I couldn't imagine sitting in a group of bushes next to the McKinley Parking Structure by the Music Instruction Building at 10:30 p.m. Monday. Two zombies were behind me, and I eyed them with my NERF rifle.
As the Spring Semester began, I knew Humans vs. Zombies would be the highlight of the season. Nothing could be better than shooting strangers with toys from your childhood.
THURSDAY
The missions began on a drizzly spring evening. The orange glow of the street lights illuminated the way for about 160 students beginning the games.
In LaFollette Complex, we were briefed on the game's storyline by Adam Huston, the organizer of the semester's event.
A virus that changes humans into zombies had broken out in New York City. The virus came to Indiana last week and infected people, changing them into a mutant zombie.
Our first mission was to go to the L.A. Pittenger Student Center to meet a scientist to learn about our next mission.
A group of about five fighters and I stormed into the drizzle and were jumped by two zombies hiding in the bushes. Luckily, the zombies were wearing orange and didn't blend in with their surroundings, so they were easy targets.
We ran through the soft ground of LaFollette Field to the Architecture Building, seeing no resistance in our way.
The virus only infected about 10 people of the resistance, but we were so nervous that every time we saw someone, it made our fingers twitch toward our guns' triggers.
My guns that night consisted of a Tek Six and a MAVERICK REV-6, two reliable six-shooters that I would rest my life on.
We met 30 more humans after arriving at the Student Center, which was reassuring to our small group.
The zombies were also at their strongest at the Student Center, swarming our group and waiting for us to make the next move.
By the time we arrived, the scientist we had to meet had gone to Irving Gym.
The resistance force was dumbfounded. They were upset they walked all the way down campus for nothing. I wasn't mad though; when you play pretend on a massive scale, it will be subject to changes.
The humans group left their meeting point for Irving, traveling through the safe zones: Emens Auditorium, Bracken Library and the Architecture Building.
When about 30 humans exited the Architecture Building, about five zombies charged our position from across the street. The only solution was to come out with NERF a-blazing.
One zombie sprinted toward us, but I shot at it with my MAVERICK. My first kill. Nothing else matched the rush of knowing you hit a complete stranger and they won't do anything about it.
Others shot the zombies with their guns and sprinted into the gym, where we split to find the messenger.
When one of the groups found the messenger, we found out that a new zombie was arriving on campus. A mutant zombie unaffected by darts or socks, but distracted by noise. From Irving, the remaining humans walked home in tight groups. It was still raining on the cool, spring night. The zombies retreated and the humans walked campus in peace.
FRIDAY
Day two in the apocalyptic experience came for the humans and a new, more complicated mission began.
For the evening's mission, the humans were supposed to take the mutant queen zombies and destroy them. The humans had to use noise to move the zombies to LaFollette Field and keep them there for 20 minutes to do so.
Humans ventured on campus and went to the Beneficence statue to find the mutant zombies.
Once there, the humans used their cell phone ring tones to move the zombies across campus. I helped escort a mutant zombie and a group of humans moving north along McKinley Avenue to LaFollette Field across the soggy soil, which was full of mud that slowed us down.
We had secured two queen zombies on the spot where we had to keep them for 20 minutes, while the other zombies circled around us.
We were worried that they would ambush us, but we were on a hill and had the high ground.
During the engagement, humans yelled at each other saying from what directions the zombies were moving.
The living-dead could have attacked us from two directions and split our forces, but they never did and clustered into one spot in front of us.
Once we waited for 20 minutes until both zombies queens were dead, the remaining zombies on the fringes came closer to where we were stationed.
Finally the zombies charged us, a group of about 25. Luckily, we had about the same number. I got off a few shots, but never got a clean hit.
Someone next to me had an automatic NERF gun, so he was mowing the zombies down before any could come into my range.
After the melee, a moderator informed us that we needed to go get another queen zombie and destroy it. So, we packed up our darts and headed for Benny, not knowing we would meet defeat.
We went through the Robert Bell, the Ball Communications, the Letterman Building and the Art and Journalism Building, all safe zones.
From there, we ventured down the Cow Path through University Green. Once we got to Beneficence, we saw a mob of about 30 to 40 zombies.
They were surrounding the zombie queen, who we needed to get to LaFollette.
We breathed heavy and moved quickly by acting like Rambo, and we shot our way through the swarm of zombies. We finally cleared a path for us and surrounded the mutant zombie.
We thought we had our break, that it was home free.
But when we were on our way toward LaFollette, 15 minutes passed and the zombies were not stunned from our NERF shots anymore. We were walking and our group of humans got split up and the zombie hordes were after us again.
While leaving Benny, the group I was in had moved too far ahead of the remaining humans. In our small group, we tried to reconnect with the other humans in the distance, but there were too many zombies.
As my group was taking stock of the situation, a rogue zombie ran at our group.
Luckily, one of the humans in my group had a fast reaction and shot the beast in his steps, but the zombie didn't stop.
He finally ran into me and sent me to the ground. I thought about pistol wiping him, but that was against the rules.
We finally left the other group of humans with the queen zombie to get eaten. Later, more humans caught up with us on our way home saying the zombies were calling us cowards, but we didn't care.
We knew that trying to continue with the mission was suicide, so we thought we'd come back on another day.
Walking home along McKinley Avenue on a Friday night without finishing a mission left us with low spirits.
SUNDAY
On Saturday, a mission took place I couldn't attend. Friday's tackle sent me reeling and I had to sit the night out.
But back at my dorm I could see the mass of humans moving toward the action on campus. I could see them move in the light at twilight, and I saw the zombies following them.
On Sunday, I learned the mission my comrades embarked on the night before was a success, and we were ready for the Sunday mission.
At 6:13 p.m. Sunday, we received a message saying that an attempted airlift of scientists from the Student Center had failed.
The helicopter crashed and the message said it was urgent to be at the Student Center as quickly as we could.
A group of three humans and I quickly left our dorms and went toward the scene where we met about five more people along the way.
The sun was bright and sweat dripped from my forehead. The men in my company were weighed down with their sidearms.
Once we came to the Student Center, we saw zombies surrounding the building in full force.
We were outnumbered at least two to one.
They surrounded the building, but we managed to shoot our way through without much resistance.
Once in the Student Center, our small group of rag-tag humans met the three scientists. Next, we realized if we were going to get the scientists out, we had to take them to LaFollette Field for another airlift.
Of course, the scientists were unarmed, but they had to get off campus to work on a cure to stop the zombie virus.
We ran out of the Student Center virtually unopposed, no zombies in the immediate area, but they saw us exit.
So we went through as many buildings as we could to evaded the enemies as they followed. With the scientists in our presence, we couldn't move too fast. We zig-zagged in front of cars and the corners of buildings to make sure the coast was clear.
We were successful at getting the scientists to the Art and Journalism Building, but we faced a whole group of zombies waiting for us.
We waited outside the doors of Robert Bell for minutes eyeing those who used to be our friends. Those who used to run along our sides, our brothers.
Finally, we thought staring at our old companions was useless so we ran toward Irving to get out of our mess. We shot on the run, darts almost hitting our old companions.
Some of use got lost in the crazed mess of zombies that followed. Once we were in our safe zone, four humans remained to bring the scientists to safety.
We took a breather and ran straight for LaFollette Field, and we waited impatiently for the zombies to swarm us.
Once we were in the field, no zombies were around. They must have went to somewhere else, but the scientists were airlifted in time.
Now the scientists were gone, all we had to do was wait for our final mission.
MONDAY
Our last mission was to make it to the the bus stop near the Student Center to met the National Guard to rescue us. I took my NERF rifle out for my last mission.
When I left the Ball Communication building, zombies swarmed all around me; no humans were in sight.
As I approached the Whitinger Business Building, an overwhelming swarm of about 30 living-dead swarmed me. I had to run and only one zombie chased me, but I shot him.
He was about my tenth kill.
From there, I went to the Student Center to meet the National Guard. Before I left, I went to Noyer Complex's loading dock to pick up green Easter Eggs to give the National Guard to pick me up.
While I was in front of the Student Center, zombies descended on me. I was able to make it to the side of the Student Center when one zombie was too quick.
The lucky zombie couldn't stop after sprinting after me.
And my mission as a human ended knocked down in rocks and as a zombie.
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