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13:01

thanks for listening

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About the Podcast

DEADLAND
A Journey Through The Zombie Apocalypse.
In a world plagued by the undead, Nicole Bennett embarks on a perilous journey to reunite with her estranged father, Colonel Steven Bennett, head of a secret government facility in the mountains of Colorado. She gathers a group of survivors along the way and leads them through the treacherous Deadlands towards the sanctuary she prays awaits them. As they face relentless obstacles, they fight to cling onto hope amidst the chaos of the zombie apocalypse.
As they traverse through a landscape overrun by the walking dead, the survivors must confront their deepest fears and make harrowing decisions to ensure their survival. With danger lurking at every turn, the group must band together and trust in each other to navigate the horrors of this new world and reach their destination.
In a desperate bid for safety and a glimmer of hope, the question remains - what sacrifices will they be forced to make along the way, and will they ultimately find refuge in Nicole Bennett's promised haven in Colorado? As they struggle to survive amidst the chaos, the true test of their humanity and resilience in the face of the zombie apocalypse is about to be taken.

The Human Extinction Level Loss series written and read by Philip A. McClimon.
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About your host

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Philip McClimon


Philip A. McClimon is an author who likes to write about the end of the world (post apocalyptic / zombie), mostly because he thinks the shopping would be awesome (No crowds, everything free). He likes heroes that are the strong, silent type and not necessarily male. By silent he means up until the time there is something snarky to say, usually before, during, and after doing something cool.

So, that's Phil. He's not strong, rarely silent, and isn't known for doing a lot of cool things.

But his characters are.