This Saturday, the campus looked and sounded like a horror movie as bloody creatures rambled through the streets.
"Did you see the zombies?" one girl asked over her phone - the common question of the day.
As the undead spread throughout the Village - which already has the vibe of a town in an '80s slasher film - the scene became more surreal, with what looked like army personnel directing traffic and blocking the roads with barricades. Screams and nervous laughter lingered in the air.
"I love you, Tiffany, even though you're dead," a girl yelled.
A briefly cloudy sky set the mood as the first zombies emerged from the stark shadows of the Quad forest around 3 p.m. Shortly afterward, heavy metal music permeated the atmosphere, and a burly voice boomed through the crowd.
"Zombies, let me hear you moan," the man ordered.
The man was Robert Abner, the Grace Village campus minister and one of the head organizers for the Muncie Zombie Walk.
Ironically, this indulgence in the macabre was for the sake of well-being, with donations benefitting the Second Harvest Food Bank and Animal Rescue Fund.
"That's who we're really here for," Abner reminded the crowd at one point.
Apparently, the participants did not need a reminder, as they donated several pounds of canned food items. To participate, people were required to bring at least two non-perishable food items for humans or pets.
Looking around at the widely different generations of costumed participants, which totaled roughly 350 people, one could see why the zombie genre was a perfect theme to attract attention for the event's cause.
"It's a trend right now, a fad," Andrew Defrees, a junior religious studies major, said.
"But the post-apocalyptic thing has been popular since the '50s," Jennifer Parker, a junior psychology major, added.
Defrees and Parker are both members of the campus' Urban Gaming League, the group that coordinates "Humans vs. Zombies" - one of the many horror-themed organizations present at the walk, along with Scarevania Haunted House, Muncie Haunted Forest and a couple campy horror TV hosts. They, along with all of the other participants, mingled playfully, seemingly thriving on the communal catharsis horror films provide.
The participants were committed fans, putting a great deal of detail and care into their gory appearances. Many even had their makeup done by students at PJ's Beauty College. The devotion to horror was especially evident in the sight of a bloody girl gleefully putting woodchips in her hair to appear as though she had risen from the grave. The enthusiasm for horror was obviously infectious.
For Muncie resident Emily Nabb Baker, who was dressed as a zombie nurse, the genre is both warmly familiar and bracingly fresh.
"Zombie movies are cult classics," she said. "Even though they all have the same outcome, it's still fun to anticipate what will happen. Here, I'm looking forward to all the different modifications of zombies and seeing people's interpretations of what a zombie is."
There were many among the horde traveling through Muncie - zombie jocks, nurses, soldiers, prom queens, TV hosts and more. They garnered screams and laughs as they walked through the Village and McKinley Avenue, passing through the heart of campus, and arriving back at the Quad around 5:30 p.m.
In addition to fun, the event produced a healthy supply of food items for its beneficiaries, proving the undead have a capacity for good after all. Participants donated roughly 500 pounds of food for humans alone, but exact numbers are still being determined.
If you missed out on the madness, you can head over to the event's Facebook page, where you can find hundreds of gorgeously gory photos.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
