I love the day zero to day 2 or 3,i love the beginning of the apocalypse when people are confused and figuring out the reality of the situation. How many parents and loved ones would get bitten by family members just because they didn’t want to leave their zombie loved ones behind.
I'm with you there. If the story goes on too long, it devoles into factions fighting. I can see that on the news. Love the survival-horror aspect. Also like that his short stories aren't filled with special forces/neurosurgeon/ninjas to fight off the dead. Just Kevin from Dairy Queen trying to figure it out.
@podegenst0ner303 Did you ever notice in that show with any community they came across, whether functional or tyrannical, it was a flaming pile of rubble withn a few days of the protagonist showing up?
Nice man, I really enjoyed this story! I'd love to see a compilation of these short stories every now and again tie up loose ends on who .makes it and who does if you ever get the chance! Great listen! Thanks!
I'm thinking I'm going to check in on some of these characters down the line in a 2nd month series. Or like the Punk Band, roll them into a full series.
This is a really terrific story in a fabulous series. I really like these stories that are set in the early hours of the zombie outbreak, and see the first reactions of people suddenly finding themselves as extras in a monster movie! Like many listeners, I sometimes think about what I would do in the same situation. I would most likely be killed in some stupid manner, like getting attacked while taking out the garbage. In the early hours of the zombie outbreak we follow the steps of a survivor, Julia. I liked the depiction of Julie, who is a brave woman, but not a superhero. She shows a lot of courage in going to the aid of a police officer, and stopping to save a fellow survivor, but later she also shows a cool grip of reality in that she does not stop to try to render aid to injured while she herself is running for her life. Later she meets Elliot, a stalwart man who gives up his own life to help Julia survive. I was glad to see that the author depicted an ordinary man, not a cop or a soldier, but just an ordinary man, can also be a selfless hero. What is ironic is that in any disaster, the first thing they tell you is to stay off the highways. So why is it that everyone on the highway? I would have figured to use back roads rather than head for the very place that millions of other people are going. This story was another great entry that brings home the reality of how the zombie plague could have caused such widespread havoc in just its first few hours. Everyone is caught by surprise, and every victim just adds to the zombie horde. And as cops, and all other emergency personnel, who one would normally depend on to keep order, are the first to be taken down, the chaos spreads unchecked. I like the zombies in this series, because the writer goes to the effort of making them seem more real. When a zombie is freshly dead, it is blindingly fast and agile. However, after days or weeks have passed, and decomposition sets in, the zombies slow up considerably. This was an excellent story and it definitely ends too quickly. I would love to hear more about Julia, and hope that she is a long term survivor. Or perhaps hear from another survivor, like the police dispatcher that Julia speaks to briefly. The one that that remains a puzzle---why is that that here are no news reports or anything on the air or on media, about the outbreak? Today's world has us bombarded by all kinds of things happened, even as they are being filmed, and there is nothing about the disaster on media of any kind? I cannot see any news media or social media not jumping on this immediately. Reporters would fall over themselves to report this, not realizing how deadly it was. and I can easily see a person who escapes a zombie attack, managing to get inside somewhere, and instantly posting on their phone or computer "guess what just happened to me??!!" and yet in most of the stories in this series, all people hear on media is music or prerecorded programs. Believe me, there would be plenty of talking heads on the air within minutes of the outbreak. How about that as a story idea? the outbreak in the offices of some major news outlet?
They should get as low as they can in the car stay motionless, be quiet, maybe eventually leave when they finish with their meal sitting here talking with Their faces in plain view gawking
Hey and welcome to the channel! Glad that you're here. I'd recommend checking out the Playlists page, which has all of the various series. The main series is over 100 full stories (2ish hours), there's an 18 part standalone spinoff, and dozens of one offs like this one (there's Tales of the First Month, which is civilians. Tales from the Front Lines, which is military focused. And Tales from New York) Here's the link to the playlists page! www.youtube.com/@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor/playlists
Thanks Derek, I love these first day stories. Hope to find out what happens to the people in them. Maybe they can all meet up one day and kick some Zombie butt😊
@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor lol, true some people's stories are finished. A second month story would be great. Thanks again for all your hard work. It makes the work days so much easier to handle.
First story back in Texas ! Once i heard highway, i honestly thought they'd be on the same stretch of road that PVT. Sanchez was guarding, was hoping for a cameo from him.
Another great story. Why did ahe head for the highway rhough? Everyone will go that way and it only takes one accident to turn the reaffic into a zombie all-you-can-eat buffet. Which happened. Back roads would be safer. Jumping from car roof ro car roof was a good idea though if it was me jumping i would've been et after car 2 😅 hopae we see her again
You have to remember, it's the heat of the moment and she just witnessed something horrific, so not thinking clearly. and I'm with you, i would have been long dead
To further solidify derek his statement. Since when did People become rational during sudden troubles? There are few People who trully van keep their head cool and make quick, correct choices.
As a fan from across the pond, could you maybe do one of these complete 1-off stories from England? (& yes, to the person who is going to reply i understand it's Dead America) But still?
It's funny you mention that because I've been plotting out a London story. Hoping to get to that one in the next month or two, because it's going to be a little longer than the normal stories.
Welcome to the channel and hope you enjoy! don't forget to check out the playlists page, as it has the main series play list (with 107 books), Lowcountry (and 18 part standalone spinoff), and of course the Tales series, which are mostly standalone stories set during the early days of the outbreak
These stories would make a great tv show. Short, realistic and if you mis an episode, you can still follow. And if there is a continuation of the stories, then its really great for People who wanna continue diving into this universe. So appealing towards all sorts of viewers. The tiktok brain generation is happy all the way to the seasoned fan whos also happy
Going to Dallas from San Antonio would be a death wish. Much better off heading East by northeast. There are large forests within a couple of hours or so. Going west would be better too.
Oh I agree. Going west out of San Antonio is like 8 straight hours of nothingness until you hit El Paso. Made that drive a few times in my life. Never again.
Hey thanks for listening! here is the link to the playlists page. On there you'll have the main series in order, the 18 part Lowcountry standalone spinoff series in order, as well as all of the "Tales" stories as well! www.youtube.com/@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor/playlists
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor ah. Too bad I wanted to know what happens to Julia. Maybe she finds other survivors in an abandoned farmhouse but that would be too much like TWD. Thanks for letting me know
Some of the characters from these stories get rolled into the main series, like from the Punk Band. One of these days I'm going to do the Tales of the Second Month series where some of these one offs will get a followup
That explains a LOT! I cringe at the narration. Pauses where there shouldn't be, wrong inflection on words. The regular episodes are fabulous, but I struggle to not swear at the "narrator"! 😂 Hard to listen to.
Since everything I do is straight to YT I found myself in a catch 22. I could hire a human and do one story every 3-4 months, or go AI and do 1-2 stories a week. So I went with AI
Genuine question- why no actual narrators? All of these stories are unlistenable with the ai drone. "oh my God. don't shoot. don't shoot." It says, with the same tone and inflection as "she slipped on her shoes". It's a shame that you don't work with voice actors, and use ai instead. Unless, of course, you're using ai to write it, too. Then it's a great fit.
Thank you for the question! The first 100 books or so in the main series (there is a main series playlist) has two human narrators. The series first started in 2018, but I didn't start the YT channel until the last week of 2021, so I had a huge back catalog to pull from. When I reached the end of 2023, I was pretty much out of content, so I had a choice. I could go with AI and continue weekly stories, or I could stick with a human narrator and release a new one every few months. That's why I went to AI. And no, I do not use AI to write. I know exactly where I want my story to go.
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor thank you so much for your answer!!! I'm glad you're not worrying with AI. I usually don't even mention it as a possibility, and with your high output, I'm sure you can see why. Obviously writers can have ridiculously high output, and that's apparently the case here. I totally understand the want for regular uploads, but are there other work arounds? I'm asking because I burned through everything with human narrators, but can't get far enough into these stories to even decide if I like them. Hopefully, you can start working with other voice actors to get more books properly narrated! It's a shame to put an artistic product that you're proud of into a bad presentation.
Sure thing, always happy to answer questions! The only thing I really use AI for (outside of voice obviously) is to brainstorm ideas and as a secondary editor (basically making sure the punctuation and tense is correct), as it really cuts down on the edit time before pulling it into something like ProWritinhAid. The issue with bringing in a human narrator now is speed and costs. With a human narrator it can be anywhere from 4-10 weeks to get a story back (depending on their schedule), and with the costs it can take 18-24 months to turn a profit. With AI it works as fast as I do, and I'm profitable within 18-24 hours. That not only allows for weekly stories (and much larger ones like the London and upcoming massive one I'm working on), it also frees me up creatively. Since I don't have to worry about a significant financial investment, I can take risks, like the Beyond the Shadow's Veil story I did. Plus it's allowed me to move to full time writing, which is huge.
I love the day zero to day 2 or 3,i love the beginning of the apocalypse when people are confused and figuring out the reality of the situation. How many parents and loved ones would get bitten by family members just because they didn’t want to leave their zombie loved ones behind.
Yeah it definitely makes for some fun scenarios that don't work for a full series, especially since everyone is expendable in these one offs.
I'm with you there. If the story goes on too long, it devoles into factions fighting. I can see that on the news. Love the survival-horror aspect. Also like that his short stories aren't filled with special forces/neurosurgeon/ninjas to fight off the dead. Just Kevin from Dairy Queen trying to figure it out.
True true that why I liked that Fear of the Walking Dead series cuz you saw all the chaos and how people reacted
Also I like how people form communities or try to
@podegenst0ner303 Did you ever notice in that show with any community they came across, whether functional or tyrannical, it was a flaming pile of rubble withn a few days of the protagonist showing up?
Thank you Derek for this great story
Am I the only person that keeps a machete next to them at their house? I mean this thing is so sharp it’s literally marked zombie.😅
Nice man, I really enjoyed this story! I'd love to see a compilation of these short stories every now and again tie up loose ends on who .makes it and who does if you ever get the chance!
Great listen! Thanks!
I'm thinking I'm going to check in on some of these characters down the line in a 2nd month series. Or like the Punk Band, roll them into a full series.
Idk how others feel but that sounds AWESOME!
I now have the wonderful job of catching up! Il listen to this one later! Thankyou Derek.
I'm trying my best to make sure y'all never run out of stories!
This is a really terrific story in a fabulous series. I really like these stories that are set in the early hours of the zombie outbreak, and see the first reactions of people suddenly finding themselves as extras in a monster movie! Like many listeners, I sometimes think about what I would do in the same situation. I would most likely be killed in some stupid manner, like getting attacked while taking out the garbage.
In the early hours of the zombie outbreak we follow the steps of a survivor, Julia. I liked the depiction of Julie, who is a brave woman, but not a superhero. She shows a lot of courage in going to the aid of a police officer, and stopping to save a fellow survivor, but later she also shows a cool grip of reality in that she does not stop to try to render aid to injured while she herself is running for her life. Later she meets Elliot, a stalwart man who gives up his own life to help Julia survive. I was glad to see that the author depicted an ordinary man, not a cop or a soldier, but just an ordinary man, can also be a selfless hero.
What is ironic is that in any disaster, the first thing they tell you is to stay off the highways. So why is it that everyone on the highway? I would have figured to use back roads rather than head for the very place that millions of other people are going.
This story was another great entry that brings home the reality of how the zombie plague could have caused such widespread havoc in just its first few hours. Everyone is caught by surprise, and every victim just adds to the zombie horde. And as cops, and all other emergency personnel, who one would normally depend on to keep order, are the first to be taken down, the chaos spreads unchecked.
I like the zombies in this series, because the writer goes to the effort of making them seem more real. When a zombie is freshly dead, it is blindingly fast and agile. However, after days or weeks have passed, and decomposition sets in, the zombies slow up considerably.
This was an excellent story and it definitely ends too quickly. I would love to hear more about Julia, and hope that she is a long term survivor. Or perhaps hear from another survivor, like the police dispatcher that Julia speaks to briefly.
The one that that remains a puzzle---why is that that here are no news reports or anything on the air or on media, about the outbreak? Today's world has us bombarded by all kinds of things happened, even as they are being filmed, and there is nothing about the disaster on media of any kind? I cannot see any news media or social media not jumping on this immediately. Reporters would fall over themselves to report this, not realizing how deadly it was. and I can easily see a person who escapes a zombie attack, managing to get inside somewhere, and instantly posting on their phone or computer "guess what just happened to me??!!" and yet in most of the stories in this series, all people hear on media is music or prerecorded programs. Believe me, there would be plenty of talking heads on the air within minutes of the outbreak.
How about that as a story idea? the outbreak in the offices of some major news outlet?
They should get as low as they can in the car stay motionless, be quiet, maybe eventually leave when they finish with their meal sitting here talking with Their faces in plain view gawking
I really enjoy these stories. Thank you.
Glad you like them! I appreciate you listening
Just came across this site listened to the last two newest episodes and had to go back to the first episode I am addicted!!! Thank you !!!!
Hey and welcome to the channel! Glad that you're here. I'd recommend checking out the Playlists page, which has all of the various series. The main series is over 100 full stories (2ish hours), there's an 18 part standalone spinoff, and dozens of one offs like this one (there's Tales of the First Month, which is civilians. Tales from the Front Lines, which is military focused. And Tales from New York) Here's the link to the playlists page!
www.youtube.com/@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor/playlists
I went back to the first episode and going in order !!!
Thanks Derek, I love these first day stories. Hope to find out what happens to the people in them. Maybe they can all meet up one day and kick some Zombie butt😊
I'm thinking about doing a second month series later on, picking up with some of the people (obviously some of the stories can't be continued, haha)
@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor lol, true some people's stories are finished. A second month story would be great. Thanks again for all your hard work. It makes the work days so much easier to handle.
The moment a guy with glasses in horror movie loses or breaks their glasses its an instant death flag
haha yep
Awesome, it must be Wednesday because Derek just dropped another great story
oh yeah! hope you enjoy!
Thank you Derek!!
My pleasure! hope you enjoy!
Man o man San Antonio is my hometown, and once I Hurd the name San Antonio my ears perked up.
Nice! I used to live in The Rim, just beside Six Flags. Spent a few years there
Thanks Mr. D
My pleasure!
First story back in Texas !
Once i heard highway, i honestly thought they'd be on the same stretch of road that PVT. Sanchez was guarding, was hoping for a cameo from him.
Aaarrrrgggg. Stop saying the end !! TO BE CONTINUED. Please. To good to end!! 😊. More please.
Another great story. Why did ahe head for the highway rhough? Everyone will go that way and it only takes one accident to turn the reaffic into a zombie all-you-can-eat buffet. Which happened. Back roads would be safer. Jumping from car roof ro car roof was a good idea though if it was me jumping i would've been et after car 2 😅 hopae we see her again
You have to remember, it's the heat of the moment and she just witnessed something horrific, so not thinking clearly. and I'm with you, i would have been long dead
To further solidify derek his statement. Since when did People become rational during sudden troubles? There are few People who trully van keep their head cool and make quick, correct choices.
Lol I know I wasn't the only one in here who thought about the guntubers in that area and what that group would be doing at this time😂
hahaha yeah, i might have to do a story on them. like those crazy guys with the "rent a tank" place
As a fan from across the pond, could you maybe do one of these complete 1-off stories from England? (& yes, to the person who is going to reply i understand it's Dead America) But still?
It's funny you mention that because I've been plotting out a London story. Hoping to get to that one in the next month or two, because it's going to be a little longer than the normal stories.
Ho-ly CRAP. Your channel is exactly what ive been wanting to come across all my life lol
Welcome to the channel and hope you enjoy! don't forget to check out the playlists page, as it has the main series play list (with 107 books), Lowcountry (and 18 part standalone spinoff), and of course the Tales series, which are mostly standalone stories set during the early days of the outbreak
DS back with another first month banger
I appreciate it! Just uploaded a fun one for tomorrow too. These first few days stories are so fun because anything can happen.
These stories would make a great tv show. Short, realistic and if you mis an episode, you can still follow. And if there is a continuation of the stories, then its really great for People who wanna continue diving into this universe. So appealing towards all sorts of viewers. The tiktok brain generation is happy all the way to the seasoned fan whos also happy
Going to Dallas from San Antonio would be a death wish. Much better off heading East by northeast. There are large forests within a couple of hours or so. Going west would be better too.
Oh I agree. Going west out of San Antonio is like 8 straight hours of nothingness until you hit El Paso. Made that drive a few times in my life. Never again.
Good story, but shocked the cop did not offer to take Julia with him? At the very least, safety in numbers
Do you think I did this to myself? Do you think I was eating my own leg?😅
Ok how do these go in order love these
Hey thanks for listening! here is the link to the playlists page. On there you'll have the main series in order, the 18 part Lowcountry standalone spinoff series in order, as well as all of the "Tales" stories as well!
www.youtube.com/@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor/playlists
Great story
Thank you!
What about the people inside the cars? Hopefully they’ll make enough noise that the zombies stay with them. You’re a monster I’m gonna make It are you
Dang, Elliott 😢
There a part 2 to this highway story?
There isn't. Most of the Tales stories are one offs
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor ah. Too bad I wanted to know what happens to Julia. Maybe she finds other survivors in an abandoned farmhouse but that would be too much like TWD. Thanks for letting me know
Some of the characters from these stories get rolled into the main series, like from the Punk Band. One of these days I'm going to do the Tales of the Second Month series where some of these one offs will get a followup
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor oh that would be neat to get some closure on where they ended up. Looking forward to it!
Oh, yeah!!!!!
hope you enjoy!
Who narrates these "in-between" episodes?
They are AI. It's sort of a catch 22, because it's either use AI or else the story wouldn't exist because a human narrator would be too expensive
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor I get it..We've talked about this before. I'm with you... I'd rather have the show than not! Thanks, Derek!
It kinda sounds like you're on heavy Seroquel, while you narrate. Maybe pop a few ephedrine next time? Great stories though.
Yipeeee!
hope you enjoy!
Is this AI reading .?
Yes, this one is AI. All of the ones posted in 2024 far, while most of the ones from before that are human
That explains a LOT! I cringe at the narration. Pauses where there shouldn't be, wrong inflection on words. The regular episodes are fabulous, but I struggle to not swear at the "narrator"! 😂 Hard to listen to.
Does a bear shit in the woods?
furrowed brow. AI.
Since everything I do is straight to YT I found myself in a catch 22. I could hire a human and do one story every 3-4 months, or go AI and do 1-2 stories a week. So I went with AI
Genuine question- why no actual narrators? All of these stories are unlistenable with the ai drone.
"oh my God. don't shoot. don't shoot." It says, with the same tone and inflection as "she slipped on her shoes".
It's a shame that you don't work with voice actors, and use ai instead. Unless, of course, you're using ai to write it, too. Then it's a great fit.
Thank you for the question! The first 100 books or so in the main series (there is a main series playlist) has two human narrators. The series first started in 2018, but I didn't start the YT channel until the last week of 2021, so I had a huge back catalog to pull from.
When I reached the end of 2023, I was pretty much out of content, so I had a choice. I could go with AI and continue weekly stories, or I could stick with a human narrator and release a new one every few months. That's why I went to AI.
And no, I do not use AI to write. I know exactly where I want my story to go.
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor thank you so much for your answer!!! I'm glad you're not worrying with AI. I usually don't even mention it as a possibility, and with your high output, I'm sure you can see why. Obviously writers can have ridiculously high output, and that's apparently the case here.
I totally understand the want for regular uploads, but are there other work arounds? I'm asking because I burned through everything with human narrators, but can't get far enough into these stories to even decide if I like them.
Hopefully, you can start working with other voice actors to get more books properly narrated! It's a shame to put an artistic product that you're proud of into a bad presentation.
Sure thing, always happy to answer questions! The only thing I really use AI for (outside of voice obviously) is to brainstorm ideas and as a secondary editor (basically making sure the punctuation and tense is correct), as it really cuts down on the edit time before pulling it into something like ProWritinhAid.
The issue with bringing in a human narrator now is speed and costs. With a human narrator it can be anywhere from 4-10 weeks to get a story back (depending on their schedule), and with the costs it can take 18-24 months to turn a profit. With AI it works as fast as I do, and I'm profitable within 18-24 hours. That not only allows for weekly stories (and much larger ones like the London and upcoming massive one I'm working on), it also frees me up creatively.
Since I don't have to worry about a significant financial investment, I can take risks, like the Beyond the Shadow's Veil story I did. Plus it's allowed me to move to full time writing, which is huge.
Thank you 😻🥰😘🧟🧟♀️🧟♂️
We're on the road to nowhere 🎶🎵🎶😻🧟🧟♀️🧟♂️😱
All raised your hands if you ever wanted to nick a police car in you dreams 🤣🙈
glad you enjoyed!
These zombies move too fast.
Minor spoiler alert
...
...
They do slow down after a couple of days.
Trolls will troll🤘😋🇧🇻
The narration on this is amazing compared to the virtual narrative. Unless I've been duped and this is AI. 😅
Haha yep, this is indeed AI. The voices are getting better and better! Thanks for listening!
@@DerekSlatonHorrorAuthor That is so wild! Thanks for posting!!