The sky was overcast, matching the humans’ moods as they shifted about nervously, facing the horde of growling undead waiting for their prey to approach. No, this was not the start to another B-grade zombie film. This was the first ever ResLife Zombie Run.

Each human was given three “lives” in the form of flags hanging around their waists. To survive, a human had to make it intact with at least one flag through an arduous route circling the NJIT campus. Zombies could run, walk or lurch as they pleased to grab these flags and eliminate their prey.

Once they were given the signal to go, the humans took off in a mad stampede, colliding with the horde of flag-hungry zombies racing from the other direction. This initial rush cost the lives of many, including human civil engineering major Hyun-Keun “HK” Oh, who fell to zombie theater arts major Antonio Johnson. “I spun around to avoid him, but he grabbed my last blue flag,” said HK. Antonio only grinned and said, “Eating humans is fun.”

Only three humans made it through the first round to compete in a tense showdown against four zombies. In the end, human IT major Ahmed Elsayed reigned victorious, dashing across the Lower Green and vaulting over a picnic table to burst through the banner that signified the finish line. “I feel like I can survive an apocalypse now,” he said. Ahmed would like to thank the NJIT MSA for cheering him on from their barbeque that was held concurrently outside the Campus Center. Fellow human survivor, environmental science major Jazmyn Whyte, agreed that she “could survive anything now, honestly.” The third survivor, biology major Hanson Tran, said, “This was a pretty good run. These zombies are vicious.” Other awards claimed that day include Best Looking Zombie by Nicholal Ordway, and Zombie with Most Flags shared by Jonathan Sweet, Antonio Johnson and Alexandra Arnold.

There was a lighter side to this event. GDS brought out spooky treats, such as bat-shaped cookies and spaghetti-brain bread bowls, for humans and zombies to munch on before participating in their run. Zombies went all out with their costumes, including one student channeling a Left for Dead Hunter, complete with electronic growl box. To the beat of the catchy music in the background, impromptu dancing broke out among the zombies, who demonstrated their best Thriller-esque moves. Even Dean Gentul joined in the activities as he was chased across the West Plaza by a group of students-turned-zombies hungry for flesh.