RQ Network Feed Drop – Wake of Corrosion S1: E01 – Off-Grid
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Hi everyone, it's Shahan here. Today we are sharing the first episode from an incredible podcast on the RQ Network with you, Wake of Corrosion. Wake of Corrosion is a UK-based, eldritch horror-inspired audio drama set in a nightmare-ridden, apocalyptic world.

An unknown horror grips the country, forcing most of the remaining population into shelter. Tune into the broadcast from Bunker A12 and join Professor Ryan as he endeavors to find the answers in the wreckage. His only lead? The journal entries and personal recordings left behind by brothers Elliot and Roman, who were there when it all began. Find every episode in this series by searching for Wake of Corrosion, wherever you listen to podcasts, clicking the link in the show notes or on RustyQuill.com. Have fun and enjoy the episode.

Please open up! Open the damn door! Is anyone even in there? I'm here for Professor Ryan. I heard your broadcasts. Oh god. I don't... I don't... Just look at me. Let me in. Please, I need to see Professor Ryan. Very good. I'll be right there. My name is Professor Ryan. Located bunker A-12.

This is a public broadcast to any survivors out there. I'm broadcasting this in the hope that others will hear the story and come forward with more information. I know that there are some among you who find this content disturbing. Therefore, I advise listener discretion going forward. The following series of broadcasts pertains to that which has afflicted us all. The recent, and as of yet unnamed events,

have completely changed life as we know it. For most of us, life is four walls of whatever bunker we found ourselves in. But survivors, I know there are those of you out there hanging on to the last darkening hope. And there are others pushing forward through the wreckage to reclaim what we have lost. My goal, however, is knowledge.

I believe that by understanding the event, then we may come to discover a way back. Over the course of these broadcasts, I will be sharing with you the story of two brothers, Roman and Elliot, whose experiences of the event are unlike any other. I do this in the hopes that someone out there, perchance, has more information regarding their experiences and findings.

The majority of our current knowledge comes from journal entries and personal audio recordings. Both have been enhanced to better recreate their experience and capture your attention. We've attempted to order these findings as best as possible, however there are some instances where the data is either unclear or not present.

Currently, due to the limited source material, we cannot confirm their validity. In such, we will endeavor to discover more. Please, if you know anything regarding their experiences, I urge you to make yourself known. For the good of us all, let us begin. Entry 01. Taken from the journal kept by Elliot one week prior to the event. I can't believe the day's here.

It feels like I've been waiting ages. Roman and I only came up with this idea a few months ago, but ever since, I've not been able to stop thinking about it. Even now, I keep going over the things I'm going to need whilst we're there. The list isn't getting any shorter. Don't even get me started on the amount of websites I've trawled through trying to make sure I'm fully prepared. It's been a lot. And, of course, now I'm starting to get swamped with targeted ads for survival gear and shit like that. Part of me thought it would never happen, you know?

I just couldn't see us both getting a full week off, let alone at the same time. Off grid for a whole week. I really hope we got the balls to see this through. I mean, it is only a week, but we're going full on off grid. We're not camping in some hired field or hiking a day and staying in a log cabin. We're doing the whole thing. Absolute minimal technology, all our own gear.

I'm a weird mix of excited and terrified. The amount of 'what if' questions I have to keep shoving to the back of my mind is becoming a little bit unbearable. But now I've seen all this gear come together, I'm feeling a little bit more hopeful about it. We're going to be leaving in a few hours, and I'm pretty sure Roman has only just started packing. He's usually much more organised than this. I think I'll go give him a hand once I finish writing. Just think though, no messages?

No emails, no social media, and no freaking notifications. This is gonna be good. Entry 02. The following is from a handheld recording device in the possession of Roman, the elder of the two. The time is 7am on Friday the 16th, so this is a note to myself. This is a record of the items in my primary backpack. Fire building and starting supplies, two weeks worth of rations...

thermal underclothes, emergency radio, multi-tool knife set, map of the area, first aid kit, compass, rope, well, paracord to be precise, a water filter, definitely, solar and a wind-up torch, tent, sleeping bag, space blanket are all already in the car, rolled, tied and ready. Elliot has the tarp for emergency downpours and the cooking equipment. Well, I hope so.

Speak of the devil. How's it going, bro? Not bad, not bad. Look who's finally packing. Very unlike you to leave it so late. Screw you! I've got a family getting under my feet. I'd like to see you find the time to pack all this stuff with two kids and a dog to contend with. Fair. I'll let you off this time.

Anyway, we're leaving in a couple of hours, right? That we are, my friend, that we are. Then three hours drive and we're off grid. No messages. No emails. No social media. Yep, and... No freaking notifications. Anyway, do you need a hand with this? Nah, I'm all good. Nearly finished here. Fair enough... Oh, fucking hell. Damn it! That's the second time today! Dodgy wiring again, or...? Yeah, maybe.

I'll have to check it when we get back. I'll just let Claire know not to use it for now. Only the garage lights, so it shouldn't be a problem. Rueyman? Is that recording? Oh, yeah. Oops. Entry 03. This next piece is from a journal entry written on the journey to their intended destination. It is not clear exactly where they travel to, although we know it's a few hours drive from their original location.

It is hoped that as we work our way through the evidence, one or hopefully both locations shall become clear. One hour down and two to go. And no doubt riding this will give me a headache. I don't think I've ever travelled this way out of town before. If I have, I can't remember it. This stretch of carriageway makes such an annoying sound. How could I forget it? I hope we turn off soon. Some country roads would be a nice break. It felt so wrong leaving my phone behind to switch it off.

Put it in a drawer and knowingly leave it behind. Why is it making me feel anxious? I shouldn't be feeling this way. But I am so much more attached to that thing than I thought I was. Before, well, before we decided on this trip anyway, I was trying to check it as little as possible. But it's like it calls to me. Pardon the pun.

Every moment I have free, I feel drawn to it. When the kettle is boiling. A loading screen in a game. Breaks in conversation. Any chance to look at it. Just to check if anything has changed in the world. Like I'm expecting... No. Wanting to know everything. It's essentially become an addiction. A fucking bad one at that. It's alright. It's alright. We've got everything we need even if there is an emergency. Plus, the massive upside. No...

notifications. Morbid thought though, Roman does have his recorder still, so if we do get lost and die to a pack of wolves, at least they'll leave that alone. And maybe my journal, if it doesn't get rained on. Actually, I don't think we have wolves here. Maybe a wild badger or something like that will eat us. Sounds fun. Finally off that awful sounding road.

Saw the aftermath of an awful car crash just before we turned off. It looked as though someone had been driving an absolute rust bucket of a 4x4 and ploughed straight into the back of someone's car. I'm not even sure how a 4x4 like that was still drivable. Most of the windows were smashed, presumably from the accident, but the ones that were intact, they were thick with moss. Like those sort of cars you see parked in driveways full of plants slowly claiming back the world around them. The ones you assume haven't moved in years.

Anyways, the crash. I know it's not right to stare, but, well, I couldn't take my eyes off it. It must have happened recently because there weren't any ambulances or police, and only a few people had just started to get out of their cars to stop, you know, have a look. I hope everyone's alright. Anyway, back to the here and now. Enough of the civilised world. Freedom. That's what we're after. That's where we're heading. I can't remember the last time the air smelled this good.

I always think the city air isn't that bad. I mean, I read about it a lot, and they say, you know, we've got some of the worst air pollution levels in the country, but you can't help but think to yourself, oh, it's not that bad, until you come out here to the countryside and suddenly your lungs feel like they've had a weight lifted off them. I'd keep it this way if I could, but alas, we will inevitably return, and no doubt I'll go back to being an idiot and thinking that the air quality isn't that bad after all.

A week of this will do us both some good though. That's one of the many reasons we decided to do this. That, and we wanted to ground ourselves a little bit more. Our lives were becoming too digital. We both agreed all the screens were becoming overbearing. Mum would think we were weird going to all this length for just one week. Well mum, I'd like to say that you're the reason we're weird. And we're proud of that. Or at least I am, anyway. You knew that. You always did. You know, before, I was a little bit sceptical.

But now we're out here, well, I've got a good feeling about this. It took me a while to get over leaving my device behind. But I think now, now I feel comfortable, free, better connected to the world already. And the site we're heading to is only about half an hour away now. I can't wait to get all of our gear on and head out into the wild. I tried it all on the other day, you know, just to see how it feels if everything sat right. I was in my room, it felt silly, but I wanted to do it anyway.

I kind of closed my eyes and imagined I was in the forest. Like I could hear the birds. It kind of felt good. I mean it felt embarrassing again when I opened my eyes but generally it felt good. The weather is looking great. Not a cloud in sight. And it's warm enough at the moment that the night shouldn't actually be too cool. It's gonna be the first time I've camped completely wild. You know, like not on a proper campsite. Is it bad I almost don't want to see another person until next week? Other than Roman of course.

There really hasn't been much conversation in the last hour. We'll need to use the map for directions in a bit, and I think it's stressing him out. That other car crash we saw got to him? I doubt it though. Stuff like that doesn't bother Roman really. Anyway, I'd better stop writing. I'll be the one looking at a map soon, so I'd better actually find where we are. I'd hate to get us lost before we actually got there. That'd be kind of embarrassing actually. And Roman will only take the piss out of me for it. Onward we go.

Entry 04. The following is an excerpt taken from Roman's voice recorder upon arrival at their destination. Well, see this Elliot? This is where having a phone would be perfect. You're telling me. Jesus Christ. That is one glorious view.

Are you sure the car will be safe here? Ah, don't. Elliot, don't be like this already. Like what? Worrying about things straight off the bat. We just got here. I'm just making sure we'll have a way to get back once the week's out. Is that so bad? It is when you're asking stupid questions like that. I wouldn't have parked us here if I didn't think it was safe now, would I?

Anyway, I'm recording this, so stop mithering. Otherwise, I'll have proof to tell everybody how much of a spoon you are. Alright, alright. Wait, why are you recording anyway, Roman?

I wanted to document our experiences at some key points, you know. See what we thought, your reactions, experiences, you know, that kind of thing. I figure when we head back to the real world, that I can listen to these recordings and remember the freedom of it all. Each to their own, I suppose. Look, you enjoy reading, right? I enjoy listening, journal boy. Fuck you.

You all set, brother? Aye aye, Captain. Onward into the unknown then. Left path first, I think. Then a week from now we'll be walking out that path there, feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and no doubt absolutely shattered. This. This is perfect. I'm afraid that due to the limited power of our generators, we shall have to leave the broadcast air for today, survivors.

We hope for clear skies to bring energy tomorrow or even some fuel if we're lucky. We shall return to the story of the two brothers soon. There's more we must learn and more I must share. If you're somewhere out there and you have information regarding the brothers please get in touch any way you can. Here at Bunker A12 we hope you're somewhere safe and warm and remember as always don't wander in the dark.

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed our show, be sure to give us a rating and review to let others know. If you would like to hear news and updates, then please follow us on Instagram and Twitter at Wake of Corrosion. Wake of Corrosion was written, directed and produced by Sean Pellington, with voice acting from Kieran Walsh as Professor Ryan, Lee Pellington as Roman, Sean Pellington as Elliot, with title and credits read by Adele Clift.

Our introduction theme, Shadowlands 5: Antechamber, and outro theme, Phantasm, were created by Kevin MacLeod, sourced from Incompetech.com, licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 4.0. Both pieces have been reduced from their originals with fade-out, added voiceover, and radio static effects. Morse code SFX, courtesy of Stephen C. Phillips of morsecode.world,

All other sound effects are self-recorded or sourced from soundsnap.com. For our full list of credits, please visit our website in our show notes. Thank you so much for listening. To listen to the rest of the series, search for Wake of Corrosion wherever you find podcasts, click the link in the description, or as always, you can visit rustyquill.com for more information. Thanks for listening.