After the Dark (Audiobook)
Project Overview
Heyo! I'm Grant and I've been having some free time lately to work on new projects. I've recently written a story that I think would be fun to turn into an audiobook/podcast. I plan to put episodes out on Spotify and Youtube when it's complete. For now, this project is only for fun and there will be no pay. If it takes off on social media and can be monetized, I will share that with anyone who puts their time and work in!
The book is a post-apocalyptic thriller that follows an ex-military veteran (Shawn) who is separated from his wife (Juliet) shortly after the world is thrown into darkness when the sun stops lighting the sky. On Shawn's journey of trying to get back to his family, he runs into a medium (Jo) and an exorcist (Thomas) who might have answers as to what is happening to the world.
*This is a pretty dark story and for that I recommend that only 18+ people audition.
Anyways, I'm excited to hear from you! Thanks for considering working with me on this project!
FOLLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROJECT AND MORE ON MY DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/FeUYBE2nTn
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Personality: Introverted, anxious, family-oriented. Pretends to be strong on the outside, but is very soft and introspective.
Background: Shawn is an ex-military veteran and firefighter who grew up in Dallas, Texas. Because of his time overseas, he tends to have a lot of anxiety, especially over the prospect of losing his loved ones. He is very loyal and family oriented, doing whatever he can to get back to the wife and daughter whom he was separated from at the beginning of the story.
- english
- male adult
- audiobook
- american
(Narration) I can hear the old floorboards squeak under my weight as I turn the corner and see Jules sitting at the kitchen table, intently staring at her laptop. Stopping there at the end of the hallway for a moment, I just stare at her. The sunlight outside illuminates her face, bringing out a glow in her golden-brown eyes. I study the hundreds of tiny, light freckles covering every inch of her face and the shadows outlining her sharp cheekbones and jawline. She’s sitting there, biting her lip, something she does when she’s lost in thought.
(Narration, tense) My heart pounds in my chest as I watch the man lift his head and I can see his red eyes in the dim light cast by our lanterns. He then smiles and his lips purse, black drool dripping out of the space left by his blue lips. He should be dead. He’s been dead. There’s no doubt in my mind. His skin is white. Bruised. The smell was awful. Two minutes ago, that was a dead body.
(Panicked, angry) “Okay, you need to tell me what the fuck is going on. Stop being cryptic. What the fuck are these things? What do they want?”
Personality: Calm, collective. Caring and very intelligent.
Background: Juliet is a doctor, who just moved to the U.S from Cambridge, England after completing medical school. She has a history of extensive trauma, but has spent a lot of time working on her mental health and has grown to be a very strong and adaptive person. She is very resourceful and good at being in stressful situations.
- english
- female adult
- northern european
- audiobook
(Narration) I didn’t originally plan to try and escape. I’d been with Lake for four or five years. Escape didn’t seem possible. Especially because when the plane landed and they heaved open the door, I could see the snow coming down in sheets. Asher, one of Lake’s guys, stepped out onto the tarmac and within a minute or two, his hair was as white as the ground beneath him.
(Narration, tense) I stand there for several minutes, dry heaving. Tears well up in my eyes and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m sad or because I feel so sick that the pain is making my eyes water. I have to crouch down at a certain point because I’m too dizzy to keep standing. I sit there for a long time just trying to gain my composure, but it feels impossible.
(Frustrated) “No, you know what? I’ll tell you what you’ve been doing. You’ve been fear mongering. People were already afraid and now you’ve managed to scare them even more."
Personality: Eccentric, sarcastic, moody. Impulsive, but deeply caring and empathetic.
Background: Jo is a tattoo artist with a history of trauma from growing up in the foster system and suffering from addiction for much of her teen and early adult life. She is also a self-identified medium who claims to see spirits.
- english
- female young adult
- american
- audiobook
(Narration) I see a lot of people. Names always evade me, but energy doesn’t. This girl’s energy feels like a trust fund and that obnoxious cologne smell of a Hollister’s clothing store. She’s only wearing some gray sweatpants and a softball tee right now, but I could picture her in fringed, denim short shorts and a tank top. I could picture her falling for some dick who rides a motorcycle and has already cheated on her more times than you could count on both hands.
(Narration, tense) I hold the phone tightly to my ear, listening to the madness being transmitted over the receiver. A steady tremor tears through my entire body. Travis looks over at me, tries to get a response from me. He’s speaking to me. He’s trying to comfort me, trying to ask what happened, but I can’t hear him. I can’t hear anything. I can’t hear anything but the screams of people outside of a dead person’s car. A dead person that it only took twenty-four hours for me to fall in love with and then lose.
(Labile, angry) “Stop reading me through the fucking phone, Thomas!”
Personality: Apathetic, reserved. Can act very caring when close friends are involved. Highly intelligent, cunning.
- english
- male adult
- american
- audiobook
(Conversational, casual) “I knew it wasn’t a serial killer though. As soon as I saw those bodies. Tons of people telling me that some guy was ripping apart the victims, slashing their bodies open. Mutilating them. And when I arrived on the sight, I just saw men with gunshot wounds or wrists slashed open. There were some that had no wounds at all. Probably just took a shit ton of painkillers and ODed.”
(Flippant panic, over the top) “You are the most stressful medium I have ever had the displeasure of mentoring,”
(Sarcastic, annoyed) “Why didn’t I exorcise the already dead guy?”
Personality: Selfless, brave. Loyal and intelligent. Caring and patient.
- english
- male adult
- american
- audiobook
(In pain, under breath) “Fucking a billion.”
(Stern) “Okay, here’s the plan. You go straight to the Fred Meyer and straight back. Doesn’t matter if you find what you’re looking for. We’ll plan another trip, but for now, stick to the plan. And stay together. No one should be caught alone. Two groups of three or three groups of two, always. Got it?”
(Chiding, Angry) “No, don’t, Ryder. You’re acting like a goddamn teenager. And she’s right. You shouldn’t have told everyone about Jaime. You just managed to freak everyone out.”
Personality: Stoic, but caring. Pretends to be tough even when he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
- english
- male adult
- american
- audiobook
(Chiding, angry) “No, no. You don’t feel good because you’re fucking hungover. Again. For the third time this month.”
(Soft, comforting) “You are okay. We are okay. I told you I’m gonna keep you safe. We’re not gonna die.”
(Hysterical, angry, yelling) (voice hoarse, nearly a growl) “Jo! Come back here! We’re not done!”
Personality: Laid-back, friendly. Caring and loyal.
- english
- female young adult
- american
- audiobook
(Anxious, panicked, quiet) “I have to find my family…My brothers and my mom.”
(Casual) “It’s so creative. Lucas would barely let me decorate.”
(Terrified, panicked) “Oh my god, he’s got a gun, Jo. He’s got a fucking pistol.”
Age: 12
Personality: Friendly, exuberant. Loving and empathetic.
- english
- american
- audiobook
- female child
(Complaining) “Yeah. She is so mean to everyone--and you know how small my school is--so when I say everyone, I mean everyone. And the teachers do nothing about it!”
(Withdrawn, somewhat somber) “I know. It’s just sad. What if Macee and I grow apart?”
(Crying, scared) "Mom...What are we gonna do?”
Personality: Loyal, caring, courageous. Friendly and laid-back.
- english
- male adult
- american (southern)
- audiobook
(Conversational) “CMEs? Oh. Yeah. I mean, the power outage could maybe be a side effect of all this weird magnetic field B-S. But I don’t think it would cause everything to just die.”
(Fearful, out of breath) “How the fuck is that guy alive?”
(Comedic, sarcastic) “What, is that some kind of exorcist E-S-P shit?”
Personality: Standoffish, hyper-masculine. Acts tough. Defiant, arrogant.
- english
- american
- audiobook
- male adult
(Condescending, laughing) “Thanks, but I’m not scared of a little sunburn.”
(Argumentative, angry, shouting) “How is this my fault? You’re the one who insisted on bringing him back! None of this would have even happened if you stayed in your place.”
(Stammering, terrified, sad) “White? I didn’t see anything white. I’m telling you I didn’t see anything. There was fucking nothing there…We were heading back…And then this sound…It’s so loud out there. It sounds like bobcats, y’know? You ever heard a bobcat?”
Personality: Confident, friendly. Quick-witted and intelligent.
*Bilingual
- english
- spanish
- female adult
- audiobook
(Conversational, reassuring) “I think about it a lot. Even six years later. And some days, I feel like I’m completely over it. But some days, it’s like it just happened. I think this is just a bump in the road. From everything Shawn has told me about you, to what I’ve seen so far in the little time we’ve known each other…You’re a fucking badass and you’ll get through this.”
(Shouting, angry, panicked) “¿Qué quieren? ¿Qué quieren con mi hermano, de puta?”
(Terrified, sad) “It tore them apart. There’s nothing left of them...”
Personality: Timid, but friendly. Clever and loyal. Easily scared.
- spanish
- male young adult
- spanish (puerto rican)
- audiobook
(Casual, joking) “Es una perra cachonda.”
(Murmuring, anxious) “Nos tienen rodeados…”
(Panicked, shouting, terrified) “No. No. No…¡Son diablos! ¡Hay diablos estan en mi cabeza!”
- male adult
It wanted to break you down. The horrible things it was gonna do…They want to make us fear them. It’s like food to them. They feed off of our fear and…
Y’know what’s funny? I hated the name Isaac. No, seriously. I think I still hate it.
Any characters that don't have more than a few lines or only have single lines.
- american (southern)
- american
- british
- spanish (puerto rican)
(Cunning, sadistic) “Anyways, you’ve somehow managed to contain your fear. That won’t last though.”
(Relieved) “The antibiotics are doing wonders. His cough has gotten better, and I think his fever finally broke.”
(Devastated, crying) “No I’m not going to heaven. I can’t. I killed my family,”
- female teen
I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to be alone again.
Am I pressing too hard? Is it hurting?
Thanks. For staying.
(Proper, stern) Hi Thomas. Let's talk.
(Impressed) Juliet Bailer is one of the most powerful mediums I’ve seen in decades. And those spirits are attracted to her like a magnet.
*Say something you think would fit*
- male adult
- western canadian
(Conversational) Now he said that when those things attack, they make people hallucinate. That’s why we started locking up the guns...What’s even more interesting is that this; it lights up when the shriekers come.
(Sadistic) We’ve managed to keep the peace here in this camp for a long time, but it comes at a price. These things want to feed. And we have to occasionally give them an offering so they will leave us alone.
(Terrified) Don’t just stand there! Shoot him!
- male adult
- american
- english (british)
(Sadistic, condescending) “You can believe whatever you want. Like that I may be possessed. And that all you have to do is drive the spirit out like you did with your friend over there.
(Conversational, Solemn) It was nothing very eventful. Or, not the way you’d expect. I didn’t use too much power. I wasn’t fighting another demon. I didn’t even give in...It was grief.
- male adult
(Aggressive, Violent) That’s what you get, you little bitch.
(Angry) You’re really starting to piss me off.
- northern european
- male adult
(Conversational) That’s alright. We just need anyone with an advanced knowledge in medicine. We’re at our wits end here.
(Distressed, exasperated) Look, we’ve been losing doctors, too. These patients are extremely aggressive. It’s like whatever this illness does to them, makes them desperate to kill. Any ideas you have, I’d be open to hear.
- male adult
(Persuasive, conversational) Yeah. It’s not your job to get the supplies. It’s our job. And we’re ready to do that.
(Friendly) Alright, doc. We move out first thing tomorrow.
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