Dim lights, antidotes, supply runs and zombies had CWU students rushing to Kennedy Hall for the “Zombie Zone.” Screams were heard from a distance, adding to the atmosphere of the pouring rain. On Oct. 24, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) asked volunteers to dress up as zombies and partake in a set of three separate obstacle courses.
High-school education major, Quinlen Casper shared his thoughts on the event, “It was kind of surprising and exhilarating. All the ‘zombies’ are really into it … it feels like you’re actually on a mission, hunting them down. I think it was really cool, probably the best event that CWU has held this year.”
After signing a waiver, I was met with the choices of finding an antidote, obtaining supplies or rescuing “survivors.” After a short debrief of our missions, each person was handed a Nerf gun and a pair of safety goggles. There seemed to be an overarching plot for the event.
I chose to take on the task of finding the antidote. I met up with the rest of the group at the designated time, where we were then shown a video of somebody in a lab coat talking about what the antidote looks like, and where to find it. Afterwards, we ventured into the dimly lit rooms, cautious of every corner.
Volunteers were marked head to toe in fake blood and bruises, hiding behind corners and bits of cardboard. As I crept down a dark hallway with my group, a faint melody could be heard, “La la la.”
As our group reached the end of the array of rooms, we thought we had acquired the antidote scott free. On the contrary, as it was just me and one other group member, the room seemed clear, then bam! A zombie crawled out from under the table in the corner, which had both of us shooting our nerf guns.
As our group finished up, I could hear screams throughout the building followed by laughter. Students seemed to jump at the opportunity to go again, rounding the corner of the building back to the sign-up desk. It was clear that there was a lot of care put into this event by the RHA’s.
The event was originally scheduled for the Saturday after; however, it was moved a day up in order to not conflict with the Rocky Horror Picture show taking place in the SURC ballroom, as they occurred at the same time. Despite the challenges presented, the Zombie Zone received a high turnout with 100 people.
