We're Alive #100!!!!! AKA Chapter 34-2 It Only Takes One

[LiamKerrington]

I hope I'm not the only person to be disappointed when Datu said he left Lady with Pegs and Kelly. I'm not a fan of either character, but i don't think Kc would kill a dog. Any ideas on how they escape?

Pegs, Kelly and Lady were in the North of Boulder when the evacuation started. And they had a couple of hours to go for it.
Either they got away with a car or they were flown out of the area either with Pegs as pilot or just passenger.
My best guess is: They are at the Genesee safespot with the better part of the Boulderite-survivors.

Now a couple of questions:
If just one mountain range away we might see an avalanche roling over Datu and Hope (my guess), how likely would this occur in Genesee as well? According to CabbagePatch's map (, which still is awesome) they are close by. I don't know how "avalanche-risky" the Rockys are. Am just wondering ...
Considering that during the evacuation we herd gunfire everywhere, how likely might it be that one survivor was wounded, is a slow turner and is part of the survivors at Genesee Park?
900 mi to Fort Irwin or 1000 to L.A. ... That's about 1.500 to 1.600km ... Hell of a distance ... How do they cover this distance, IF they are enroute to Fort Irwin. I am not sure, if this is covered in the show so far: Where do the survivors of Boulder go? And how will they do this - in winter, in the Rockys, in the zeehpocalypse ... ? Would they find enough gas along the 70 to Fort Irwin? And would they be able to make the fueling stations work properly again? What with Diesel, is it still usable?
Another question would be this: Did the nuke nuke 'em all? Or were enough Little Ones out of reach of the initial and killing blast? I could imagine there would be "at least one" if not more Little Ones still on the run ...

This sole episode is capable of considering so many different ways the story could evolve ...

All the best!
Liam

[Litmaster]

And were my ears deceiving me, or was that a classic muscle car that they were driving? Modern cars with fuel injection, pollution control systems and engine computers are much more vulnerable to EMP than older models with carburetors. I'm picturing them in a 68 Chevelle, or maybe a GTO. The most vulnerable component...the battery, and we already know they have a spare.

My guess is that it was a '72 Chevy Nova (my first car, BTW, that I bought used for 300 bucks).

I hope I'm not the only person to be disappointed when Datu said he left Lady with Pegs and Kelly. I'm not a fan of either character, but i don't think Kc would kill a dog. Any ideas on how they escape?

Realistically, the dog is now a charcoal briquette. And Pegs and Kelly are likely flash-shadows on a stretch of flattened rubble. I know this is a story and all, but I would shake my head in doubt if, say 5% of Boulder survives and it just happens that all three of our friends--and the fucking dog--all happened to be part of that 5%, despite Zoldiers runnin' wild and a nuclear blast...

I think it's a totally acceptable and realistic story outcome that we simply never find out what happened to Pegs and Kelly. It's very likely they are among the vast numbers of dead and unaccounted for.

If just one mountain range away we might see an avalanche roling over Datu and Hope (my guess), how likely would this occur in Genesee as well? According to CabbagePatch's map (, which still is awesome) they are close by. I don't know how "avalanche-risky" the Rockys are. Am just wondering ...

I bet that Datu wishes he had lifted a 4-wheeler instead of a muscle car when he finds most of the road has been blocked by rubble due to the blast. That's if the EMP hasn't killed their car. And it's a long way to hoof it to the evac site before everyone else leaves for Boulder. I'd like to see how they get out of this one...

[7oddisdead]

My guess is that it was a '72 Chevy Nova (my first car, BTW, that I bought used for 300 bucks).

I bet that Datu wishes he had lifted a 4-wheeler instead of a muscle car when he finds most of the road has been blocked by rubble due to the blast. That's if the EMP hasn't killed their car. And it's a long way to hoof it to the evac site before everyone else leaves for Boulder. I'd like to see how they get out of this one...

mine ears also say its a 70's era gm product, we of course have no real way of knowing exactly what the model is...but ill just say youtube "z28" and you find the exact same sounds as the car datu is driving...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeW2x...eature=related

that said, an emp blast would not kill their car. no part on those old cars would be harmed by the blast(save perhaps the radio) all other important bits within those cars are mechanical based including the speedometer, and subsequently the odometer...so he would also be able to track his mileage...fun fact that im sure some of you older farts like me know(im looking at you litmaster)...datu could actually remove the battery entirely while the car is still running and nothing would happen...once the car is running, it gets its electrical power from the alternator not the battery( dont try that on anything new though, bad things happen)the battery is simply a storage device..and nice for things like that radio i mentioned^

this has been your weekly "dear todd" moment...

[Cabbage Patch]

...900 mi to Fort Irwin or 1000 to L.A. ... That's about 1.500 to 1.600km ... Hell of a distance ... How do they cover this distance, IF they are enroute to Fort Irwin. I am not sure, if this is covered in the show so far: Where do the survivors of Boulder go? And how will they do this - in winter, in the Rockys, in the zeehpocalypse ... ? Would they find enough gas along the 70 to Fort Irwin? And would they be able to make the fueling stations work properly again? What with Diesel, is it still usable?

I think that the survivors might want to make an intermediate stop somewhere in Colorado before they try the road to Fort Irwin. I remember the road going west through the Rockys being treacherous and uncomfortable in the best of times, and doubly so in the winter. The survivors are going to need to stock up on supplies if they're going to attempt that trip, and especially if they want to save their helicopters.

Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora might be a good short-term stop. It's the home base for the Colorado National Guard, and it's where the Boulder Blackhawk crew was based before Z-day, so it should be familiar to some of the survivors. It should have aviation fuel and helicopter parts, MREs and ammo. However, it might be a little too close to the fallout zone for comfort.

The big prize would be Colorado Springs, which is south of the rendezvous point and well outside the fallout zone. It has a commercial airport, a major Air Force base (Peterson AFB), a major Army base (Fort Carson), the Air Force Academy, which has its own airport, and the old NORAD (and Stargate) headquarters at Cheyenne Mountain. In many ways it's an even better enclave than Boulder, assuming it survived the initial zombie onslaught reasonably intact. Worst case, it might be a place to re-supply and rest before the evacuation, maybe aided by a new C-130 or two from Peterson and re-fueled helicopters. Best case, maybe a new safe haven.

Liam has a good point about the quality of fuel products the survivors might find along the way. Gasoline is subject to contamination and loses volitility over time. I've heard conflicting stories over how long it can be safely stored ranging from 1 year to as little as 30 days. Diesel fuel is more stable, with a recommended shelf life of 6-12 months, which I suspect can go longer. The survivors should be able to get through the winter on the fuel that's available, but eventually they're going to need a way to refine fuel for themselves.

[7oddisdead]

I think that the survivors might want to make an intermediate stop somewhere in Colorado before they try the road to Fort Irwin. I remember the road going west through the Rockys being treacherous and uncomfortable in the best of times, and doubly so in the winter. The survivors are going to need to stock up on supplies if they're going to attempt that trip, and especially if they want to save their helicopters.

Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora might be a good short-term stop. It's the home base for the Colorado National Guard, and it's where the Boulder Blackhawk crew was based before Z-day, so it should be familiar to some of the survivors. It should have aviation fuel and helicopter parts, MREs and ammo. However, it might be a little too close to the fallout zone for comfort.

The big prize would be Colorado Springs, which is south of the rendezvous point and well outside the fallout zone. It has a commercial airport, a major Air Force base (Peterson AFB), a major Army base (Fort Carson), the Air Force Academy, which has its own airport, and the old NORAD (and Stargate) headquarters at Cheyenne Mountain. In many ways it's an even better enclave than Boulder, assuming it survived the initial zombie onslaught reasonably intact. Worst case, it might be a place to re-supply and rest before the evacuation, maybe aided by a new C-130 or two from Peterson and re-fueled helicopters. Best case, maybe a new safe haven.

Liam has a good point about the quality of fuel products the survivors might find along the way. Gasoline is subject to contamination and loses volitility over time. I've heard conflicting stories over how long it can be safely stored ranging from 1 year to as little as 30 days. Diesel fuel is more stable, with a recommended shelf life of 6-12 months, which I suspect can go longer. The survivors should be able to get through the winter on the fuel that's available, but eventually they're going to need a way to refine fuel for themselves.

on the fuel subject your dead on, id say they have realistically the first of the year before any pre-outbreak gas becomes less stable. gas found in random cars will go before that found in places like the fueling station. now this is not to say the gas will be totally useless...it will still run cars with a lil less effectiveness(id say thats where the year timeframe comes from) hell, ive started cars that have sat for ten years! granted, they run like absolute shit...and modern vehicles will be far, far more problematic...but im not entirely sure it will be an issue within the timeframe of this podcast

[Penguine]

Also, was anyone else woating for Robbins to go, "Well, There's my new girlfriend, Pegs, could you keep an eye out for her?"

Yes.. LOL.. That would have rocked.

[Penguine]

The best line of the entire episode is when Datu tells Hope to stay in the car and roll up the windows, then says something like Oh your window is broke, sucks to be you! LOL..

[UndeadSweeper]

The best line of the entire episode is when Datu tells Hope to stay in the car and roll up the windows, then says something like Oh your window is broke, sucks to be you! LOL..

He was in the mode after that. Smashing up windows then noticing that the car was unlocked. He was probably walking around like a boss.

[stat]

Realistically, the dog is now a charcoal briquette. And Pegs and Kelly are likely flash-shadows on a stretch of flattened rubble. I know this is a story and all, but I would shake my head in doubt if, say 5% of Boulder survives and it just happens that all three of our friends--and the fucking dog--all happened to be part of that 5%, despite Zoldiers runnin' wild and a nuclear blast...

I think it's a totally acceptable and realistic story outcome that we simply never find out what happened to Pegs and Kelly. It's very likely they are among the vast numbers of dead and unaccounted for.

I agree that it's a realistic story outcome for Pegs and Kelly to die or be eaten of screen. I can't agree that it's acceptable for us not to get positive confirmation, especially with regard to Pegs. Pegs has been with us from the very first episode and has been pretty important to the plot. She has unresolved plot lines with Michael and Scratch (who just came into her own in a very big way.) And although this theory has not been substantiated (or even proposed as far as I know), she has her own character arc that seems to mimic a hero's journey* with a call to action, a refusal, supernatural intervention, trials, retirement and a new call to action (Zombies invade Boulder). But maybe it's just coincidence that her path resembles Campbell's monomyth.

Also, Angel died in a way that ostensibly no one keeping a diar--sorry, a log would have been witness to and thus, could not have recorded in their log.** But we still heard him die. I'm not proposing that the story is poorly written if characters don't get their own death scenes. However, the fact that KC stepped out of the frame (the story comes from logs) to tell the story of Angel's death seems to indicate that he's willing to give us closure with characters, even if he has to stretch a little to do so. I'm glad that he did it, too. In real life, we lose track of people all the time and spend our lives wondering what happened to them. Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare have cut down on this loss for my generation, but it still happens. The loss and pain that is inherent in real life is why people turn to fiction. It can give us answers. Fiction can make sense in a way the world never will. If WA were real life, it's unlikely that anyone other than the people in the room would know of Angel's courage and defiance in his last moments. But since WA is fiction, the listeners at least get to know. We get to see his heart be the bolder, and his courage be the more, as his might lessens, to paraphrase Maldon. KC could have just killed Angel off but he didn't. He gave us some closure with Angel and I hope he does the same for Pegs and Kelly.

Please note that this post is meant to be critical in the second meaning of the word, "expressing or involving an analysis of a creative work or performance." And not critical in the sense that I'm disproving of KC or the actors' fine work.



*It's hard to apply the hero's journey to women because stories about women have their own set of rules and acceptable outcomes that complicate the structure. So, I'm not being flippant when I say that her journey might parallel the monomyth without ever meaning to.

**nikvoodoo corrected me: "Angel's death was recorded. That's how we know it happened. Tardust turned on a camera and recorded the events."

[Witch_Doctor]

Has anyone else notice the influx of new users? Are they all from Boulder?

Hopefully. That would mean that there were plenty of survivors.