1-11 Turning Point

[00:00:00] She started her day at home in the mountains just like any other. There was nothing unusual about making the familiar drive down to Sacramento to go to work. Then, in a flash, Mother Nature decided it was time to create a new landscape. Follow the journey of a dynamic young woman, mother and wife, Erica, as she is thrust into a world turned upside down by a series of natural disasters.

[00:00:30] Embark on a gripping journey with Erica in Sarah F. Hathaway's Day After Disaster. Big John, is that you? Erica? Holy crap. You made it home? Can't stop this, girl. But you've been through some tough times, girl.

[00:01:00] Look at you. I bet you have some story. Oh no, Big John. I'm not telling that story now. We don't have time for stories now, anyhow. It looks like you guys got hit just as hard as we did. We got frickin' screwed, man. The camp is dead. We lost our water supply and most of our tents. It's jacked up. Calm down, Gray. That's not gonna get us anywhere. Tell me to calm down. I'm not calming down. We're screwed, man.

[00:01:30] He's right. God's wrath is upon us. I know you're scared. I thought I was dead many times, but here I am. Humans have been tested by God many times in the past. But here we are. If we give up, we're dead. But we're not going to give up.

[00:02:15] John, what are you suggesting? We leave California. We stop at the Coloma camp first. Where is Erica? I have to talk to her. Look, buddy. I don't know who you are, but... Harold? Harold Duncan? Is that you? Just stay back, mister. Vince, it's Harold Duncan. His father saved me. The man needs a doctor. Please, Vince. There's no time. I have to go.

[00:02:46] Go? Go where? Where? Where's Henry, Carol, Betsy, and the kids? They took them, Erica. Those bastards in Auburn. They came to the farm. They took everything from me. My wife, my kids, my parents, all the supplies. I tried to fight their leader, but another cracked me on the head and left me for dead. What are we going to do, baby? I don't know what we can do. We just got wiped out.

[00:03:14] And we need to get to your mom. Vince, I can't walk away. They saved me. They didn't have to, but they did. I wouldn't be here without them. Erica, you don't even know if they're alive. They are alive. I saw them. I went there. You said they took your supplies, too? They did. Two birds, one stone. We rescue the people. We get the supplies.

[00:03:44] I see that you're hurting. I see that you're down. I see how every dream return came back to call you out. Was ready to rumble. Was ready to fight. Got lost in the thunder. Without alibis. Shout at the night. Rage at the lies. Don't let the fear control. It's deep.

[00:04:12] That looks like a good place

[00:04:46] to sleep for the night. Yuri, circle around back. See if they have guards posted. You got it, DJ. That wind is blowing hard tonight. If you have something to say, say it. Maybe you should have listened to Mr. Lee. And sent a team? No, DJ. You're the best at what you do. But we should have brought a bigger team. Sergei, are you telling me my business?

[00:05:15] I am not, DJ. I'm just... You and Yuri are the only ones I trust. I can't have bubbling idiots with me. I understand. Then shut your mouth and do your job. It looks all clear to me, DJ. Follow me. Who's out there?

[00:05:44] My gun. Sir, if we were here to hurt you, we would have already. Then why does it take my gun? We aren't here to hurt you. Take it. Are you two here alone? I have two sons. They went north to get medical supplies. Honey, just stay back. It's okay. I told you we weren't here to hurt you. You boys ain't sick, are you? We just need a place to sleep.

[00:06:14] We don't come empty-handed. Yuri, give them six cans and a bottle of whiskey. Come on in. We got the extra space. What the hell happened out there, Major? Sir, the direction was unknown. Why didn't you call for backup? I thought we could handle it, sir. No, you didn't. You let two vehicles

[00:06:43] go instead of calling for backup. Sir, we were much closer. Alpha Squad would have been FUBAR. Major, are you psychic? No, sir. I told you we need to capture them. We have to set the tone of how this is going to go. I'm sorry I couldn't capture more people for your displays, sir. What did you say? You better get with the program, Major. You wouldn't be the rank you are without the fight General McClintock put up for you. I made the decision I made to de-escalate the situation. Yes, I let the two trucks go, but we got four of the thieves and a truck full

[00:07:12] of supplies back, sir. I'm not thrilled. Why don't you and your men go do traffic control and trade line for a few days? Yes, sir. How'd that go? He's a prick, but he's right. I should have called for backup. I didn't want to catch them because of her. Any one of us would have done the same thing. No, guys. We have to pick a side. People died today because my heart wasn't in it. I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing. What are you going to do?

[00:07:42] For now, I'm going to report to guard duty as ordered. It was our fire, our house, our dream. We were dancing on the wild red clays. Hey, fellow patriots. Bravo Echo here.

[00:08:12] Are you paying attention to what is happening in our great nation? Are you prepared? If not, come see us at HopeForSurvival.com. That's HopeForSurvival.com. Be safe and be blessed.

[00:08:43] It's so cool how they can play a game with all this going on. Isn't it? I'll never forget this moment. You guys ready to go? Hold on a second. Dexter, Star, come here. You be good for Richard and Grandma. Take care of Ripper when you two get to Lotus. I will, Bob. Erica, I can fight. I know you can, but I need you to take care of Dexter.

[00:09:13] Can you do that? Yeah. Come on, guys. Rob's ready to roll. We're coming. I will be with you until I stop breathing. We'll keep loving you as long as my heart's beating. We don't have to do this, baby. Yeah, we do.

[00:09:42] Well, if we're gonna die, at least we'll do it together. Once we cross the river, Rob's headed up to Auburn's front gate. We'll go to the old

[00:10:12] juvenile hall. We'll have to move quick. It's gonna take perfect timing to pull this off.

[00:10:46] Going. The wheels are in motion. Hold it right there. Oh, Greg. What? He would have shot us. Yeah, but you could have shot him somewhere other than his head. We could have gotten information from him. Somewhere else? Sorry. Next time, I'll let him shoot one of us. We're not killers, Greg. Look, Erica. Today, we are. We're gonna kill or be killed. Wake up, girl. What do you think we're doing here?

[00:11:16] You're right. Why is the ground so squishy? Oh, good God. It's bodies. Blech. Blech. Try hiding in them for weeks. Come on. Let's just get through this.

[00:11:42] The scout said it was up this way. The sickest stick in this town. They've been building local medical centers. So?

[00:12:11] Doyle's at it. Use your eyes. There's not enough guard activity around his house. He's right, you. Don't be naive. I've scouted it. Come on. His wing is back here. There will be two guards on that door. Two by the window and two at the back. Then how are we

[00:12:40] coming up the alley? Two on the door. Follow my lead. Speed, my brother. Excuse me, sir. This wing is... It's ticking, boys. We have two more before the door. No fear. Excuse me. You can't be...

[00:12:59] This town is already dead.

[00:13:28] Hey, everyone. This is Dale and Lisa from survivalistprepper.net. I played the voice of Lautner. And I played the voice of Carol and Star. Over at Survivalist Prepper,

[00:13:58] we have the podcast and I also have a new podcast that I'm doing with Brian Duff called The Duff and Dale Show. And you can find me on my YouTube channel, The Budget Equestrian. This sucks. We only have a couple hours left. Suck it up. Did you hear the news, Burgess? Major General Barnes

[00:14:27] is going to execute the people we rounded up yesterday. Who said that? Cook. She came back from the restroom and ran into her friend. And is news from the ladies' room usually reliable? Well, yeah. Cook's friend works for the Major General's assistant. What can we do? You gotta do something. What am I supposed to do? I don't know, but we can't let those people die. I would've never rounded them up if I'd known they was coming back to their death.

[00:14:56] You two stay here. I'll be back. What are you guys doing with this patient? He's paralyzed, sir. All the more reason he should be inside resting. He's a refugee, sir. He's a fighter in the mercenary army. Not anymore. This man will never walk. He's from Florida, which means he's a refugee. We're taking him to the refugee facility in Minneapolis, sir. You take that man back inside.

[00:15:26] He's in no shape to move. Sir, I... Take him back inside. That's Rob. We gotta get to that tower now. Steady now. I'm gonna take them with the crossbow.

[00:16:11] You two stay here and start blasting those guys down there. Taylor, guard the door. Don't let anyone up those stairs. Two guards at the gate. We're in. The prisoners are over here on the left. Where are the supplies? In the storehouse on the other side of camp. Over there. Erica, you go with Harold attention.

[00:16:44] Okay. Hurry back. He was a guard of the captives. We're close. What is that stink? You don't want to know. Whoa! That was close. That guy had the drop on you. Those kids in the tower just saved your butt. Oh my. What the? Here's where that smell's coming from. Betsy!

[00:17:14] Henry! Over here! Denton is looking for the keys. Erica, is that you? In the flesh, Henry. You didn't think I would leave you after all you did for me, did you? Praise the lord! Those monsters locked us in here like animals. Let's get you out of here. Looks like more trouble headed our way. Erica? Oh my god, Jacqueline! What did they

[00:17:43] do to you? Don't worry. We're going to get you out. We're going to get you all out of here. Uh, guys? Harold, keep going. I'll go back up Denton. I don't know how much ammo they have, but mine is running low. The prisoners are free, but I don't know how fast we're gonna go. Some of them have been there for a while. Get moving. I'll cover you.

[00:18:35] Worried about how dangerous the world has become in these days of terrorist attacks natural disasters or even a future collapse. You need to be medically prepared to keep your family safe. I'm Joe Alton, MD of store.doomandbloom.net where you'll find an entire line of uniquely designed medical kits and supplies for when help is not on the way. For everything from individual first aid kits to the ultimate family medical bag, go to store.doomandbloom.net today. You'll be glad you did.

[00:19:12] Come on, TJ. It's done. Let's go home. Shut your mouth, Yuri. I can't hear what you're babbling in the background. What are you waiting for? This moment. You two stay here and keep your rifles ready. If I get hurt, Mr. Lee will have your hides. What is he doing? Hell if I... Doyle's dead? From the sick?

[00:19:40] He died by my hand. Who are you? My name is TJ Swenson. You got some balls walking up in here glowing. I came to offer you a choice. You could pledge your loyalty to me and I'll bring you food and supplies or you can choose to continue fighting me and I'll send my fighters and you can all go live in refugee camps. I have another idea. How about a supply of your brains on the car? Anyone else interested in that idea?

[00:20:09] I didn't think so. The people of my communities are well cared for and there's order on my streets. Or they become your slaves. We all have choices and you all have one to make now. I'll be back in two days. Have an answer by then. You are now in the presence of a...

[00:20:40] Major, I trust you have a good reason for this intrusion. Are you going to execute those people, sir? You better sit down. I think I'm fine right where I am, sir. I don't. Now sit your ass down. Major, can you feel the energy on the street? We're going to lose control if we don't set strong precedents. By killing people whose crime is stealing medical supplies to help sick people? They know the rules. The landowners get

[00:21:09] access first and the refugees get what is left. They're people too, sir. This is bull. Your insubordination will not be tolerated, Major. You're already walking a thin line. What about Kristoff? What crime did he commit? He would have died for your cause. And I appreciate his efforts. He won't fight again and he is a refugee. His recovery is going to be a long one. He needs to be amongst his people. His people? We are his people. You keep this up and no one is going to fight for you.

[00:21:38] If they want to eat and be free of a camp, they will. To what end? So they can die or end up in a camp anyway? You can't do this to him. Major, your behavior is unacceptable. You care so much for him? You and your two lackeys can drive into Minnesota and then tell your sob story to General McClintock. I'm done with you. You're dismissed. I wouldn't take another order from you if God himself came down here and commanded me to. You're dismissed. You drive Kristoff to Minneapolis

[00:22:08] or I'll put a bullet in myself. I would never give you the honor. What are you two doing here? Backing you up. You got your wish, boys. We're at it. Chappy, go tell the nurse with Kristoff to load him up. Yes, sir. What's going on, sir? We're taking him to Minneapolis.

[00:23:15] Thank you for listening to the Changing Earth audio drama based off of the novel series The Changing Earth by author Sarah F. Hathaway. Available at Amazon or get your signed copies at www.changingearthseries.com. This content is copywritten in 2021 by author Sarah F. Hathaway. For a list of performers, music, and noise attributes, head on over

[00:23:42] to www.changingearthseries.com. Become a subscriber and help the Changing Earth world go around. Pick up your Changing Earth gear at www.changingearthseries.com. Don't forget to leave a review or like and subscribe. Stay tuned for the next episode of the Changing Earth audio drama. and