You may think that your college is strange. You might have specific traditions on game days or certain things that you do around finals week. But no college, and I mean NO COLLEGE is stranger than Baylor University. Specifically the Baylor Honors Residential College.
Sure, we may seem like your typical group of nerds. But we are way more than that. We are like supernerds on steroids. And a few weeks ago we played Humans vs. Zombies, a three-day event that happened across the entirety of campus that was exclusive to members of the HRC.
What is Humans vs. Zombies you might ask? Well on its most basic level, it's a game where humans are trying to outlive the zombies. There were 8 alpha zombies chosen at the beginning of the game, and their goal was to tag any humans to turn them into zombies. Humans were allowed to defend themselves with Nerf weapons and other miscellaneous objects of their choosing. Easy enough, right? Unfortunately, humans were not allowed to use weapons until 8 hours after the game started.
This sounds fun, right? Well, let me give you the day by day of what exactly Humans vs. Zombies is like in real life.
Day 1 (AKA the only day I'm human)
The game starts at 8 a.m. and that also happens to be when I have my first class. In order to be in a building (which is the only safe place on campus during the next three days) I leave my dorm at 7:40 a.m. I get to class just fine, but now the panic begins. As I enter the building, I see a zombie scouting out the hallways. I sprint to my classroom and instantly begin to panic because I have to leave the building at 9 a.m. to get to a meeting all the way across campus at 9:20 a.m. And I still can't use weapons.
During class, my phone is blowing up because all the humans are texting to try and figure out safe paths to class. I am sitting at my desk, physically shaking because I don't want to die on the first day.
After class I do the most logical thing I can think of: I wait until I see a fellow human and we begin to speed-walk to our next class. Unfortunately, we are followed by a zombie. We begin to sprint and, while my friend gets away, I am not so lucky.
I have now joined the undead.
The rest of the day consists of human hunting. Between classes, my zombie friends and I plan sneak attacks and ambushes to try and kill the humans.
Day 2 (The night of The Purge)
Day two is essentially the same as day one. More humans join our undead family, but now humans are allowed to use weapons. Still, we bring a mighty amount of humans over to the dark side. At 10 p.m. comes what is known as The Purge. During the purge, humans are not safe in any buildings on campus, and weapons are obsolete for an hour. We bring down a huge amount of humans that night, and it was exhilarating chasing friends and classmates all across campus.
Day 3 (The final stand)
Day three brings the end of the game. At this point, zombies far outmatch the humans. We continue our hunting until 3 p.m., when everyone is told to rest for the final mission. At 10 p.m. the zombies gather for one final ambush, where no one is left alive.
So, there you have it. My three days of being undead where perhaps some of the best that I have spent on campus. While it was stressful and nerve-wracking, it was also fast-paced and hilarious.
10 out of 10 would recommend.
